Echo Interview: Writer Amy Rardin On Continuing Wilson Fisk"s Story & Digging Into Maya"s Origin

Summary

• Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, returns to her hometown in Oklahoma to confront her past, including her relationship with Wilson Fisk and her Native American roots.
• The Disney+ series explores Maya's complex and gritty journey as a female anti-hero, delving into her emotional story and character development.
• The show features a collaboration with the Choctaw Nation, bringing authenticity to Maya's cultural background and showcasing the rich small-town characters and family dynamics.

In Echo, Maya Lopez is on the run from Wilson Fisk's organization after her violent confrontation with the Kingpin in the Hawkeye finale. When Maya returns to her hometown in Oklahoma, she'll have to reckon with her past, including her relationship with Fisk and the family she left behind. As Maya connects with her Native American roots and community, her past will come back to haunt her in unexpected ways.
Echo is based on the comics by David Mack and Joe Quesada. The Disney+ series was created by Marion Dayre, with director Sydney Freeland and writer Amy Rardin also serving as executive producers. Echo stars Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning, and Graham Greene. Vincent D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprise their roles as Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, respectively.
Related Marvel May Have Just Gone Further Into The MCU Timeline Than Ever Before The MCU"s timeline has been confusing after Avengers: Endgame"s five-year time-jump, but Phase 5"s Echo may have just muddied the waters even further.
Screen Rant interviewed writer and executive producer Amy Rardin about Echo. She explained why she was excited to continue Wilson Fisk's story and where she'd like to see both him and Maya go next. Rardin also discussed exploring Maya's origins and working with the Choctaw Nation.
Amy Rardin Talks Echo Season 1 Close Screen Rant: This is your first time working in the MCU sandbox. How does the MCU process differ from other projects you've worked on, if at all?

Amy Rardin: I will say it is incredibly collaborative. I've said this to everyone there; it's one of the best jobs I've ever had to get to play with their characters and to have the support. And they're up for anything; they are very hands-on, and it was just a really incredible experience that I'm very grateful for.

We know now that the Marvel Netflix shows are canon to the MCU Sacred Timeline, which is incredible. Fans went wild for that. Did you know, prior to working on the show, that was going to be a part of it?

Amy Rardin: Yeah, we had talked about that a lot, especially in terms of Fisk, so that was really exciting. To get to build on that character that Vincent D'Onofrio so beautifully portrays was a thrill; probably one of my favorite characters I've ever gotten to write.

Echo has such a rich cultural background. Can you talk about working with the Choctaw Nation to bring that authenticity into the show?

Amy Rardin: Working with the Choctaw Nation was invaluable; I'm so grateful that we were able to do that. When we were in Atlanta on set, representatives from Choctaw Nation were literally sitting next to me in Video Village. [We] get to be able to have that sounding board to say, "Does this work, does this not work?" We were constantly having discussions on set about being as authentic as possible; as specific as possible.
Even on one of the sound stages in Atlanta, there were people making food. All the food you see on the show was made right there by people from Choctaw Nation, and it was just incredible. I've never had that kind of access, and I think it really helped the storytelling immensely.

I love the character of Maya Lopez. What were you most excited to explore with that character in this new gritty MCU Spotlight show?

Amy Rardin: I think the thing I was most excited about was getting to see a complicated, complex, female anti-hero. I think we've seen a lot of male anti-heroes, and to get to tell that story as a woman - to get to see a female do those things - was really exciting to me. And so, that is the thing that gravitated me toward the project the most, in addition to getting to see this woman confront and explore her past.
We're all a product of our past, for better or worse, and that is definitely what she's reconciling with. These two families, these two pasts - Kingpin in New York and her family in Oklahoma - and what you do with that and how you build on that I think was really exciting.

This show also had amazing supporting characters, and I was hoping that they all made it through the end. I love Biscuits, and I was worried for that man the whole way through. Talk to me about some of these other characters that we get to see in Maya's life.

Amy Rardin: Oh, the family drama element of the show I think makes it very unique, and to get to bring these rich small-town characters, even the family, but also just the people that live in the town and interact with the family characters. Biscuits was certainly really fun to write [as] comic relief, and Cody brought that character to life so beautifully. But I also found the relationship with her grandmother to be very emotional.
Obviously, we had Tantoo Cardinal, who's a wonderful actress. But to get to explore that relationship? My grandmother lived with me; it's a very important relationship, and we don't all get to experience that, unfortunately. I feel like to get to explore these two very strong women and their pasts; I really enjoyed that.

This show feels like a continuation of Hawkeye, but it also picks up almost seamlessly with those Netflix shows. Can you talk about exploring Maya's relationship with Wilson Fisk in this?

Amy Rardin: Oh, that was one of my favorite parts of the show; getting to explore this relationship. In the room, we kept imagining in our heads what it was like to be raised by this man.
I think the scene with the ice cream man informs everything that you need to know about how she was raised by this person. Children are watching, and they see how the adults act. I think that was really interesting to me; to show the story of a woman who realizes this man who was looming so large in her life loved her, in his own twisted way, but was manipulating her.
And for her to be able to get out from under his thumb I think is very empowering - and for her to hope that he'll be able to get out of under his own thumb, and unfortunately, he can't. But I think that there is a basis of weird love there, and I think that's what makes Fisk a really interesting character, because he does have the capacity to love, he just loves in a twisted, messed-up way.

The Marvel Spotlight format allows for so much more in-depth exploration for a mature audience. How did you take advantage of that format to delve into Echo's backstory and character development?

Amy Rardin: Well, I think what was really freeing about it, like the TV-MA of it all, is because we got to show the grittier side of what would really happen with these people. Obviously, it's a TV show, so there's a heightened element, but I think that [we] get to show the brutality of this world that she grew up in, the brutality of this man who co-raised her, and her own brutality as an anti-hero herself, as a criminal. I think if you get to see it in the TV-MA format, you understand a lot more of the emotions of these people because you're having that visceral reaction yourself to what they experienced.

Were there any specific comic book story arcs or elements that served as a major inspiration for the Echo series, or did you aim to create more of an original narrative for the character?

Amy Rardin: I think we talked a lot about deviating from the comics somewhat. I know probably the biggest place is her powers, and we talked a lot about her powers in the room and ultimately settled on a storyline where her powers were tied to her emotional story and her emotional growth. I think that's a big place where we deviated from the comics. And I think it's not until Maya has that moment with her mother and heals her heart a little bit that she can fully come into her power, so it's very much tied into her reconciling her past and moving forward emotionally.

Was there anything that you guys discussed, or even wrote, that didn't quite make it into the series for time restraints but you really wish was there?

Amy Rardin: I think there was a little bit more of Bonnie's backstory that I do miss a little bit. But I think that it's the sliding doors effect, that Bonnie had the life that Maya might've had if Maya had stayed in Oklahoma, and getting to see those two sides. That's probably the one thing that I miss a little bit. But for the most part, I think pretty much everything was represented on screen, for sure.

Can you share any favorite moments or scenes from this series that were particularly exciting for you, or challenging to write?

Amy Rardin: I think one of the most exciting things I've ever seen filmed is the Daredevil fight. Sydney Freeland is an amazing director, the fact that that was one shot. I had never seen anything on that scale shot before. The stunt work, the camera work, the choreography that went into that was a feat in and of itself, and that was really, really exciting. I had this moment on set where I was like, "Wow, I can't even believe I get to watch this being filmed, just as a fan of television, let alone someone who got to work on the show." Just seeing what went into a fight like that, I've never had the opportunity to see that on that scale before.

Speaking of Daredevil, I know we got the Daredevil cameo in episode 1. Was there any other Netflix characters or MCU characters that were on the table to show up at all, or was it really primarily just going to be Echo's story?

Amy Rardin: Yeah, we really were committed to it. Obviously, it's exciting, and it's the MCU. You have these characters that you know are going to pop in when you're telling an Echo story, but we really wanted it [to be] Echo's story, and it's her show. These people are a part of her life, but we always, in the room, brought it back to her. Her point of view, and what she was going through emotionally, were very important to us.

This is the first time Disney+ has dropped a Marvel series all at the same time. Can you talk about the discussions or the decision process? Why was it made to drop Echo all at once?

Amy Rardin: I wasn't privy to that decision-making process, but I was really excited when I found out they were dropping it all at once, because I think that there are some great action sequences and all of that excitement, but I also think it's a very emotional story. To get to sit in that emotion and not have to have it be broken up by waiting for the next episode is really important as a through line - if you chose to binge it and really feel that emotion build and change over the course of those five episodes. I think to get to see it all at once feels more complete and more visceral.

Now that you've worked on Echo, what would you like to explore with Maya's story in season 2, if there is a season 2?

Amy Rardin: Oh, gosh. I feel like if we're lucky enough to have a season 2, I think I could watch the Maya-Kingpin show all day. I think that story? She's not done with him, and he's not done with her, so I think there are unlimited storytelling possibilities there.

We got a nice little post-credits scene of what we think is next for Wilson Fisk. Where would you like to see Echo and Wilson Fisk go next in the MCU?

Amy Rardin: Oh, gosh. I feel like what's interesting about these two characters is that they both know each other so well. And I think that Maya's power over Fisk is that she knows that he loves her, and that's a lot of power, and she knows him probably better than a lot of people, and vice versa. And so, I think to have these two emotional chess players manipulate each other could be really interesting.

Are there any other Marvel characters you'd like to get a chance to write for in the future?

Amy Rardin: Oh, goodness. So many, right? Oh, gosh. I would love to just work with Marvel again and feature on anything, honestly. They have so many great characters and so many strong female characters that I would love to see on screen, so yes. If I got the opportunity, I would take any of it.

About Echo The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.
Check out our other Echo interviews here:

• Brad Winderbaum
• Vincent D’Onofrio
• Alaqua Cox
• Sydney Freeland
• Richie Palmer
• Chaske Spencer & Devery Jacobs

Echo is available now on Disney+.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Marvel's Echo CrimeSuperheroActionDrama Alaqua Cox returns as the anti-hero Maya Lopez in Marvel's Echo, one of the street-level MCU's Disney+ series that take place during the Multiverse Saga. After her confrontation with Clint Barton and Kate Bishop in Phase 4's Hawkeye, the titular Echo returns to her hometown and reconnects with her Native American heritage.
Release Date January 9, 2024 Cast Chaske Spencer , Zahn McClarnon , Graham Greene , Alaqua Cox , Cody Lightning , Charlie Cox , Tantoo Cardinal , Devery Jacobs , Vincent D'Onofrio Seasons 1 Writers Amy Rardin , Marion Dayre Streaming Service(s) Disney+ , Hulu Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Directors Sydney Freeland Expand


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