The Hawkeye Disney+ series is poised to give an in-depth look at Clint Barton's past while also fleshing out the character due to the inclusion of Kate Bishop in the narrative. Jeremy Renner will reprise his role as the bow-wielding Avenger, and previous casting rumors suggest that he will be joined by a wide array of interesting characters from the comics.
The Direct exclusively reported that Iron Man villain Madame Masque will be featured in a supporting role in the show, while Barton's brother Trickshot will also factor into the intriguing narrative. Not only that, a casting call with the name of Arek was previously revealed to join the growing cast, but it is still unknown if he would be a villain or a potential ally for Barton and Bishop.
Interestingly, a previous casting description intrigued fans since it teased the potential debut of a Daredevil character in the form of Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo. And now, a rumor has surfaced that the casting call that was unearthed back then is indeed for the role of the deaf comic character.
RUMOR
The Illuminerdi shared in a report that Echo will be making her debut in Hawkeye "as one of the series' lead characters." The outlet also revealed that the casting call is for the role of "Malia," with the description saying that the character is "deaf, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous and/or Latinx, independent, athletic and bright."
The Illuminerdi also learned that "the audition scene’s dialogue is also set to be signed in American Sign Language."
WHAT THIS MEANS
The potential debut of Echo in Hawkeye presents an interesting possibility for the show since it gives a unique spin to its core narrative. Not much is known about the role of Echo in the show, but the precedent from the comics suggest that she could potentially tie with the Ronin persona of Clint Barton, since Maya Lopez portrayed a version of the sword-wielding hero.
That being said, it will be interesting to see if the series will not just dive into passing the torch to Kate Bishop for the Hawkeye persona, but also focusing on passing the Ronin moniker to Lopez as well. Additionally, previous rumors indicated that Barton could potentially lose his hearing in the show, and the presence of another deaf character like Maya presents an opportunity for the show to dive into that plot element even more.
With the news of Echo serving as one of the series' lead characters, it provides a chance for Hawkeye to explore the character in surprising ways before eventually making her debut on the silver screen alongside the rest of the MCU heroes. Not only that, but given the connections of Echo with the Daredevil character, it wouldn't be too surprising if Matt Murdock arrived in the MCU in the near future.
MCU and STAR WARS Writer
