Who Elektra is
Elektra Natchios met Matt Murdock when they were students, long before he put on a mask. She was thrilling and a little frightening: wealthy, bored with rules and drawn to danger in a way that matched the side of Matt he tries to keep hidden. Years later she walks back into his life with a job offer and no intention of playing it safe.
She is not a simple villain or a simple love interest. Elektra was trained by the same blind mentor who taught Matt, and her history ties her to the Hand, the ancient criminal group that drives much of the Netflix-era story. That makes her the hinge between Matt's personal life and the larger supernatural threat. It also explains why the writers keep her morally slippery: she lies easily, kills without much hesitation and still seems to care about Matt more than anyone else in her life. Viewers tend to argue about her for exactly that reason.
Elektra's series in order
- Marvel's Daredevil (series, recommended)
- Marvel's The Defenders (series, recommended)
She arrives during the second season of Daredevil, so you can start her story there, though the first season is worth watching for Matt himself. The Defenders follows directly and gives her a much bigger part.
Turning points (no major spoilers)
Her return in Daredevil splits Matt in two. Every night he spends fighting at her side is a night he is not at the law office, and his friendships suffer for it. The season also starts to uncover what Elektra really is to the Hand, a question that turns out to be far larger than either of them expected.
In The Defenders, that question becomes the center of the plot. Matt meets Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist while dealing with a version of Elektra he barely recognizes, and the show leans on their shared past for its most personal scenes.
The people around her
Daredevil is the relationship that matters most. Foggy Nelson and Karen Page see her as the person pulling Matt away from them, and their distrust adds real tension. Nurse Claire Temple, the connective thread across the Netflix shows, also crosses paths with the fallout of Elektra's story.
About the actor: Élodie Yung
Élodie Yung brings real martial-arts conviction and a dry, teasing humor that keeps Elektra from feeling cold. She makes the character's appetite for danger seem fun, which is what makes her so tempting for Matt. Away from Marvel, Yung is known for The Hitman's Bodyguard, for playing Jinx in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and for the lead role in the series The Cleaning Lady.
How to watch her story
Watch Daredevil from the beginning, then The Defenders. If you ask how to fit Daredevil and the Punisher in order, the answer overlaps here: the Punisher debuts in the same Daredevil season as Elektra, so that season sets up both of them. For a broader map of the street-level heroes, use our Marvel character index.