The upcoming Disney+ television project from the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Echo, could have more in common with the acclaimed Netflix superhero shows, in particularDaredevil, than with the rest of the franchise, according to its director. After the return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin inHawkeyeand that of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock inSpider-Man: No Way Home, fans of The Man Without Fear have been waiting to see more of the character who led his own acclaimed Netflix series. And while the MCU’s version of the devil from Hell’s Kitchen will be different from that ofThe Defendersuniverse, there will be a lot of common ground beyond its protagonists.
Hawkeyelaid the foundation for the introduction of this new phase of the franchise, which seeks to explore more grounded stories and focus more deeply on the characters. ButEchowill be the first show to officially be developed within anew division of Marvel Studios called “Spotlight,“which will move away from the more fantastical plots explored in the rest of the projects. And it is precisely that type of story and characters that feel closer to our reality which made Netflix’sDaredevilso successful, and it seems thatEchowants to emulate a similar tone.
Speaking withComicBook.com, director and executive producer Sydney Freeland explained that part of the inspiration for the new show comes from the Netflix series, especially for the fight scenes:
“I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it’s great. And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series … But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it’s not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn’t that reason.”
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Why Daredevil’s Tone Is Perfect for Echo
One of the main concerns forDaredevilfans was that by joining the MCU, which belongs to Disney, the violence and darkness that highlighted the Netflix show would be lost. In fact, both Wilson Fisk’s appearance inHawkeyeand Matt Murdock’s inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawreceived some criticism because of that.
However, the firstEchotrailer (and the reveal thatthe series will be TV-MA) suggests that those fears can likely be put aside. And there is no doubt that Marvel Studios' decision to keep the same tone of the Netflix series even though the stories are different is a great one, because it is what these types of characters demand. As will also happen withDeadpool 3, the first R-rated film in the franchise, because it is very difficult to even consider seeing the Merc with a Mouth being contained and watered down after what fans have seen in the first twoDeadpoolmovies.
Echois scheduled to be released on Disney+ and Hulu on July 15, 2025. Check out the recently released trailer below:
