The Trailer of the Week Proves Marvel Still Has Some Good Ideas

Everywhere you look, there’s a new report on Marvel’s current state of disarray, both on the big and small screens. The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t the only source of tentpole fatigue, of course, but its cultural omnipresence over the last decade, which peaked with the release of Avengers: Endgame back in 2019, does make it the biggest target for such critiques. The interconnectedness of these stories was once their biggest draw; now, it makes each new outing feel like homework.

And so it is with the most cautious optimism that we say the upcoming Echo series, a spin-off of Hawkeye — which was also an extension of the big-screen MCU, but ended up more of a showcase for Hailee Steinfeld than Jeremy Renner — looks pretty damn cool in its first trailer. Bonus: It’s the first TV-MA series in the Marvel universe.

Best trailer for the week of November 3: Echo, premieres January 10, 2024 on Disney+ and Hulu

Deaf Indigenous actor Alaqua Cox reprises her role as Maya Lopez aka Echo, the adoptive daughter of Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio, also returning to the MCU fray), who has the ability to perfectly copy another person’s movements. She’s just as potentially lethal as her dad, but, despite what he says in the trailer, she’s not ready to divest herself of her humanity and declare herself a “monster.” The trailer gets pretty gnarly, earning its TV-MA rating and letting viewers know this isn't your typical Disney superhero show.

Besides Cox, Echo boasts a ton of Indigenous talent, including Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Devery Jacobs, and Zahn McClarnon (the latter three having recently wrapped up their time on Reservation Dogs). Another Rez Dogs alum, Sydney Freeland, directs several episodes, and Marion Dayre leads the writers’ room, which includes Josh Feldman and Shoshanna Stern (both Deaf writers), Rutherford Falls’ Bobby Wilson, and Rebecca Roanhorse. The series will be released as a binge watch on January 10, on both Disney+ and Hulu (the first time such a simultaneous release has happened.)

Honorable Mention: Shōgun, premieres February 2024 on Hulu and FX

FX first announced this adaptation in 2018, at the same time it also ordered Alex Garland’s Devs, a show that premiered in March 2020 (one of the first under the now-defunct FX on Hulu banner), to series. But the first trailer for Shōgun suggests that good things really do come to those who wait — the limited series, created for TV by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, looks just as vast and compelling as the celebrated 1975 novel by James Clavell that inspired it. And take a look at this cast: Hiroyuki Sanada (who also executive produces), Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroto Kanai, Takehiro Hira, Moeka Hoshi, Tokuma Nishioka, Shinnosuke Abe, Yuki Kura, and Fumi Nikaido.

Shōgun will have a day-and-date global streaming launch, with the FX linear channel telecasting new episodes every week.

Honorable Mention: Good Burger 2, premieres November 22 on Paramount+

Welcome to Good Burger, home of the surprisingly timely commentary: This sequel film debuting on Paramount+ both mines nostalgia by reuniting All That stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, and tackles the ongoing threat of automation.