ECHO: 5 Ways The TV Series Sets Up The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Street-Level Future

Echo is finally here and while there are some obvious signs of issues behind the scenes, it proves to be a fun ride. Crucially, it finally gives Defenders fans the street-level, TV-MA superhero adventure they’ve been waiting for since those Netflix shows were cancelled one after the other. 

While the first “Marvel Spotlight” series was branded as being a largely standalone story, it still lays the groundwork for Daredevil: Born Again and offers a better idea of what Marvel Studios has planned for its gritty, street-level superhero projects moving forward. 

In this feature, we’re exploring the many ways Echo sets the stage for what comes next; from that intriguing post-credits scene to moments which hint at bigger things to come, the show proves to be a must-watch for those of you eager to spend time with more than just The Avengers!

You can take a look through our Echo breakdown by clicking on the “Next” button below.  

5. The Netflix Shows Are Now Canon

The debate about whether Marvel Television’s offerings should be considered “canon” in the MCU has raged for years. Lately, it’s become clear the links are tenuous at best but Echo has significant ties to Netflix’s Daredevil. 

The Kingpin presents Maya with the hammer he used to murder his father as a child and, yes, it’s the same one he wielded in that series. Daredevil’s costume is also unchanged from what we saw him wear in the show and Disney+ has today added Marvel’s Netflix offerings to the official MCU timeline on the platform.

This does leave us with a few minor continuity issues and we find it hard to believe Marvel Studios won’t recast Iron Fist, for example. Then again, if Avengers: Secret Wars reboots the MCU, moving on will be easy.  

4. Daredevil’s History With Maya

The Man Without Fear’s role in Echo is considerably smaller than expected. His screentime amounts to no more than 90 seconds for a single clash with Maya when she’s first sent by The Kingpin to deal with some of his rivals. 

It’s an exciting battle and one which surely means ‘ol Hornhead won’t soon forget her. 

Rumour has it Echo originally ended with Maya returning to New York as a P.I. She’d have then been confronted by Daredevil, setting the stage for them to perhaps work together in taking down Fisk. The scene, if it ever existed, is M.I.A., but we’d be shocked if these three don’t share the screen somewhere down the line.  

3. Problems In New York

While Maya attempts to heal Fisk’s emotional trauma with her newfound abilities, something tells us she may have only succeeded in fixing his eye. He may have slightly nobler ambitions moving forward, though we’ve no doubt he’ll use those for his own nefarious means. 

In the finale’s post-credits scene, the Kingpin of Crime tells his assistant to set a meeting with the “remaining heads before the situation spirals out of control.” He’s obviously referring to the Big Apple’s crime families, but what’s the situation? 

We don’t believe he’s referring to Maya, though the time Fisk spent in a hospital bed is bound to have left a power vacuum…and perhaps even given vigilantes like Daredevil and The Punisher a chance to hit all their operations. This feels like a definite Daredevil: Born Again tease, anyway.  

2. Echo’s New Superpowers

Connected to her Choctaw ancestors, Maya is able to utilise powers passed down through the generations to defeat The Kingpin. Considering the fact she chooses to disarm Fisk peacefully, we’re not necessarily expecting her to lay waste to anyone she crosses paths with in future adventures unless she really has to. 

Based on what we see in flashbacks, however, Maya is both very strong and incredibly fast; she’s not Captain Marvel, but should be more than capable of holding her own as a street-level superhero. 

Is Echo destined to become an Avenger? We’d say that’s a stretch but find it hard to imagine Marvel Studios won’t utilise Maya at some point against a bigger threat, even if it’s just for a rematch with her “uncle.” 

1. Mayor Wilson Fisk

In the aforementioned post-credits scene, Kingpin watches a news report which reveals that New York’s citizens are desperate for a Mayor who can take charge of the city with an iron fist, and finally deal with the problems that plague them. 

Thinking back to everything that’s happened in the Big Apple in recent years, that has to be a reference to vigilantes. Just look at the chaos characters like Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and even The Avengers have caused. 

All signs point to us getting an adaptation of Devil’s Reign in Daredevil: Born Again and perhaps Spider-Man 4 as well. This leaves us with a lot of questions; Fisk’s criminal past caught up with him in Daredevil season 3, so why would people support him? The show will need to explain that in a convincing manner. Then again, look at what’s happening in the real world this year…