The supernatural origins of the Choctaw, and Echo’s ability to channel the power of her ancestors, fit right in with the stories of classic Ghost Rider and Red Wolf. Echo’s relationship with Kingpin is lifted directly from her debut in Daredevil. The battle in the skating rink and the monster truck crushing the villains’ vans at the powwow is quirky fun that would fit perfectly into a work like 1983's Hawkeye by Mark Gruenwald. The action in Echo is classic Marvel fare, delivering equal parts drama and excitement. Just like other superheroes like Daredevil and Makkari of the Eternals, Echo lives and operates as a superhero with major disabilities, but never chooses to allow them to slow her down. Just like the Winter Soldier, Echo uses her disability to her advantage, such as when she uses her lack of hearing to addle her opponents by blasting loud music. Those around her sign to her without problems and even help modify her prosthetic to make it more her own Echo even blasts Kingpin for never taking the time to learn how to sign for her. Rather than consistently making Echo painfully aware of her disabilities, the show uses them as her strengths. Echo is both deaf and an amputee, and while there are many characters throughout the MCU who live with various disabilities, it is rare for a single character to have more than one. The flashback sequences with Tuklo stress the symbolism and importance of hair, a very interesting detail to include, as the Choctaw were known among other Native peoples for having long hair.Īs an entry in the MCU, Echo juggles many different themes and goals, striving to not only exist as a respectful and inclusive piece of media for both Choctaw people and those with disabilities but also as a solid Marvel Comics story. A major theme throughout Echo is the importance of matrilineal society, an important cultural detail that is important to the Choctaw. The bird that appears throughout the series is Biskinik, a news bird that relayed information quickly to both the Choctaw people and the animals of the forests. According to actual Choctaw myth, the Choctaw people crawled forth from a cave near Nanih Waiya, or Mother Mound, not a supernatural pool. In the show, a woman named Chafa emerges from a primordial pool and leads her fellow people from a collapsing cave into the surface world. Echo begins with an alteration of the Choctaw creation myth. Throughout the series, Echo presents many different aspects of Choctaw culture, some easily identifiable, some smaller and more detailed.

Regardless of the tribe that Echo is a member of, it is vitally important that her show represents her culture well. For her MCU induction, Echo was altered to become a member of the Choctaw. In the comics, Echo was originally a member of the Cheyenne Nation of the Great Plains. Later in her career as a superhero, Echo even became the host for the cosmic Phoenix Force, dubbing herself to be the new Thunderbird. Echo forsook Kingpin, begins a romantic relationship with Daredevil, and even shoots Kingpin in the face. Several battles with Daredevil climaxed with Echo nearly killing him until she learned his true identity. Being raised by Kingpin, Echo was trained to become a lethal assassin and was eventually tasked with killing Daredevil, Kingpin's most hated enemy.

At a very early age, it was discovered that Echo possessed incredible powers of photographic memory, allowing her to gain master-level skills with ease.

Kingpin acquiesces to her father’s request and takes her under his wing. When her father, Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln is killed, he makes one final request that Kingpin, the most powerful criminal in New York City, raise her as if she were his daughter. Echo debuted in 1999’s Daredevil #9 (by David Mack, Joe Quesada, and Jimmy Palmiotti.) Born Maya Lopez, Echo’s origins are violent and full of tragedy.

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