Elektra: I'll Bet You Didn't Know These 8 Things About Marvel's Beautiful Assassin

By now, hopefully if you're reading this, you've watched at least part of the second season of Daredevil on Netflix. Elektra steps into Season 2 of Daredevil and fans of the character are ecstatic that she is making another appearance after her less-than-stellar introduction in the failed 2003 film. She is known primarily as the antagonist and sometimes love interest of Matt Murdock, but truly there is much more to her than meets the eye.

Elektra has been a presence in Marvel comics since the '80s, and her story has wavered from hero to villain, which has created numerous rich stories over the years. Don't let her stunning appearance fool you, she is a wickedly-deadly assassin who has a brutal history. Let's take a look the 8 things you probably didn't know about the vicious assassin.

1. She was supposed to be a one-off character.

Originally, Elektra was invented by famed artist and writer, Frank Miller, for one issue of Daredevil in 1981. This introduction was when Miller made his transition from artist to author, issue #168 if you're curious, and Elektra proved to have staying power — which is why she's still a part of Marvel comics and entertainment. Her character added to the depth of storytelling that Miller was introducing, and the overall theme of gritty and dark suited Elektra.

2. Her origin is straight out of a Greek tragedy.

Elektra was born in Greece, under unimaginable circumstances. Her father, Hugo Natchios, the Greek ambassador to the United States and her mother Christina were attacked. Christina gave birth to Elektra with her final dying breath. The reason for the attack has shifted over the years, but one popular version is that it was orchestrated by Orestez, Elektra's older brother. Her tragic origin continued to unfold while she was being harassed by a group of men when Orestez rescued her (Elektra was unaware of Orestez causing their mother's death). He was the first to suggest that Elektra learn self-defense, which led her to begin her journey to become one of the deadliest women in the Marvel universe.

3. She was killed by Bullseye and was resurrected.

In one of the most memorable scenes in the Daredevil story, we found Elektra in the cross hair of another assassin, Bullseye. Bullseye was at one point employed by the Kingpin after failing to kill crime lord himself (several times), before being replaced after failing to kill Daredevil on Kingpin's order. Bullseye was furious that Elektra took his place as the foremost assassin in Hell's Kitchen, so he went after her, eventually impaling her with her own sai. Elektra died in Matt's arms, and later her body was stolen by the Hand in order to resurrect her as a truly loyal subordinate. Daredevil prevented the ritual, with the help of Stone (a member of the Chaste), in the hopes of resurrecting her himself.

4. She's a team player.

A master assassin is usually a character that is most well suited for solo adventures, yet Elektra has found herself teaming up multiple times in her short Marvel career. These team-up don't end with the Chaste, the Hand and Daredevil, it expands into several other groups including Heroes for Hire. Heroes for Hire was created in the '70s as an amalgam of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and the team has become a revolving door of sorts, with Elektra joining in 2010. She's also joined the Thunderbolts, Code Red and the Fearless Defenders. Oh, and we can't forget the time that she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. after the hand and HYDRA joined forces to control heroes.

5. She has two children.

Considering that we know Elektra to be the on-again off-again love interest of Daredevil, it's probably crazy to fathom that she has two children, and neither is with Matt Murdock. The first child resides in the MC2 universe, her name is Wild Thing. Her father is the one and only Wolverine and she has similar mutant powers to him, although she has similar training to her mother. Her second child is from another unconventional pairing with the Punisher. This child resides in the Marvel Knights 2099 universe and her name is Cossandra Castle.

6. She had the same training as Daredevil.

When her entire world was pulled out from under her, Elektra left for East Asia where she began to learn self-defense. It was at this time that her sensei directed her towards a new sensei, Stick (who also trained Daredevil). She was inducted as a young trainee into the Chaste, a mystical sect of warriors that were determined to eradicating the rival order the Hand. Elektra trained under the incredibly tough teacher, before Stick finally excommunicated her from the Chaste because of her inability to find freedom from her all-consuming anger.

7. She was impersonated by Skrulls.

The Secret Invasion was a major story arc in the Marvel universe where the Skrull alien race had their eyes set on Earth. The Skrull could impersonate any character, and one particular Skrull, Siri, was chosen to take Elektra's place on earth and act as a spy. Siri was unable to take the assassin down on her own, and instead it took several more Skrull to finally subdue her and allow Pagon to take her place as the new leader of the Hand. it wasn't until she was killed that the heroes of Marvel began to understand that there was something bigger coming, that Elektra was only the beginning.

8. She fought more than just her assassination targets.

This probably doesn't come as a surprise considering Elektra's dark history, but she had trouble coping at times. Not only did she lose both parents at a young age, but she lost them to incredibly violent actions. Add to that the idea that she may have been abused at a young age as well, and you can start to see the mental instability forming. She was institutionalized at one point and struggled with therapy and medication; all the while struggling with a fragmented memory, dark visions and voices - even going so far as to harm herself in an attempt to deal.

Elektra is more than just a beautiful and skilled assassin, she has all the characteristics that make her seem approachable: she has struggles, fears, doubts but she has found a way to battle through it all to become one of Marvel's premiere assassins. If you haven't already, start watching Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix but in the mean time check out the last trailer and get ready for Elektra to step into the fray with Daredevil.