Echo is a much needed break from the MCU

Just as the superhero fatigue hit us, with Marvel and DC spitting out movie after movie and show after show, we find ourselves blessed with yet another Marvel installment. I won't lie, I was a tiny bit skeptical about Echo. Well, I am beyond glad I gave it a chance.

For starters, this show is not like the MCU content we're used to. It's not for children, it doesn't have the quirky humor Marvel Studios usually puts into their shows and movies. It's not like Deadpool either - though it is Disney's first TV-MA-rated show and it does have a ton of violence and gore, it doesn't have the hilarious jokes or scenes that our beloved Ryan Reynolds brings to the big screen. It does have a beautiful life lesson for all of us to take in, though, and I’ll let you discover what it is on your own.

This is a pretty serious show. Though there are some light-hearted moments, courtesy of Skully aka best grandpa ever, the show is pretty dark and it focuses a lot on Maya's violent tendencies and ways, with a colorful vocabulary to go with it. This isn't bad at all, it's different. It's actually the kind of "superhero" show we needed, even though she’s really an anti-hero, but you catch my drift.

Another way Marvel really impressed me was the fact the creative team behind Echovisited the Choctaw Cultural Center in Oklahoma in order to accurately portray the Choctaw culture and build Maya's background in a way that did it justice. This is Marvel's second recently introduced Native American character, and they're both written beautifully.

It also felt like the casting director had a time machine because young and older Maya definitely passed off as the same person. It's uncanny and very much House of the Dragon level of casting. Native American actress Alaqua Cox nails her role. She kicks an incredible amount of ass and looks completely unapologetic doing it. She has an attitude that screams "the world owes me" - a mix of entitlement and indifference - and it's refreshing to not have the protagonist be a goody-two-shoes and have significant flaws. It's also special to have a disabled woman kicking ass - Maya is both deaf and an amputee. And she does it all with such chaotic grace.

As far as pacing, the show only has five episodes, which means they have to be jam-packed with information, action, emotional moments, and plot resolution. And, with two incredible surprise appearances right from the get-go, the plot continuously propels you forward, deeper into the story. There is no breathing room here - once you start the first episode, the story doesn't stop.

The reason why her alter-ego name is Echo is also a very wholesome and beautiful moment, and it definitely brought some tears to my eyes - which is really not that hard to do, but hey, it tugged at my heartstrings.

And that post-credit scene? I won’t say anything here, but it could totally be leading something really cool.

Be sure to catch this incredible 5-episode series on Disney+ starting tonight! It truly is the kind of Marvel content we really needed but didn't know.