Echo Episode 1 Finally Gives MCU Fans The Daredevil Moment They've Been Waiting For
Contains spoilers for "Echo" Season 1, Episode 1
The comic version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Maya "Echo" Lopez (Alaqua Cox) made her debut as a love interest-slash-adversary of Matt "Daredevil" Murdock (Charlie Cox), but the MCU version of the character has no such ties to the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. While the live-action Maya retains much of her comic book backstory and history with Daredevil villain Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), her initial animosity is with Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) during the events of "Hawkeye." Even so, the comic book lore remains, and now that Mr. Murdock is firmly in the MCU, it's only natural that he makes an appearance in "Echo."
It's quite an appearance, too. Maya's first mission as Kingpin's minion takes a sharp turn when Daredevil attacks her squad after they dispatch a rival group and accidentally sabotage the hero's stake-out. For the first time in MCU proper, fans get to see Daredevil handle himself in a brawl, with Maya barely holding her own against him. Even Kingpin himself delivers a roundabout compliment to Daredevil's fighting prowess when he admires Maya's ability to go toe to toe with the vigilante.
Apart from showcasing the MCU Daredevil's hand-to-hand combat skills, "Echo" Season 1, Episode 1 confirms an important thing about the character. Daredevil's gritty fight scenes in confined spaces are a memorable part of the Defenders Saga, and now, fans can rest assured that the MCU understands this aspect of the character.
Daredevil's big fight scenes are back, as is his red costume
Marvel's hard-hitting "Echo" trailer showcases the impending conflict between Echo and Kingpin. While Daredevil also returns in the trailer, his brief and blurry appearance is easy to miss. "Echo" Episode 1 shows why the promotional material has avoided showing the hero — Marvel likely wanted to avoid revealing that the character's classic red costume is back. This is a marked difference from Daredevil's first appearance in "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," where he wears a gold-and-red getup that's based on his early outfit in the comics.
While "She-Hulk" does offer a glimpse at the MCU Mr. Murdock's abilities, it doesn't feature Daredevil's signature tendency to battle enemies in an enclosed space. Instead, the show pokes fun at the hero's famous hallway fights by having She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) jump in and accidentally defeat the minions Matt is preparing to take on. As such, "Echo" gets a chance to introduce both Daredevil's iconic fighting style and his most famous costume in the MCU — and while the warehouse that acts as the scene of the battle is somewhat more spacious than the superhero's usual arenas, the familiar vibe is definitely there.