Echo

Echo may be far more impressive than anything to come out of the recent multiverse. Sadly, though, she is still forced to mirror the mistakes of her Marvel forebears.

Though inconsistently paced and lacking in character development, Echo is still an interesting look at a pretty remarkable hero, with some thrilling fights — and the more adult tone is a welcome new direction for the MCU.

In the midst of Marvel fatigue, the franchise desperately needed to do something different. Is Echo the perfect solution? No, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

It’s a series of moments that alternately had me thinking, “Huh, that feels different and right” and “Huh, I can’t believe somebody was able to do that in a Marvel show.” At the same time, there were far fewer moments that I found exciting and almost no moments that rose to the level of scale and spectacle that viewers have come to expect from Marvel’s films and at least hope for from Marvel’s recent Disney+-affiliated TV shows.

Marvel appears desperate to pivot away from the full-throttle escapism audiences flocked to in the first place. Echo tries to break new ground. But in the end, it repeats the error committed by recent Marvel movies by locking into an underwhelming groove from which it cannot break free.

It's too entwined with earlier series to stand on its own, and the few interesting creative decisions that make this stand out from the wider franchise aren't enough to sustain an otherwise generic story.

A third-rate snoozer that further waters down the once-mighty Marvel brand.

In theory, streaming is the venue to roll the dice on less familiar concepts and take creative risks. On its own, though, the latest addition to Marvel’s Disney+ portfolio feels too small boned even by those standards, creating an “Echo” that doesn’t leave much more than a ripple in its wake.

Well-intentioned about the people, communities, and narratives it’s telling, and a tip of the cap can be given to the diverse lead and characters who drive the show. But honestly, these characters are mostly let down by lackluster energy, flat pacing, and early draft writing that’s never particularly involving.