With Marvels Daredevil: Born Again As production wraps up, a vague unknown is the future of another character in the orbit of the street-level saga: Echo. Alaqua Cox tells Polygon that she is also in the dark; Unlike some of her peers who got their start in Disney Plus shows, Marvel hasn’t told the 27-year-old actor when or if Maya Lopez will reappear in the MCU.
“I haven’t heard anything yet!” Cox spoke through a sign language interpreter during a recent press day Echo. ‘I’m waiting for them to call me. I say, ‘Come on. Let’s get started!’ I hope to be involved in more MCU projects – that would be just great.”
Introduced indoors Hawkeye and given her own eponymous spinoff in January, the introduction of Kingpin’s surrogate daughter was a springboard for a new face not only in the MCU, but in a Hollywood devoid of native icons. When Cox landed the role of Echo, the actor, who is from the Menominee and Mohican nations, became the first hard of hearing and indigenous film superhero.
“That was my first acting role everCox said, still in slight disbelief that it was all going her way. From a young age, she dreamed of acting and watching the Oscar-nominated (and future) film Echo co-star) Graham Greene paved the way in Hollywood for native actors, and looking back, she’s still not sure why she was the one to get the nod from Marvel Studios. Then the company went one step further: because Cox uses a prosthetic limb in place of her amputated right leg, Maya was written as an amputee, in a break from the comics canon. But once she got over her surprise, Cox threw every ounce of herself into the physically demanding stunts.
“Those were my favorite parts of the whole movie experience,” Cox said. “I love all physical activities and work. I grew up playing different types of sports. I have an older brother; We wrestled all the time, so we’re very close. So yes, the stunts were definitely my favorite and I like to take on those challenges.”
Looking back, Maya’s big fight during a speeding train heist is the highlight of her time in the MCU so far. The sequence required long stretches of nighttime shooting, and the choreography’s demands were more about staying centered than surviving fights or stage falls.
“Before filming Echo, I wasn’t a big fan of coffee,” she says. “I’m a coffeeholic now.”
Cox could reprise her role as Echo if the story demands it, but she says she’s also ready for the next role, whatever that may be.
“I like to travel. I like to play different characters. Obviously I don’t want to be the villain character all the time. I would like to have other roles, but I want to try something new, like a horror or comedy – something other than a villain!