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| “ | I've realized no matter what I do, I can't bring my father back. Finding whoever killed him, that won't change anything. | „ |
| ~ Echo to Kingpin. |
Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, is a major antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the central antagonist of the Disney+ series Hawkeye and will reappear as the titular protagonist of the Disney+ series Echo.
A deaf combatant capable of photographic memory and reflexes, she is the former second-in-command of the Tracksuit Mafia. She seeks vengeance against the Ronin for the murder of her father, leading her men in the hunt for the masked ninja when he apparently resurfaces during the Holidays. Thus, she comes into conflict with marksmen Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, unaware that Barton was the original bearer of the Ronin mantle.
She is portrayed by Alaqua Cox in her acting debut.
Biography
Early Life
Maya Lopez was born deaf, but had to attend a regular school at an early age as her father William Lopez couldn't afford to send her to a specialized institution. Maya soon discovered that she could mimic the movements of another individual, which helped her to understand the curriculum despite her disability. She applied this photographic ability to martial arts, becoming an extremely skilled fighter. During her childhood, she met Kazi Kazimierczak, and the two became lifelong friends.
William is a member of a criminal syndicate called the Tracksuit Mafia, and she along with Kazimierczak soon joined their ranks. During the Blip, the masked vigilante known as Ronin attacked the Tracksuits' base of operations in his grief-fueled rampage across the criminal underworld. Hiding from the ninja before he escapes, Maya finds her father fatally injured, who soon passes away in her arms.
Hawkeye
When Ronin apparently re-emerges during the 2024 Christmas season, Maya Lopez sends the Tracksuits to capture the assassin. Before they could do so, former Avenger Clint Barton intercepted their target and unmasked her as a young marksman named Kate Bishop, and the two archers would begin to pair up. The Tracksuits chased then throughout the city before they eventually allowed themselves to be captured-- Barton willingly, and Bishop by accident.
Lopez attempts to interrogate the two about Ronin, but not only are they vague and uncooperative, they also manage to break free and flee from the Tracksuits. Lopez assigns Kazimierczak to look into Barton, but he is confronted by the archer the next day, who warns him to sway Lopez out of her vengeance against Ronin. That night, Lopez ambushes Bishop when she breaks into her apartment to recover a Rolex belonging to an individual associated with Barton. There, she also butts heads with a Black Widow assassin later revealed to be Yelena Belova, who is also after Barton.
Lopez is forced to retreat when she is injured by Bishop.
Trivia
- In the comics, Echo is the adopted daughter of the Kingpin. She later uses the title of Ronin as a superhero.
