If you like Hawkeye’s Echo, check out these Marvel Comics to learn more about her.
Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo, is one of the newest additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her first appearance came at the end of episode 2 of Disney Plus‘ Hawkeye. Episode 3 showed her beating the titular hero up and down her warehouse. Clint eventually won the fight, but their second encounter probably won’t end the same way.
Echo is a great and underrated character. She’s become a crucial part of Marvel Comics since Avengers: Enter the Phoenix (which is discussed) and she has a mini-series called Phoenix Song: Echo. This could be the beginning of her rise to stardom.
She’s set to star in her own upcoming Disney Plus series, with Alaqua Cox reprising the role, but the show’s debut, check out these five Marvel Comics that will help you learn more about her.
Daredevil: Echo
Echo made her first appearance in a Daredevil comic book aptly named Echo. This is a series that every comic book fan should read. First, it’s visually stunning. David Mack (writer, artist, and creator of Maya Lopez) made it impossible to look away from the art. He could have told her origin without even using words. Honestly, it was awe-inspiring.
With the art came a beautifully written story. We learned the positive influence her father, Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln, had on her life. He was the one that helped her learn to adapt and encouraged her inquisitive nature. Later, we saw how Wilson Fisk helped her become a skilled fighter and the effect Wolverine had on her growth.
This story is the best way to get into Maya Lopez’s character.
Marvel’s New Avengers: Ronin
After New Avengers: Breakout, Captain America wanted Matt Murdock to join the New Avengers but the latter declined. When Cap asked what he could do to help, he sent her to Maya Lopez. Cap was hesitant after seeing that she worked with Wilson Fisk, but he trusted her. She earned his trust and then some. This is where Maya became Ronin.
While the superheroes in America were fighting each other (Marvel: Civil War), Maya continued her assault on crime in Japan. She became the scourge of the Japanese underworld and kept criminals on the run. If it wasn’t for the Skrulls being run by the Hand, Echo may have taken them all down.
Marvel’s New Avengers: Revolution, New Avengers: Trust
After being rescued by the New Avengers, Echo became a member of Luke Cage’s team. Here, she helped them defeat the Hood’s crew of supervillains and helped stop the Skrulls during Secret Invasion. In both situations, they were outnumbered and overpowered. Somehow, they managed to win. Without her, Luke Cage’s team wouldn’t have been as formidable.
Admittedly, there wasn’t a ton of Echo in this series. Considering all the well known characters here, it makes sense. However, there was one issue in particular, New Avengers No. 39, where she held her own against a Super-Skrull and sent them running. That alone is enough to earn praise from anyone.
Moon Knight by Bendis and Maleev
As you may have noticed, Moon Knight is a bit off. He suffers from multiple personality disorder. Usually, it causes him to split between being Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, Moon Knight, and Mr. Knight. In this particular series, he added Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America to his personalities. He wasn’t only fighting like them, but acting the part as well.
While in L.A., Moon Knight came across Maya Lopez. When they first met, Echo hated him. He ruined weeks of investigating and almost got her killed. But he was lucky she was there. Without her, he would have been murdered.
This is a good place to see how good Echo is. The series may be about Moon Knight, but she steals the show. You can see how well she adapts to any setting and can ignore distractions others can’t.
Marvel’s Avengers: Enter the Phoenix
During a tournament to crown a new Phoenix, Maya Lopez was killed by Namor. Too bad for him, you can’t keep a good hero down. Echo returned and still had the power of the Phoenix. She went on to defeat the remaining people in the tournament.
When she was given a rematch against a Phoenix powered Namor, she literally punched the seawater out of him. As he was down and defeated, Maya said, “If you want to live… I suggest you start crawling to the nearest ocean” and left him. As far as badass moments go, this was one of the best of 2021.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye are now available on Disney Plus.
What do you think? Are there other Marvel Comics with Echo that fans should read? Let us know in the comments below.