Elektra



"Once upon a time... there was a beautiful princess. So the warrior princess became a ronin and a whore. A warrior for hire. She sold her talent and rage to anyone who was willing to buy it. But she found that her life ran in cycles. That the same players came in and out of her life no matter how far she ran and no matter how much she learned. Old love kept returning. And old debts left unpaid came back to haunt her. And even that final disappointment of a warrior's death brought her no peace. Because the way of the ninja is to know that life and death are nothing but energy pushed and pulled. The princess was brought back to life. Brought back from 'the Place of No Name'... to finish a fight she did not start." "-- Elektra"

Elektra Natchios is a Marvel Comics anti-hero created by Frank Miller. Making her debut in Daredevil #168 (January, 1981) as Matt Murdock's college love interest turned assassin, Elektra is one of Daredevil's most dangerous, unpredictable enemies. Originally a college student at New York's Columbia University with her boyfriend, Matt Murdock, the Greek-born Elektra left for Japan after the accidental death of her father. Encountering Stick, leader of the secret martial arts organization known as the Chaste, Elektra's fighting skills were honed to peak human levels. Unfortunately the hate in her heart got her expelled from the Chaste, so Elektra joined their rivals, the Hand. Corrupted by the Hand, Elektra became the organization's top assassin until breaking free from their control and returning to New York.

After the Man Without Fear saves her from mobster Eric Slaughter and his hit men, Elektra learns Daredevil's secret identity and tries to rekindle their relationship only to be rejected because of her killing ways. Together, the former lovers battle and defeat the Hand after the organization attempts to kill members of the Chaste. After Elektra became the Kingpin's chief assassin, Elektra and Daredevil battle continuously until she was ordered to kill Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt Murdock's best friend. Unable to kill Foggy, who recognized her as "Matt's girl", Elektra was forced to battle Bullseye, the Kingpin's former chief assassin. Elektra fought hard but was defeated by Bullseye after he impaled her on her own sai. Mortally wounded, Elektra crawled to Matt's doorstep and died in his arms. Resurrected thanks to Daredevil and Stone, an associate of Stick, Elektra traveled the world as a freelance assassin/bounty hunter. After aiding SHIELD, Wolverine, and her former lover Daredevil, Electra was replaced by a Skrull agent named Siri prior to the Secret Invasion event.

Comics

 * The Elektra Saga
 * Elektra: Assassin
 * Elektra Lives Again
 * Elektra: Root of Evil
 * Elektra
 * Elektra and Wolverine: The Redeemer
 * Elektra: Glimpse & Echo
 * Elektra: The Hand

Storylines
 * DC vs. Marvel
 * Marvel Zombies
 * Secret Invasion
 * Dark Reign

Film

 * Daredevil
 * Elektra

Video Games

 * Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter: Elektra makes a cameo appearance in the background of Apocalypse's stage along with other Marvel and Street Fighter characters.
 * Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects: One of the playable characters, Elektra battles a mind-controlled Daredevil on the roof of the Daily Bugle.
 * Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Elektra is a playable character on all versions of the game. Teaming her up with a combination of Ms. Marvel, Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, or Storm nets players a 5% attack bonus.

Tropes seen in these series include:
"Elektra: His heart is warm and strong. I let him see it."
 * Absurdly Sharp Blade
 * Action Girl
 * ...And Show It to You: Elektra is strong enough to rip out a man's heart with her bare hands.


 * Anti-Hero
 * Ax Crazy: If you catch her on a bad day, RUN.
 * Badass: One of the biggest in the MU.
 * Barehanded Blade Block: Elektra once caught a knife out of the air before breaking the blade with her bare hands. Can also lead to Catch and Return situations.
 * Battle in The Rain
 * Blade Lock
 * Blood From the Mouth
 * Blood Splattered Warrior
 * Body Swap: Elektra can throw her mind into another person's body for as long as four months. She has also demonstrated the ability to swap other peoples' minds.
 * Bottomless Magazines
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Breakable Weapons
 * Car Fu: Elektra hit the Made of Iron Kirigi with a truck during their fight in a parking garage. Set ablaze after the truck explodes, Kirigi is finally defeated after Elektra cuts his head off.
 * Career Killer
 * Charles Atlas Superpower: Born an ordinary human, Elektra developed her powers through years and years of training.
 * Contract On the Hitman
 * Death Is Cheap
 * Designated Girl Fight: With Catwoman in DC vs. Marvel.
 * Determinator
 * Distracted By the Sexy
 * Dodge the Bullet: Handguns... machine guns... sniper rifles... no problem.
 * Does Not Like Shoes: Her original costume had her wearing thigh-high boots, but years ago she switched over to ankle wrappings and bare feet.
 * The Dragon: To Kingpin in Frank Miller era and in Punisher MAX
 * Dual-Wielding: Two sai, usually, though she'll break out two swords every now and then.
 * Fan Service: Of the Bare Your Midriff, Clothing Damage, Lingerie Scene, Most Common Superpower, She's Got Legs, Stripperific, Vapor Wear variety.
 * In Punisher MAX, Kingpin was attracted to her
 * Femme Fatale
 * First Blood
 * Guns vs. Swords
 * Hand or Object Underwear: Disguising herself as a stripper, Elektra's assets were hidden by her arms and, later, feathers.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door
 * Heroic Second Wind: Elektra gets one during her rematch with Bullseye.
 * Impaled With Extreme Prejudice: Electra has been on both ends of this one.
 * Improvised Weapon: Gardening shears, shards of ice, her waist sash, her own teeth...
 * Improbable Weapon User: Taking a cue from Bullseye, Elektra once spit one of her own teeth into the mouth of Paladin, choking him long enough for her to break free from her bonds.
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja
 * Ivy League: Elektra met Matt Murdock at Columbia University, though she left before she could finish her degree.
 * Kung Fu Wizard: Elektra is one of Marvel's greatest martial artists and all of her superpowers are Ki Attacks.
 * Leotard of Power: Her classic costume.
 * Literal Split Personality: Elektra was split into good and evil aspects after being resurrected by Stone. Calling itself Erynys, the entity was defeated by Elektra, returning the evil to Elektra's soul.
 * Made of Iron: Let's face it, she's survived a ton of shit that would have killed anyone on the spot.
 * Make Me Wanna Shout: The Silent Shout, an powerful ki attack used by the Chaste that leaves the user mute for a few days. Elektra can use this power as well, though not with the same intensity.
 * Male Gaze: Elektra's body is prominently featured during fight scenes. When she dodges, artists usually draw her from behind to emphasize her ass. Flying kicks are drawn from the front, effectively becoming full-page crotch shots.
 * Master of Disguise: Sometimes Elektra wears disguises to get close to her target.
 * Master of Illusion: Elektra can project illusions into her opponents' minds.
 * Master Swordsman
 * McNinja
 * Missing Mom: Elektra's mom died shortly after giving birth to her. Maybe.
 * Mole in Charge: Part of Elektra's plan to take down the Hand and HYDRA simultaneously in Wolverine: Enemy of the State.
 * Mooks: Hundreds of security guards, hired goons, bounty hunters, and Hand ninjas have met the business end of a sai over the years.
 * More Deadly Than the Male: Elektra is one of the few characters in the Marvel Universe that Wolverine considers more dangerous than himself.
 * Movie Superheroes Wear Black: Played straight in Daredevil, averted in The Movie.
 * Multiple Choice Past
 * Not So Different: Bullseye pointed this out to Elektra during their rematch when she nearly gave in to her bloodlust.
 * Old Retainer: Stavros
 * Pale Skinned Brunette
 * The Paralyzer: Using Pressure Point attacks, no less.
 * Pinball Projectile: Elektra's sai can be used in this manner by striking surfaces handle first.
 * Psychic Block Defense
 * Psychic Powers: Elektra has demonstrated low-level telekinesis and telepathy.
 * Race Lift: Who do you cast to play the olive-skinned, raven-haired, Greek-born assassin? Apparently the American-born, light-skinned, brunette Jennifer Garner...
 * The Rival: Bullseye
 * Roof Hopping
 * Rooftop Confrontation
 * Sai Girl
 * Scope Snipe: Elektra once used a handgun to kill a sniper this way.
 * Skinny Dipping: Complete with Toplessness From the Back in Elektra: Root of Evil.
 * Stay in The Kitchen: Elektra knocked a man unconscious for saying that being a hero "ain't a girl's job."
 * Stealth Hi Bye
 * Super Reflexes: Elektra can react fast enough to block machine gun fire with her sai.
 * Super Speed: Elektra is fast enough to disarm half a dozen men before they can fire a single shot, gut a man from across the room before he can complete a sentence, and run so fast that security cameras can't record her movements.
 * Super Strength: Elektra is strong enough to punch through a man's torso, topple a brick wall with a single kick, and lift a grown man above her head with one arm. She once compared the human skull to an eggshell during a fight.
 * Super Window Jump
 * Technicolor Ninjas
 * Throwing Your Sai Always Works
 * Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: Ever the Combat Pragmatist, tactics used by Elektra include: Bulletproof Human Shield, Eye Scream, Groin Attack, In the Back, Killed Mid-Sentence, Neck Snap, and Playing Possum.
 * Waif Fu: She's capable of lifting twice her body weight.