Marvel’s Echo Series Is In Serious Trouble?
Reports say Marvel Studios is having concerns with the direction of the Echo series for Disney+.
The Alaqua Cox-starring Disney+ spinoff series Echo is reportedly having problems in production. Lizzie Hill of the Cosmic Circus on Twitter reports that their reliable sources have relayed troubling information about the production. While other Marvel shows have had issues and come out okay, this one is concerning reporters, even Marvel veterans like Hill.
Echo started production in April of this year, wrapping up this past August. The show, which ties the main character into the larger MCU following her debut in the Hawkeye series, has been in post-production since then, which is where the rumored troubles started. Reporting so far is that the issue is with the production itself, not with Alaqua, her performance, or any of the Daredevil/Kingpin tie-in material.
Other Marvel shows and movies have had production issues, most recently Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk series was the subject of production rumors impacting the finished product. While She-Hulk turned out to be another hit for the MCU and a significant boost for Disney+, there is always the chance that something behind the scenes can derail a finished product. Echo does not have the same cultural cache as Batgirl, which was recently terminated at Warner Bros. despite being ready for wide release.
Alaqua Cox, like her character, is deaf. Echo would be a significant step forward for representation in the MCU, just as Ms. Marvel put forward a Muslim superhero and Black Panther set box office records with a majority Black cast. The original plan for the character of Echo was to lead her own show before branching out into the MCU, perhaps joining the Thunderbolts or with a substantial role in the upcoming Daredevil series.
Fans for now can only speculate about what role Echo will have, or even if her namesake Disney+ series will even make it to streaming. Echo was originally slated to premiere next Summer with the first footage shown at this year’s D23 Disney Expo. Whatever has happened to put the series in jeopardy came after fans were given their first look at the show.
In a possibly synergistic move, the character of Echo in the current Marvel Comics has been getting a large push over the last year. Now a member of the Avengers, Echo is the first long-term wielder of the Phoenix Force, which had previously been a consistent presence in the X-Men franchise. Before the character’s Disney+ debut, and subsequent announcement of her own series, the comic book version had been dead, quietly brought back and then shuffled off to the sidelines.
While the MCU has never been a direct adaptation of comic storylines (the examples are too numerous to count), Echo the character becoming prominent likely meant Disney had expectations for Echo the show. Hopefully the rumors of post-production troubles end up being just that, rumors, and the final product is able to be released on schedule. Alaqua Cox deserves her moment to shine and Echo’s ties to the increasingly popular Daredevil side of Marvel would make make for very interesting low-powered crime stories.
