There are a lot of questions surrounding Disney+’s upcoming Hawkeye show. One consistent inquiry has been whether Marvel will ever incorporate its title character being deaf. Is the forthcoming TV show about to introduce a key aspect of the character from the comics that has not yet been addressed in the MCU? A new casting call may point in that direction.
For context, in the comics, Hawkeye becomes 80% deaf after he uses a sonic arrow. The character has not become deaf in the MCU at this point. That may be about to change. Murphy’s Multiverse reports that a casting call has potentially gone out for the role of Maya Lopez/Echo for the fall.
Marvel Studios is reportedly looking for a “deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older” to play a role in an upcoming Disney+ series. The casting call does not explicitly state it is looking to cast Maya Lopez/Echo. However, it is normal for roles to billed with fake names to prevent spoilers during casting.
What indicates that this character could be joining Hawkeye and lead to incorporating Hawkeye's deafness from the comics into the MCU? The series that they are looking to cast her in is set to begin filming this fall, which is the same window when Hawkeye is expected to begin filming. It's also unlikely that Echo would get her own show right off the bat when Disney+ already has several MCU shows in the works with highly recognizable title characters, and the character description definitely fits Echo.
It's also worth noting that Echo made her comics debut as part of the Daredevil series. Marvel Studios will get the rights to Daredevil back from Netflix in the fall, and it's possible that Daredevil comics characters like Echo were tied up in the deal and not able to be incorporated into the MCU any earlier than Hawkeye. If the show goes for a deaf character, doesn't it stand to reason that the MCU is finally addressing Hawkeye's deafness?
Despite Marvel initially hinting at a 2021 release date for Hawkeye (among others) on Disney+, time will tell if that happens. If the show does begin filming this fall, the timeline makes sense for Echo to potentially join the show and open up a storyline of Hawkeye being deaf. While Jeremy Renner may have started training for Hawkeye back in March, the television industry was brought to a standstill not too long after that.
Whether or not Hawkeye addresses its title character’s hearing, it could welcome a deaf cast member. That said, neither Echo herself nor Hawkeye as the character's destination are a definitive lock moving forward, so fans will have to stay tuned. Either way, it is an exciting potential development to ponder while waiting for more MCU content.
As the world continues to anticipate Disney+’s upcoming Marvel shows, there is a lot to sort out. Fans undoubtedly hope that if Hawkeye does address Clint Barton becoming deaf, producers will not introduce it only to have Hawkeye retire from being a superhero due to it or for the plot to be undone.
Casting for Kate Bishop seemed to be underway at one point. In the comics, Kate is the character that Hawkeye will eventually pass the bow to when he retires. Could him becoming deaf result in him deciding to turn things over to Kate, whose rumored casting has kept fans busy speculating?
If Echo is the one being cast, it should further demonstrate that being deaf and being a superhero can go hand-in-hand. So, if Echo is heading to Hawkeye, I would think she would only solidify his faith in himself moving forward if his being deaf is addressed. Time will tell. Wherever the character being cast ends up, she will be a welcome addition.
Hawkeye will arrive on Disney+ at some point, originally 2021. A precise release date is still pending. It is safe to say it will be released after this summer’s premieres.
