Behind-The-Scenes Marvel Photo Confirms A Change To One MCU Character's Powers
While Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is already a formidable martial artist, in "Echo" Episode 2, she demonstrates some surprising superpowers that she can manifest through a connection to her Choctaw ancestry. Before the show's release, it was rumored that tattoos on Maya's face would serve as a visual indicator that she is using those powers (with frequent source of Marvel leaks @CanWeGetToast sharing a mock-up of the design on X, formerly known as Twitter, just days before the premiere), but that turned out not to be the case.
Then, just two weeks later, Caitlin Dechelle, who worked as Cox's stunt double on "Echo," shared a behind-the-scenes photo on her personal Instagram account of the two of them in costume on the show's set. Tattoo-like designs virtually identical to the ones in @CanWeGetToast's mock-up are visible on each of their faces, revealing that plans simply changed and that Maya's face tattoos as originally intended were nixed from the series' final cut.
Maya's face tattoos aren't all that was removed
Although rumors that "Echo" underwent extensive reshoots were debunked by sources at Disney in May 2023, the notion that the series was heavily edited has persisted past its release. For instance, many still believe that it was originally eight episodes before being cut down to five in post-production, and @CanWeGetToast has detailed a deleted scene that would have significantly recontextualized Maya's character arc had it been included.
The fact that Maya's superpowered face tattoos were not CGI but physically drawn onto the actor's and her stunt double's faces further supports the idea that "Echo" may have been significantly altered in post-production, whether that means Maya's face tattoos were edited out with CGI or scenes featuring them were removed. Whatever the case, it's clear that the visual presentation of Maya's superpowers fundamentally changed at some point during the supposedly troubled production.