After premiering on Disney Plus and Hulu earlier this week, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest television series has drawn interesting reactions on social media, to say the least.
“Echo,” which features a deaf, Native American woman with a prosthetic leg, has garnered some acclaim — but not for the reasons one might think.
Despite criticizing the show’s pacing, many viewers seemingly glossed over it and the show’s other flaws just because a disabled, indigenous woman is in the lead.
In other words, those who proclaim to love the show seem to prioritize its representation over its storytelling.
Take this review, for example:
Echo is a small-scale story that Marvel TV sorely needed. Outside of the first episode, this is all about Maya and her family. It’s full of beautiful representation of the Choctaw Nation, which is the most important part of this story. A wonderful addition to the MCU. #Echo pic.twitter.com/8FSl6tBcwT
— Hunter Bolding (@HunterBVideo) January 9, 2024
“Echo is a small-scale story that Marvel TV sorely needed. Outside of the first episode, this is all about Maya and her family. It’s full of beautiful representation of the Choctaw Nation, which is the most important part of this story,” one reviewer posted to X.
In a follow-up post, he goes on to say that while “the story feels a bit meandering” and the first three episodes are “missing a bit of stakes,” the series remains “a nice change of pace for Marvel TV, though.”
Have you ever subscribed to Disney Plus?
Yes: 13% (6 Votes)
No: 87% (39 Votes)
In addition to praising Choctaw representation, others hail the superhero show’s inclusion of American Sign Language (ASL).
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to screen the first 3 episodes of #Echo this past week. Alaqua Cox seamlessly conveys Maya Lopez’s pain, anger and ambition through non-verbal communication. The show’s use of ASL is truly fantastic. Looking forward to seeing how it ends! pic.twitter.com/d15i47RDTT
— Mark (@MarkPiselli13) January 9, 2024
Some even saw themselves in the lead actress, Alaqua Cox, if they happen to be both Native American and deaf.
Look at us Indigenous Deaf Folks! We are actually here. Ketebi to Alaqua Cox for open door for us for the world to see that we are exist!
For my 39 years-entire life, we’ve been not existed til Jan 9, she opened this door.
She is our Superhero in real life. #EchoMarvel
— Sarah A. Young Bear-Brown (@SarahYoungBear1) January 11, 2024
While the politics of “Echo” may be generating social media buzz for now, many find the story boring and not worth their time, considering it promotes diversity to the detriment of the characters, acting, and writing.
Actor Brandon Saario, for instance, called out Marvel Studios for “letting activists make their content.”
Similarly, YouTuber Shad Brooks said “forced diversity does not make an interesting character,” contrary to what the “Echo” actors and creatives might think.
“It’s about time that Native people are in the MCU,” actress Devery Jacobs said, ABC7 Chicago reported. “That we’re able to showcase stories from our communities, and in a really gritty, family drama.”
Head director Sydney Freeland, who is of Navajo descent, said it was important for her to hire deaf and Choctaw writers to accurately capture the experiences of those communities on screen. Freeland also hired other deaf, indigenous actors to work with Cox, who herself is deaf and proud to portray people who look like her on screen.
“From the indigenous community to the deaf community, the amputee community, I wish I had that experience when I was little,” Cox said. “I’m happy to be that experience for them now.”
Notably, the entire cast and crew learned ASL to accommodate Cox’s hearing disability while filming.
“When I arrived on set, I was greeted with, ‘Hello, how are you?’ in sign. It was the basics, but it was so nice to be able to communicate,” Cox told Variety. “It made me feel way more comfortable and welcomed.”
Another notable critique of the show has been that “Echo” is the first in a line of shows being branded under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. The pitch for this branding is that these are supposed to be stand-alone stories that don’t require copious amounts of catching up to fully understand.
Despite that pitch, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin characters figure prominently into the story, meaning there is still significant re-watching to do.
At the time of this writing, “Echo” currently stands at 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a 69 percent audience score.
