It was a spring day. Alaqua Cox got a text.

    Alaqua lives in Wisconsin. She was on a raft in a lake near her home. A friend sent her a social media post. It said Marvel was making a new TV series, Hawkeye. It would be about a superhero named Maya Lopez. Marvel was looking for a deaf Indigenous woman in her 20s to play the superhero.

    Alaqua is deaf. She’s Indigenous. She’s a woman in her 20s.

    But she wasn’t an actress.

    Plus, Alaqua is an amputee. (That’s someone who has had an arm or leg removed.) The character wasn’t.

    Alaqua laughed it off. But two more friends sent her the same post. “Let’s go for it,” she thought. “Why not?”

    Four years later, Alaqua is an actress. And she’s not just any actress.

    She’s the first deaf and Indigenous Marvel superhero. She’s making history.

    It was a warm spring day when Alaqua Cox got the text.

    She was near her home in Wisconsin, floating on a raft in a lake. A friend had sent her a social media post, which said that Marvel was in search of a deaf Indigenous woman in her 20s. That woman would play a superhero named Maya Lopez in a new TV series called Hawkeye.

    Alaqua was all those things Marvel was looking for: She’s deaf, Indigenous, and a woman in her 20s.

    However, she wasn’t an actress.

    In addition, the character wasn’t an amputee like Alaqua. (An amputee is someone who has had an arm or leg removed.)

    So at first, Alaqua laughed it off. But then two other friends sent her the same post, and something changed. “Let’s go for it,” she remembers thinking. “Why not?”

    Four years later, Alaqua is an actress—but she’s not just any actress.

    She’s making history as the first deaf and Indigenous Marvel superhero.

    Alaqua never dreamed of being famous. She grew up on an Indian reservation. (That’s an area of land set aside for Indigenous Americans.) Her people are Menominee (muh-NAH-muh-nee). She and her siblings loved to swim, boat, and run around in the woods. “We were always outside,” she says.

    On the reservation, Alaqua was with people who shared her Menominee culture. Her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents lived nearby. They came together to support her. They learned about deafness. They studied ASL. That’s American Sign Language.

    But Alaqua was lonely sometimes. She was the only deaf student in her middle school. People had to translate things into ASL for her. They weren’t always good at it. “I was very shy and isolated as a kid,” she says.

    Alaqua didn’t see many people who looked like her on TV. Most Indigenous characters were played by non-Indigenous actors. There weren’t many deaf or disabled actors either.

    “Growing up, I felt kind of low-hearted,” she says. “I didn’t see my culture or my disabilities represented on-screen.”

    Alaqua never dreamed of being famous. She grew up on the Menominee (muh-NAH-muh-nee) Indian Reservation with her three siblings. (A reservation is an area of land that has been set aside as a place for Indigenous Americans to live.) The kids spent their days swimming, boating, and running around in the woods. Alaqua enjoyed playing many kinds of sports. “We were always outside,” she recalls.

    On the reservation, Alaqua was surrounded by people—including her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents—who shared her Menominee culture. And her family always came together to support her. They learned about deafness, and they studied ASL, or American Sign Language.

    But because she was the only deaf student in her middle school, life could still be lonely for Alaqua. People had to translate things into ASL for her, and they didn’t always do it very skillfully. “I was very shy and isolated as a kid,” she remembers.

    And Alaqua definitely didn’t see many people who looked like her on television. Most of the Indigenous characters she saw were played by non-Indigenous actors, and there weren’t many deaf or disabled actors either.

    “Growing up, I felt kind of low-hearted,” she recalls. “I didn’t see my culture or my disabilities represented on-screen.”

    Alaqua didn’t think she would be the one to change that. But after three months of tryouts, she got a call. The part was hers! Not only would Maya Lopez be the first deaf Indigenous superhero—she would be an amputee too. That felt important to Alaqua. “It shows other people with disabilities that they can do anything,” she says.

    Alaqua’s lonely experience in school helped her know what she needed to succeed on Hawkeye. She asked for deaf acting coaches and trainers. She also suggested that the cast and crew take ASL classes. 

    When she arrived on set, people were able to greet her in ASL. “That meant so much to me,” she says. 

    Alaqua didn’t know she would be the one to change that. But she did three months of tryouts. Then she got a call. The part was hers! Maya Lopez would be the first deaf Indigenous superhero. And she would be an amputee. That felt important to Alaqua. “It shows other people with disabilities that they can do anything,” she says.

    Alaqua thought of her lonely experiences in school. And she knew what she needed to succeed on Hawkeye. She asked for deaf acting coaches and trainers. She also suggested that the cast and crew take ASL classes.

    On set, people greeted her in ASL. “That meant so much to me,” she says.

    Alaqua never imagined she would be the one to change that—but after three months of auditions, she got a call. The part was hers! Not only would Maya Lopez be the first deaf Indigenous superhero—she would also be an amputee. That felt important to Alaqua. “It shows other people with disabilities that they can do anything,” she says.

    Alaqua’s lonely experience in school helped her know what she needed to succeed on Hawkeye. She asked for deaf acting coaches and trainers, and she suggested that the cast and crew take ASL classes.

    When she arrived on set, people were able to greet her in ASL. “That meant so much to me,” she says.