Marvel dropped big news earlier this week: the Disney+ series Loki season 2 and Echo now both have official release dates. Loki’s first episode will premiere on Friday, October 6, while Echo will drop on Wednesday, November 29.
That’s not the release date for Echo‘s first episode, though. That’s the release date for the entire series. It’s an odd announcement, since all other Marvel shows have been released one episode at a time. So why the change?
Echo, starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, is a spinoff of Marvel’s Hawkeye, which aired in 2021 and featured Maya as a lieutenant in Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio)’s Tracksuit Mafia. Echo will follow Maya as she reconnects with her Native roots while dealing with the fallout of shooting Fisk in the Hawkeye series finale. Along with diving deep into Maya’s character, the series will reportedly feature guest appearances by Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Fisk.
Here are a couple of theories about why Disney+ and Marvel have decided to go with a binge model for Echo.
Theory #1: Marvel is testing the binge model
The binge model, in which all episodes of a show are released at the same time, is standard for streamers like Netflix. Streaming platforms wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work, so it’s possible that Disney is testing the model for Marvel shows.
However, if that’s the case, it’s odd that they would announce the release date at the same time as Loki season 2—especially since that series is sticking to the traditional model of releasing one episode a week. If Disney is investing in this new model, why not highlight it? Why not give the release date announcement the attention it deserves?
Theory 2: Disney doesn’t have faith in Echo
This second theory is more troubling—especially when you consider that Maya is currently the only Native superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (although she’ll be joined by Kahhori in What If…?).
It’s no secret that Marvel and Disney+ have been in rough waters lately. Marvel has been spacing out its content and cutting back on its 2023 releases, fearing superhero fatigue among audiences. Disney, meanwhile, lost 2.4 million subscribers in 2023, and is now pulling many of its series from the streaming platform, including the much-loved Willow. Could they be releasing Echo all at once in order to get it out of the way?
I hope that’s not the case—but if Marvel and Disney go back to a traditional model after Echo, we’ll know something sketchy was up. Maya fans have been looking forward to Echo for years now, so here’s hoping they do right by our girl.
(featured image: Disney+)
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Julia Glassman
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