It’s a precarious time for Marvel Studios, as audiences are getting a little tired of superhero fare, both on the big screen and on television. Whether it’s an over-saturation of the market, general boredom, or just something that doesn’t feel quite so formulaic, the standard superhero fare just isn’t cutting it anymore. That’s where “Echo” hopes to stand out, as it provides a more edgy, mature series that actually landed the TV-MA rating. But it also stands out in another interesting way. As Freeland told Entertainment Weekly:
“People say it’s all been done before, but there’s a set piece in the second episode that I can honestly say has never been seen before on film. A big part of that came from our collaboration with the Choctaw Nation.”
Since the biggest action set piece of the second episode is a train heist that Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez pulls off with some assistance from her cousin Biscuits (Cody Lightning), we know that’s not the sequence Freeland is talking about. Instead, the filmmaker is referencing the mesmerizing opening sequence where we watch a Choctaw Nation tribe engaging in a stickball match. The game has touches of lacrosse, but these Choctaw people aren’t playing with athletic gear on. It’s bodies hitting bodies, no shirt, no shoes, no problems, other than the potential for serious injury in an aggressive, fast-paced match. This kind of sport from Indigenous people hasn’t been portrayed on this scale before.