There is a generalization that the Marvel universe is kind of going through a downturn and that this has to do with this heavier phase of mourning, with characters dealing with trauma. It is also a phase with the youngest and most diverse generation, an ultra-interesting part of the franchise. In any case, Eco is one of the best content of the moment, available on Star Plus.

The series is the immediate continuation of Hawkeye, with Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), a deaf Choctaw girl, motherless and fatherless, whose crime boss – Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) – has her as an adopted daughter. Because of her talent, she is a deadly underworld enforcer, using the code name Echo, but upon discovering that Kingpin betrayed her (he had her father killed), Maya returns to Oklahoma and the family she hasn’t seen in years. to resolve all pending issues and meet.

In five episodes, Echo deals with the past to try to define her future, balancing action and drama with intelligence and humor. The deeper relationships are moving, even if brief, and teach her how to channel the mystical energy of the Choctaw through her hands. Here we understand her codename, Eco, a late reference to how she “echoes” her ancestors.

The fact that the narrative incorporates the physical barriers of actress Alaqua Cox, who grew up on the Menominee Tribe reservation, and is deaf in addition to having a prosthetic leg like the character, is a separate detail. There is an arc of recovery and contextualization that make this series in particular one of Marvel’s highlights. It’s sensitive without exploiting heroism. I know many people complained, but I found it exciting to see it in greater depth, as not everyone had the same opportunity. And in the conversation with Alaqua, we understand the importance even more.

CLAUDIA: Eco is a spin-off of Hawkeye, also a connection with Daredevil, but it’s even more than that. In your opinion, what is the series about?
Alaqua: It’s really about a deaf indigenous heroine searching for what defines community and family. She is in New York with Kingpin when chaos happens [which happens in Hawkeye] and she decides to leave everything and go back to Oklahoma, where her roots are. The problem is that she has trouble opening up to her family because of the trauma she has from her time as a girl.

CLAUDIA: But it’s not just drama, there’s a lot of fighting and action, right?
Alaqua: Yes, it’s an adventure, with lots of fights, it’s intense. It has an emphasis on indigenous communities and humor from that community, in addition to bringing the perspectives of deaf people.

CLAUDIA: How would you define who Maya Lopez is?
Alaqua: She is complicated, full of emotions, and a lot of anger because Kingpin ordered her father to be killed [also part of the plot of Hawkeye). She had him as her adoptive family and when she discovers the truth her emotions become even more chaotic, she wants revenge because she didn’t even have time to process her grief over her father’s death. That’s why when she arrives in Oklahoma she tries to reconnect with her biological family, in a very complicated web that she has to insert herself into.

CLAUDIA: A painful process, right?
Alaqua: Yes because she is self-centered and it is difficult to play her, but I had fun playing Maya, it was a good journey.

CLAUDIA: Do you identify with her in more ways [Alaqua is also deaf and of indigenous origin]?
Alaqua: Actually, almost nothing [laughs]. I had to analyze it a lot to understand it. Our mutual identity has to do with the same childhood trauma [where they lost part of their leg], but my trauma is not nearly as painful as hers. She grew up with a criminal father and uncle and I had several surgeries throughout my childhood because of my prosthetic leg. No child should have to go through this, but yes, this is the part where Maya and I experience the same thing.

CLAUDIA: And Maya’s relationship with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin [and antagonist of the series]?
Alaqua: In the past, it was a love relationship and he wanted her to inherit his entire empire. He loved her that much. They got along very well and she grew up thinking that everything was normal [the violence, the crime] now that she’s grown up she starts to realize that it’s anything but normal, especially after her father died and she saw that life didn’t have to be like that. That’s why she tries to get away from Kingpin and chooses to reconnect with her real family, although the whole process requires a lot of work. But she’s getting there, so it’s an interesting story.

CLAUDIA: How was the preparation and what was it like to maintain cultural authenticity in Eco?
Alaqua: We wanted to be as accurate as possible and that even includes the costumes, what’s on your Echo armor. It has diamond shapes, and the Sun, which have very specific meanings for the tribe as well. Maya needs to represent them.

CLAUDIA: Was the physical part easier?
Alaqua: Yes because I have always been athletic, but I had specific training with a personal trainer

for the fights. It wasn’t difficult because I’ve always trained and I like physical action, but it was still five days a week and three hours a day for my personal training and learning the fights, but that helped a lot for the role.

CLAUDIA: And working with the cast and production team, what was it like?
Alaqua: They all learned Libra from a teacher who was also deaf, so it was incredible that Marvel gave this opportunity for inclusion, it’s very important for everyone and there are people with hearing impairments on the team, behind the camera too and it was really good to see myself represented.

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