Watch Out Kingpin, Echo Is Coming! Marvel 'Echo' Cast, Plot Details and More

Marvel's Echo is coming! The spinoff of Hawkeye will focus on the title character of Echo, a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with strong ties to some major players within the entire MCU, especially with characters who spend time in New York City. Echo isn't just a major Marvel event for lovers of the juggernaut franchise—it's also a major stepping stone for representation, as the title character is deaf and Native American and actually played by a deaf Native American actress, Alaqua Cox. Cox brings it even further, as she also has a leg amputated.

"I had no acting experience [before Hawkeye]. I was only involved in one school play in high school, but I was a background actor," Cox told PEOPLE. That is until some of her friends saw a Marvel casting notice. "They saw the casting call looking for a Native American actress and female deaf actress. It just matched so perfectly, so I decided to go for it," she said. "I had never seen anybody on the screen that maybe looked like me ... deaf, an amputee."

Find out more about the Marvel Echo release date, cast and more, but beware for MCU spoilers ahead if you aren't caught up!

Is Marvel making an Echo show?

Marvel Studios is producing Echo, an origin story for the character who first debuted in Hawkeye. The show will hone in on Echo (Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox) in her early days and origin story before the events of 2021's Hawkeye series.

Related: Which Marvel Movies Are the Best? See How We Ranked the Entire MCU

Who is in the Echo cast?

Alaqua Cox as Echo

Cox revealed to PEOPLE that she was working in a factory before getting cast and had no idea she'd ever been an actress, let alone the lead in part of the biggest franchise on the planet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cox also previously worked for FedEx, Amazon and a nursing home before her big break.

The rest of the characters are, in MCU fashion, being kept quite under wraps, but the cast includes:

Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin

At the D23 Convention in early September 2022, Vincent D'Onofrio appeared in an Echo trailer reprising his role of Kingpin (Wilson Fisk). This time, following his blowout battle with Echo at the conclusion of Hawkeye, he rocks an eyepatch.

Chaske Spencer (The English)

Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs, American Gods)

Cody Lightning (Four Sheets to the Wind)

Graham Greene (1883)

Zahn McClarnon (Reservation Dogs)

Related: Everything to Know About Marvel's Phase 5

What is the Echo release date?

The exact Echo release date hasn't been announced, but we do know that it will drop sometime in 2023.

Related: Will Marvel’s Moon Knight Return for Season 2?

How can I watch Echo?

Echo will exclusively stream on Disney+.

Is there an Echo trailer?

A trailer for Echo was revealed at the D23 Expo in September 2022, but isn't yet available for the public.

Marvel Studios did release some art of the title character. The image was released with an announcement that the show was currently in production as of May 2022 and would drop sometime in 2023.

Related: How to Watch Every X-Men Movie In Order

Is Echo from Marvel a villain?

In the comics, Echo isn't a villain, but she is a complicated hero. Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) murders her father and raises her as his own, and for a time she is loyal to him. She eventually learns the truth about her past and about Kingpin's present and persistent evil. She then works with Marvel heroes, including Daredevil (for whom she is a love interest), to bring Kingpin to justice.

Is Echo deaf in Marvel?

Echo is deaf in Marvel comics as well as in the Disney+ series. She isn't the first deaf character in the MCU, however: In The Eternals, Makkari is deaf. Lauren Ridloff, who stars as the speedy superhero, is deaf in real life as well.

What is MCU Echo?

Echo is a TV series in the MCU. It will explore the origin story of Maya Lopez, who first appeared in the Disney+ series Hawkeye. The series will show Lopez's past, with a strong emphasis on her Native American roots.

Related: 35 Marvel Memes That Prove Earth’s Mightiest Hero Is Actually the Internet

Is Daredevil in Echo?

It's unclear whether Daredevil (Charlie Cox) will appear in Echo, but it seems likely: "Very good lawyer" Matt Murdock made an infamous appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Cox has been vocal about wanting to return to the MCU after Netflix ended the Daredevil series.

Is Echo the daughter of Kingpin?

Kingpin is not Echo's biological father. Kingpin murdered Echo's father, who made Kingpin promise to raise her well. Kingpin, to his credit, kept his promise to Echo's dying father—but Echo has to learn the hard way that Kingpin isn't the father figure she thought he was for most of her life.

What are Echo powers?

Echo has extremely quick reflexes, is very strong and is a master of martial arts and most forms of combat. She can also perfectly mimic the movements of anyone she sees, similar to Black Widow baddie Taskmaster. She is also a skilled acrobat like Daredevil.

Next, find out how to watch every single Marvel movie in order of story.