Echo was not a Marvel Studios project that ranked high on the list of most-anticipated upcoming MCU television shows but that may have all changed with the recent release of a stunning, violent, high-octane debut trailer.
Now, Echo, which will be released on January 10, 2024, has many Marvel fans sitting up and paying attention.
While a lot of attention is being shined on the show's violence and TV-MA rating, it might just be the program's endeavors to be an authentic representation of American Indian culture that sets it apart from the Marvel television projects that have come before.
Executive producer Sydney Freeland recently recounted the journey she undertook to make sure Maya Lopez's Choctaw heritage played an important role in defining the character for the show's Disney+ audience.
"Representation was extremely important to myself and to everyone on the crew...I had a pitch deck and I pitched [the Choctaw Nation] the project. Basically I said, ‘No, no, we’re not here to tell you what we’re going to do. We’re here to create a dialogue so that we can get your input and create a more authentic portrayal of the Choctaw people and culture."
The next step for Freeland was making sure Echo's cast and crew also familiarized themselves with Choctaw culture.
"I could describe it until I was blue in the face, but they had to see it. My production designer had to see it through his eyes, my first AD had to see it through his eyes. How’s he going to populate the background extras?...My costume designer, when she first came on board, she was like, ‘Okay, we’re going to start making these powwow costumes. Is there a powwow store? Is there a place to go and get this stuff..."
Freeland went on to share that she needed to explain to her costume designer that everything is custom made and that she brought authentic powwow dances to the show's filming location in Georgia.
The experience Freeland is describing bears a striking resemblance to the meticulous planning and research Ryan Coogler and Ruth E. Carter conducted to ensure that African cultures were accurately portrayed in Black Panther and that Mayan culture was as authentic in Wakanda Forever.
Likewise, is a costume design Emmy in the show's future?
Based on the debut trailer, is Echo now on your must-watch list or is it something you'll "eventually" get around to watching? Let us know in the comment section below.
Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin.