Breaking down the differences: Why Elektra in the Daredevil series and movies seem like two different characters?

Jennifer Garner's Elektra Natchios made her grand return to the big screen when Deadpool & Wolverine was finally released in theaters on July 26, 2024. Being a part of a superhero team in the Void, she was joined by Channing Tatum's Gambit, Wesley Snipes' Blade, and Dafne Keen's Laura Kinney/X-23.

Her version of Elektra first appeared in Daredevil (2004) alongside Ben Affleck's Matt Murdock, and then even led her own solo film. However, Garner then retired from playing the character, and no one portrayed the Marvel superhero for a good bit. That was until 2015, when Daredevil season 2 introduced this fan-favorite hero.

Portrayed by Elodie Yung in the Netflix Daredevil series, this version of the character was significantly different than Garner's take on her. Yung's version of the character was even closer to what Elektra was in the comics, and this separated her from Garner's portrayal.

While in the film, Garner's Natchios doesn't have a strong connection to the Hand and Stick in her origins, the Daredevil series changed that by making this version of the character inherently involved with Stick.

---

What's the difference between Jennifer Garner and Elodie Yung's Elektra?

First appearing alongside Ben Affleck in Daredevil (2004), Garner's Natchios is the daughter of Nikolas Natchios and is traumatized at a young age after seeing her mother's death. This led to her starting to train in martial arts and becoming a skilled warrior. However, the film's version of the character completely ignores her past with Stick and the Hand as well.

She then meets Matt Murdock when he is already a lawyer, and not at Columbia University like how it is portrayed in the comics. Starting a romance with him, Natchios then witnesses her father's death and believes that Daredevil killed him. She then sets out to kill him, eventually realizing that Bullseye was her father's killer. Bullseye fatally injures her and she dies in Matt's arm.

However, she is revived in a solo film that acts as a sequel to Daredevil as well. In this film, Natchios is revived by Stick, who decides to train her, but she is let go from his institution as she can't let go of her anger. A few years later, she is seen fighting the Hand while also trying to defend a father and daughter from them.

While Jennifer Garner's version of the character took some liberties with the comic book origins of Natchios, the Netflix series stuck closer to the source material. Elodie Yung's Elektra was trained by the Chaste and Stick when she was a child, but she was deemed dangerous and was sent away to a Greek family to take care of her.

She then met Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in college and even dated him for a while, but both of them eventually went their separate ways. Years later she was sent to New York by Stick as the Hand organization was operating in the dark, and she was tasked with defeating them.

Even though Yung's version of the character sticks close to the comics, the creators of the Netflix Daredevil show still take some liberties with the character that fits the story they are telling. However, there is no denying that the personality and storytelling between Elodie Yung and Jennifer Garner make them seem like they are portraying two completely different characters.

---

What is Elektra's origins in the comic books?

Elektra Natchios was created by Frank Miller and first appeared in Daredevil #168 in October 1980. She was born to Hugo Kostas Natchios and Christina Natchios, and her mother was shot down brutally. This led to her having psychotic breakdowns while growing up, and her father eventually sent her away for psychological therapy and enrolled her in martial arts as well.

While training in martial arts, Natchios completely exceeded expectations, and without anything more left to teach, her master recommended she reach out to the Chaste. Led by the mysterious Stick, the Chaste was a group of warriors who wanted to master combat. While Elektra was successful in tracking Stick down, he eventually saw darkness within her and discarded her from the group.

This is what led her to join the Hand, who cared for her and eventually earned her loyalty. She would then move across the Atlantic with her father and start attending Columbia University. Meeting Matt Murdock there, the long history between the two would begin.

---

You can check out Jennifer Garner in Deadpool & Wolverine, as it is playing in theaters right now.