Alaqua Cox stars as Maya Lopez/Echo in Marvel Spotlight’s “Echo.” (photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

Superhero fatigue is a myth, an alleged inevitability declared when something flops. The truth is far simpler: audiences return when a story is effectively told. It only happened half the time in 2023 for Marvel, even less for DC’s recent junk. In the case of “Echo,” a Disney+ series under the newly launched Marvel Spotlight banner, folks prove they will also stick around despite flaws, seeing instead imperfect potential.

You know the drill. To understand “Echo,” we must go back in time. This all began in 2021’s “Hawkeye,” when Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) did Kingpin’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) bidding. Then she learned her surrogate father orchestrated her actual father’s death. So she put a bullet in Kingpin’s eye, but she didn’t double tap.

Now Maya’s in hiding, planning a war against the big man’s empire from her once hometown Tamaha, Oklahoma, formerly part of the Choctaw Nation. She encounters family, friends and stomping grounds from a different life. That’s not merely a reference to childhood memories before her dad’s unsavory career path upended her life. Maya’s return home also invites visions from Choctaw history, echoes of her heritage that bestow Maya with special abilities she doesn’t entirely understand.

The Echo character first appeared in “Daredevil” comics in 1999 as a skilled antagonist who can mimic any fighting style she observes, hence the name Echo. Much of her origin reached the screen – including her deaf and Native background (the series then adds an amputee subplot since Cox is one) – but Marvel Studios already introduced a character who can “echo” powers, “Black Widow’s” Taskmaster, and chose to rewrite rather than repeat. (This already happened with Ms. Marvel’s stretching powers to avoid similarities with a forthcoming Mr. Fantastic.)

The power change could have worked well on screen if “Echo” had more time to develop it. As is, Marvel Studios’ latest series continues an ongoing problem: slow start, rushed conclusion. Short, limited series offer too little time to tell this kind of story. “Echo” is especially frustrating for receiving even less runtime, easily more than 100 minutes fewer than others. Things start to get good and then suddenly end. The days of 13-episode seasons for Netflix’s Marvel lineup are greatly missed.

Speaking of which, “Echo” is particularly exciting as the first formal installment in Marvel’s street-level stories. Marvel Spotlight will bring back many of those Netflix characters (and original actors), including Kingpin and Daredevil (Charlie Cox), both of which appear in “Echo” and other previous entries as well, along with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and a host of rumored and unconfirmed reprisals.

That Daredevil cameo in the pilot, oh-so briefly, serves as little more than texture, a reminder that the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is a continuing thorn in Kingpin’s side. The ongoing motif is Kingpin’s presence across these Spotlight series. That menace will serve as the driving villain all these hand-to-hand fighters with no cosmic powers or heavy-hitting superpowers must confront.

And that means things will get much more bloody. “Echo” touches on more violent, mature content, but hardly reaches the brutal depths of the Netflix “Daredevil” series, so we’ll have to see if a Disney+ series is willing to go there. Or will writers and overlords clash over tone and adult content?

Watching “Echo” is a case study in similar conflicting visions. It seems the show creators and studio execs (from Marvel, Disney proper, us muggles will never know) couldn’t agree on the creative vision, and the result is something that lacks cohesion: underused supporting characters, sparse action sequences, vague, rushed explanation of powers.

And yet, it’s still quite an enjoyable experience, even amidst all the glaring problems and unclear goals of the series. To start, so much time went into ensuring ethical representation of the Choctaw Nation, culture and lore. It’s easy to see that care and concern. And Cox’s performance is incredible. The care and exceptional leading performance alone make for a viewing experience that never feels dull, despite its many imperfections.

“Echo” is enjoyable and never dull, despite imperfections. (photo courtesy of Marvel)