Marvel Studios has heard the complaints from everyone post-Endgame, and has decided to create a dedicated banner specifically for one-off character stories: Marvel Spotlight. Like the comics that inspired the moniker, these shows will focus on telling stories about single characters that can be easily decoupled from the grander arcs of narrative building within the MCU. And the first series to be released under the Marvel Spotlight banner is Echo.

While Echo is technically a spin-off of both Hawkeye and to a degree Netflix’s Daredevil, director Sydney Freeland and showrunner/creator Heather Marion have made it simple for audiences to dive into the action without having seen the previous series, doing a great deal of recapping in the first episode of the show. And from there on, the show instantly formulates its own identity and tells a fun and fascinating one off story featuring one of the MCU’s most badass characters. And in that sense, it’s the perfect first outing for the Marvel Spotlight banner, which I think will end up catching on; particularly in the streaming space.

More than a banner test, however, Echo succeeds in terms of compelling storytelling and character development, as well as positive representation. This show’s heart is firmly rooted in its ability to honor the beliefs and culture of the Choctaw Nation, but never at the expense of telling a strong story that fruitfully develops and evolves an interesting character in Maya Lopez. The world of crime that defines the character and how it affects those around her is nothing short of interesting, and the action that peppers the story is well shot, well choreographed and brutal.

After seemingly “killing” Wilson Fisk at the end of Hawkeye, Maya Lopez is on a quest to take over the Kingpin’s empire. To do this, she must revisit her roots and hometown in Oklahoma, where she visits old friends and family. Unbeknownst to Maya, however, Fisk still lives. And now the most dangerous man in Hell’s Kitchen is coming to disrupt the plans and life of the prisoner who thought she was finally free.

Echo is not a universe-spanning, grand scale crossover epic in the tradition of most Marvel Studios fare. It’s a low stakes, personal story about a woman learning to deal with having been raised and baptized into a world of anger and violence, and the impact it’s had on her from childhood to adulthood. Maya’s relationship with both her father and Kingpin are key to the messages and points of this story. And as such, all of this builds Echo into one of the more interesting post-Endgame characters to come out of the MCU, going deeper into her than what we were given in her limited screen time in Hawkeye.

And a great deal of the success of this character comes from an absolutely game Alaqua Cox. As both a capable actress and an action star, Cox is a formidable and welcome force of talent who can kick your ass one second and touch your heart the next. Much like a Keanu Reeves-level performance in a John Wick film, Cox’s strong, silent, but powerful and resilient presence allows her to be believably imposing just from a scowl, before she physically does something so incredibly impressive and badass, it rivals the abilities of any hero with powers.

That said, Cox also plays Echo with palpable emotional vulnerability and performs action in ways that fit in perfectly alongside the capabilities of what Scarlett Johansson has done with Natasha Romanoff over the past several years. In fact there were instances throughout the series where I ruminated that this show may be a better “Black Widow” project than Black Widow. And again, it’s because Cox embodies this role with pathos and physical prowess!

Additionally, the supporting cast is enhanced by a colorful crew of characters that are fun and engaging as well. Cody Lightning stands out as Biscuits, a hilarious and warm addition to a darker show that really benefits from his levity. He, and the always welcome Graham Greene — really playing against type as a playful, funny, and charming grandpa type conning ignorant tourists into buying his pawn shop wares — are the first elements we get at the potential for Maya’s reconnection with her family throughout the series. Whereas warm and tender performances from Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, and Devery Jacobs represent good characters that embody the emotional payoff of Echo’s reunion with the family she lost after falling in with Fisk.

Speaking of which, the big man is back and better than ever! Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is a central character in this show, and his development here will absolutely lead into several projects later. His performance is 100% consistent with his terrific portrayal from the Netflix Defenders shows, but with the added level of a more paternal perspective.

His relationship with Maya is incredibly interesting, evoking shades of the Thanos/Gamora abuser/victim relationship we saw in Infinity War. And to see these two connect on this show leads to some of the finest and most tense moments in the entire five-episode run of the series. We can see why someone would look at Fisk with young Maya’s naïve eyes, and it’s because of how D’Onofrio is able to convey and portray this complex and manipulative individual. It’s as pitch perfect as it’s always been!

From a story perspective, Echo may not break new ground in the crime drama department regarding a subplot for an impending gang war. But that’s okay because the show manages to do a great job emphasizing character over plot. On paper this is about a criminal going after an empire. But really, it’s about a character finding love and connection with her roots and family after spending too much time being immersed in violence, vengeance, and darkness. And as such there’s a lot of rich and interesting material to mine regarding the relationship between Maya and Fisk, as well as Maya and her actual family.

The other thing that cannot be understated is the show’s dedication to representation. But in a way in which none of it feels forced or pandering. Cox does have a prosthetic leg in real life, and is also deaf, just as her character is on the show. And the show never shies away from either of those disabilities, putting particular emphasis on discussions in ASL, and also the advantages to prosthetic appendages. All of these prove to be strengths for the character, whether she’s able to use her leg to get out of zip ties, or her deafness to crank up music as a distraction for opponents. This makes the character incredibly dangerous, but able to do things other heroes may have more difficulty doing, and that’s pretty cool.

In addition to the representation for those with disabilities, Echo wears its Choctaw Nation and Indigenous cultural roots on its sleeve. This is a show that is firmly set within the cultural landscape of the Choctaw Nation and that naturally blends into the storyline and the development of Maya as a character, as well as her lineage, organically. It never feels forced, and the way that Freeland and Marion weave this into the story enhances it, giving us a character with a completely unique power set rooted in her culture and family. It’s incredibly well done, never feeling preachy or artificial.

If there are any downsides to Echo it’s two central problems: pacing and an anticlimactic ending. Running at an average of about 40 minutes per episode, Echo still manages to drag a hair in different episodes. It’s not bad enough to ever make you feel too bored, as the slower moments are interrupted gracefully by action beats that are really well choreographed and exciting. However, I did find moments that strained my attention span — typically those concerning Echo and Bonnie’s reconciliation.

The other major gripe I had with an otherwise fun and entertaining series was how poorly it handled the final conflict between Echo and Fisk. While I understand what the series was going for in terms of emphasizing love and healing over violence, I found the resolution between the two to be — well, frankly — really lame. Fisk should also not be redeemable in any fashion. And the show starts to drift into that territory with that final battle. But thankfully stops itself just short of making that actually happen (thank God!).

Bringing it back to the positive, I know I mentioned the action being terrific, but I felt the need to elaborate because it happens to be my favorite part of the series. From the train sequence in the second episode, to a very John Wick-inspired brawl at a skating rink, the show is just full of these amazingly brutal moments and fight sequences. Naturally, the one most folks will be excited for will be Echo’s first encounter with The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen (aka Daredevil), and it doesn’t disappoint.

It, sadly, is the extent of which we get to see Mr. Murdock for the duration of this show, but actually that’s for the best, because it would distract from the beauty of this being Maya’s story about family. But regardless, each episode has at least one standout action scene to get folks excited about things, and they’re all really well staged, choreographed, and performed by the hardworking stunt team and Cox herself. When Marvel goes grounded with their action, everybody wins!

On the whole, Echo both is and isn’t a game changer. The story isn’t going to break any new ground, but the incorporation of representation into the fabric of this character and her personal story, as well as the grounded approach to isolate this focused narrative from the rest of the MCU, feels incredibly refreshing. Cox is an action star in every sense of the word, as much as Keanu Reeves is, and has absolutely proven herself to be a discrete secret weapon for this franchise, being both vulnerable and brutal (and charming) all at once. Anchored by heartfelt contributions from the supporting cast and some incredible action sequences, Echo is absolutely a show that resonates with audiences in a satisfying way, reminding us all that the MCU can still entertain and surprise, in the most unexpected ways.

Overall Score (on an entertainment level): B
Overall Score (on a representation level): A+

All episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+.