Top 10 Darkest Echo Moments
#10: Roller Rink Riot
“Tuklo”
With Maya Lopez on the run after shooting Fisk, there’s a bounty out for the “King Killer.” Henry’s employee Vickie unwisely seizes the opportunity but things don’t go as planned. He and his accomplices tie up Maya and Henry at the rink, and eventually her cousin Bonnie. But instead of a big payday, Maya escapes and Fisk’s guys fatally shoot Vickie for failing to deliver. Armed with a makeshift weapon, the wanted woman attacks, starting a full-on brawl. She may be stoic and closed-off but seeing her family in danger triggered an even more brutal takedown, and for Maya Lopez, that says a lot.
#9: Chula’s Truth
“Taloa”
As with most villains and heroes, Maya Lopez has a lot of unresolved trauma from her childhood and adulthood alike. She lost both parents and was taken away from her family to a new city when she was young. But because her maternal grandmother Chula blamed William for her daughter’s untimely death, Maya grew up feeling completely abandoned. When they finally reunite face-to-face, Chula painfully recalls feeling devastated after losing her child and how she selfishly avoided her granddaughter. Even though Maya is filled with too much hostility to feel any comfort with her estranged grandmother, the two needed this moment to let go of the decades of resentment and heartbreak caused by one another.
#8: Henry’s History with Fisk
“Taloa”
One of the first relatives Maya reconnects with in Tamaha, Oklahoma, is her uncle Henry “Black Crow” Lopez. When he’s not managing operations at the local skating rink, he’s working for, who else, Kingpin. And though he wants to leave the criminal life behind, he tells Maya that his life is at risk if he does. Because of his line of work and the looming presence of danger, Henry had to protect others by keeping a distance and accepting a life on his own. He adamantly doesn’t want his niece to fall into the same hopeless trap. It’s a bleak reality for this character we’ve grown to like more and more each episode.
#7: The Murder of William Lopez
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“Chafa”
“Hawkeye” episode three titled “Echoes” gave us a glimpse into Maya Lopez’s past, notably the death of her father William at the hands of Ronin, aka Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton. Even though William was up to shady business for Wilson Fisk and led the Tracksuit Mafia, we saw how much the single father loved his daughter. It’s a heartbreaking moment and seeing it play out again in the first episode of “Echo” only elevates the tragedy because we know Maya already lost her mother at a young age. It’s also the catalyst that sends her on a destructive path of revenge under the guidance of her “uncle.”
#6: Dismissing the Interpreter
“Taloa”
Throughout “Echo,” Wilson Fisk professes his familial love for his adopted niece Maya, giving the impression that he’d do anything for her. Well, anything except actually learning American Sign Language (ASL) to be able to communicate with her. Instead, he relies on interpreters, and later technology. After telling Maya she’s moved up in the business, he sends the interpreter away. One of his many “employees” quickly dispatches her in the hallway where they already had crime scene clean-up supplies in place. It’s unlikely someone as ruthless as Kingpin would let someone with intimate knowledge of operations just leave. But still, we can’t help but imagine how many interpreters he’s hired and…fired.
#5: Fisk Tells Maya about His Father
“Taloa”
Fans of Netflix’s “Daredevil” likely remember Kingpin’s origin story – how his mother endured abuse at the hands of his father, and one day, young Wilson protected her. After William died, Fisk only shared part of this story with Maya, just enough to use their common tragedies to build her trust. Later, when he’s trying to get her to come back, he tells her the truth that he killed his father. Maya is surprised, horrified, and seemingly angry that the man she thought was her hero could do such a thing. Fisk goes further and gifts her the tool used to commit the act, egging her on to do the same to him. Every interaction between them is tense but this one is next-level.
#4: Fisk’s Finale
“Maya”
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Marvel’s Disney+ series it’s that the finale’s third act ends with an epic final boss showdown. But “Echo” subverts our expectations and does something more intimately jarring. There’s a strong sense of foreboding as Fisk’s men prepare to attack the Choctaw Nation powwow. Meanwhile, Maya faces off with Fisk who intends to kill more of her family. Yes, there’s a badass fight between Maya, Bonnie, Chula, and his henchman. But when she uses her newfound abilities, she infiltrates Fisk’s mind, specifically his years of trauma caused by his father. It’s a literal dark place, where he’s tormented by the screams of his mother. The moment leaves Fisk so shaken that there's no fight left in him, and he leaves.
#3: Maya’s First Kill
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“Chafa”
After losing her father, Fisk notices Maya’s increasing recklessness. He encourages her to direct her pent-up anger towards something, or someone and sends her on a job. Though she’s visibly hesitant to get involved in the chaos, she’s left with no choice once one of the guys attacks her. Maya unleashes her martial arts skills and quickly gains the upper hand. Everything slows down and we very clearly hear his bones break. The fatal act gets Maya’s adrenaline pumping even more and she has no problem letting loose on the other guys, including Daredevil himself, aka Matt Murdock. The entire fight is Maya’s initiation into the “family business” but it’s this pivotal moment where she becomes a killer. And it’s just the first of many.
#2: Taloa’s Death
“Chafa”
“Echo” doesn’t waste any time getting to the really dark moments. Early in the first episode, Maya’s mother Taloa drives her daughter to the store despite the terrible weather. Unable to hit the brakes, another vehicle crashes into their truck and Taloa doesn’t survive the accident. Maya lives but sustains an injury that leads to her leg being amputated. It’s heartwrenching to see Maya lose her mother at such a young age, especially with her having to witness her death up-close. She even blames herself for the horrific incident which we learn was intentionally caused by someone, presumably an enemy of William’s. This also led to the family she once knew becoming estranged.
#1: A Lesson in Violence
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“Taloa”
Right away, the team behind “Echo” wanted to prove that this wasn’t your typical Disney+ show. In a flashback to 2008, we see a man cruelly refuse to sell ice cream to young Maya because he doesn’t understand American Sign Language, so good ol’ Uncle Fisk decides to teach him a lesson…but not in ASL. Kingpin pummels the man and in the trailers, the sounds of his grunts and punches ring out over everything else. He tries and fails to keep Maya from seeing what he’s done. But to his pleasant surprise, she’s not horrified or scared. For her to witness this level of violence and then somewhat mimic the behavior significantly impacted the rest of her life.
Did any of these moments have you on edge? Let us know in the comments below.
