‘Echo’: New Featurette Explores Maya Lopez’s Choctaw History and Legacy

In one week, Maya Lopez returns to Disney+ (and Hulu, simultaneously) in Marvel Studios’ Echo, as her past actions finally catch up with her and she travels home — not to New York City, where viewers last saw her, but to Oklahoma and Choctaw Nation. 

Maya is Choctaw and the show highlights Choctaw culture and history throughout the five-episode streaming event, as she is forced to confront her family, legacy, and heritage. During production and post-production, the Echo filmmakers worked closely with Choctaw Nation every step of the way for accurate on-screen portrayals, and as Director and Executive Producer Sydney Freeland says in a new behind-the-scenes featurette, “It was a collaboration in every sense of the word.” Watch the video below, now. 

Alaqua Cox, who is Native American herself and Deaf, reprises the role of Maya Lopez, after first appearing in Hawkeye. “This is our chance to uplift indigenous voices, and let the world know we’re still here,” she explains. 

During filming and postproduction, the creative team worked closely with Choctaw Nation, as Seth Fairchild, the Executive Director of Culture - Choctaw Foundation, comments, “If we’re true to who we are as Choctaw people, this will be successful.” This includes dubbing all five episodes of the series into the Choctaw language, the first of which will be available at debut on both Disney+ and Hulu. 

“I just can’t believe that the Native American community can have a Native American Super Hero,” Cox adds. 

Echo also stars Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Godfather of Harlem).

Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland. Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin. 

No bad deed goes unpunished. Echo arrives simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2024.