Building a Disney+ Echo Variant

Spoilers for the new Echo series below!

If you’ve seen Echo on Disney+, you know her power set is a bit different from what we’ve seen in the comics. Let’s see if we can translate those powers to the Marvel Multiverse RPG rules!

Let’s start with the general concept. The Disney+ Echo is no longer a Taskmaster-style copycat who clones her enemies’ moves. As her father told her when she was young, she is of “two worlds”, and must learn to jump between both. Those two worlds are wildly divergent - represented by the ruthless, wealthy, NYC-based Kingpin, and her supportive and down-to-earth Choctaw family.

These two worlds are juxtaposed throughout the show. Kingpin’s tastes are fancy wine, expensive suits and private jets. Maya’s preferences are soda out of the can, a bloodied motorcycle, and a handmade costume reflective of her ancestry. Let’s try to build her in a way that pays homage to both of these worlds!

For this exercise, we’ll follow the “Building a character” instructions in the Marvel Multiverse RPG Core Rulebook, beginning on page 44.

STEP 1: DETERMINE RANK

For reference, Echo’s “official” character profile is Rank 2 (page 166 of the CRB). That’s in line with similar characters like Daredevil or Elektra. Kingpin is a Rank 3 in the CRB, but in the more grounded Echo show, there’s nothing to suggest he would have the Big trait (which increases his Reach) or Enhanced Physique (strong enough to pick up a car). He’s big, but not as big as he’s portrayed in the comics. He feels like more of a 2 in the show. Let’s aim to keep Echo at 2 as well.

STEP 2: PICK ABILITY SCORES

On her official Character Profile, Echo has a Melee of 2, an Agility of 3, a Resilience of 1, a Vigilance of 2, an Ego of 1 and a Logic of 1. I suggest two changes that will balance out and ensure we still have the total of 10 points that a Rank 2 character should have.

1) I’m going to raise her Resilience to 2. She takes an absolute beating in the show (and a bullet!), and keeps fighting. I don’t think a Resilience 1 character can take as many hits from Daredevil as she did without dropping. Daredevil and Elektra both have Resilience scores of 2, and aiming for some balance there would help her hang with those characters in a tabletop game.

2) I’m going to reduce her Vigilance to 1. Maya was easily subdued by a relatively inexperienced goon, so her “situational awareness” isn’t the best. No doubt in part to her deafness, and the fact that her ancestral visions were distracting her, but those things can’t be overlooked. In one scene she’s shown as particularly slow to join a combat (initiative is governed by Vigilance), and while she’s shown studying opponents’ moves when fighting in the ring and elsewhere, it is something she seems has to consciously focus on rather than being instinctive.

Final ability score array: Melee of 2, Agility of 3, Resilience of 2, Vigilance of 1, Ego of 1, and Logic of 1.

STEP 3: PICK BACKSTORY ELEMENTS

Occupation: The only two options that make sense to me are Criminal or Assassin. I could see this changing to Adventurer, but as she stands right now, she’s much closer to the criminal underworld than anything else. Let’s not pencil her into the Defenders just yet! Her official profile has an Occupation of Entertainer, since in the comics she picked up playing the piano and dancing through her copycat skills - not applicable for this version of Echo, from a mechanics or theme perspective. I’m going to go with Assassin, because that’s precisely what Kingpin was training her to be in the show.

The Assassin Occupation gives her the Connections: Criminal trait, and the Signature: Attack trait. Other examples of Assassins and their Signature: Attacks include Bullseye with Sniping; Elektra with Fast Attacks; and Psylocke with Mental Punch. As a nod to her Lighthorseman ancestor Tuklo, who we see several times taking careful aim at things and hitting with great accuracy, we could consider Sniping, but that power is for targets 20 spaces (100 feet) away. There are several scenes demonstrating her marksmanship (hitting the woodpecker with a slingshot as a child, shooting the chains on the swingset, or knocking out the fluorescent lighting in the roller rink), but none of these are sniping from 20 spaces away. Let’s delay the selection of a Signature Attack until we get through Power selection, since this decision will grant Echo the significant bonus of getting an Edge for every attack with that Power (this can be flavored as Tuklo’s influence every time an Edge turns a miss into a hit).

Origin: Special Training is what she has in her official profile, and I think that’s appropriate here, as well. Especially since there really isn’t a good Origin that represents the kind of Ancestral / Indigenous abilities she gains late in the show. Special Training gives her the Determination Trait, which certainly seems on theme. Echo’s character in the show experiences a tremendous amount of trauma and can nonetheless push forward.

Additional Traits: As a Rank 2 Character, we can choose 2 additional Traits beyond what was assigned for Occupation and Origin. Lots of flexibility here, but I think Combat Reflexes is a solid choice, granting an extra Reaction due to her ability to “react quickly” in combat (demonstrated well in the Daredevil fight scene). We still haven’t found a way to incorporate any of her Ancestral abilities, so let’s choose Surprising Power to represent that, and try to find something that works in Step 4.

Tags: Pulling from her official profile, Auditory Issues definitely makes sense as does Public Identity.

As for Heroic? I don’t think that applies just yet. This means she will not get Karma to spend and I think that aligns with her depiction in the show. While obviously a capable fighter, we see her trying and failing a few times (for example, whiffing on her first attempt to knock out the fluorescent light with the makeshift weapon, or slipping on the train while escaping and getting her prosthetic leg caught and damaged). A hero who had Karma to spend might not suffer those setbacks.

Throughout the show, Echo is able to call upon her extended family for help, whether it is getting Biscuits to give her a ride, or getting Skully to fix up her prosthetic leg. Even Henry, a criminal, formally aligns with her before the end of the season, stating “I’m with you”. Between “Public Identity” (which allows Echo to more easily “ask their friends and family - and even strangers - for help”), and Connections: Criminal, we’ve got that covered.

Linguist: ASL, and Mute, are easy additions. Streetwise, as well, as she’s not that far removed from being directly involved in a criminal organization, had plans to rise within it, and still has enough knowledge to blow up the local Fisk armory in dramatic fashion.

STEP 4: PICK POWERS

As a Rank 2 character, Echo has 8 powers to select. We’re going to deviate significantly from her official Profile, as she uses guns quite a bit in the show and also doesn’t display any abilities from the Power Control set (like Clone Moves).

Let’s keep in mind the four gifts she gets from her ancestors. Ferocity from Chafa, the first Choctaw. Strategy from Lowak, the athlete. Cumming from Tuklo, the Lighthorseman. Love, from Taloa, her mother.

Let’s also not forget we need to select one of these powers to be her signature attack.

Basic:

Accuracy 1: Tuklo, the sharpshooter, inspires Echo to be more accurate with a gun or thrown weapon, explaining this Power’s ability to let her use her Agility multiplier for damage with ranged attacks.

Accuracy 2: See Above
Combat Trickery: Like Lowak, scoring the final goal despite facing a larger and tougher foe, Echo can get an automatic 1 on the Marvel die when attacking someone of an equal or higher rank, once per battle. Or lacrosse match.
Evasion: Lowak could easily dodge those trying to take her down with brute strength, as Echo can use her Agility defense score against Melee atacks.

Ranged Weapons:

Doubletap: Echo does quite a bit of shooting in close quarters in the show, whether it is trying to hit the nimble Daredevil, or popping Kingpin right in the face. What do you think? Signature attack? Works for me.

Martial Arts:

Do this all Day: Taloa the Healer could certainly inspire Echo to heal herself, and given this incarnation of the character doesn’t have Karma point, this provides an excellent way for her to continue the fight when low on Health or Focus. We could flavor the use of this ability by having Echo’s hands glow with spirals, or by having her make that hashtag style sign with her fingers.
Fast Strikes: Channeling the Ferocity gift from Chafa, Echo is a force in hand to hand combat, though she’s definitely capable of more damage with firearms at this point in her career.

This leaves us with one Power to choose, and there aren’t any Rank 2 Powers that would allow her to heal others, which is a bit of a bummer, since that really is the power that got the most use in the series. This is a key ability, so lets try to homebrew something that isn’t overpowered. Let’s look at the Rank 2 Leech Life Power as a guide, since essentially we want the exact opposite of that Power. Let’s call it “Infuse Life”, and put it in the basic Magic power set, although I could see an entire “Magic: Ancestral” Power Set if she were get some training and expand her abilities;

Infuse Life

Power Set: Magic

Prerequisite: Rank 2

Action: Standard

Duration: Instant

Cost: 5 Focus

Effect: The character makes an Ego attack against the Resilience defense of a target within reach (use a TN of 10 if used against a willing creature within reach). If successful, the target recovers normal health damage. On a Fantastic Success, the target heals double damage instead.

Note, she wouldn’t be great at this ability because of her low Ego, but that tracks as she’s a complete novice a using this kind of energy.

STEP 5: CALCULATE OTHER SCORES

Health is 60 (30 x Resilience of 2). Focus is 30 (30 x Vigilance of 1). Damage is normal except for Agility which has a +2 to the damage modifier thanks to Accuracy 2, resulting in an x5 damage Agility multiplier.

Here’s the final Profile!

CONCLUSIONS

There is no single right way to build a character. We could have given her more melee abilities, perhaps even giving selecting her prosthetic leg as a signature weapon. We could have given her given her more martial arts abilities, perhaps a stance and abilities that relied on being in the stance. You could make her rank 3, and do both! Or you could lean into the mystical side a bit, and homebrew an entire Magic: Ancestral Power Set. Any way you approach it, it will certainly be fun to play a character with this much versatility!

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you’d like to see similar content. Maybe a Disney+ Kingpin? Uncle Henry? Comment below!