‘Echo’s TV-MA Rating Brings Back the Kingpin ‘Daredevil’ Fans Love to Hate

Disney+’s newest addition to the MCU is Echo, starring Alaqua Cox, as Marvel Studios’ first deaf and Native American series lead, Maya Lopez. First introduced to viewers in their miniseries, Hawkeye, Lopez is a kickass antihero whose origin story we’ll get to explore in the five-episode series that marks the first under the Marvel Spotlight banner, and will bring back a fan-favorite supervillain — Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin.

As his character’s nickname would suggest, D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk is the crime lord pulling the strings of the MCU’s NY-seedy underbelly. First portrayed by the Emmy-nominee in Netflix’s hit series, Daredevil, Kingpin became the antagonist to Charlie Cox‘s eponymous hero. Following the Snap, Kingpin sought full control of New York again, and Maya Lopez’s father fell victim to one of his schemes, setting her on a path of vengeance. In Echo, fans will get to explore more of that relationship between the antihero and the man who manipulated her into a life of crime. In addition to Cox and D’Onofrio, Echo also stars Graham Greene, Devery Jacobs, Chaske Spencer, and more.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, D’Onofrio talks about working with series director Sydney Freeland on the show and reprising his role as the villainous Fisk. Having portrayed the character since 2015, the actor believes he’s best presented with a darker tone like the one the TV-MA rating allows for, which he also credits to the writing and direction, saying this is the first time since the Netflix series he’s felt a comparative quality. D’Onofrio goes on to share his and Charlie Cox’s excitement about returning to Daredevil: Born Again, the series reboot, and why he trusts the changes made during the overhaul. Check it all out in the video above, or you can read the full interview transcript below.

Echo

Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Release Date

January 9, 2024

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

1

Studio

Marvel Studios

COLLIDER: There’s an episode in the series where you come back, and you’re wearing an eye patch. It looks to me like below the eye patch there could be some tech going on that’s covered by the bandage. Am I completely off or am I on to something?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: No, I think you may be on to something, yeah.

Is there anything you want to tease, or no?

D’ONOFRIO: No. I mean, I would just keep in mind that he’s got a lot of money, and he can commission stuff to be made.

I was thinking of it like an Iron Man situation where there’s something going on there.

D’ONOFRIO: I think it’s more about healing than weaponry.

‘Echo’ Nails the Tone of ‘Daredevil’s Kingpin

One of the things that really surprised me about the series is, it’s more Netflix than Disney+. I didn’t actually expect it to include the violence that’s in the series. It’s more for adults. Were you a little surprised by that? Can you sort of talk about how it’s not a typical Disney+ show?

D’ONOFRIO: From the writing and Sydney Freeland’s direction as executive producer and as one of the directors, no, it was obvious that it was going to be a bit hard-hitting. Where I am right now with how many series I’ve done, I feel now that Kingpin — Wilson Fisk — is always presented better, in his best way, when the tone is a bit darker. I think that they nailed it on Echo. As an actor, my job is to service the story; however the story is written, that’s my job to service it, so I just do that. But when I compare Echo to the original Netflix series, it’s the first time, so far, since the Netflix series where I feel like it has that same feeling. I think if people, even if they’ve never seen the Netflix series, they’re gonna get the same feeling that you guys did when you watched the Netflix series when they see my character. He’s a problem. For sure, he’s a problem.

Vincent D’Onofrio Says the ‘Daredevil’ Reboot Captures the Original Vibe After Overhaul

One of the things I have to ask you is, you’re obviously involved in the upcoming Daredevil show, and I know that they’re sort of rejiggering the show with new creatives, new everything. Can you talk about what you’re looking forward to exploring on that show, because Kingpin is such a great character?

D’ONOFRIO: We’re having a really good time right now. We’re getting back up. We’re gonna start soon, hopefully sooner than later, and Charlie [Cox] and I feel like the right vibe is there. I think all the powers out there that control this whole creative world of MCU, they also believe that we’re in the right place now. Charlie and I, we speak almost every day, so we’re ready to go. We’re feeling really enthusiastic. I have to say, it’s luck, really. I mean, my favorite series so far have been Moon Knight and Loki, and we’ve got those guys as directors, and so that’s pretty lucky. And we’ve got Dario [Scardapane], who’s an incredible writer who wrote The Punisher. We’re in a very happy place right now.

All five episodes of Echo are now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

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