Is Echo connected to Daredevil? Explained

Echo arrived on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2024, and introduced the “Marvel Spotlight” banner as its first content. Part of Phase 5, the tenth television series in the MCU, follows the origin of Maya Lopez. The series is a spinoff of Hawkeye, released in 2021.

In the origin series, Maya Lopez returns to her hometown in Oklahoma, and reconnects with her Native American roots and her community. However, she has to come to terms with her past, which involves the Kingpin and his organization. She has been a protégé of the villain and has committed some violent crimes herself.

As such, the comics present Maya in shades of gray, and the miniseries explains the other side of the villain warrior. She shares the same universe as Hawkeye and Daredevil. Yes, Echo has a connection with Daredevil, both in comics and in live-action. This article explores the connection between the two.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers for the miniseries.

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Echo and Daredevil are connected through their conflicts

Maya fought Daredevil in the series (Image via Disney+)

As seen in Echo on Disney+, the titular character has a short battle with Daredevil as she goes about her job as per Kingpin’s instructions. The quick, 90-second fight scene not only showed the connection between the two characters, it also set up the upcoming series on Daredevil.

He arrived on the scene suddenly as Maya fought her enemies, bringing her face-to-face with the adversary. He expressed his displeasure at the way Maya and Kingpin’s mob had stormed the place he had been casing. However, he vanished from the scene as quickly as he had arrived, without stretching the fight any longer.

Echo revealed that Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, was raised by Kingpin Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. The mafia king trained the little girl with hearing impairment in the ways of the criminal world and brought her up to be an assassin.

On the other hand, Matt Murdock’s Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox, is seen chasing the mob boss, Wilson Fisk, and is at odds with him. Daredevil’s solo series on Netflix presented the issues the warrior in the red-and-gold suit had with Fisk.

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Maya and Matt in comics versus live-action

The comics show both characters as adversaries, as in the live-action. However, in the comics, the enemies later turn into allies. As Matt learns about the making of Maya into an assassin, he realizes how Kingpin manipulated her into committing crimes against his companions. He forgives Maya for her deadly actions against those close to him, and they eventually become friends.

Daredevil’s brief cameo in Echo does not let the relationship explore any other intent. If the live-action has to follow the comics, there is a possibility that Maya will return in Matt’s next onscreen venture, Daredevil: Born Again.

Moreover, Daredevil’s appearance in the series did not add much to Maya’s storyline in the series. However, it was a setup for the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again. The cameo established the fact that Matt was always on Fisk’s tail.

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The place of Echo in the MCU timeline

The first episode of the miniseries had a short cameo of Hawkeye, as Maya is shown coming face-to-face with her old enemy Ronin. Her previous interaction with the archer was in the 2021 Hawkeye series, when Maya was introduced into the MCU.

However, this cameo helps place the series in the timeline in perspective. Considering Hawkeye is in the past and Daredevil: Born Again is in the future, Echo is the present in the MCU timeline.

All five episodes of Echo are currently available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.