Summary

• Echo on Disney+ is a hit, Marvel's crown jewel in 2024 despite mixed reviews, paving the way for new storylines and characters.
• Marvel Studios adapting to post-Endgame changes with less production, driving mature storytelling in Echo, promising a change in direction.
• Echo could see second season potential, setting stage for new adventures, as actress Alaqua Cox hopes for more family drama and big villains.

Marvel's Echo, the Hawkeye spin-off released earlier this year, has been crowned as one of the most watched Marvel series on Disney+ so far in 2024. Despite having had a mixed reception among fans, the Alaqua Cox-led series proved to be the jewel in Marvel's slightly tainted crown on the platform.

Marvel Studios has gone through a rough few years since the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019, something that even Marvel boss Kevin Feige admitted recently. The end of the Infinity Saga marked the end of a huge journey, saying goodbye to some of the franchise's biggest characters and reaching a peak that it has since failed to overcome.

The launch of Disney's streaming platform and the arrival of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the small screen allowed the franchise to expand its character roster as it effectively began building a new team of heroes and villains. After much criticism over its plans for almost a dozen projects a year, the studio decided to reduce the number of productions to improve the focus of the franchise. Echo, however, was one series that kickstarted a completely new branch of Marvel's output, and brought a more mature form of storytelling to MCU.

Originally introduced in Hawkeye, Alaqua Cox's character quickly landed her own show, which would help to introduce Marvel's street level hero stories, and provided the opportunity for the MCU to present more violent and mature plots. However, Echo received negative comments for its pacing and character development, although many highlighted its fight sequences and other details.

Now, as per Variety, the series is the second most watched in the Disney+ catalog in 2024, only below Percy Jackson and the Olympians, another major hit on the platform. Echo reached 12% of Disney+ total viewership, leaving the newly released X-Men '97 lagging in third place with only 6.8%, although the results of the most recent episodes of the animated series are not included in the figures.

Could Echo Get a Second Season?

It would be obvious to think that, if the series achieved numbers that exceeded expectations, Marvel Studios would be considering making a second season of Echo. With Marvel Studios looking at producing as little as two new series a year, though, it seems that there will be come characters for which additional seasons are just not possible. However, we could see the character again in series like Daredevil: Born Again, as there is clearly a larger story being told with these "street-level" characters.

Although there has been no news of a renewal, Cox knows exactly what she would like to explore in a potential second season. In an interview with ScreenRant, she revealed that she would like to see Maya take on a famous Marvel villain:

"[I'd like more of] Maya's family. I wouldn't mind if they went to New York City and all got revenge on those people who have hurt them and also used the powers of their ancestors that they have. I think that'd be cool storyline. And the Green Goblin. That would be pretty cool. I think I'd like to face the Green Goblin."

Echo is available to stream in full on Disney+.