Marvel Spoils 2 New Phase 5 Superhero Costumes Months Before Their 2023 Debuts

The Marvel Cinematic Universe still has several upcoming 2023 projects, and merchandise just spoiled two previously unrevealed MCU costumes.

Newly released merchandise photos have revealed two previously unseen costumes for characters from Marvel's upcoming Echo season 1 and What If...? season 2. Marvel's Secret Wars didn't turn out to be the critical success that it was hoped to be, but the MCU still has at a few more television shows set to stream in 2023. Following Loki season 2, Maya Lopez will be the focus of Echo after the character was introduced and played an important role in Hawkeye. The animated What If...? season 2 doesn't have a solid release date yet, but the last word was that it's expected to premiere sometime in 2023.

Ahead of their premiers, images of new LEGO minifigures have revealed the costumes for Echo and Goliath, the latter of whom will appear in What If...? season 2 after an out-of-suit introduction in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

The new suits were revealed via official product imagery showing the two heroes alongside several other MCU characters (via The Brick Fan). They're joined by other Marvel streaming stars such as Kate Bishop, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and a few X-Men from the upcoming X-Men '97. Maya's outfit appears to take inspiration from Native American clothing, while Goliath sports a silver and blue Pym-Tech suit.

Marvel has improved representation among its cast members since starting off with largely homogenous actors in the MCU Phase 1. Hawkeye continued this positive trend with its depiction of Maya Lopez, a deaf character that finds herself at odds with Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, and eventually Kingpin. Lopez is portrayed by actor Alaqua Cox, who, like her character, was born deaf. In 2021, Cox praised Marvel for improving its diversity and extending franchise representation further than it had in previous years.

However, another important part of Maya Lopez's character is her Native American heritage. While this wasn't touched on much in Hawkeye, it's set to play a bigger role in Echo. The official synopsis explains that the show will follow Echo as "She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward." Specifics beyond that are unknown, but Echo's outfit, according to her LEGO minifigure, sees her generic Hawkeye tactical wear from clothing with a more traditional Native American design. This also tracks with Native American writers working on the script.

Despite MCU tv shows being looked at with closer scrutiny by Marvel and Disney executives, Echo seems safe from cancellation and is set to come out later this year. Not only will the show reportedly feature important cameos from Kingpin and Daredevil, but it will also set a new precedence for MCU streaming content. Every episode of Echo will be released on the same day - November 29, 2023. What If...? season 2 has yet to receive a release date.

Source: The Brick Fan