Another Marvel Disney Plus show "cancelled"; new season unlikely

Marvel Studios has produced some amazing television shows for the Disney Plus streaming service since the launch of its fourth phase back in 2021. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's expansion onto the small screen sure had some highs and lows, but when it was at its peak, there was no touching the quality of content produced (the Emmy-winning WandaVision, for example).

The lows, however, (both on the big screen and the small screen) have forced Marvel to adapt its creative strategy, focusing on quality over quantity. With that in mind, we will reportedly see a number of returning shows, as the studio places its focus on turning some of those miniseries into multiseason TV shows instead. There are already reports that shows such as Moon Knight and Hawkeye are expected to return for second seasons over the next few years.

There are, however, some shows that aren't expected to return for a sophomore outing, and a recent update may have revealed one of them.

Echo season 2 is reportedly unlikely to happen

It sounds like Marvel's Echo won't be back for a second season. Insider Alex Perez recently held a Q&A session over on The Cosmic Circus, where he was asked about the possibility of Echo returning for a second season. He responded with "I don't think so" while admitting that he would love to see it as it was a fantastic representation of Native American culture.

The show streamed on Disney Plus earlier this year, making history as the first Marvel Studios show to stream all episodes at once (instead of the typical weekly release format). A Hawkeye spinoff, it brought back Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo to both showcase her origins and highlight her strength as a hero when she decided to take a stand against her former mentor Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin. It was Marvel's first show to be rated TV-MA, making it violent and bloody at times.

It's not too surprising to hear that it likely won't return for season 2, but it's important to note that this doesn't have anything to do with low viewership. Echo was one of the best performing shows on Disney Plus so far this year, coming in just behind Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and ahead of X-Men '97). No, this is likely down to the fact that this was a miniseries, the first to exist under the Marvel Spotlight banner. It spotlighted the character and told her story, bringing it to a satisfying conclusion before the credits rolled. It also set the stage for Daredevil: Born Again through the exploration of Fisk's arc, so that's where the story will continue. So Echo doesn't need a second season.

Speaking of the story continuing, there are now reports that its parent show, Hawkeye, will return for a second season, with both Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld rumored to be attached to reprise their roles as Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. It's unclear yet if that will actually happen, but if it does, it could potentially present Cox with a chance to bring Maya back to the MCU on that show.

Right now, there is a lot of change at Marvel due to their new release strategy, with the rumors of more shows returning for new seasons throwing everything we thought we knew about the one-season shows into chaos. Similarly, the miniseries that actually could have functioned as a long-running TV show may not return, as a number of reports suggest that She-Hulk: Attorney At Law won't be back for season 2 (likely due to its excessive budget).

As with all rumors and reports, it's important to take them with a pinch of salt until confirmed by Marvel Studios or a cast member from the various productions. But with San Diego Comic-Con and D23 on the horizon, we'd definitely recommend keeping a lookout for some announcements on the future of the returning shows at the very least.

For now, we can appreciate Echo for what it is: A one-season gem.