Indigenous, deaf, and her leg amputated, Marvel's new superhero is banking on her atypical profile to reboot a franchise that's losing momentum at Disney, just as her boss is apparently out wants to get out of the war front. American culture.
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The series “Echo,” which debuts Tuesday on streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu, follows the adventures of Maya Lopez, a former criminal from New York who rediscovers her indigenous roots in her hometown of Oklahoma.
A pitch that comes at a delicate time for both the Marvel Universe and its owner Disney.
The general public is showing some antipathy toward the superhero franchise, whose viewership is declining while the big-eared company has become the punching bag of the American right, especially during the presidential election.
Like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a contender for the White House, Republicans are suing him for “wokism” because of his gay or non-binary characters, like in “Buzz Lightyear” or “Elementary.”
Disney also just lost its title as the top-grossing studio in Hollywood, overtaken by Universal last year. A first since 2016.
In November, Disney CEO Bob Iger appeared to suggest that his creative teams should initiate a change. Instead of favoring symbols and “positive messages,” he expressed his desire to “go back to our roots, that is, to remember that we must entertain first.”
“So proud”
With its numerous dialogues in sign language, subtitles and its development in collaboration with the Chacta people, “Echo” still claims its inclusivity. The creators particularly wanted to ensure the authenticity of a sporting event scene set in America before European settlers.
“I'm so proud to be able to make the voices of Indigenous people heard,” said the series' star, Alaqua Cox, during a recent press conference.
The series marks the beginning of a trend in the Marvel Universe.
While the superhero franchise from American “comic books” began in 2008 with “Iron Man” in the cinema, it was only “Black Panther”, the 18th film, that showed the adventures of a protagonist other than White.
Since then, the universe has significantly diversified its characters while at the same time box office revenue has declined.
However, according to Bethany Lacina, who has researched the franchise's audience demographics, there is no evidence that the two phenomena are connected.
“Non-whites are more likely to watch Marvel movies than white people. Especially African Americans and Latinos,” explains this assistant professor at the University of Rochester.
The greater inclusivity of Disney casting “brings their films closer to what their audience has always been about,” she notes, especially as young Americans are increasingly diverse.
“Frustration”
For the academic, Mr. Iger's recent speech may reflect “frustration” that Disney's on-screen diversity efforts have not attracted a flood of viewers from new backgrounds.
But the inclusivity advocated by Marvel hasn't caused a “backlash” among white viewers, she believes. They also rushed to see “Black Panther,” a film with a predominantly African-American cast that was nominated for an Oscar and consistently praised by the Disney boss for its “positive impact on the world.”
According to Nick Carnes, co-author of a book about the Marvel Universe, the franchise's diversification of superheroes is due to both a commercial strategy and the history of the comics from which the films are inspired.
“When we look at historical heroes, the oldest figures who stir the nostalgia of entire generations, we see that they are disproportionately white and male,” notes this Duke University professor.
From this perspective, Disney's plan is to “introduce people who love the story of Iron Man or Spider-Man to different characters” to expand the audience.
In his view, the success or failure of “Echo” will depend on the quality of its narrative more than the cultural divisions that fracture the United States.
“At the end of the day, we’re all human,” recalls Chaske Spencer, a Native American actor who plays one of the supporting roles in the series. “It's about emotions, (…) about what we can all feel.”