With the first two episodes of Hawkeye dealing mainly with the introduction of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), this third episode, ‘Echoes’ looks at the principal villain, Maya (Alaqua Cox).  *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*

This proper look at Maya is very welcome, as the brief appearance at the end of episode two made her look a little cartoonish and not necessarily someone that we could take too seriously.  Thankfully, everything gets a little more fleshed out now and that initial impression is swept away.  While not explicitly using the name, Maya is the deaf Marvel character Echo, who has a rich history in the comics and is connected to Daredevil and Spiderman.

That connection even gets a small tease in the flashback part of ‘Echoes’, as a hand on a shoulder and a very familiar voice speaks to her younger self.  This character, only referred to as ‘Uncle’ will not be a surprise to many, but is a nice tie-in nonetheless, linking the Tracksuit Mafia more solidly.

Maya looks to be quite a formidable opponent and as head of the Tracksuit Mafia, not one that is likely to go away easily.  The fact that a spin-off series is already confirmed shows how cemented the character will be in the MCU, and what we see here backs up that decision.  Cox herself is a deaf actor in her first role and brings that authenticity to the character.  You would never guess that this is her first major series, or performance of any kind because of how great she is here, and you can see why they have enough faith to create a spin-off.

For Clint (Jeremy Renner) and Kate, ‘Echoes’ represents them getting to know each other, and officially team up on trying to solve their issues.  Using the plot device of Clint’s hearing aid being broken, they also cleverly highlight how alike the two characters think, and how fitting Kate is to take over the Hawkeye mantle.  Obviously, this wouldn’t work at all if the chemistry between the two wasn’t great, but they’ve naturally fallen into a comfortable rhythm.

At this stage, Clint probably isn’t thinking about her taking over the name, but the seeds have been sown for it.  His newfound respect for her skills is clearly going to take him in that direction, but it is also clear that she has much to learn.  They have managed to balance that wide-eyed innocence with her confidence and ability very well though, so it is easy to believe in her trajectory towards becoming an Avenger.

What we don’t get in ‘Echoes’ is much more advance in the plot surrounding Kate’s mother (Vera Farmiga) and Jack (Tony Dalton), but that isn’t a great loss.  Jack is a bit of a character out of a soap opera, replete with twirly moustache, so the less of him the better.  There is much more depth and emotional material that could be explored with Kate and her mother though, so if they can find a way to include that without the extra baggage, it would definitely enhance the underlying weight of the story.  All in all though, Hawkeye continues to be excellent and shows that the future is bright for the MCU.