History:
Assassin. Lover. Enigma. Driven by tragedy and honed by training,
the femme fatale known as Elektra kills for hire, loves for
thrills...and leaves destruction in her wake!
Elektra once defined herself by the men in
her life: She was the daughter of a powerful Greek diplomat and the
girlfriend of blind American law student Matt Murdock. When her
father was accidentally killed during a hostage crisis, Elektra was
emotionally shattered and withdrew from the civilized world. Alone
and angry, she set out in search of meaning and purpose, guidance,
and training. Elektra's quest led her abroad, where she studied the
martial arts with a sensei in Japan. In search of a true and total
peace of spirit, Elektra later joined the noble order of warriors
led by Stick. She honed her fighting skills to the peak of human
perfection, but Stick saw that Elektra was filled with pain over her
father's death and with hatred for the world she blamed for it. He
expelled her from his order, and she found herself alone once again.
Still determined to prove herself to Stick, Elektra infiltrated
the Hand (a cult of ninja devoted to assassination and domination by
fear) intending to subvert their activities. As a test, the
Hand abducted and drugged Elektra's former sensei. Concealing his
identity under cover of darkness, the ninja engineered a
confrontation between the old man and Elektra. When Elektra's sai
pierced his flesh, her opponent's true face was revealed. In that
instant, Elektra knew she would never know true peace. Her hatred
had found a home: It made her the perfect warrior. The Hand trained
and guided her, twisting her soul, but Elektra never turned
completely. Eventually, she rebelled against the Hand and fled
Japan.
A bounty hunter and assassin for hire, Elektra sold her talent
and rage on the open market. Having undertaken a contract in New
York City, she crossed paths with Daredevil—whom she later learned
to be Matt, her only weakness. Although Matt vehemently disapproved
of Elektra's chosen profession, the two still cared deeply for one
another. But fate had forever cast them apart. As far as Elektra was
concerned, their love had been murdered along with her father.
Together, they fought the Hand, until the Kingpin hired Elektra as
his chief assassin. In that role, Elektra clashed repeatedly with
Daredevil. Lovers became enemies, fighting for the fate of an entire
city. Matt wanted nothing more than to lay down arms—but Elektra was
at war with herself, attempting to reconcile her past life with
present circumstances. When she was ordered to kill Matt's best
friend and law partner, Franklin &147;Foggy&148; Nelson, and Foggy
recognized her as &147;Matt's girl Elektra,&148; she knew she could not
carry out the contract and spared his life. Soon after, Bullseye
realized that the only way to regain his status as the Kingpin's
chief assassin would be to murder Elektra. Following an epic
confrontation that left both combatants bloodied and battered, he
impaled her on her own sai. Elektra died in Matt's arms. Even the
final disappointment of a warrior's passing brought Elektra no
peace.
Unwilling to part with one of its most talented operatives, the Hand attempted to resurrect Elektra and place her fully under their thrall through a mystical ceremony. Daredevil, the Black Widow, and Stone (a member of Stick's order) interrupted the proceedings; together, they overcame the Hand. Stone completed the resurrection process, bringing Elektra back to life after Daredevil had purified her spirit through sheer force of will and the power of love. Now purged of the Hand's corruption, Elektra left Matt's side
© 2002 Marvel |
