ECHO

 

ECHO

Real Name: Maya Lopez

First Appearance: Daredevil (Vol. 2) #9, May 1999 (As Echo); New Avengers (Vol. 1) #11, September 2005 (As Ronin)

Powers: Echo possesses photographic reflexes: Anything she sees someone physically do, she can then duplicate. This refers only to physical actions, not superhuman powers, and is limited by her own body's fitness and ability to perform. Nonetheless, she has duplicated culinary skills by watching cooking shows, recreated observable musical talent like the piano, can fly or drive any vehicle like an expert after watching someone else do it, and has assimilated various fighting styles by watching martial artists in person or on video. This includes general disciplines such as kung fu or judo, and also the specific styles of individuals like Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Bullseye. After observing someone in action, she is generally able to anticipate and counter their every move, and can switch instantly between different fighting styles to keep her opponents off balance.

Maya has used various weapons in the past, such as a Vibranium-infused bo staff, nunchaku, throwing stars, tonfas, and a katana blade. Because she is deaf, Echo is virtually helpless in darkness, and so her Ronin outfit was apparently equipped with night vision lenses.

As a host for the Phoenix Force, Echo can draw power from the cosmic firebird. She can fly with the assistance of the Phoenix aura, using it as a defensive field, for propulsion, and to telekinetically strike out at her environment. Phoenix fire can burn like real flame, melting metals or igniting flammable materials. Echo uses the Phoenix Force to augment her strength by adding power to her blows. She can also conjure tangible constructs of Phoenix fire to express her learned skills, such as a piano or her tonfas. Maya sometimes manifests the Phoenix aura as a flock of normal sized firebirds instead of a single giant bird aura. She can direct these familiars at a distance or infuse Phoenix energy into other animals and lifeforms, using them as conduits and carriers for her power.

FINESSE

 

FINESSE

Real Name: Jeanne Foucault

First Appearance: Avengers Academy (Vol. 1) #1, August 2010

Powers: Finesse is a polymath, possessing an advanced mind and intuitive learning abilities. She believes herself to be the daughter of the Taskmaster, having inherited a version of his photographic reflexes. She is indeed capable of replicating any physical action or fighting style she observes, and keeps herself trained to the peak of human capability to make full use of her assimilated skills. Unlike the Taskmaster, Finesse actually possesses a more general intuitive learning capacity, beyond photographic reflexes. She has a eidetic memory and can rapidly assimilate other skills that are both purely cerebral in nature and cannot be learned through observation: She is self-taught in various languages, computer hacking and programming, lip-reading, etc. She is phenomenally observant, able to interpret body language for mild behavioral cues, and recognize datum and patterns that would typically escape the notice of others.