Everything to Know Before Watching Echo

Echo, the latest show from Marvel Studios, debuts on streaming tonight. It’s the first Marvel show to not only drop all of its episodes simultaneously, but also to premiere both on Disney+ and on Hulu, which is happening for a few reasons. One, it’s TV-MA, meaning it’s aimed at a more mature audience. Two, it’s the first “Marvel Spotlight” title, a new banner marking Echo as a show that’s purposefully grounded and more removed from the epic scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Basically, it means you don’t need to be super well-versed in the previous 30+ movies and 10 or so shows to understand it.

Because of that, Echo itself will give you pretty much everything you need to know to understand it in its first episode. But if you’d like a little more context on top of that, we’ve got you covered.

Who is Maya Lopez?

Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is a deaf woman with a prosthetic leg who, despite those disabilities, grew up as a very confident, capable fighter, thanks in part to the teachings of her father, William Lopez, and her “uncle,” Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.

We first met Maya in the Disney+ show Hawkeye where we saw a bit of her upbringing. Maya was an exceptionally smart child who initially found it hard to adapt to a hearing world, but quickly came around. She gained some of that confidence by training in martial arts.

In the world of Marvel Comics, Maya is Echo, a character who can copy the movements of anyone. She does not have that power (or any power) yet in this universe, though.

What was Maya doing before Echo?

Maya is one of the leaders and key members of the Tracksuit Mafia, a group run by her father but overseen by Fisk. One day Maya witnesses Ronin, Hawkeye’s alter ego, kill her father. Maya vows revenge on Ronin but later learns it was her uncle, Kingpin, who orchestrated William’s death. Maya then turns on her uncle and, at the end of Hawkeye, shoots him in the head. Or so we thought.

Who is Wilson Fisk?

Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is Kingpin, the big crime boss of New York City. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was first introduced in Hawkeye along with Maya in a story that’ll continue in Echo and into the upcoming show Daredevil: Born Again. His previous actions on the Netflix show Daredevil will also come into play.

In Marvel overall, he’s one of the biggest (literally) villains out there, capable of superhuman feats but mostly just as a super-powerful crime boss. A version of the character was the villain in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

What was Fisk doing before Echo?

If you factor in Netflix’s Daredevil, which Marvel kind of is—he was doing a lot. That’s a three-season, almost 40-episode show. But none of that is pertinent at this moment. In terms of Echo specifically, Fisk is well established as a very powerful, very intimidating crime boss with his fingers in basically everything. One of those things was controlling the Tracksuit Mafia, which Maya’s father was the leader of. Many years before, William asked Fisk for help with Maya and the two developed a very close, familial relationship. Hence him kind of becoming her uncle. Maya trusted him completely until she learned Kingpin had William killed by Ronin.

Who Is Matt Murdock?

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is a blind New York lawyer whose other senses are all superpowered so, in the evenings, he moonlights as a hero called Daredevil.

What was Matt doing before Echo?

In the MCU, Matt Murdock first appeared as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-man: No Way Home and, later, as the love interest of fellow lawyer Jennifer Walter, aka She-Hulk. So he was fighting crime both in court as well as in the streets (and in the sheets… heeeeey!).

Matt shows up briefly in an early episode of Echo and it’s made clear that he has also feuded with Kingpin in the past. Whether those conflicts are specifically what happened on Netflix’s Daredevil, or something else entirely, will be covered in his future show, Daredevil: Born Again.

What do I have to watch before Echo?

If you feel the need to brush up on the relevant corner of the MCU, watch Hawkeye, which is Echo’s direct predecessor. And if you really want to dive deep, you could also watch Netflix’s Daredevil. But if you haven’t seen either, it’s totally fine. Echo is designed so that anything you need to know is in this story. Everything, including the events from Hawkeye, is shown again to bring viewers up to speed.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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