Making your professional acting debut is a daunting prospect at the best of times, so to do so in a new Marvel TV series on Disney+ must seem mind-blowing. That is exactly the prospect that has fallen at the feet ofAlaqua Cox, the deaf actress who not only plays Maya Lopez/Echo in the new seriesHawkeye, but has already managed to nab her own spin off series. WithHawkeyehaving now arrived on Disney+, we are already getting an idea about just why the character has made such an impact on the MCU bosses.
Speaking in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Cox explained how she discovered that she had been cast in the new series following months of auditioning. The notification came via a text telling her to log into Zoom. She explained, “I see about 12 people, including the Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, doing the deaf clap where you wave both your hands… I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ and they said, ‘Welcome to the Marvel family!'"
In the series, Maya Lopez is a deaf martial arts expert who has the amazing ability to be able to perfectly replicate the fighting style of anyone she observes, very similar tothe character of Taskmaster seen inBlack Widowearlier this year. Series director Rhys Thomas commented, “We met with quite a few people, and I had the fun of reading with Alaqua. I got to sort of help her get prepared and then got to present her to Kevin and the team. I’m so grateful to them that they had the confidence. She had never acted [professionally] before, but they said, ‘Let’s do it.'"
Of course, Maya is not the first major deaf character to appear in the MCU, but only by a few weeks. Lauren Ridloff recently starred as Makkari inEternals, and Cox revealed that she spent time with the actress as well as Douglas Ridloff, who has worked as anAmerican Sign Languageconsultant onHawkeye. Talking of the importance of inclusion and diversity in something as big as the MCU, Cox said, “I believe kids deserve to see inclusivity and accurate representation. It will make kids with all types of cultures and disabilities feel like our dreams can break free from limitations."
Even before Cox made her appearance on screen, herspin-off seriesEchowas officially confirmed as part of Disney+ Day, where the logo for the show was revealed, but where her story goes is something that is being kept under wraps for now and will probably be dependent on the outcome ofHawkeye. The development of theEchoseries was originally announced in March, with Etan and Emily Cohen writing the script and producing.
In promo material for theHawkeyeseries, we were given a first look of Cox as Echo alongside the MCU’s newest villain, The Clown, as they hold Clint Barton hostage. Of course, comic book readers will already know that Echo is usually a hero, but does have a connection to another Marvel villain, heradoptive father Wilson Fiskaka Kingpin. Her connection to theDaredevilvillain, and her history with the blind superhero, have led to a lot of fan speculation that this may all be leading to the arrival of Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the MCU, but again, we will have to wait and see how that pans out.
