Marvel Studios has just announced thatEchowill premiere a day earlier than originally planned, on January 9. The series will also be getting a primetime release slot, hitting Disney+ and Hulu at 6PM PT/9PM ET.EchoseesAlaqua Coxreprise her breakout andtrailblazing roleMaya Lopez from theHawkeyeseries. Maya returns home to face her past as it’s the only way for her to move forward and embrace the true meaning of family. BothVincent D’OnofrioandCharlie Coxwill be reprising their roles as Wilson Fisk (aka the Kingpin) and Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) respectively.
Echowill be the first Marvel-produced series toreceive a TV-MA ratingfrom the TV Parental Guidelines, as the show will explore a more gritty and violent story than any other Disney-produced Marvel series.EchodirectorSydney Freelanddiscusses this approach to the series by explaining, “Coming offHawkeye, Maya is a villain, so tonally, we wanted to lean into that.” She acknowledges that previous Netflix-produced Marvel superhero shows such asDaredevilandThe Punisher, have taken similar tones, expressing her “love” for that approach and how it helped to “[dictate] the tone.”
This tonal switch thatEchois opting for will become a bigger effort moving forward for the studio, as Marvel recently unveiled a new idea for Marvel Studios titled the Spotlight Banner, under whichEchowill be the first title released. Titles released under this new banner will be part of MCU-Lite projects to highlight a different kind of Marvel story.
What Is the Marvel Spotlight Banner?
The Spotlight Bannerwill focus on character-driven stories that are more realistic and gritty in the larger context of the cosmicmultiversethat is the MCU. Instead of every story being about saving the Earth, the universe, or even the multiverse,the stakes are much closer to home with personal stories of characters just trying to get by. This is something that Marvel Studios Head of Streaming,Brad Winterbaumbelieves will help bring a refreshing and more grounded approach to their stories that are “street level” rather than space battles.
The term"Spotlight" pays homage to the comic book series of the same name that debuted in 1971. The series allowed publishers the space to create new characters that didn’t have to meet the out-of-this-world standard most comic book characters adhered to. It was during this time that characters like Ghost Rider and Werewolf by Night were introduced and fleshed out. Marvel Studios is going back to its roots with theSpotlight Bannerin an effort to combat superhero fatigue that has plagued the most recent MCU titles. And after the positive reviews forEcho’strailer, it’s clear that this is a good series to kick off that project.
Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.
Watch on Disney+
