Elektra (character)

Elektra
Elektra from the cover to Elektra (vol. 2) #3. Art by Greg Horn.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Daredevil #168 (January, 1981)
Created by	Frank Miller
In-story information
Alter ego	Elektra Natchios
Team affiliations	The Hand S.H.I.E.L.D. HYDRA The Chaste
Notable aliases	Erynys
Abilities	Peak human strength, agility, speed, endurance, flexibility and reflexes Master of virtually all martial arts, particularly ninjutsu Low-level mind control and telepathic communication Expert with all kinds of weapon, particularly her trademark twin sai

Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by Frank Miller, the character first appeared in Daredevil #168 (January 1981).

Elektra is a Greek ninja assassin who wields two bladed sai as her trademark weapon. She is a love interest of the superhero Daredevil, but her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle divide the two. She is one of Frank Miller's best-loved creations, and subsequent writers' use of her is controversial as Marvel had originally promised to not resurrect the character without Miller's permission. She has also appeared as a supporting character of the X-Men's Wolverine.

She is named after Electra, daughter of Agamemnon of Mycenae and Clytemnestra of Sparta. In the 2003 movie Daredevil, she was portrayed by Jennifer Garner. Garner returned for the role as the main character in the 2005 spinoff, Elektra.

Fictional character biography

Introduction

According to Marvel Comics, Elektra is the world's most lethal woman and one of Marvel's most cold-blooded characters. She has killed more men than just about any other Marvel character while remaining one of the most popular heroines in the Marvel Universe.

Family and early life

Elektra was born in a Greek island on Athens near the Aegean Sea to Hugo Kostas Natchios and his wife Christina Natchios. She had an older brother named Orestez Natchios (in Greek the name should be Oρέστης - i.e. Orestes with Latin alphabet).

Two contradictory accounts of her family history have been given in various issues. In Elektra: Root of Evil #1-4 (March - June, 1995), it is stated that her father was an aspiring diplomat who eventually managed to gain his first assignment as an ambassador to an unspecified country. However, Hugo and his wife had grown apart. Christina had begun a series of extramarital affairs with no apparent interest in keeping them secret, resulting in personal humiliation for her husband. Popular opinion in diplomatic circles stated that a man unable to control his wife had no business deciding on the fate of the world. When Christina became pregnant for a second time, Hugo was certain the child was not his own.

Hugo confided to his adolescent son that his mother was a whore who was shaming their family. Orestez promised his father that Christina would never again shame them. Hugo failed to understand the meaning of these words. On August 13 of that year, the couple was on holiday in the Aegean Sea. They were located by a helicopter which opened fire on them both. The assassins left them for dead. The couple was taken to a nearby hospital. Christina gave premature birth to Elektra and then died. Hugo recovered from his wounds.

Orestez had hired the assassins in order to indirectly commit matricide. He was horrified by the idea of unintentional patricide and ran away from home. Hugo was the only family left to Elektra. At first, Hugo had no intention to raise this "bastard" child. However, a paternity test confirmed the child to be his own. Hugo was not sorry for losing Christina. He was grateful, however, for her giving him a daughter. He arranged for a beautiful headstone to be placed on her grave. Images of the Erinyes on the headstone implied however that Christina was responsible for her own death.

Hugo grew to adore Elektra. He nicknamed her his "Little Amber" and showered her with gifts. Her favorite gift was a pet dog of her own, named Agamemnon, continuing the pattern of Hugo naming members of his family after the Atreidae. The dog was killed when a nine-year-old Elektra was assaulted by kidnappers. The men were all killed by Orestez, who had grown into an accomplished martial artist after leaving home. He did not explain his presence there. He briefly acquainted himself to his little sister and then left again.

However, Orestez had a lasting effect in her life. He advised his father that Elektra needed to learn self-defense. Hugo hired a sensei to teach her the martial arts, beginning her acquaintance with fighting. According to the Daredevil film, Elektra's father hired a new sensei every year, to ensure her skills in the martial arts. The issues were scripted by D.G. Chichester and drawn by Scott McDaniel.

Contradictory accounts

A different account was told in Elektra (Vol. 2) #18 (May, 1998). The account was told to Wolverine by an old family retainer by the name of "Stavros." Stavros had reportedly met Hugo and Christina during World War II, at the time of Greece's occupation by Nazi Germany.

Stavros was leader to a small group of the Greek Resistance movement. A younger Hugo was a leader of a greater covert cell which operated in the same area. A 15-year-old Christina was also part of the cell and operated as a messenger. She brought a message to Stavros one day: an order to join her commandant and fight under his orders. Stavros replied to this arrogant message with laughter until Christina drew her gun and threatened his life. The following day, Stavros joined a leader who was able to inspire such determination to his followers.

Christina would prove her worth many times during the resistance. She married Hugo after the war. They were not involved in the Greek Civil War. However, the later war cost Christina her life. Christina was in the eighth month of her pregnancy when Hugo had to go to Athens, Attica on "government matters." Stavros was left behind to take care of her. He accompanied her to the clinic to see the family doctor and was then dismissed for an hour. During that hour, "a man who considered himself a patriot", but wanted by the Greek Army invaded the clinic (given the time, the man was probably a member of the Democratic Army of Greece under Markos Vafiadis). He killed the doctor and attempted to take the patient as hostages. Christina attempted to convince him to stop the unnecessary violence, but was shot in the chest. She used her old combat training to take the man down. She then had to stop the other patients from assaulting the already defeated man until his arrest yet she was mortally wounded and gave premature birth. Elektra was born in the clinic floor, painted red from the blood of her mother. Christina died before hearing the first cry of her daughter. The issue was scripted by Larry Hama and drawn by Mike Deodato.

The two versions of the nature of Christina Natchios' death cannot be reconciled. Furthermore, Elektra: Assassin #1 (August, 1986) placed ambiguity on the relationship Elektra had with her father. The adult Elektra recalled vague memories of being raped by her father as a 5 year old. Years of counseling and medication had convinced her this was a false memory, but the doubt remained. Another memory had the 6 year old Elektra sitting on Hugo's lap while her teasing father compared her to a cat; likely the Cheshire Cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Elektra grew up close to her father but was plagued by dark visions and voices with no known source. She occasionally reacted to them with self-harm. Her father eventually sent her away to psychotherapy until becoming more stable. It was uncertain whether Elektra actually became more stable or merely appeared to. The issue was scripted by Frank Miller and drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Cover to Daredevil Vol. 1 #168, Elektra's first appearance. Art by Frank Miller.

The account of her childhood in the film Elektra appears to blend these two contradictory versions. In the film, her father did not abuse her physically or sexually, but rather pushed and bullied her as a warped form of "training"; in an attempt to forge her into an implacable warrior, he harshly punished her for the smallest failure or show of weakness. She did indeed mature into a formidable warrior, but was crippled emotionally.

Activities as an adult

Hugo Natchios is known to have eventually served as a Greek ambassador to the United States. 19 year old Elektra first attended Columbia University, New York City, New York. There, Elektra met the man who would become her boyfriend, Matt Murdock.

A year later, 20 year old Elektra and her father were kidnapped by terrorists. Matt wore a mask for the first time and started a rescue attempt. Elektra used the distraction to strike down some of the terrorists. However, one of the defeated men fell out of a window. The police assumed the terrorists had started throwing their hostages out of the window. They opened fire and killed the man closest to the window: Hugo Natchios, right in front of his daughter's eyes.

Elektra lost faith and hope. She quit Columbia and returned to China to study martial arts. Stick, a member of the benevolent organization called the Chaste, recognized the darkness in her soul and attempted to train her himself, but she ultimately sided with the Hand, a sect of mystical ninja, who trained her as an assassin. She later broke away from them and became an independent agent, and in this role she again encountered Matt Murdock, who was now active as Daredevil. She battled Daredevil in order to force him to help her capture the criminal Alarich Wallenquist, and Daredevil saved her from being killed by Eric Slaughter. She soon learned of his double identity, and although the pair worked together to fight the Hand, they also came into conflict frequently.

Elektra later first battled the Hand alongside Daredevil and Gladiator. She then battled Kirigi.

File:Dd181.png

Cover to Daredevil Vol. 1 #181. Art by Frank Miller.

She soon became the chief assassin in the employ of New York City's premier crimelord, the Kingpin. She attempted to kill Daredevil after he tried to stop her from terrorizing Ben Urich. The Kingpin then assigned her to kill Matt Murdock's partner, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. When Nelson recognized Elektra as Matt's college girlfriend, she was unable to kill him.

Elektra was fatally stabbed by Bullseye with one of her own sais in a battle over which of them would be the Kingpin's assassin. Elektra managed to crawl over to Daredevil's house before dying in his arms as Bullseye watched the two, hidden among a crowd that had gathered to see what was going on. Later, members of the Hand stole her body and attempted to resurrect her. Daredevil, with the assistance of Stone, a member of Stick's order, intervened, defeating the Hand ninja. Daredevil then tried to revive Elektra himself. Although his attempt failed, it did have the effect of purifying Elektra's soul. Elektra's body subsequently disappeared with Stone.

Years later, Stick would send her to aid the X-Man Wolverine, at a time when he had been physically and mentally regressed to a bestial form. She helped retrain him to the point where he could think and vocalize as a human once more, and spent time with him thereafter as he returned to his normal form, including taking him with her on a return to her ancestral home.

Some time after her partnership with Wolverine ended, it was revealed that when Elektra was resurrected by Stone, Elektra's evil aspect had been physically split apart from her in its own body as a consequence of the ritual performed by Daredevil. Her darker half, calling itself Erynys, fought Elektra and was killed by her, thus returning the dark side to Elektra's soul.

Wolverine: Enemy of the State

Elektra was recently one of the 'good guys' when she worked with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Hydra and The Hand joined forces, killing off various heroes and resurrecting them into their possessed warriors, including the X-Man Wolverine, who became their killing machine. Based on her relationship with Logan and her ties to the Hand, Nick Fury hired Elektra to lead the mission, paying her in excess of $200,000, more money in one day than the (then) yearly salary of the President of the United States. She worked to stop Wolverine from killing others as well as to try and turn him back to his normal self. During a fight with The Hand, Elektra was killed and resurrected as a Hand warrior, eventually becoming their leader. Along with Northstar, another hero killed and resurrected by the Hand, Elektra attacked Nick Fury, injuring him badly.

File:NorthstarElektraHYDRA.png

Elektra, alongside Northstar, at the head of a legion of Hand and HYDRA-brainwashed characters.

Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D, Wolverine eventually came to his senses and wanted revenge. During a fight with Elektra, she mentally spoke to him, using new abilities given to her by the Hand, which were similar to the Kimaguri abilities she had in the Elektra movie. She explained that being killed by the Hand was all part of a plan she had from the beginning. She explained that she had been resurrected by The Hand and infiltrated the organization, making them believe they had been successful in resurrecting her as a brainwashed warrior. She told him that they would take The Hand and Hydra down together. They fought off many ninjas and were victorious. Gorgon, however, attacked Elektra and threw off her mental blocks, enabling him to read her thoughts and see where Fury was being treated for his injuries (he also discovered that the Vatican also hired her, to kill him). Gorgon teleported, with Elektra, to kill Fury. When they arrived, Elektra ordered the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers to attack. Gorgon used his power on her neck and she collapsed. Wolverine eventually used Gorgon's own powers against him, defeating him.

In an e-mail to Kitty Pryde, Nick Fury told her that Elektra had survived, but was missing and was probably in Eastern Europe, creating her own militia group, which she intended to be her own version of The Hand. He also told Kitty that Elektra was no threat... so far. It was unknown where Elektra really was or what her plans were. (Wolverine v3 #31)

Daredevil and the Kingpin

She resurfaced to help Daredevil with a situation with the Kingpin. The crimelord, in exchange for his freedom, offered the FBI evidence that Matt Murdock was irrefutably Daredevil.

It was revealed that Elektra actually helped Kingpin gain all the needed information back when she was Daredevil's enemy, and she returned because she felt an obligation to help Matt out of the trouble for which she felt responsible. It was also revealed by the Black Widow that Elektra is now the leader of The Hand.

Daredevil meets up with Elektra, the Black Widow, and the new White Tiger in front of the building that holds the "Murdock Papers" (the evidence Kingpin was talking about). They intended to retrieve the papers before the FBI could get there, but were suddenly attacked by Bullseye. Daredevil and Elektra fought the villain and, after a lengthy and bloody battle, won. However, Daredevil was suddenly shot by Paladin (who was working for FBI operatives) and was left bleeding profusely in Elektra's arms. Elektra then takes Matt to the Night Nurse, but insists that The Hand should cure him. Black Widow appears and objects. While Elektra and Black Widow fight, The Hand heals Matt Murdock.

Outside the Night Nurse's medical office, reporters and police gather. Elektra then jumps out the side of the window, along with The Hand to drive off the police and FBI. She gets in a quarrel with Luke Cage, and quickly exits the scene at Matt's request.

Replacement by Skrulls

See also: Secret Invasion

It is revealed that before "Wolverine: Enemy of the State," Elektra was attacked by a Skrull possessing the powers of the X-Men and the Ghost Rider, but Elektra killed the Skrull. Later on, Elektra was attacked by two Skrulls with more power and was beaten near to death and replaced. The Skrull Elektra then takes over the Hand and hires Electro to break Sauron out of the Raft.

Elektra seemingly reappears, appearing to be corrupted by the Hand. She kills, resurrects, and imprisons the vigilante Maya Lopez, intending to use her as a weapon. The New Avengers rescue Lopez and she end up stabbing Elektra to death . However, upon her death it is revealed that "Elektra" is actually a Skrull in disguise; its death indicates that the Skrulls have become undetectable to even the heightened senses of New Avengers members Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange. The corpse is given to Iron Man by Spider-Woman.

New Avengers #40 reveals that Elektra was replaced by a Skrull imposter named Siri prior to the events of Wolverine: Enemy of the State, and Wolverine: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is unclear how the Hand, who resurrected 'Elektra' during Wolverine: Enemy of the State, failed to notice that she had reverted to being a Skrull. The real Elektra's current whereabouts are unknown

Powers and abilities

Skills

Elektra's primary abilities are a strong knowledge of martial arts and weaponry. Elektra learned ancient martial arts of China, Siam, and Japan. She is a master combatant with the Japanese Sai, her usual weapon of choice. She is also highly skilled with the katana, daggers, 3-sectional staff and throwing stars. She is a master of many Japanese combat forms including Ninjutsu. Elektra is an Olympic-level athlete, strong in gymnastics and swimming, with a high level in athleticism in human strength, speed, agility, and reflexes. Resistant to pain and extreme cold, she can freely go barefoot into the winter snow. She is also able to keep to the shadows and move with such speed that she can remain unseen even in daylight, thus explaining why she is Marvel's top killer. She cannot be seen in a dim lighted room and she can't be detected if she is in a warehouse of any sort and kind.

Elektra has demonstrated on occasion the ability to mesmerize others, and as such make them see illusions or other phenomena.

Elektra's strangest (and perhaps most obscure) gift is her ability to "throw" her mind into those of others. For instance, she was able to track down her enemy, Ken Wind, by temporarily "borrowing" people's minds and acting through them while she hunted around for her prey. This temporal mind control enables her to metaphorically sniff out the psyche, or intent, of her targets. It saw extensive use during Elektra: Assassin, in which she was heavily reliant on only her ninja powers. It is unknown how long the effect lasts, but Elektra has gone a full two days or more in someone else's mind while they zoned out in hers.

Elektra has occasionally demonstrated low-level telekinesis, though it is possible that this may be an illusion which victims of her mesmerism are led to see. She can communicate telepathically with individuals possessing similar levels of mental discipline, such as the Chaste.

It is unclear what the limitations on her psychic ability are. She may be limited by touching distance or to minds easily affected by persuasion; the last time Elektra tried this trick, it was with S.H.I.E.L.D. Elektra was not born with this interesting gift: she mastered it through training and refinement with The Hand. Their fighters share a similar power, which means each of them — including Elektra — are mentally linked to The Beast, the relentless demigod of The Hand who has haunted her since she broke rank.

Nick Fury can attest to the usage of this eerie mind control in person. In the 90's, he conducted scientific experiments on the captured assassin and found strange morphology in her brain that explained her phenomenal reflexes, yet sane rationale. Elektra moves with heightened primal instincts but the more evolved parts of her brain remain intact, preserving her intelligence. In other words, she thinks like a woman and strikes like a cobra.

This "mind jump" ability might explain why Elektra is always a step ahead of her competition, or seems to know where her target is at all times. An extreme example would be the time she murdered an ambassador in South America. The man was sitting against the wall when Elektra sought out his mind and thrust her katana into his heart. The sword pierced through the thick wall and the politician was slain where he sat.

In the movie "Electra", Elektra possesses a similar power, which is referred to as "Kimaguri". This ability allows her to perceive time, the future, and life and death.

Elektra also studied political science at Columbia University, in New York City.

Physical Strength

"Something that was not a Mack truck slammed into the agents, sending them sprawling. [...] Pitman then fell to his knees, disemboweled. Newton's head, cleft from the shoulders, struck the floor. [...] She punched her hand through Gower's body armor. Her hand was reaching under his rib cage for his heart when she passed out." (Assassin #3)

Elektra is human, which means she's not endowed with any outstanding mutant powers like most in the Marvel universe. However, she has naturally enhanced her body through daily, lifelong training. Her speed and agility are probably her greatest assets -- she's been known to swipe weapons off of a trained operative before they can finish blinking or dodge the trajectory of incoming bullets.

Elektra pushes herself on a daily basis to reach her peak human limits. From this Zen, she has achieved a decathlete's endurance, a gymnast's flexibility, and furious strength. As for examples, she once climbed a vertical cliff with her bare hands, survived a fight with The Hand underwater, went without food or water in the Mojave for days, and tore through a straightjacket while heavily drugged by her captors (see Locke).

The assassin also has good upper body strength, as evident when she shoved Wolverine and Mac during a pissing match with each other (Elektra Vol. 1). In that situation, both men were triple her weight (Logan being 300 lbs. with adamantium).

It can be said that Elektra can achieve anything if she puts her mind to it, and that is exactly the kind of attitude that has saved her while fighting superpowered enemies like The Beast in the past.

Immune System

"Elektra can control her own autonomous nervous system to a degree, controlling bleeding, fighting infection, etc."

Able to raise her endorphin levels through adrenaline, Elektra can will herself to be impervious to pain or emotion during critical moments, putting death on hold until she can administer attention to her wounds (like a Tibetan monk who can withstand extreme highs of pain, heat, and cold.)

This was how she was able to drag herself, bleeding profusely from the hole Bullseye put in her chest, to see her old flame Daredevil before dying in his arms. Elektra's body and mind are almost always in a meditative state. She doesn't waste her energy on extraneous activities. She is so quiet outside and in that even Matt (who is known for his radar senses) has difficulty picking up her heartbeat.

"Her heart didn't skip. Her breathing didn't budge. I deserved that. Idiot." (Daredevil Vol. II, #37)

Finally, Elektra does not smoke but will, on occasion, drink. She'll push aside any personal preferences in order to pull off a disguise.

Other versions

DC Vs. Marvel

In the DC Vs. Marvel miniseries, Elektra fought Catwoman and won. Stating that she has no problem with killing people, but this was not really 'their' fight, she instead cuts Catwoman's whip in a way that causes the DC character to fall into a truck filled with sand. She does state that she is a spectacular martial artist and can, most likely, beat other heroines.

Exiles

In one of the universes visited by the Exiles, Elektra was one of the few remaining survivors in a world ravaged by HYDRA and their leader, Sue Storm. Elektra is shown to be the lover of Reed Richards, and is a key player in the revival of the inhabitants of that earth. Her abilities are identical to that of her mainstream version.

House of M

Elektra appears as one of the assassins of the Kingpin and is later hired by John Proudstar to bring down Luke Cage's "Avengers".

Marvel Mangaverse

In the Marvel Mangaverse, Elektra is evil and works for the Hand. When she is first introduced she encounters Daredevil who at first refuses to believe that she was working for the enemy. After a tearful reunion they kiss and she says to him "You tried to save my soul once. Unfortunately there was nothing there worth saving" and then proceeds to cut him in half. Later, during her fight with Carol Danvers, she shows remorse for having killed him. Elektra thanks Carol when Carol cuts her in half with Daredevil's blades.

Marvel Zombies

In the Ultimate Fantastic Four arc "Crossover," Elektra is seen among the zombie hordes preparing to attack Magneto, Mr. Fantastic, and the few living humans they are protecting. She is also among the zombies that attack (and infect) Frank Castle.

MC2

In the MC2 Universe (an alternate future primarily focused on the children of current Marvel superheroes), Elektra married Wolverine and the two had a daughter named Rina Logan, a.k.a. Wild Thing. Very little is said about the future of Elektra, although we do see that she is actively involved in parenting Rina. Additionally, it is shown that she is wealthy enough to have an "extra-dimensional" credit rating.

Elektra also has a cameo in Spider-Girl where she is hired by the Black Tarantula to be Spider-Girl's martial arts instructor.

Mutant X

In the Mutant X Universe—an alternate world which was visited by the Earth-616 (mainstream Marvel Universe) Havok—Elektra (surname: Stavros), while still equally trained as a martial artist and assassin, was the nanny and bodyguard of Scott Summers. Scott was the son of that reality's Alex Summers and Madelyne Pryor. She came to accept that Scott believed a different man inhabited the body of his father. Elektra stuck with Alex, protecting Scott from repeated assaults by his mother, the Goblin Queen, and her brainwashed allies. She seemingly dies near the end of the series, though Scott reassures Alex that she will come back.

Ultimate Elektra

See also: Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra for information on the two starring miniseries.

In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Elektra Natchios is a student at Columbia University who has a knack for martial arts and is a great fan of Bruce Lee. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was 6, and her father is trying to make money with a laundromat.

In this universe, she starts out as a sweet, innocent girl who cares deeply for her loved ones - so deeply that she is willing to go over dead bodies to help them. This trait starts her descent into becoming one of the most deadly assassins.

There is a gap between the Elektra featured in Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra and Ultimate Elektra and the one shown in Ultimate Spider-Man. In the first two arcs, she is a normal college student, but in the last arc - which is set a few years later - she has become the Kingpin's right hand and is a villainess. She is shown in this universe as a highly dangerous and skilled killer, and was able to take down the likes of Hammerhead, Black Cat, Moon Knight, and Spider-Man easily. She was later put into a coma when Moon Knight threw one of his crescent blades at her, hitting her in the head when she was about to kill Black Cat.

Feature series

Elektra has received her own comic series twice. The second series was published under the Marvel Knights imprint; it was labeled Mature/Violent for content, but despite that was never actually a Max book.

Mainstream Universe Series

• Elektra Saga (1983) #1-4 (fix-up drawn from previously published material)
• Elektra: Assassin (1986) #1-8
• Elektra Lives Again (1990) #1 (Epic Comics graphic novel)
• Elektra: Root of Evil (1995) #1-4
• Elektra Megazine (1996) #1-2 (reprint series)
• Elektra (1996 series) #1-19 (Elektra defeats Bullseye and other super villains)

Alternate Universe Series

• Elektra (2001 series) #1-35 (Marvel Knights) (Elektra proves to be the ultimate assassin in whole Marvel Universe)
• Elektra and Wolverine: The Redeemer (2002) #1-3 (Illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano; Elektra defeats Wolverine for the second time)
• Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra (2002) #1-4
• Elektra: Glimpse & Echo (2002) #1-4
• Elektra: The Hand (2004) #1-5
• Ultimate Elektra (2004) #1-5
• the classic marvel figurine collection #17: Elektra (2006)

In other media

Animation

A replica of Elektra's costume is shown at a costume shop in an episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Films

Jennifer Garner as Elektra.

• In the 2003 Daredevil film, Elektra (portrayed by Jennifer Garner) was Daredevil's love interest. Her father was killed by Bullseye and she blamed Daredevil for his death. Elektra was trained by Stick as a child so she practiced intensely with her favorite weapons, sai's, which she would use to kill Daredevil. When she finally confronted the vigilante, she impaled him by his shoulder but before she would kill him, she wanted to know who she would be actually killing. She unmasked him and was surprised to find Matt Murdock. Elektra then learned that it was Bullseye who murdered her father. Ironically, however, when she confronted him, Bullseye (who had been attracted to Elektra due to her beauty, skills, and hatred for him) beat her in battle: slitting half of her throat and impaling her in the stomach. When Bullseye left, she was able to say goodbye to Daredevil before dying in his arms.
• In the Elektra spinoff sequel to Daredevil, it was revealed that after Elektra died, her old trainer Stick resurrected her and trained her in martial arts in the Way of Kimagure (the ability to control time, the future, and life and death), a benevolent dichotomy of The Hand. On expulsion from Stick's school — a life lesson for her heart of anger and hate — Elektra became an assassin for hire. She soon became acquainted with a single father and his daughter, Abby. She discovered the two were being hunted down by the organization known as the Hand. Elektra, with the help of Stick and his assistants, protected Abby and her father. Abby was then revealed to be a great warrior known as the Treasure: a powerful weapon that could tip the scales of the Hand's power. Elektra had a final showdown with the leader of the Hand. If Elektra won, Abby would go free; if the leader of the Hand won, then Abby would belong to the Hand. In the battle, Elektra was nearly beaten — then, realizing that the Hand leader was her mother's killer, Elektra fatally impaled him through the heart with one of her sai, and flipped him down a well where he disintegrated. A final scene shows Elektra resurrecting Abby the same way Stick resurrected her.

Video games

• In the game Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, she is mentioned by Spider-Man, when he is referring to Dr. Watts, whom Hammerhead had taken hostage, and was wearing a red dress, similar in color to Elektra's costume. He told him that if she would have been Elektra then they would have been dead.
• She appears as a playable character in EA's Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, along with other well known Marvel characters (Elektra and Storm are the only Marvel heroines). In this video game, she fights against Daredevil who has been altered by an imperfect chip and wins, but then she is defeated by the magician The Wink. It is not known if Elektra will return for Marvel Nemesis 2 .
• Elektra is also a playable character in Activision RPG, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Gabrielle Carteris. She is the fastest character in the game and her sai attacks are very deadly. She has special dialogue with Arcade, Black Widow, Bullseye, and The Wrecking Crew, and is one of the few characters who appear during all game briefings. A simulation disk involved Dardevil protecting Elektra from Bullseye and another simulation disk has her fighting Bullseye on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base. Her costumes include her classic, Ultimate, Assassin, and Stealth.
• Elektra also has a cameo appearance in the game Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. She is locked in a container along with several other Marvel and Street Fighter characters who are locked in containers in Apocalypse's stage.
• Elektra was also supposed to have a game based on the movie but it was never released as publishers felt it would not be popular enough. There is a petition online by a publisher, who said the only way they would make it is if enough people signed up for "Elektra: The Game"; see the petition for more details.

Toys

• Elektra appeared in the Marvel Legends toy line, in series 4 and in the Urban legends box set (repaint white outfit).
• Elektra appears in Hasbro's Marvel Super Hero Squad toy line for children ages 3 and older, sharing a two-pack with Daredevil. In 2008, a white-clothed Elektra with a different face was issued in a box set including a repainted Ghost Rider, Punisher, and Spider-Man.
• Elektra also appears in the Marvel Select toy line, designed and produced by Toy Biz for Diamond Select Toys

See also

• Elektra: Assassin
• List of women warriors in literature and popular culture

External links

• Daredevil & Elektra screenplay Based upon DD #181
• Architectural Grounding in Miller's Elektra: Temporality and Spatiality in the Graphic Novel Article on Elektra: Assassin
• http://www.marvel.com/universe/Elektra