Elektra NatchiosElektra

Driven by pain and hatred, prone to violence, and trained in the martial arts and the ancient ways of the ninja, Elektra Natchios has killed her way to the upper echelons of the world’s deadliest assassins—and not even her own death has stood in the way.

Daughter of Darkness

Elektra Natchios was born in tragedy, as her mother was shot while pregnant and died shortly after giving birth to the girl. Elektra was raised by her father, Greek ambassador Hugo Natchios. As a young child, Elektra became a dedicated student of the martial arts, beginning to acquire the skills that would serve her years later in her chosen profession.

By her late teens, Elektra was living in the United States with her father, and attending Columbia University. There, she met and fell in love with fellow student Matt Murdock, who would later become the costumed crimefighter, Daredevil. The couple found that they shared a thirst for danger and adventure. Because of her father’s overprotectiveness, Elektra and Matt met in secret, which only fueled their passions. But Elektra was plagued by dark voices that drove her to violence, which she contained only by acting out against criminals whom she felt deserved punishment.

After Elektra and Matt had been dating for a year, she and her father were taken hostage on campus. Matt, in disguise, defeated their captors with Elektra’s help, but a police officer mistook Hugo Natchios for one of the terrorists and shot him dead. Unable to bear the pain of losing her father, and fearing that she would be overwhelmed by her own aggressive urges, Elektra fled, leaving Matt heartbroken.

Elektra hoped to join the Chaste, a clan of warriors led by the blind martial-arts master Stick, who had advised her in the past. But Stick recognized the pain and hatred that still burned within her. To preserve the group’s purity, he forced Elektra to leave the Chaste. Determined to prove her worthiness, Elektra planned to infiltrate the Hand—the ninja cult that had been at war with the Chaste for many years—and defeat them from within. The Hand proposed a test, tricking Elektra into killing her former sensei. Her already fragile psyche was shattered. The Hand exploited this vulnerable state of mind and trained her to become one of their greatest weapons. But they could not bring her over to their side completely. Elektra broke free of the Hand’s control, but was forever tainted by the group’s sinister touch. She then became an assassin-for-hire, selling her lethal services to the highest bidder.

Killer Skills

Elektra possesses levels of strength, speed, agility, reflexes, stamina, etc., that are at the pinnacle of human performance. She is an expert in Ninjutsu and various other martial arts, as well as gymnastics. She has also mastered the skills of the ancient ninja warriors of Japan.

Her abilities border on the super human. Elektra can control her own autonomic nervous system to a degree, enabling her to control bleeding and fight infections, among other things. She can keep to the shadows and move with enough speed to remain unseen even in broad daylight.

Elektra also has demonstrated on occasion the ability to mesmerize others, and to make them see illusions or other phenomena. She can communicate telepathically with individuals possessing similar levels of mental discipline, such as the Chaste.

Elektra is highly proficient with weapons, including long swords, shuriken (throwing stars), and especially the sai, a special three-pronged dagger. She is also experienced with a variety of firearms, explosives, and even anti-tank or aircraft artillery.

The Assassin’s Adversaries

Given her line of work, it is inevitable that Elektra would amass a wide assortment of enemies.

Perhaps her most vexing opponent is Daredevil, who, on occasion, also serves as an ally. Elektra has never fully gotten over her relationship with Matt Murdock, and still harbors affection for him. Still, over the years, she does not shy away from engaging the Man Without Fear in combat if she feels the situation called for it. However, unbeknownst to Elektra, the nature of her relationship with her one-time lover changed recently, as nearly everyone in the world—her included—was stripped of the memory that Murdock and Daredevil are one and the same.

Without a doubt, the foe who impacts Elektra’s life the most is the assassin called Bullseye, who faces off against her in a brutal fight and causes her death.

Elektra also has a running conflict with the Hand, which has long wanted her to rejoin their ranks, and to bring her under their complete control.

Recently, while in Las Vegas, Elektra finds herself targeted by her old employer, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, in an elaborate plot overseen by the assassin-for-hire known as Arcade.

Comrades in Arms

Fittingly, many of Elektra’s allies are individuals for whom violence is a natural part of life. She works with Wolverine on numerous occasions, and is even once asked out on a date by the Punisher (Frank Castle), who finds her intriguing. She also works with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, who recruits her when her particular set of skills is required.

In recent years, Elektra establishes a professional association with the incarnation of Heroes for Hire organized by Misty Knight. Subsequently, she serves as a member of the team of Thunderbolts led by the Red Hulk (General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross), which includes the Punisher, Deadpool (Wade Wilson), and Venom (Flash Thompson). Later on, she joins S.H.I.E.L.D. for a time, under the leadership of Director Maria Hill.

Life, Death, and Life

Elektra has lived a life so tumultuous that not even death could bring her lasting peace. Surrendering to her violent impulses, and reeling from the loss of her father, the young Elektra attempted to take revenge on the man who had arranged the assault that led to her beloved parent's death. Despite her skills, she was defeated by the man and his bodyguard—but was saved by a sai hurled from the shadows. Elektra believed the sai was thrown by Stick, but it was actually launched by an agent of the Hand. Impressed by the weapon, Elektra made it her own.

In an assignment that would help solidify her reputation as an assassin, Elektra was hired to kill Carlos Huevos, the dictator of a small South American country. Her success brought her to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., which sent agents John Garrett and Arthur Perry to determine the assailant's identity. The U.S. sent its own ambassador, Reich, upon whom Elektra discovered the stench of the Beast, the powerful being that controlled the Hand. Elektra slew Reich, only to discover that the Beast had switched hosts and now possessed Ken Wind, a U.S. presidential candidate. Elektra used her skills to manipulate Garrett into assisting her, managing to thwart S.H.I.E.L.D. and to kill Wind, but Garrett was wounded in the process. To ease his pain, Elektra made the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent believe he had switched bodies with Wind and become president.

As Elektra escaped, Garrett was taken back to base, his dream preserved while he lay in stasis.

Several years later, Elektra accepted a contract in New York City, which brought her face to face again with Matt Murdock for the first time since their breakup. Realizing that her old flame was Daredevil, and finding herself on the receiving end of his disapproval for her chosen profession, Elektra became Matt’s enemy, and a formidable one at that. They fought several times, and while they still cared deeply for each other, Elektra convinced herself that the love between them was irrevocably gone.

When the Kingpin hired Elektra as his chief assassin, and sent her to kill Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, she made a fateful decision that would change her life forever. Foggy recognized his would-be killer as Matt’s old girlfriend, and she could not bring herself to complete the assignment. Bullseye, seeking to regain his position as the Kingpin’s chief assassin, ambushed Elektra. After a brutal fight, Bullseye impaled Elektra on one of her own sais. Mortally wounded, Elektra crawled to Matt’s apartment and died in her former lover’s arms.

The Hand, having decided that resurrecting Elektra would give them an edge in their ongoing battle with the Chaste, exhumed her body and conducted a mystical ceremony. Daredevil, the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and Stone (a member of the Chaste) interrupted the proceedings. In the midst of battle with the Hand, Daredevil tried to complete the revival using techniques he once saw Stick employ. He believed he was unsuccessful, but Stone realized that Daredevil had somehow cleansed Elektra’s soul, purifying her spirit. He secretly took Elektra’s body back to the Chaste’s mountain retreat and completed the process.

Alive again and with her spirit purified, Elektra became a member of the Chaste, remaining with them in isolation for years. Later, the ninja clan known as the Snakeroot stole John Garrett from S.H.I.E.L.D. With Garrett’s mind and his memories of Elektra as the source, the Snakeroot were able to distill the assassin’s dark essence to create their own warrior, Erynys. Stone and Elektra left the Chaste’s secluded base and managed to defeat Erynys while she was battling Daredevil. But in the process, Elektra became tainted by evil once more. Because she was again impure, the Chaste could not let Elektra return to their order.

Since then, Elektra has returned to being an assassin-for-hire, but has on occasion worked with some of the world’s Super Heroes. She continues to contend with the Hand, who on one occasion formed an alliance with Hydra and the mutant death cult, Dawn of the White Light, to target the most powerful superhumans in the world, kill them, and resurrect them as their agents. Wolverine and Northstar were among those captured and subjected to the rejuvenation process. Elektra was captured, as well, and was turned into an assassin for the Hand once again. Under the Hand’s influence, Elektra, Northstar, and other super-powered operatives were part of a group that attacked a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, causing it to crash and killing more than 200 agents.

A short time later, Elektra was abducted by the shape-shifting alien Skrulls and replaced by an imposter, who took over leadership of the Hand. The Skrull infiltrator continued to pose as Elektra until she was killed during a battle with the Avengers. In death, she reverted to her true alien form, thus alerting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that an invasion of Earth was under way. Once the Skrulls were defeated, the real Elektra was freed. Since then, after stints with Heroes for Hire, the Thunderbolts, and S.H.I.E.L.D., Elektra has gone back to working solo. Recently, she returned to New York City, determined to face head-on whatever fate has in store for her.