Daredevil and Echo's History, Explained

Although their relationship started off complicated, Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, and Maya Lopez, AKA Echo, have since become friends and allies, often working together to take on some of the Marvel Universe’s most vicious forces. Despite their close relationship, the two have gone a while without an official team-up… but that all changes with DAREDEVIL & ECHO (2023) by Taboo, B. Earl, and Phil Noto. Now, let’s take a look back at Echo and Daredevil’s comics history.

How Daredevil & Echo Met

Created by David Mack and Joe Quesada, Lopez debuted in DAREDEVIL (1998) #9. That issue introduced her as a deaf woman of the Cheyenne nation with the ability to perfectly duplicate any physical action she sees, much like Avengers villain Taskmaster. Lopez’s father, William Lincoln, worked for Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, and was ultimately killed by that villain. As one of his last acts, he left a bloody handprint on his daughter’s face. In the aftermath of this traumatic event, Fisk took Lopez on as a ward and nurtured her incredible abilities, leading to her becoming a dancer and artist as an adult. 

Lopez’s introduction took place at a difficult time in Murdock’s life. During the preceding “Guardian Devil” arc, Bullseye murdered Karen Page, the hero’s longtime friend and love interest. Knowing Murdock was vulnerable, Kingpin arranged for him and Lopez to meet out-of-costume. The two struck up a romantic relationship, just as Fisk guessed they would.

Towards the start of Murdock and Lopez’s relationship, Fisk told Echo that Daredevil was the person responsible for her father’s death. In response, she began reviewing footage of old fights between Daredevil and Bullseye in preparation for getting revenge. She also put a white handprint on her face as an homage the one her father left in blood before he died. 

In their initial fight, Echo bested Daredevil and nearly shot him, staying her hand only because several young onlookers recognized her. When the two fought again, Murdock revealed his secret identity to her, ending the battle. As he noted and Lopez quickly recognized, he was far too young at the time of Lincoln’s death to have killed him. After learning she’d been manipulated, Lopez sought out Kingpin and shot him, leaving him blind in the aftermath. 

Echo then left New York to find herself, and her romantic relationship with Daredevil ended. During her journey of self-discovery, Lopez temporarily returned to New York, where she discovered, in her absence, Murdock had struck up a relationship with Milla Donovan. Following a vision quest, Lopez decided she wanted to pursue performance art again.

Echo and Daredevil, Reunited

While theater has remained a major part of Lopez’s life, Daredevil was largely absent from it, mostly influencing what happened to her from behind-the-scenes. In NEW AVENGERS (2004) #11, for example, Lopez joined the titular team as Ronin after Daredevil recommended her to Captain America. She remained a regular fixture of that team for some time, working alongside some of the Marvel Universe’s heaviest hitters. That recommendation from Daredevil thus played a massive role in making Echo an important hero after her rocky beginning.

Echo and Daredevil didn’t team up again until much later in DAREDEVIL ANNUAL (2016) #1, which saw Ulysses Klaw take over New York City. Using a sonic virus, he turned anyone who heard it into creatures that did his bidding. While Klaw successfully seized control of Daredevil and many others, Echo was unaffected by the sound and successfully canceled out the virus using a specific frequency, ending his reign of terror. 

From there, Echo played a key role in several subsequent issues of the Man Without Fear’s solo series. In DAREDEVIL (2015) #21, for instance, she worked with Murdock alongside Luke Cage to stop the Munition Militia, a group set on causing the apocalypse. Later, Echo helped Daredevil and New York’s other street-level heroes stop the Hand when the villainous ninja clan attacked New York City.

Now, following a recent stint with the Avengers and her time as host of the Phoenix Force, Echo and Daredevil will team up again to take on the fierce Demogoblin in order to save the children of New York City.  

Discover Murdock and Lopez’s next adventure together by picking up DAREDEVIL & ECHO (2023) #1, on sale now!

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