Alaqua Cox Was Bullied for Being Deaf and an Amputee, Now the Marvel Star Is ‘Proud’ to Prove She ‘Can Do Anything’ (Exclusive)

The 'Echo' actress talks to PEOPLE about her unconventional path to stardom and hard-won success

Preparing to play a formidable Marvel character is a notoriously demanding process that pushes actors to the pinnacle of physical fitness.

For Alaqua Cox, who's making history as the first Native American star to lead a Marvel series in the new Disney+ show Echo, it meant training five days a week with a stunt team to learn a slew of butt-kicking moves.

"I grew up playing different kinds of sports — I would play one-on-one basketball with my older brother — so I love doing those kinds of physical things," the actress, who, like her character Maya Lopez, is an amputee and has been deaf all her life, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue.

Cox, 26, originated the ruthless role with her breakthrough performance opposite Jeremy Renner in the series Hawkeye. Echo, who debuted in Marvel comics in 1999, is a gifted fighter with superhuman strength and a thirst for vengeance.

Related: From Amazon Worker to 'Hawkeye' Star: How Alaqua Cox Beat the Odds to Become Marvel's Next Big Hero

It was on the Hawkeye set in Georgia that Cox learned she would star in her own spinoff.

"It was very overwhelming. I texted my family back home in Wisconsin, I said, 'I'm getting my own Marvel show!' she recalls. "I FaceTimed them right away. I had nobody there to be with me, but I was so proud of myself."

Cox grew up on the Menominee Indian Reservation, a 358-square mile stretch of land in northeast Wisconsin. "I come from a hearing family and I have a deaf little brother as well," she says. "All my family sign, we are all very close."

But the actress, who hasn't disclosed anything publicly regarding the loss of her leg, struggled at a mainstream school where no American Sign Language classes were offered.

"There was no awareness about deaf culture at all," she says. "I got bullied for being deaf and an amputee, and I would complain, but the district wouldn't listen."

Related: Marvel's Hawkeye Spinoff Echo Explores the Depths of 'Pain' and 'Rage' in Bloody First Trailer

In eighth grade. Cox began commuting to another high school more than 50 miles away from her reservation, where a dedicated program for the deaf and skilled sign-language interpreters transformed her education.

Before landing her Marvel gig — her first acting role — Cox worked in a series of jobs, including in Amazon and FedEx warehouses ("Oh, my gosh, it was bad," she recalls) and a stint caring for the elderly in a nursing home that she enjoyed much more. When her friends noticed a Hawkeye casting call for an Indigenous deaf woman in her 20s, they encouraged her to apply, but Cox wasn't sold on pursuing acting.

"Then, two other friends sent me the same exact link, and I thought, 'Well, it's a sign. I've got to go for it and give it a shot,'" she says.

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The Marvel role not only launched her acting career, it jumpstarted a new chapter for her personal life. Cox purchased her first home in Wisconsin in April with her fiancé and partner of six years, Erich, with whom they welcomed their first child, a son, in October.

Related: Marvel Rethinks TV Calendar and Releases New Premiere Dates for ‘Agatha,’ ‘Echo’ and 'X-Men ’97’ amid Strikes

Cox envisions a hectic next few years. With several acting projects already in the works, she hopes to challenge herself with a wide variety of characters — not just the bad-guy parts she's often pitched.

But for now, the actress seems largely satisfied basking in her hard-won success, portraying a superhero who is paving the way in Hollywood for diverse performers who look more like herself.

"It's funny. When I got this role, those people that used to bully me contacted me," she says. "I'm just very proud to be able to show them that I can do anything. I can achieve anything on the same level as any other normal person could. I can be a superhero. Anything is possible."

For more on Alaqua Cox, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here. 

All five episodes of Echo are available to stream on Disney+.

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