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For the past several years, Matt Murdock has been sharing the role of Daredevil with his former lover Elektra. While this new dynamic for the characters has been exciting, with that said, in Marvel’s current ongoing Daredevil series, Elektra has increasingly been doing her own thing – meaning she’s due for a comeback as a standalone character in her own ongoing series.
In Daredevil: Unleash Hell #1– written by Erica Schultz, with art by Valentina Pinti – Elektra gets the spotlight she deserves, as she embarks on her own mission away from Matt Murdock. So far, the action of the series has done a great job of demonstrating her exceptional capabilities as a solo hero, and proving that she doesn’t need Matt Murdock to shine on her own.
This has led many fans to revive calls for an Elektra ongoing series, which many consider to be long overdue.
Elektra Has Proved That She Is Overdue For Her Own Ongoing Marvel Comics Series
Daredevil: Unleash Hell (2025) #1 – Written By Erica Schultz; Art By Valentina Pinti; Ink By Jonas Trindade; Color By Dee Cunniffe; Lettering By Cory Petit
The release of Daredevil: Unleash Hell marks Elektra Natchios’ third limited series. Elektra’s Daredevil is a character that Marvel constantly returns to, and she’s actively appearing in an ongoing comic series, which proves she has stories to tell and that she’s popular enough with fans. Elektra has been Daredevil for four years, long enough that she deserves an ongoing series; most reader would agree she has proved herself to be an equal, debatably even better, Daredevil than the original, Matt Murdock, at this point.
Elektra wants so badly to be better than she was, and the longer she works at it, the more she proves she is better, every time she wears that red suit.
When Elektra Natchios took over as Daredevil for Matt Murdock while he went to prison, she adopted his no-killing rule to honor his mantle. As a former assassin, with an instinct to kill, Elektra struggles to keep up the rule, which makes for an interesting internal conflict. Elektra wants so badly to be better than she was, and the longer she works at it, the more she proves she is better, every time she wears that red suit. This hints that she’s ready for her next level of character development, meaning it’s the perfect time to start her ongoing series.
Elektra is not the only character in the history of Marvel Comics who the publisher has seemingly been hesitant to give their own ongoing series – whether the concern is that it won’t sell, or for other creative reasons – but her increased prominence in the Marvel Universe over the past several years makes it especially surprising that she has still not been graced with her own series, which seems inevitable, at some point or another, at least to readers who have been paying attention to her arc.
Elektra’s Dedication As A Hero Makes Her A Better Daredevil Than Matt Murdock
And Marvel Knows It
After Matt Murdock died and was resurrected, he was given a second chance at life as a priest working at Saint Nicholas’ Youth Home, and unsuccessfully avoiding the temptation to be Daredevil again. In the meantime, Elektra has been financially supporting the youth home, and protecting the city, while Matt attended to his other responsibilities. Matt has always been occupied by other things, which distract him from fully committing to his Daredevil alter ego; before he was a priest, he was a lawyer. It wasn’t only his job that distracted him, but also his relationships with friends and romantic partners.
While Matt was occupied, Elektra focused on being a better Daredevil.
While Matt Murdock was a priest, he was forbidden from any romantic relationships. Elektra gave him his space and respected his new career path. Though she desired his touch, she fought the urge, and put her full effort into being Daredevil, including searching for several kids who went missing from Matt’s youth home. When Matt gave up his priesthood and attempted to find physical comfort in Elektra, she cut him off for good, claiming she couldn’t trust that he would always be there for her when she needed it. While Matt was occupied, Elektra focused on being a better Daredevil.
The Last Few Years Of “Daredevil” Stories Prove Matt Murdock Hides In The Shadows, & Elektra Shines In The Light
Elektra Is More Dangerous, But Also More Principled
Matt Murdock was blinded by a radioactive isotope as a child, and gained enhanced senses and a bonus radar sense that allowed him to form mental images of the things surrounding him. Because of this special ability, Matt is able to fight effectively in complete darkness and is still able to “see” his foes without his enemies being able to see him, which is why he will often knock out the lights before arriving in a room full of thugs. Elektra, on the other hand, doesn’t have this ability, and she has to fight her enemies in the light.
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“Tortured Passion”: Daredevil’s Frank Miller Knows Why the Hero’s Romance With Elektra Couldn’t Last
Daredevil and Elektra have a romance that spans decades of Marvel Comics history. However, according to Frank Miller, they were never meant to last.
In Daredevil: Unleash Hell #1, Elektra arrives in a room full of thugs, and she knocks out one light, but leaves the rest shining brightly, as if shattering the light was only a distraction to draw the crooks’ attention to her. It becomes apparent that Elektra having to fight in the light is not a disadvantage, but just another reason why she’s a better Daredevil. While Matt Murdock hides from his enemies in the shadows, Elektra doesn’t have that privilege, and has to fight all her enemies while they can still see her clearly, and Elektra still wins.
Marvel Has Made An Elektra Series A Must-Read, But Her Role As Daredevil Complicates Things
It Might Be Time For Her To Move On
Ever since Elektra Natchios became Daredevil, she has grown exponentially in popularity among fans. The questio,n then, is why Marvel would continue to limit Elektra to limited series, rather than rewarding her with her own ongoing series. Her short series are obviously selling well enough, or else Marvel wouldn’t keep coming out with them. One explanation could be that Marvel is afraid that if they start an Elekra Daredevil ongoing series, fans will stop buying the series belonging to one of Marvel’s earliest and most popular characters: Matt Murdock.
It would also be more fitting for the character to truly enter her heroic prime under her own name, forging her own identity, totally distinct from Daredevil – a right Elektra has carved out for herself.
It is hard to replace Matt Murdock as Daredevil, and with his popularity among fans, Elektra probably never will. Though it is hard to admit that Elektra’s suit isn’t cooler than Matt’s. Even if fans still love Matt’s Daredevil, readers have a limited amount of money, and can’t buy every single comic that comes out every Wednesday, so if Marvel comes out with an Elektra Daredevil ongoing series, fans may have to choose who their preferred Daredevil is: Elektra Natchios or Matt Murdock.
If this is, in fact, the case, then it might be time for Elektra to cede the cowl to Matt Murdock as the only Daredevil in Marvel Comics once more – despite being better than him. Though she may have proved herself as the better hero under the guise of Daredevil, it would also be more fitting for the character to truly enter her heroic prime under her own name, forging her own identity, totally distinct from Daredevil – a right Elektra has carved out for herself over the decades that she has been a Marvel icon.
Daredevil: Unleash Hell #1is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] Elektra deserves her own series. Read More