Got superhero fatigue? Echo is here to fix that. The standalone Marvel series follows Maya Lopez—a deaf, Native amputee—as she faces her past, reconnects with her Choctaw Nation roots, and embraces the meaning of family all while kicking some major a*s.

Behind the camera is Navajo filmmaker, executive producer, and director Sydney Freeland (she/her), who’s worked on everything from Native shorts like Hoverboard to critically-acclaimed shows like Reservation Dogs to feature films like Drunktown’s Finest. “It’s definitely a surreal experience,” she says about the growth of Indigenous representation in Hollywood. “It seemed for so long that Native filmmakers couldn’t get films made, that there wasn’t interest in our stories, that there wasn’t ‘a market.’ But now, there’s multiple high-quality shows created by Native talent out in the world. I think we’re still very much in the middle of this expansion and I can’t wait to see what the landscape looks like in a few years. I’m hopeful that we’re just getting started.”

Keep reading to hear more about her experience in the entertainment industry, how it’s drastically changed over the years, and what to expect from the MCU’s latest project (out today, BTW!) before you sit down to binge it all.

What has it been like trying to get Indigenous stories onto scripts and then the big screen?
It was incredibly tough getting my first film made. On paper it was a “contemporary Native American ensemble” and the direct quote we got was, “There isn’t a market for that.” But with shows like Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls, both of which received multiple seasons, it showed that there actually is a market and interest in these types of stories.

How has that same representation in film changed since the start of your career?
Indigenous representation is very different than when I first started my career. Growing up, any kind of representation was welcomed, but it was usually a film or a TV show created by non-Natives. You had the OG actors Wes Studi, Graham Greene, Irene Bedard, and Tantoo Cardinal, and they were really all we had. But I think what makes things different now is that, while we are creating so much more talent in front of the camera, you have Native showrunners and Native writers and Native directors who are creating their own shows, films, and media.

Why is it important that Native Americans like yourself tell Native stories vs. non-Natives telling them?
I believe people can and should be able to tell stories about places and experiences that are not their own. However, that should only happen if people who have lived experience also have a chance to tell their own stories. Authenticity doesn’t mean anything if the people telling Native stories are non-Native. Without representation, you allow people who are not from the community to define what is “authentic” and what is not. Usually, the non-Native version of “authentic” is something watered down, simplistic, and even racist.

You got that right. Now, let’s talk about Echo! What can viewers expect? And why is this MCU show going to be different from the others?
First of all, Echo will be more of a street level show. We are not dealing with the fate of the Marvel universe in our series. These aren’t cosmic consequences, we are dealing with things on a smaller scale. But, that allows us to be a little more intimate, to explore the relationships and dynamics between a family. One of the things our show explores is trauma: how it defines us, how we are affected by it, how others cope with it. By keeping things a little more contained, we get to really explore what this means to different characters. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a Marvel show and there’s plenty of action, but I’m excited for viewers to see something where the stakes are a little more human.