The final few moments of Hawkeye's second episode introduced us to Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez, with the third instalment - appropriately titled "Echoes" - revealing the extent of her relationship with the Tracksuit Mafia. As the leader of that group, Maya is clearly reporting to someone much higher up the food chain (a Kingpin of Crime, perhaps), but she's certainly formidable in her own right.
Talking to TV Line, directing duo Bert and Bertie - who have been tasked with helming episodes 3, 4, and 5 - explained how Echo finds power in being both deaf and an amputee.
"That’s her superpower," the filmmaker said. "Everything that she’s learned in life comes from what we see as a disability but that’s the reason she kicks ass." In the comic books, Maya doesn't have a prosthetic leg, but hiding that was never an option for Bert and Bertie. "It was like, ‘Oh, that can actually add to the superhuman nature of [Maya].’ She’s a hero. Alaqua is a real-life hero, and what she’s overcome in her life is really mirrored in Maya’s story."
As for what drives Echo in this series, they add: "It all became about revenge for her father’s death. "She spent her life driven by that moment when she loses him."
Marvel Studios has also released a new featurette putting the spotlight on Maya Lopez's MCU debut:
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