New Avengers #27
Revolution, Part 1
Maya Lopez (aka Echo, aka Ronin) writes an e-mail to Matt Murdock detailing what she has been up to and telling him if he is reading this, she is most likely dead.[1] She recounts how Matt had Captain America (Steve Rogers) come to her and ask her to help the New Avengers out investigating the Asian underworld. She took on the identity of Ronin for this task and tells Matt she has a new appreciation for Murdock’s double life as Daredevil.
In the evenings, she spends her time in Tokyo nightclub frequented by the obscenely rich. There she gains intel about the criminal underworld. She later goes out as Ronin to disrupt the criminal operations. Appearing to be male when operating as Ronin helps avoid suspicion when she is clubbing. She revels in the speculation as to Ronin’s true identity.[2] However, as she watches footage of the superhero civil war back in America, she felt horror watching friends fighting against friends. This is because she doesn’t know what will happen as a result of her mission for the New Avengers and what will happen to the team in the aftermath of the war.
However, she eventually convinced herself that what is happening in the states doesn’t change her mission and that she would continue it on her own. She reiterates once more that if Matt is reading this message, then she failed.
At the time the email went out, Ronin had just crashed a criminal hideout. After dealing with the Yakuza grunts she suddenly finds herself surrounded. These are ninjas from the Hand as well as their leader Elektra.[3][4] While Ronin easily defeats the ninja foot soldiers, she is no match for Elektra’s fighting skills and is impaled on the assassin’s sai.[5] As Maya dies, Elektra pulls off her mask and gets a good look at the person who has been interfering with her criminal empire this entire time.
However, Echo doesn’t stay dead for long as the Hand conduct their resurrection ceremony to bring her back to life.[6] Seeing her as a useful soldier, they then dump her into a pit where they expose her to drugs that make her see the Hand’s deity, a monster they refer to as “The Beast”. She is to stay in there for the next three days until she is made a loyal operative of the Hand.
Luckily for Maya, her email was read and the New Avengers — Luke Cage, Spider-Man (Peter Parker),[7] Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew),[8] Wolverine (Logan), Iron Fist (Danny Rand), Doctor (Stephen) Strange, and another person in the Ronin costume[9] — and begin fighting the hand.[10] While the rest of the team deals with Elektra and the Hand, Spider-Man frees Maya from the pit. He tells her that he is with the “New” New Avengers and that they got her email and came running to her rescue. With their ally free, Doctor Strange then casts a spell to teleport them all safely away. Cutting herself free from Spider-Man’s webbing, Elektra tells her ninjas that the New Avengers are not to leave Japan alive.
Recurring Characters
New Avengers (Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, “Spider-Woman”, Echo, Ronin, Iron Fist, Doctor Strange), The Hand (“Elektra”)
Continuity Notes
Echo makes a passing reference to the state of the world and Murdock’s personal life. Some details:
Echo first encountered Matt Murdock in Daredevil (vol. 2) #9. First as an enemy, then an ally as of issue #15 of that series.
At the time of this story, she agreed to keep track of the Asian underworld on behalf of the New Avengers, operating under the Ronin identity. See New Avengers #11-13.
“The state of the world” she is referring to is the division in the superhero community following the passage of the Super Human Registration Act. See Civil War #1-7.
Matt’s current situation is that his double life as Daredevil was exposed in Daredevil (vol. 2) #32. This ultimately led to Murdock spending time in prison as seen in Daredevil (vol. 2) #76-87.
Some of the other suspects for Ronin include Iron Fist and Nick Fury. This is why these conclusions where being drawn:
For Nick Fury, he had gone underground after it was learned that he staged an illegal military operation in Latveria. See Secret War #1-5.
As for Iron Fist, he was publicly “absent” from the Civil War. This is because he was posing as Daredevil to help Murdock create distance between himself and his alter ego. See Civil War: Choosing Sides #1.
The woman who appears to be Elektra here is actually a Skrull spy in New Avengers #31. In Mighty Avengers #16 it is revealed that she took the place of the real Elektra prior to New Avengers #1. Her mission was to infiltrate the Hand ahead of a planned invasion of Earth that will take place in Secret Invasion #1-8.
Here, Maya refers to Elektra as Matt’s ex-girlfriend. Indeed, Elektra Natchios and Matt Murdock had a romantic past that began when they both attended University, as told in Daredevil #168.
When Ronin is fatally stab, the scene pays homage to the iconic scene from Daredevil #181 in which the real Elektra was impaled on her own weapon by Bullseye.
This ritual was once used to bring Elektra back from the dead, as seen in Daredevil #190.
This issue marks the first issue of New Avengers where Peter Parker is wearing his black costume. He started doing so in Amazing Spider-Man #539. When Maya was watching the Civil War on TV he was wearing his trademark red and blue costume. Here are the details:
It should be made clear that Parker isn’t wearing the Venom symbiote which he wore between Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #6 through Amazing Spider-Man #258. After ditching the symbiote he has occasionally wore one patterned after it. The first such suit was made for him by the Black Cat in Spectacular Spider-Man #99.
Prior to the Civil War, Peter was given his “Iron Spider” suit by Tony Stark in Amazing Spider-Man #529. However, he ditched it when he realized that supporting the SHRA was wrong in Civil War #5. He then went back to his red and blues until…
Peter had revealed his true identity to the world in Civil War #2. This made him a fugitive of the law when he rebelled against the SHRA. The Kingpin took advantage of this by hiring an assassin to eliminate him. He missed and hit Peter’s Aunt May instead, putting her in the hospital as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #533-538.
Peter is also wearing the costume in mourning following the death of Captain America in Captain America (vol. 5) #25.
Cap will be brought back to life in Captain America: Reborn #1-6 and Aunt May will be magicked back to relatively good health in Amazing Spider-Man #545.
The woman who appears to be Spider-Woman here is another Skrull impostor, as will be revealed in Secret Invasion #3. Per New Avengers #42, this spy (named Veranke) took the place of the real Jessica Drew circa Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.
This other Ronin is revealed to be Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) next issue.
Peter Parker quips that he now enjoys fighting ninjas (something he said he hated in New Avengers #12) after his experiences with the Civil War and House of M. We’ve already covered the Civil War. We covered the Civil War already, the House of M was when the Scarlet Witch used her powers to temporarily alter reality as seen in House of M #1-8.
Topical References
When saving Maya from the pit, Spider-Man quips “My name is Luke Skywalker and I’m here to save you” this is a line from 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope. A movie reference like this would usually be considered topical. However, now that Disney owns both Marvel and Star Wars this could be considered brand synergy instead.
Peter also name drops Chick-Fil-A, a fast food chain owned by Bible thumpers. Its reference should be considered topical as this is a real world brand.