Marvel Studios latest streaming series, Echo, was the subject of worrisome rumors both during and after its production. Rumors ranged from the show being cancelled to being totally reshot and just about anything youight imagine I’m between. Ultimately, it was cut down to five episodes and became the first MCU series to have all its episodes released all at once. Combined with the fact that advanced reviews for the series were embargoed until the same time the series released on Disney Plus and Hulu, all these factors had fans concerned that Echo was going to be a major critical disappointment. At this time, that hardly seems to be the case; in fact, the series has played relatively well with critics.
As reviews continue to roll in on Rotten Tomatoes, Echo is piling up for positive reactions than not, sitting at 71% positive.
Many critics are lauding the show’s use of its TV-MA rating and comparing it favorably to the streaming series created by Marvel TV for Netflix and in the mid-to-late 2010s. On that note, Echo’s 71% sits higher than both seasons of The Punisher (Seasons 1 and 2 ended up at 68% and 62%, respectively) and both seasons of the critically panned Iron Fist which was regarded as Netflix’s worst effort (Seasons 1 and 2 ended up at 20% and 55%, respectively).
Critics are also praising star Alaqua Cox‘s performance as Maya Lopez and the supporting cast of Devery Jacobs, Chaske Spencer and Tantoo Cardinal leading the way. The ability to tell a personal story set in a corner of the MCU far away from the main events of the Multiverse Saga also allowed viewers the opportunity to not have to have much in the way of prior knowledge (indeed EVERYTHING needed to understand the series was shown in the series). With Marvel Studios creating a new production banner–Marvel Spotlight–for Echo, it seems more of these smaller scale stories are on the way.
