Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: Alaqua Cox, Amy Rardin, charlie cox, daredevil, disney, Echo, Kingpin, Marvel Studios, vincent d'onofrio

Echo Writer Amy Rardin on Maya/Kingpin Dynamic, Daredevil Importance

Echo writer Amy Rardin discusses expanding Maya's relationship with Kingpin, the importance of the Daredevil fight scene & the show's future.

Trying to tell the story of Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) in the five-episode miniseries Echo was one hell of a tall task for director Sydney Freeland and writer Amy Rardin as the main character is trying to carve her way to a path of redemption, trying to mend past wounds with estranged members of her family in her hometown of Tamaha, Oklahoma, and staying on top of the blowback from the forces of Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) who she views as an "uncle." Rardin broke down on things she wished they could have expanded on the Disney+ series first season, flashbacks, use of Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and more.

Echo: The Season's Journey and Things to Expand On

When it came to the initial challenge of telling Maya's story in five episodes, "When we were in the room, we weren't really thinking about the constraints of time. We just wanted to tell the best story we possibly could," Rardin told Deadline Hollywood. "That was very freeing, especially having come from some network shows where you have a very specific time that you have to meet. To really not have to think about the time was great. So, in terms of the pacing, it was just where the story led us. And that's kind of how we approached that in the room."

Rardin spoke about the flashback sequence in the fourth episode, "Taloa," where Kingpin assaults an ice cream vendor away from Maya after his hostile attitude toward her. After calling for a change of clothes, Maya sees the bloody remnants on his suit and hands before joining in for a kick herself. "I actually really remember the day that we were talking about that in the room," she said. "As soon as we came up with the scene, it really never changed. I think that is the defining moment of their relationship. I mean, children are always watching, and she's watching this man that she admires do that. Then she does it just like him. I think it really is very powerful in terms of giving you an indication of how she grew up with this man as her uncle and what she is facing now as an adult, having to look back at her past and be like, 'Well, I did a lot of bad stuff, too, just like he did.'"

In the season finale episode "Maya," Kingpin is holding Maya's loved ones hostage before a scuffle breaks out. With her newfound powers, Maya "heals" him of the pain he uses to channel his rage before he escapes compared to the end of Hawkeye when she shoots him in the face. "However messed up their relationship is, Kingpin is obviously a monster, but there is love there, in its own weird way," Rardin said. "Kingpin has the capacity for love in his very twisted way. He was one of the people who raised Maya, and deep down, I think she does love him, even though she realizes he did all these horrible things and manipulated her and is a killer and not a good person. I think what makes their relationship so interesting is she's one of the few people that can see glimpses of goodness in him. And so it's her not giving up on him at the end. He just can't do it."

When it came to having Daredevil in the first episode, "I mean, we were really excited to get to use Daredevil because he's a very important part of the [Echo] comics," Rardin said. "So we knew that we were going to want to use him in a specific way. The fight between Daredevil and Maya was very important to Sydney [Freeland]. We talked a lot in the room about consistently keeping the story from Maya's point of view. Because we know how excited everyone is about Daredevil. We were excited about Daredevil. But really, what that fight is about is Maya going from student to practical. It's the first time she kills someone. It's the first time she proves herself to Kingpin. She took on one of his biggest rivals. It's her coming into her own in Fisk's operation. So that is how we approached that fight. To get to be able to use Daredevil was amazing, but it was very much in service of Maya's story and who she is at that time in her life.

For more, including how Maya mended her relationship with her grandmother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal), more of the Maya-Kingpin dynamic, Bonnie (Devery Jacobs), and more, you can check out the interview here. All episodes of Echo are available on Disney+.

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