Warning: spoilers for Avengers #44 by Jason Aaron and Javier Garrón are ahead.
Echo (Maya Lopez) has now become the Avengers' new host of the Phoenix Force. In Avengers #44, Echo emerged as the Phoenix's champion, showcasing a variety of new abilities that gave her an unprecedented level of power over the other Avengers (by Jason Aaron and Javier Garrón, colors by David Curiel, and letters by VC's Cory Petit). This is a culmination of the current Avengers story arc, where the Phoenix set about determining its next host through observing the heroes fight against each other in a tournament. Though it appeared that Echo had died early on at the hands of Namor the Sub-Mariner, she still emerged from the bottom of the ocean to draw the power of the Phoenix from the other Avengers.
As one of the most powerful cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe, the Phoenix Force can be described as the power of life itself, with the source of its power coming from the life force of past and future generations in the universe. For that reason, it is almost limitless in power. Manifesting itself from the Phoenix Force, the Phoenix is in constant search for a new host, due to the fact that its sheer power often results in its host's corruption. While not every Phoenix host becomes the Dark Phoenix, the Phoenix Force remains a difficulty entity to safely embody. It is an entity that is irrespective of both time and space, allowing the host to navigate through the cosmos with ease.
Echo has typically been seen in Daredevil comics, where she was once Matt Murdock's girlfriend, but the significance of her character runs far beyond that. She is one of few Native American heroes in Marvel Comics, as she is of Cheyenne descent, and she is also deaf. The powers from the Phoenix build on Echo's existing power-set, which make her an acrobatic hero with expert martial arts training and an ability to replicate the movements of other people. As the issue later shows, Echo's unique power-set allowed for the Phoenix Force to manifest in new ways.
Declaring herself as a new type of Phoenix, Echo demonstrates a different variation of the Force's powers that coalesces with her existing abilities. Firstly, like other Phoenix hosts, Echo can fly and shoot fire as a projectile, and in doing so, is surrounded by small birds. The birds that fly with Echo hark back to the Phoenix's Raptor Manifestation seen in writer Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, with a couple of differences. While Jean Grey's Raptor Manifestation as the Phoenix were huge, towering birds, Echo's are much smaller and more numerous. The birds also appear to act on their own volition, as they perch on the edge of Star-Child's crib at the end of the issue. Whether or not Echo can control these birds herself remains to be seen, but this aspect about her Phoenix leaves compelling questions open for future answers.
As one of her first acts as the Phoenix, Echo begins drawing the Phoenix Force from the fighting Avengers, showcasing a level of energy absorption. This may partly explain one of the most unusual aspects about Echo's Phoenix, which is her ability to fight in any marital arts style, regardless of whether or not she was familiar with it before becoming the Phoenix. As she fights Namor, her narration states, "[The Phoenix Force] can adapt itself to any host, but it has never had a host capable of wielding it in so many different ways. Able to fight in any style. With any weapon." This explains why she was able to fight Namor using Atlantean martial arts, something she would have never even seen before.
Echo also fought Namor with handguns she manifested from the Phoenix, suggesting that there is a great level of adaptability that her Phoenix has in combat. Based on her fight with Namor, Echo also demonstrates invulnerability, seen in how she was able to take attacks from Namor with little effort. While Maya Lopez herself has a great mastery over various fighting styles, the Phoenix Force has taken this ability to the next level. With any and all fighting styles and weapons at her disposal, the possibilities for Echo's Phoenix are endless.
Echo's turn as the Phoenix is an exciting new installment in the Phoenix's canon in Marvel Comics, particularly in how her experience with the entity is mediated through her Cheyenne cultural background. To Echo, becoming the Phoenix is becoming the "Thunderbird of old and tomorrow," and the figure that signified change between seasons for the Cheyenne. While the Phoenix Force has been deeply problematic for many heroes in Marvel Comics, Echo demonstrates both a level of synergy with the being's power as well as a comfort with the entity's legacy, particularly in regards to Cheyenne culture, that indicates a promising future for her.
Still, the Phoenix remains a devastatingly powerful figure in Marvel Comics, and Echo's new status as its host points towards a difficult road ahead. At the very end of the issue, Jean Grey telepathically reaches out to Echo, telling her that, "You're a loner. [The Phoenix] likes loners. But you can't let it isolate you from the things that make you human. Not if you want to keep your soul. And I hope for all of our sakes you do." Jean's words ring especially true, given how Echo's Phoenix gives her total command over all fighting styles and weapons. Perhaps the unique cultural significance of the Thunderbird will keep Echo grounded in her humanity during her time as the Phoenix host. Either way, with one of the most powerful cosmic beings back on the scene, the fate of the Avengers and the universe at large now rests in the hands of Echo.
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