BY IRVIN RIVERA

In this conversation with the talented DEVERY JACOBS, the voice behind Marvel's groundbreaking superhero Kahhori, we delve into the extraordinary journey of bringing this Indigenous-Mohawk character to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For Jacobs, it's more than just a role; it's a celebration of the underdog, a nod to her community, and a merging of her Mohawk values with her passion for acting and fangirling over the MCU. With "What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?" showcasing the Mohawk language exclusively, Jacobs reflects on the linguistic challenge as a means of preservation, inviting non-Native audiences into her culture and offering a monumental moment for the Mohawk language on a global stage.

As we transition from the animated realm of "What If...?" to the highly anticipated Disney+ series "ECHO," Jacobs provides a glimpse into her role as Bonnie, sharing the intricacies of her character's relationship with Maya Lopez, played by the legendary Alaqua Cox. Collaborating again with director Sydney Freeland, Jacobs emphasizes Sydney's unique qualities—a quiet badass who blends incredible performances with a calm demeanor. With "ECHO" being the first TV-MA rated series in the MCU, Jacobs anticipates that its gritty crime-noir and family drama focus, combined with authentic Indigenous storytelling, will resonate deeply with fans, showcasing a historically overdue yet powerful perspective within the Marvel universe.

Marvel's What If...? introduced fans to Kahhori, the newest Marvel superhero voiced by you. Can you share your experience in bringing this character to life and how it feels to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

“I think the whole reason I got into this business and the reason that I was such a fan of the MCU and of Marvel projects was to be able to celebrate the underdog — to be able to  look forward to being able to celebrate our communities. Kahhori is the first Marvel, Indigenous-Mohawk superhero and getting to be able to voice her and bring her to life feels so incredibly special. The fact that I got to share it with my family and with my community, people who are first language Mohawk speakers, people who are fighting to preserve the language and culture, it means everything to me. It merges all of my values as a Mohawk person, with my fangirling, being a fan of the MCU and my passions as an actor.” 

How did you approach giving life to this new superhero, and do you see any parallels between Kahhori and your other roles, such as Elora Danan in Reservation Dogs?

“It took a lot of prep going into this project. I am not a fluent Kanien’kéha speaker. I have been wanting to learn for all of my life and taking steps to do that, but I’m not completely fluent so making sure that I was doing the language justice and that I was doing it properly. Kanien’kéha — Mohawk is very very different from English even in our intonations and certain inflections, and so making sure we did that properly was of the upmost importance to me. I auditioned in August of 2020 and now that we are in 2024 when it’s being released, it was about three years of recording and coming back and doing ADR so it was an incredibly involved process, but was one that was really fun. Just to be able to see it all come together was something that I have been dreaming of. In terms of parallels between Kahhori and other roles I’ve played, I think Kahhori is also somebody who is also an elder sibling — similarly to how Elora Danan feels like an elder sibling to the Rez Dogs. Women are the center of our cultures, especially in Mohawk culture, and so that fact that What If follows an indigenous Mohawk woman who’s out there kicking ass and saving the day, just rings really true.”

The episode "What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?" explores a unique storyline and showcases the Mohawk language exclusively. How did you approach this linguistic challenge, and what significance do you think it adds to the representation of Indigenous cultures in mainstream media?

“I think a significance that having the Mohawk language a part of this, is that not only does it welcome non-Native folks and non-Mohawk folks into our community and into our culture, but also it's a means of preservation. We can’t take that project away that we release this and that this exists in the world and for a language and culture that was nearly extinct to now being on such a main stage and to be preserved in this way is huge. I think that there are so many incredible talents on my Rez and in my community who have been making programming in the language and I take my hat off to them.  I’ve also wanted to see the Mohawk language showcased on such a huge scale. I know that producers like Chelsea Winstanley who is Māori has gone into Disney archives and collaborated with them to create Māori dubs of Disney movies. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do (and something I’m still trying to help facilitate) so when I was able to do a version of that in an animated show, specifically with WHAT IF…? it felt like it was not only for the elders in my community but the kids who are learning. My niece is a first-language Mohawk speaker so its really important that she’s able to hear Mohawk being spoken in something as cool as Marvel.          

The Marvel.com interview with writer Ryan Little mentioned the collaboration with Mohawk Nation members for authenticity. How did this collaboration enhance the storytelling, and what insights did you gain from working with Mohawk historians and language experts?

“There was a legend and story of a forbidden lake that I hadn’t known of previously, that spans across cultures, including Ojibwa culture. And for there to be a fuse between Marvel's tesseract and the stories of the Kanien’kehá:ka felt really special. Through the project, I think it was mostly me looking inward and working on my Mohawk, working on my Kanien’kéha, to make sure that it was all coming together and read as true.”

Transitioning from Marvel's What If...? to Marvel's ECHO, can you provide a glimpse into your role in the highly anticipated Disney+ series, and how it differs from your previous Marvel character?

“I play the character ‘Bonnie’ in ECHO who is somebody who is incredibly close to Maya Lopez who was played incredibly by the legendary Alaqua Cox. Though Bonnie and Maya are technically cousins, they're so close that they’re more like sisters. When Maya is ripped away to New York City from Oklahoma, there’s a severing that happens in the relationship that Bonnie is working really hard to mend from afar— through texting Maya, through reaching out. Through the series of ECHO, I think that that’s really the heart of the story. We have Maya coming back to who she is, and coming back to her community and I think that there’s a lot of anguish between them because Bonnie has to reckon who her cousin is now this hardened killer standing in front of her, versus the young cute kid who grew up with her and her community. It was really meaningful to be able to work with Alaqua. We did a lot of prep work in making sure that we could really tangibly feel the history and love between the two of them. It was also a privilege to be able to learn sign language. I’m still learning American Sign Language even after wrapping filming and it’s something that I’d like to carry with me for the rest of my life. But getting a glimpse into that beautiful and rich culture and community is something that was truly a privilege.”     

In ECHO, you're collaborating again with Sydney Freeland. What unique qualities does Sydney bring to the creative process, and how does your working relationship contribute to the storytelling in ECHO?

“I’ve had a chance to work with Sydney twice before working with her in ECHO, on “Rutherford Falls” and also on “Reservation Dogs” season one. I think Sydney is a badass but she’s also a quiet badass. She’s somebody who has a really calm demeanor and keeps things really chill and focused on set. Sydney also brings a combination of getting incredible performances and working closely with the actors in conjunction with thinking of really cool and interesting shots that feel really rooted and true and honest and connected to the communities that we come from. Sydney is Navajo and we are telling a story from the Choctaw Nation and she worked so incredibly close with the Choctaw Nation to ensure we were telling a story that was in collaboration with them and felt honest. But yeah, Sydney is a badass.” 

The Marvel cult following had an immediate positive reaction to the ECHO trailer launch. What aspects of ECHO do you think will resonate most with fans, and what can they look forward to in terms of storytelling and character development?

“I think that ECHO really keeps things focused and keeps things grounded. It’s a gritty crime-noir, family drama and is the first TV-MA rating for the MCU so it makes it feel like of a very specific time and place which is in the Choctaw Nation. I don’t know that we’ve got that similar feeling in other projects in the MCU; they are usually really grand and dealing with multi universes and all of it, but for this, we really focused and concentrated on the family and on Maya’s journey of coming back to who she is and what family means for her. I think that’s something that’s relatable and is good storytelling across the board whether that’s an action-packed MCU series or whether that’s an independent project. All of us coming from Indie films, we really want to find the heart of the story and I think that’s something that is going to resonate with audiences alike, and there are also really freaking cool, awesome fight sequences, it's action-packed and I think its grittier than we’ve seen from Marvel before and is also exciting.”    

Marvel's work with Indigenous communities for ECHO is described as a unique and historical perspective. Can you elaborate on how the series presents this perspective and the importance of showcasing Indigenous stories within the Marvel universe? 

“I think that there is merit in showing every story from every culture and community. Some of my favorite films and projects in the MCU have been “Ms. Marvel," “Moon Knight,” “Shang Chi” and “Black Panther” and these are stories that are all so rooted in specific communities and cultures .I think the fact that we haven't had a chance to see an Indigenous superhero, in the case of ECHO, an anti-hero, up until 2024 feels overdue — but it also is a means of showing Indigenous kids what possibilities there are and we can be superheroes too. It’s something I could’ve greatly benefited from growing up in my community and I’m so filled with pride for being Mohawk and for being Indigenous that I’ve known since day one that we’re baddies but to be able to see that reflected in the MCU is affirming on a whole other level. I think at the end of the day, showing us as the modern day people we are, and are a part of modern day society, as opposed to these ancestral extinct people, like so many folks in the US think, that we are it’s important in showing how powerful we are, how we fought to preserve our language and cultures and communities, and how we’ve endured, how we’ve survived and now how we are thriving. As a little nerdy, rezzy native kid, that’s something that just means the most to me.”

What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?

 “No one ever got to their deathbed thankful they didn’t live their authentic life.” My life may not look like what was set out for me, but it certainly looks like mine. 

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

If I could be any book, I would be a cookbook about Indigenous food sovereignty, with really yummy and cozy recipes that have meaningful personal essays in between.