Echo (Disney+)

[Silver Nemesis]

Looks like I'm going to have to finally bite the bullet and sign up for Disney+ next year. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are returning as Daredevil and Kingpin in the new Echo TV series: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/charlie-cox-vincent-donofrio-echo-1235170929/

According to THR, Daredevil's storyline has him searching for "a former ally" that is meant to be Jessica Jones, though it's unclear whether Ritter will be reprising the role. There have also been reports that, contrary to earlier rumours of him wearing a yellow suit, Matt will get a new red and black costume. Kingpin is said to be wearing an eye patch after Echo shot him in the face in the Hawkeye series (which I still haven't watched), and his storyline is thought to be based on the Mayor Fisk arc from the comics.

The series is currently filming in Atlanta for a 2023 release. Shooting is meant to conclude in August, so we should be seeing some set pics before too long.

[Silver Nemesis]

Kingpin's back, and the show is rated TV-MA.

[The Laughing Fish]

New one minute trailer is out, and Daredevil is back to wearing his all-red costume.

I like what I'm seeing so far. Feels closer to Netflix Marvel than MCU.

[Silver Nemesis]

A fight scene between Daredevil and Echo has leaked: https://twitter.com/DDevilUpdates/status/1741961559675371733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1741961559675371733%7Ctwgr%5E311880a36eee573ca21a8c6c56c53082aa33215c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmicbook.news%2Fwatch-echo-vs-daredevil

Here it is on YouTube:

[thecolorsblend]

I suspect you already know my reservations about this thing. Thus, no need to repeat all that stuff here.

So, that stuff aside, that fight scene is fairly well done. Echo throws a knee to Daredevil's face that, frankly, doesn't look even remotely real. But everything else in that oner looks pretty solid. The continuous action and the precision of Daredevil's moves are obviously all pretty reminiscent of the Netflix glory days.

It looks like the actors/stunt performers spent forever practicing that scene. And (aside from the questionable knee) it looks like a quality sequence.

On that basis, I'm kind of curious if this leak was done on purpose to gin up buzz around Echo. Maybe this show truly is going to be different from conventional MCU fare and somebody higher up in the production wants fans to be excited about what's coming?

Who can say for sure? But no matter what, that fight sequence looks pretty legit.

[Silver Nemesis]

On that basis, I'm kind of curious if this leak was done on purpose to gin up buzz around Echo. Maybe this show truly is going to be different from conventional MCU fare and somebody higher up in the production wants fans to be excited about what's coming?

I can buy that theory. There's been so much negativity surrounding this series, Marvel needs to drum up some enthusiasm fast. I like the character of Echo in the comics, but I didn't see Hawkeye so I don't know how successfully they've translated her to the screen. I was hoping she'd appear in the Netflix Daredevil show at some point, but obviously that didn't happen.

Truth be told, I'm still burnt by She-Hulk. That walk of shame scene was for Cox's Daredevil what the bat-credit card scene was for the Burton-Schumacher Batman. It's hard to come back from something like that, and I hope Marvel Studios realise the damage they did by handling the character so cavalierly. The makers of the Netflix show got it right first time, and then Marvel came along and decided to needlessly change things. Did they think they could improve on what the makers of the Netflix show did? That fans would prefer a goofy Silver Age/Mark Waid Daredevil over the Miller-inspired Netflix version? I wonder if the people who defended She-Hulk's depiction of Daredevil still feel as positive about it now.

Some fans have interpreted the 'Marvel Spotlight' banner to mean that the Netflix Daredevil and the She-Hulk version are two different characters. It'd be great if that was true, but I fear it might be wishful thinking. The latest Echo trailer confirms that it's a sequel to the Netflix Daredevil series, but doesn't acknowledge She-Hulk.

I don't like how they're overselling the whole TV-MA thing in these trailers. It reminds me of the first trailer for Titans, where they began with 'TV-MA' flashing in big letters before showing scenes of Robin swearing and breaking people's necks. It was like they were trying to overemphasise how gritty and edgy it was, and I'm getting a similar vibe from these Echo trailers. I'm glad it's TV-MA, and that the makers have the freedom to explore darker and more violent themes, but the age rating won't redeem it if the writing isn't good. The Netflix Daredevil didn't need to market itself based on its age rating; it sold itself with the characters and story, which fans were hungry to experience. We only found out it was TV-MA when someone noticed it listed as such on Netflix.

I don't know if the leaks about Echo are true. One claim is that it was originally meant to be eight episodes, but that it was so bad they decided to cut it down to just five episodes and dump them all in one go and get it over with. While I've derived some pleasure from Marvel's recent failures, I don't want Echo to be bad. I love Daredevil, and I don't want to see him humiliated again like he was in 2022. The fact Marvel has cancelled She-Hulk and restarted Born Again from scratch indicates that, despite the positive critical response, they are aware that fans aren't happy. I don't care what they do with the rest of the MCU, but I want them to get Daredevil and Kingpin right.

It's been over five years now since Daredevil season 3 was released, and 2024 marks the ten year anniversary of when filming started on the first season. It would be terrific if we could finally get some more quality episodes with Cox's version of the character. Something to rinse away the bad taste left by She-Hulk and make us feel optimistic about the Born Again series. The Daredevil momentum was slaughtered following the show's cancellation after season 3, and it's going to be hard to build that excitement up again. I hope Echo will surprise us all and set things back on course.

[Travesty]

Truth be told, I'm still burnt by She-Hulk. That walk of shame scene was for Cox's Daredevil what the bat-credit card scene was for the Burton-Schumacher Batman. It's hard to come back from something like that, and I hope Marvel Studios realise the damage they did by handling the character so cavalierly.

Bingo

[The Laughing Fish]

I just finished watching all five episodes of Echo. I don't think I'm giving away huge spoilers, but there are a few details I allude to that might give ideas away.

Although I appreciate the dramatic tone, I felt the show wasn't that great. Not terrible, but nothing outstanding either. Alaqua Cox does everything she can as the main character, and Vincent D'Onofrio is always great as Kingpin, but the story lacked stakes for my taste. I understand they were going for this ancestry healer arc for Maya, and I was fine with them until the showdown in the final episode. It got too cheesy.

Daredevil is only in that one fight scene that got leaked, and as great as the action is, it's just a glorified cameo that didn't need to happen. Come to think of it, a quarter of the first episode was a clip show from key scenes involving Maya from the Hawkeye show.

I will say this show does tie into Fisk's backstory from the Netflix Daredevil show very well, as a brutal way of his to try to manipulate Maya. But if you think about it too much, the cherry-picking of events from the Netflix Daredevil show and mixing it with a goofy Hawkeye show timeline, feels weird. This has been a problem with the MCU for years now. The goofier you make one film or show, it makes the next one that's more dramatic feels out of place.

I've seen some anti-SJW commentators complain this show is "woke", and that's completely false. There's nothing in this show that's preachy or even political, it just happens to have Native American characters. That's it.

Final summary: it's not great, but it's unwatchable either. Just a run-in-the-mill show with sold acting.

[Silver Nemesis]

According to Forbes writer Paul Tassi, Daredevil has literally 98 seconds of screen time in Echo.

I know that everyone wants to see Daredevil back in full, and these little teases Marvel and Cox are giving us are not enough. There is, of course, a new Daredevil show coming, but it recently had to restart production and scripts entirely as something went very wrong with the initial concept, and it's unclear when the series will make it to air.

So no, do not watch Echo if your only interest is seeing the return of Daredevil. I'm sure this ninety second fight will be on YouTube soon enough, and in my opinion, the show overall is not worth three hours of your time. It's another Marvel misstep, which includes how Daredevil was used to sell the series.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/01/10/daredevil-has-98-seconds-of-screen-time-in-echo/

[Silver Nemesis]

Behind the scenes on the Daredevil fight.