Who is Maya Lopez in Echo? Alaqua Cox's Marvel character explained

As a reminder, the last time we saw her, she was seeking bloody revenge on her adoptive father Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) for the death of her biological father - and the stakes are now higher than ever.

We'll see a stacked cast return, including D'Onofrio as the (presumably still alive) Kingpin and Charlie Cox as Daredevil.

So, read on for everything you need to know about Maya Lopez and a reminder about what happened to her in Hawkeye.

Who is Echo/Maya Lopez?

Notably, Echo is the second deaf superhero to be introduced by Marvel Studios, following the Eternals' resident speedster Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), as well as the first Native American to prominently feature in an MCU storyline.

In the comic books, Maya is the daughter of Willie 'Crazy Horse' Lincoln, an associate of crime lord Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin), whose photographic reflexes make her skilled at fighting, as well as many artistic pursuits.

When she was young, Fisk had her father killed, but adopted the orphaned Maya and enrolled her in some of the world's finest schools, before inducting her into the family business.

This meant it was only a matter of time before she crossed paths with New York City vigilante Daredevil, who Kingpin falsely claimed was responsible for her father's death.

However, she soon discovers this isn't true, and turns her back on his crime empire, becoming an ally to the heroes of the Marvel Universe.

Maya takes on the Ronin identity when she joins the New Avengers, as she does not want her chequered past to sully the team's reputation - but later reverts back to her Echo moniker.

What happened to Maya Lopez in Hawkeye?

In Hawkeye, we met Maya as a part of the Tracksuit Mafia, a crime syndicate.

While the head of the syndicate was only hinted at throughout much of the series, including references to Maya's "uncle", it was later revealed that it was none other that Kingpin, played by the returning Vincent D'Onofrio, who we last saw in Netflix's Daredevil.

In episode 3 of Hawkeye, we saw a slightly altered version of Maya's backstory, with the young Maya pushed to live in both hearing and non-hearing worlds by her loving father.

Unfortunately, her father (who was a figure in organised crime) was later killed by the vigilante Ronin in the years between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, bringing her firmly into the business and giving her a grudge against Ronin (who, lest we forget, was actually Clint/Hawkeye going off-grid).

After it was revealed that it was Kingpin who orchestrated her father's death, she left life as she knew it behind, vowing to take her revenge on the crime boss.

The final scenes of Hawkeye appeared to show Maya killing Kingpin with a gunshot to the head - but, considering D'Onofrio returns in Echo, did he somehow survive? All will be revealed very soon.

Who is actress Alaqua Cox?

Cox is a relative newcomer, and Hawkeye marked her debut acting role.

Born in 1997 in the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin, Cox was deaf from birth, and is also an amputee with a prosthetic leg (which plays a part in Hawkeye when she faces off with Clint in episode three).

"It's just so crazy that I'm getting my own show after Hawkeye. That was like my first acting role, ever," Cox told Variety at the Hawkeye premiere.

"I don't know why they're giving me this opportunity, but I'm just grateful. I'm excited for the support and being able to advocate for the Deaf community.

"We want to have that equality and get more people involved. I'm just so grateful for all of the opportunities I've been given."

What are Echo's powers?

In the comics, Echo has photographic reflexes similar to those of Taskmaster, meaning that she can mimic a person's movement perfectly just by witnessing it for a short time.

It's unclear if the TV series has adapted this directly – in episode 3 of Hawkeye, we see her watching and copying another child's moves to win a martial arts bout, but this could just be good observation on her part (and a reference to the comics).

Anyway, in the source material, Echo's abilities allowed her to not only become lethal in various fighting styles, but also to pick up a variety of other talents, including piano and ballet.

In the MCU, Taskmaster's powers are derived from a technologically advanced suit, whereas Echo's are natural to her, so that could help the characters stay distinct despite their ability being more or less the same.

Echo will land on Disney Plus on Wednesday 10th January. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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