Marvel hero Elektra has a reputation for dying in the comics. How many times has the assassin actually met her end?
Elektra is one of Marvel’s deadliest and most notorious assassins. The character is well-known for her various on-screen appearances alongside frequent love interest, Daredevil. In both of Elektra’s on-screen depictions, however, the assassin has famously died, giving many the false impression that Elektra dies frequently in the comics.
There are many situations where the world has been destroyed or Elektra has been replaced by a Skrull that’s died. In reality, however, the legendary assassin has only met her end twice over nearly 40 years in comics.
Daredevil #181
Elektra was first introduced in Frank Miller’s legendary run on Daredevil. The character served as a source of internal and external conflict for Matt Murdock, as both a love interest and deadly enemy. Elektra Natchios was Murdock’s college girlfriend, returning in the present day as one of the Kingpin’s chief assassins. Daredevil and Elektra frequently clashed before the assassin met her untimely demise.
The psychotic Bullseye, another assassin for the Kingpin, developed a rivalry with Elektra. This rivalry came to a head in Daredevil #181, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. during an intense showdown as the two fought to determine the Kingpin’s number one assassin. Ultimately, Bullseye came out on top, impaling Elektra with her own sai. Elektra then crawled back to Murdock’s apartment, dying in his arms. This death would later be adapted for film, in 2003’s Daredevil.
Near the end of Miller’s Daredevil run, the Hand absconds with Elektra’s body in order to resurrect the assassin and brainwash her for their own sinister purposes. Fortunately, Daredevil worked with the Black Widow and members of the Chaste, an opposing organization to the Hand, to stop the twisted ceremony in Daredevil #190 by Miller and Janson.
Unknowingly, however, Daredevil managed to purify Elektra’s spirit before he stopped her resurrection. This purification allowed Stone, a member of the Chaste, to complete Elektra’s resurrection shortly afterward. Returning to life with a pure spirit, Elektra went off to find her place in the world without Matt Murdock.
Wolverine #24
During Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s acclaimed Wolverine storyline, “Enemy of the State,” the famous mutant was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Hand and HYDRA to become their own personal assassin. Wolverine was sent after some of Marvel’s biggest superheroes, from the Fantastic Four to his fellow X-Men. Elektra, meanwhile, was working with S.H.I.E.L.D. to uncover and halt the machinations of the organizations pulling Logan’s strings.
Eventually, Wolverine was sent after Daredevil, which erupted in a violent confrontation between the two heroes in Wolverine #24, by Millar and Romita Jr. During this fight, Elektra was staking out Murdock’s apartment in the hopes of capturing Wolverine. The Hand and HYDRA were counting on this, however. The organizations sent their assassin, the Gorgon, to kill Elektra and recover her corpse. Wolverine was sent to Murdock’s apartment to distract Daredevil. The villains’ true goal was to kill Elektra and brainwash her into becoming an assassin like Wolverine.
The Hand and HYDRA achieved their goal for a while, as the Gorgon killed Elektra, allowing them to resurrect and brainwash her. Elektra, alongside several other brainwashed heroes, was sent to attack the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. At this point, however, Wolverine was free from the Hand and HYDRA’s programming, enabling him to thwart the plans of the nefarious organizations. In doing so, Wolverine was also able to free Elektra from the villains’ control. The two then teamed up to hunt down the Hand and HYDRA together.
For someone with such a notorious reputation of constant death and resurrection, Elektra has only really died on two occasions. The stories in which Elektra actually dies may be few, but they are very well-known and well-regarded. The popularity of these stories, combined with their adaptation into other media, make it difficult to overcome the misconception about Elektra’s death count. Still, there are decades of quality comics which feature Elektra without killing the assassin. Perhaps if these stories were adapted into popular media, the misconceptions around Elektra would decrease.
