Warning! This article contains spoilers for Marvel Studios’ Echo.
Marvel Studios’ Echo just proved the perfect way to fix the MCU’s post-Avengers: Endgame cameo problem. After Avengers: Endgame, many would argue that the quality of MCU projects has dwindled. Despite that, Marvel Studios remains steadfastly committed to telling different, intriguing stories about new heroes, something that the ending of Marvel’s Echo proves beyond doubt. Echo‘s story is perhaps the most different in the MCU in years, primarily due to the fascinating exploration of the Choctaw nation the show presents.
Moreover, the show’s intriguing story is bolstered by Echo‘s MCU Easter eggs which are much more subtle, understated, and important to the story than have been presented in Marvel Studios properties of late. Through these references and teases, Echo‘s cast and characters, and the cultural influences on display, Echo feels like a story that the creatives at Marvel Studios were passionate about telling. This passion enabled a post-Avengers: Endgame issue to be avoided in the series as Echo provided the perfect way to fix the MCU’s recent cameo issues.
Marvel’s Echo Post-Credits Scene Explained
Marvel’s Echo show includes one end credits scene after the fifth episode, “Maya.” We break down what it means for Maya Lopez and Kingpin.
Daredevil’s Brief Appearance In Echo Is The Perfect Way To Do Cameos
The love and care placed into Echo‘s story fixed the MCU’s issue with cameos, as Daredevil’s appearance in Echo episode 1 proved how one-off appearances from other Marvel characters should be implemented. In Echo episode 1, Maya’s backstory with Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin is highlighted. Through this story, her first job working for the Kingpin of crime is shown in which she and a few other henchmen enter a factory to dispose of some of Fisk’s enemies. Midway through the job, however, Daredevil arrives and begins battling Maya in an attempt to further disrupt Kingpin’s network.
While Daredevil could easily have become a secondary antagonist in the show due to his dedication to taking down Kingpin and thus his former associate in Maya, the cameo was exactly that: a brief, quick scene where Daredevil appeared, fought Maya, and left for the rest of the show. The scene showcased a fantastic fight scene and was incredibly satisfying for fans of the Man Without Fear but, most crucially, it made sense within the show’s context.
Daredevil is known to be the archenemy of Kingpin meaning it makes sense for the former to appear to disrupt the latter’s operation. Rather than feel like an unnatural, shoe-horned appearance for the sake of marketing or forced interconnectivity, Echo‘s Daredevil appearance proved exactly how cameos should be utilized. Through this scene, Marvel Studios crafted their best one-off cameo in years as it felt integral to Maya’s journey and story without feeling like an unnecessary inclusion for the sake of cheap fan service.
How MCU Cameos Have Gotten Worse Since Endgame
Since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU seems to have lost its way regarding what makes a good cameo. Most cameos of late have felt unearned, with characters portrayed by massive actors simply appearing to set up the next major event in the franchise while making little sense to the story at hand. A few examples include Eros at the end of Eternals, Clea’s post-credit scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder, and even Hulk/Skaar in She-Hulk‘s finale. Rather than have an impact on the story being told in each project, these characters are solely included to set up stories in the future.
While the MCU has always done this even in the Infinity Saga, Phases 1-3 did not have the issue of characters being teased and not showing up again for years. This allowed the cameos before Endgame to feel consequential as audiences knew they would be capitalized on a year or two later. Therefore, Echo‘s Daredevil cameo is the perfect way for the franchise to continue character inclusions going forward: short, brief, and satisfying appearances of characters who only benefit the world-building and story of the project in which they appear.
All episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+.
