Echo series producer Brad Winderbaum explained how Marvel Studios‘ new Marvel Spotlight banner makes individual storylines a priority over the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity.
“It’s kind of like the comics, in that there are certain stories that tie into the continuity and really play into the overall narrative, and there’s other ones that are more stand-alone and are character-driven like Echo is,” Winderbaum said in an interview with ComicBook.com.
He added, “Really, what the Spotlight branding represents is an opportunity for people who are more casual fans who might not know what happened in the last Avengers movie to show up and kind of enjoy it on its own terms.”
Announced in November 2023, Marvel Spotlight takes its name from the Marvel anthology comic book series that began in 1971. The new banner is separate from previous MCU shows on Disney+ such as WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ms. Marvel which created narrative setups for the MCU theatrical releases. Winderbaum explained that Marvel Spotlight will offer “more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen,” with a focus “on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity.”
Confirmed and unconfirmed Marvel Spotlight shows
The first MCU release under the Marvel Spotlight banner is Echo, the first TV-MA Disney+ series starring Alaqua Cox reprising her role as the deaf Native American anti-hero who was introduced in the Hawkeye series. Following Echo, the next MCU show expected to fall under the Spotlight banner will be Marvel’s Wonder Man series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. One series not confirmed to have the Spotlight banner is Daredevil: Born Again, which star Vincent D’Onofrio believes should have the label due to its street-level roots.
“For sure,” D’Onofrio said on BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast. “That’s my opinion, I imagine it would be. Nobody has said, ‘Hey, did you know this? This is happening’ — nobody said that. But it is of the same tone and feel [as Echo]. The attention that the big bosses are giving to it is extraordinary and Charlie [Cox] and I are just amazed at how much they care about this series. I can’t imagine it being treated any less.”
All five episodes of Marvel Spotlight’s Echo hit Disney+ and Hulu on January 9.
