Phoenix Song: Echo # 1 offers much-needed insight into why Maya Lopez was recently selected as the cosmically-powered being’s newest host. WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Phoenix Song: Echo # 1, which is now available from Marvel. Known as Echo, The Avenger began as an ally of Daredevil and is now one of the next heroes to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A skilled warrior herself, Echo is about to make her on-screen debut in Hawkeye before moving on to a lead role on her own Disney + series. In the comics, she even got a much bigger boost thanks to her current role as the new host of the Phoenix Force. Though normally associated with the X-Men, the Phoenix saw something really impressive in Echo – even if she doesn’t quite understand it herself. Phoenix Song: Echo # 1 (by Rebecca Roanhorse, Luca Maresca, and Carlos Lopez) points out the real reasons the cosmic being chose her and how she is prepared to face an old Marvel villain. RELATED: X-Men: How Kitty Pryde Made the Universe Think She was Phoenix During the plot of “Enter the Phoenix,” cosmic force returned to Earth in search of a new host. The Force selected a number of candidates from across the Marvel Universe and pitted them against one another, the obvious price of victory being an infusion of cosmic power. The Avengers and their fellow heroes did their best to keep the Phoenix Force away from more menacing candidates such as Namor and the Red Widow, and conflict was brewing among the champions over who to trust with the almost immeasurable amount of power within one’s grasp. One of the heroes chosen was Maya Lopez, aka Echo. Born deaf and trained in martial arts, Echo is considered one of the most capable heroes in the Marvel Universe. In the Phoenix Tournament, Echo faced Namor and, despite a brief surge of power from the Phoenix Force, was overwhelmed when the battle was relocated to an underwater setting. Echo was a far more convenient battlefield for the submarine, lost the fight, and was left for dead at the bottom of the ocean. But while Namor and the other fighters continued to fight, Echo refused to give up. The Phoenix Force was impressed with how Echo adjusted to the threat and refused to step down, even when faced with a cosmically empowered Namor, and chose her as the new hostess. This wasn’t an easy transition for Echo, however, and she struggles with doubts about the phoenix’s decision. RELATED: The Phoenix Force’s Side Effects Are Still Annoying An Avenger Echo finally decides to consult an old mentor named Chief and comes across his protégé Riverwalker, who explains that his power is to travel through a person’s family lineage and tell their story to display. When Echo realizes that she still can’t understand why she was chosen by the Phoenix, Riverwalker realizes that not only has she refused to die in the most dangerous of circumstances, but that she is descended from a long line of female warriors . The Phoenix Force must have believed that only Echo was truly ready to face an impending threat teased as the powerful mystical entity known as the Adversary. It turns out that because of its ancestral line of strong women, the Phoenix Force sees the opportunity to face the threat better than almost any other candidate it has chosen. It gives Echo a deeper connection to her mother’s story and enables her to fully embrace the legacy her family left her as a warrior. Given the phoenix’s history of bonding with strong women (which goes back to the dawn of mankind), the choice of being speaks of the potential in Echo to become an ideal champion and host. READ ON: Avengers: Heroes Return Just Reunited Marvel’s Two Strongest Cosmic Forces Has DC lost the trademark on Superman’s “Truth, Justice and the American Way”? About the Author Brandon Zachary (4075 Articles Published) Brandon Zachary is an Associate Writer at Comic Book Resources and has been writing for CBR since 2018. He covers breakouts to comics, film, television, video games, and anime. He also conducts industry interviews, is a certified Rotten Tomatoes film critic, and knows SO MUCH about the X-Men. For inquiries, comments, or to hear his pitch for a third robot avatar series, you can contact him at bs.zachary@gmail.com. More from Brandon Zachary
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