Help, the trailer for Disney Plus' Echo actually looks promising

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently experiencing a major low point. On-screen, Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 is a bright spot in a year of duds like Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion. Sure, Loki’s second season has its noteworthy moments, but the franchise is also battling behind-the-scenes crises like the Jonathan Majors trial, and project delays due to Hollywood’s ongoing labor issues. No wonder the MCU is clinging to Echo as a way to—hopefully—start the new year on a relatively better note. The question remains: Will it succeed?

If the newly released trailer of Disney+’s upcoming series is an indication, potentially yes. Our gritty first look at Echo is, perhaps deceptively, exciting. It features Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo (Alaqua Cox) going toe-to-toe with Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). Cox, a breakout star of 2021's Hawkeye, is easily worthy of leading her spin-off. It only helps the show’s prospects that she’s paired with Daredevil’s notorious villain in D’Onofrio.

The trailer centers on their complicated mentor-mentee dynamic, with Fisk “saving” Maya as a child only for her to return as an adult to seek revenge. He essentially pushed her into a life of crime, and may also have had something to do with her father’s death decades ago. Maya is now hell-bent on destroying Fisk’s criminal empire, even if it means returning to her hometown in Oklahoma and reconnecting with her roots to discover the truth.

Echo breaks new ground as it’s the first TV show with a deaf and Native American superhero lead. The cast is comprised of Chaske Spencer, Zahn McClarnon, Devery Jacobs, Tantoo Cardinal, and Graham Greene. Thankfully, the Indigenous representation also goes behind the camera with filmmakers like Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai).

And if Kingpin is the main antagonist, you know Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock isn’t far behind. After She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, he’s slated to reprise his role as Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil in Echo as well. Enjoy it while it lasts; who knows when Disney+’s planned revival of Daredevil will see the light of day. Marvel recently fired Born Again’s creative team and hired Loki’s Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead as part of the show’s overhaul. Suffice it to say, it’s going to take a little time for the MCU to figure this out.

Until then, we have Echo. All five episodes are slated to drop on January 10, 2024 on Disney+.