Hawkeye’s Echo Actor Praises Marvel’s Efforts To Increase Diversity

The actor who plays Echo in the new MCU series Hawkeye, Alaqua Cox, has praised the franchise for its attempts to improve on-screen diversity.

Alaqua Cox, who plays Echo in the new MCU series Hawkeye, has praised the franchise for its attempts to improve on-screen diversity. Fronted by MCU veteran Jeremy Renner and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, Hawkeye hit screens in late November and is the MCU’s first holiday-themed content. After dropping the first two episodes together, the remaining four of the Disney + show are being released weekly up until December 22, which is the date of the series’ finale. 

Hawkeye contributes to a franchise which has been previously been criticised for lacking diversity. In the past, controversies around the topic have included Joe Russo’s cameo in Avengers: Endgame, where he plays a gay man attending grief therapy sessions. The moment gave audiences the MCU’s first openly gay character, and while Russo described it as a milestone, it was also criticised as being an example of tokenism. More recently, the MCU has been increasingly overt with its on-screen diversity. While Chloe Zhao’s Eternals wasn’t the most well-received MCU film, it succeeded in advancing diverse representation in a meaningful and significant way. As well as giving audiences their first gay superhero in Phastos, the film also introduced Makkari as a Deaf superhero who uses sign language to communicate. 

Related: Who Is Echo: Hawkeye’s Maya Explained (Comics History & Origin)

Now, in an interview with Disney’s D23 Magazine (via The Direct), Cox speaks about the MCU’s diversity successes. Cox, who plays the MCU’s second Deaf character Echo, praises the franchise for its improved diversity and representation. In a warming tribute to her Hawkeye co-stars, the actor also revealed how Renner and Steinfeld attempted to ease her initial nerves by communicating with her in basic American Sign Language. Check out Cox’s comments below: 

I’m amazed with Marvel because they are doing such a great job with diversity and representation… It means so much to me because I feel like kids with all types of cultures and disabilities deserve to have more role models that look like them, to inspire and empower the next generation. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity because I am one of the examples…

Cox’s words come in stark contrast to some of the past criticism levelled at the MCU, indicating that it is making an improved effort to represent diversity on-screen more meaningfully. As a mega-franchise, the MCU has a unique opportunity to introduce diverse characters to a global audience, allowing them to explore perspectives that they might have never considered or seen on-screen before. Representation can have a great impact, and normalising the inclusion of deaf superheroes can allow the Deaf community to feel that they are being considered and included. On-screen diversity can also provide audiences with an improved understanding of aspects of diversity, such as Deafness, which can have a positive real-world impact. 

Fans of the series will be excited to learn more about Cox’s character as Hawkeye progresses. It was recently confirmed that Echo will have her own spin-off series, titled Echo, giving audiences the chance to explore the character after Hawkeye concludes. With Cox’s comments, audiences can expect to see the MCU continuing to improve its on-screen representation in upcoming films and series, which is an exciting prospect.

More: Who Is Echo’s Uncle? Yes, It’s Who You Think It Is!

Source: The Direct

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