no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

Logo
live-news-icon

Live News

Asia Gaming Beat: February 15, 2025: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Elden Ring Nightreign's Network Test Went So Bad, FromSoft Had to Give It Another Go: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Valentine's Day 2025: Wishes & Messages From The Games Industry: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here
post-16 post-13

Marvel’s Echo Review: A Grittier But Familiar MCU Series

Marvel’s Echo is not only the first Marvel Disney+ series to kick off 2024, but it’s also the first one to be TV-MA (rated for 18 years and above) and to be under the new Marvel Spotlight banner. What makes Echo different from other previous Marvel series and is it worth watching? Read on to find out.

Rise Of Echo

(L-R): Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Darnell Besaw as young Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios’ ECHO, releasing on Hulu and Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

Disney+ provided us with three out of the five episodes in the first season. It was enough to paint a picture of what this series is like. Most of the first episode concerns itself with showing us what happened from when Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) was a child until the moment we left her at the end of 2021’s Hawkeye series. Despite being a more mature series, Echo’s TV-MA isn’t that prominent. There are no F-bombs or major swearing, and there’s only a bit more blood than usual, which is nowhere near as gory or violent as something like Prime Video’s The Boys franchise. It is sort of closer to the level of blood that was featured in the Marvel Netflix shows.

Echo explores Maya’s past and backstory, including her ancestors (which are a part of the ongoing narrative). A unique element in Echo is that some scenes take place from Maya’s perspective as a deaf person, so sounds become muted during certain dramatic moments. These most often happen during intense fights or action scenes. Echo goes the authentic route for Native American representation, featuring flashback scenes with Maya’s ancestors, who speak Native American languages such as Cherokee or Choctaw. These flashback scenes also feature unique cinematography and cinematic styles. For instance, one of them is stylized as a retro black-and-white silent film.

Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios’ Echo, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Echo is much more grounded compared to previous Marvel shows. There are still moments of comedy and comic book easter eggs but these are far and few in between. Of course, it’s always great to see Vincent D’Onofrio return as Wilson Fisk AKA Kingpin and he’s brilliant as usual. There are one or two surprises but overall the series focuses more on grounding the story on Maya Lopez. Still, not much happens in the first three episodes of Echo, so unless you’re really invested in Maya Lopez herself as a character, there’s not much here to entice the typical MCU fan but it’s not different enough not to be another MCU show either.

That being said, Echo is definitely not being portrayed as a conventional “hero”. She’s not afraid to kill and she doesn’t exactly have “good” intentions (to say more would be touching on spoilers). That certainly makes for a different MCU protagonist than we’re used to. However, it’s too early to say if Echo will turn out to be an interesting enough character. With only five episodes in its first season, Echo doesn’t feel draggy and that’s a good thing. It’s something that other streaming services like Netflix should emulate, not stretching one season to eight or ten episodes just because they can.

A Different MCU ‘Hero’

Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Marvel Studios’ ECHO, releasing on Hulu and Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

Echo is a decent series to kick off the new Marvel Spotlight banner and it’s a good example showing the potential of what the MCU can be if they stop being too formulaic. We’ll have to wait and see if the final two episodes of Echo will be able to stick the landing. The overall vibe and tone feel in-between that of the Marvel Netflix shows and Marvel shows like Hawkeye. I don’t think Echo is as gritty or dark as some fans would have wanted, and a lot of it still feels familiar if you’ve seen Hawkeye or The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.

FINAL SCORE: 60/100

We received an early screener of the first three episodes of Marvel’s ECHO Season 1 courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. All five episodes of Marvel’s ECHO Season 1 is slated to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 10 January 2023.

Related News

post-07
The Hellboy Reboot Will Premiere In Malaysian Cinemas Next Month

Hellboy The Crooked Man will premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 27 September 2024. First poster for Hellboy: The Crooked Man - a new adaptation of ...

post-07
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4 Beams Down This September

At San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Paramount+ revealed the official trailer for Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4. It will premiere with its first two episodes...

post-07
Disney Sets Definitive 2026 Release Dates For Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5 & Live-Action Moana

In a surprise announcement, Disney has set definitive release dates for several of their upcoming major movies, including delaying the live-action Moa...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment(1)

  1. Marvel’s Echo Season 1 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

    January 10, 2024 at 2:29 pm

    […] The entire first season of Marvel’s ECHO is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. I’ll be discussing heavy spoilers so if you haven’t seen it or want to avoid spoilers, now’s your chance to stop reading. Check out my spoiler-free review of ECHO Season 1 here. […]

Tournament Tool Kit

Latest Video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

post-17
Captain America Brave New World: Five Things To Know If You’re Not Keeping Up With The MCU
post-17
Street Fighter 6 World Tour Guide: How To Find Mai Shiranui
post-17
SNK Did Mai Shiranui’s Definitive Theme Justice In Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
post-17
Daredevil Born Again Trailer Breakdown: Kingpin, Muse, White Tiger & More
post-17
Honkai Star Rail 3.0 The Herta Guide
post-17
Our Most Anticipated Games Of 2025
post-17
Kakuchopurei’s Southeast Asia Game Awards & Appreciation 2024
post-17
The Best 40 Games Of 2024
post-17
Must-Watch Animes This Winter: 2025 Season
post-17
Heroes We Need To Come To Marvel Rivals
post-17
[Updated] Comic Fiesta 2024: What You Need To Know
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Iron Fist
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Jeff The Land Shark
post-17
Path Of Exile 2 Early Access: All Uniques In The Game So Far
post-17
Infinity Nikki: All Dungeons & Boss Guides & Walkthroughs
post-17
Path of Exile 2 Early Access: All Ascendancy Nodes Revealed
post-17
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle: PC Specs & Southeast Asia Launch Times Revealed
post-17
Infinity Nikki Gacha & Monetization Explained
post-17
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – How To Increase Carry Weight?
post-17
These Are The Finalist Games For Apple’s App Store Awards
post-17
The Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals To Get: Gaming & Hardware Edition
post-17
Asia Gaming Beat: February 15, 2025
post-17
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Network Test Went So Bad, FromSoft Had to Give It Another Go
post-17
Valentine’s Day 2025: Wishes & Messages From The Games Industry
post-17
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Demo Sets Sail Today
post-17
The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Renewed For Season 3
post-17
This Is When The New Gundam Is Coming To Malaysian Cinemas
post-17
Here’s Your First Look At Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves’ Season 1 DLC
post-17
Twisted Metal Season 2 Trailer Reveals Release Window & Fan-Favourite Character
post-17
Astro Bot Gets Five Brutal New Levels & A PS5 Pro Boost
post-17
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered Gets Definitive Release Date