Echo Can Finally Confirm Whether Or Not Netflix's Daredevil Is MCU Canon

Screen Rant

By Peter Mutuc

Published Sep 7, 2022

Echo/Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, will be joined by Daredevil and Kingpin in Disney's Echo, which could settle the status of Netflix's Daredevil.

The MCU series Echo casting Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin implies that the series will finally answer whether Netflix's Daredevil series is actually canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Echo puts the spotlight on Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez/Echo, a street-level antihero who was first introduced in MCU Phase 4's Hawkeye. Slated for release a full year ahead of Daredevil: Born Again in the MCU Phase 5 slate, Echo is bound to settle the speculation regarding the canon status of Netflix's pivotal Daredevil show.

Marvel almost confirmed that Netflix's Daredevil was indeed canon when it updated Matt Murdock's "On Screen Full Report" to reflect that his Netflix adventures and his time in Spider-Man: No Way Home are part of the same continuity. However, after fans posted about the update in April 2022, Marvel quickly erased the No Way Home additions and reverted Murdock's full report to ending with a synopsis of Daredevil. In any case, the MCU can no longer delay answering whether Netflix's Daredevil is canon or not, as Echo will be out on Disney+ in summer 2023.

Even if Echo features both Murdock and Fisk in only minor roles, it will be impossible not to tackle if Kingpin knows Daredevil's true identity, allowing the reveal to potentially serve as Echo's series finale twist, as well as finally confirming the canon status of Daredevil. Although there's a risk that this could steal the spotlight from Echo herself, Daredevil and Kingpin's presence in Echo actually indicates that the MCU will be digging deeper into Maya Lopez's comic book origins - and potentially even bridging Echo with other MCU Phase 5 projects.

How Big Will Daredevil's Role Be In Echo?

Daredevil will likely have a huge role in Echo, because in the comics, Kingpin uses Maya Lopez in one of his plots to destroy Matt Murdock. Curiously, the way Kingpin framed Daredevil as the one who killed Maya's father in the comics was already loosely adapted in Hawkeye, where it was Clint Barton who became Kingpin's fall guy. Hawkeye also already adapted how Maya shoots Kingpin, as he clearly survives in the MCU. In any case, Echo is unlikely to just host a straightforward rematch between Daredevil and Kingpin, which Netflix has already fully explored across Daredevil's three seasons. While Hawkeye already used Maya Lopez's early comic book story arc, there are many other Echo and Daredevil connections that the MCU can still explore.

In the comics, Echo's Maya Lopez and Matt Murdock are not only star-crossed lovers, Daredevil eventually recommends Echo to Captain America for a New Avengers mission. Echo even assumes the identity of Ronin while working alongside Captain America. Apart from the fact that Daredevil is bound to have a big role in Echo, it could even connect Echo to Captain America: New World Order and the rest of MCU Phase 5.