Disney Plus is already working on a spin-off from its upcoming Hawkeye series, according to a new report. The show will focus on Maya Lopez, best known from the comics as Echo, who will be played by Alaqua Cox in the upcoming series.
Marvel Studios is already assembling a writers' room for this show, according to Variety, and the series will be ran by writers Etan and Emily Cohen. Hawkeye itself is expected to debut near the end of the year on Disney Plus, and will feature Jeremy Renner reprising his role as Clint Barton, alongside Hailee Steinfeld as fellow archer Kate Bishop.
The report cautions that it's not certain the show will go to a series, and indeed, Marvel and the writers wouldn't comment on the report. Still, we expect that the report is the real deal based on Variety's track record.
Who is Echo in Hawkeye?
Interestingly, Maya Lopez is primarily known as a Daredevil character in Marvel's comics, and was introduced by writer and artist David Mack back in 1999's Daredevil #9. Writer Brian Michael Bendis would later reintroduce her as the character Ronin in his New Avengers book in 2004. She'd later appear again in the excellent Daredevil comic End of Days.
Ronin, incidentally, is a moniker once used by Clint Barton, too – Clint's reappearance in Avengers: Endgame as a killer stalking the criminal underworld is a clear reference to the character.
Why is Lopez appearing in Hawkeye, then, and not a future Daredevil project? We expect that it's partly to do with the fact that Echo is deaf in the comics, and fan speculation is rife that this series will deal with Clint Barton's loss of hearing, a notable arc for the character in the comics.
This, then, presents an ideal opportunity for greater representation in the MCU.
