Almost every religious Marvel fan had a surprise when Marvel revealed the release ‘Echo‘ as a standalone series in the phase 5 of the Marvel Universe. And rightly so as Echo wasn’t exactly a morally right character in the ‘Hawkeye‘ series, in fact she was a minor antagonist.
Not expecting much the fans were left pleasantly surprised with the series. While the plot isn’t necessarily epic, the self-explorative theme of the series and returning to roots struck a chord in the viewers’ hearts. However the producers haven’t actually stayed totally true to the comics, the last one actually being a pivotal change.
Related: Marvel’s ‘Echo’ Rated TV-MA? Here Is What It Means For The Franchise
10) Ronin’s Identity
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is indicated in ‘Avengers Endgame‘ (2019) and revealed in ‘Hawkeye’ that Ronin is Clint Barton (alias Hawkeye) is Ronin. He becomes Ronin after being devastated by his wife and three children’s deaths and goes on to kill all the criminals as a way to deal with his loss. He believed these people should have been the ones to disappear in Thanos’ grand scheme, not innocent people like his family.
Though in the comics, Maya is the first Ronin canonically. She takes on the identity upon the request of Captain America himself in order to infiltrate the Japanese yakuza mafia. The identity of Ronin is later passed on to many other characters, yes even to Hawkeye.
9) Circumstances Of Maya’s Father’s Death
Maya’s father’s death was a major emotional driving event both in the MCU and the comics. However, in the MCU it is Hawkeye who kills her father at the tip of Wilson Fisk. It is also to note that Lopez is well into her adulthood during the event.
In the comics, however, her father is directly killed by Kingpin who manipulates her into believing that it was Daredevil who did so. The event happens when Maya is a kid.
8) Echo’s Origins
Echo is the first and one of the only characters in the Marvel Universe who has such a wide representation of the Native Americans. Though kind of sidelined in ‘Hawkeye’, the miniseries ‘Echo‘ gives us a satisfactory exploration of the Native American roots.
A minor detail that differs is that in the comic Maya belongs to the Cheyenne or the Só’taeo’o tribe. In the series, she is from the Choctaw Nation. Marvel did a (must I say) marvelous job at authentically displaying the traditions, customs, and folklore of the tribe with the help of the Choctaw Nation and the IllumiNative organization.
7) The Wolverine Arc
In the comics, after shooting Kingpin in the face Maya goes on a long self explorative journey meeting new people and having experiences. One such major meeting was with the steel-clawed Wolverine. She learns of the ways, traditions, hierarchy and much more of the Japanese mafia also known as the Yakuza which later helps her in her mission.
In the series, there is no such event as Wolverine is yet to be introduced in the MCU.
6) Maya’s Romantic Escapades
The series watchers might not know but Maya and Matt Murdock (Daredevil) had a prominent relationship both as lovers and foes in the comics. Kingpin not only poisons Maya’s mind making out Daredevil to be her father’s killer but also uses her to get closer to Matt Murdock as a strategic tactic (Maya doesn’t know Matt is Daredevil). However the two fall in love and share a good bond. She also shares brief relationships with Hawkeye (in the Secret Invasion timeline) and Moon Knight.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe hardly portrays romantic relations as compared to the comic’s frequency, and it is no wonder they skipped on this one too.
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5) Maya’s Luxurious Childhood And Fancy Schooling
The Kingpin might be a key villain in both the series and the comics but that doesn’t erase the fact that he was a great caregiver. In the comics, Maya enjoys much of the riches as they come with being under the wing of a mafia leader. She even received a privileged schooling first at a school for kids with special/functional needs (due to her being both deaf and an amputee). However, when she is deemed as a genius due to her powers (more on this later) she is sent to a school for prodigies.
In the school however, we see Maya having a comparatively normal schooling and upbringing.
4) Lopez Is Multitalented And Not Just In Martial Arts
Due to the nature of her abilities in the comics, Lopez is a genius in more ways than one. She is a great acrobat, a professional pianist, and a boxer. In the series though she is still a good fighter, her more artistic qualities are excluded from the plot.
3) Maya Was The Vessel For Phoenix
‘X-men‘ fans must be familiar with the character Phoenix and Echo has connections to her, at least in the comics. As a Yahoo article states, “ECHO Is the MCU Story That X-Men Fans Have Always Wanted“. Maya is killed and resurrected a couple of times in the comics and is even stated to have hosted the Phoenix for a while.
The series has yet to explore this aspect of Maya’s connection with the Phoenix Force, which we might see in future projects if any.
2) The Missing Handprint Mark
In the comics, the almost trademark handprint on Echo’s face is something emotionally reminiscent and a symbol much greater than some commonplace marker. When Maya sees her father in his last breaths he reaches out to the small Maya and ends up leaving a bloody handprint on her.
Maya grows up to re-paint the handprint as a reminder of him and as a motivation to keep on fighting.
1) Maya’s Powers
A hero albeit a supernatural character is known because of their abilities and quirks. In In ‘Echo‘ however, the producers decided to change the fundamental powers of Maya. In the comics she has the ability of photogenic reflexes, what that means is that she is able to learn any kind of movement upon seeing another person do it. This explains her being a multi martial artist, pianist, boxer, etc. ‘She echoes what she sees’.
In the series though she is a great fighter and it is a product of her sheer practice. Her abilities have much to do with her Native American roots, befitting the theme of the series. She can access the abilities of her female ancestors, going as far back as the first Choctaw Chafa. “Our ancestors were powerful. Their strength echoes through you“, is a statement by her mother that efficiently explains her abilities.
The change in this key element makes even more sense when we consider the fact that another character (Taskmaster in ‘Black Widow”) has been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a photographic reflex ability.
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