Driven by pain and hatred, prone to violence, and trained in the martial arts and the ancient ways of the ninja, Elektra Natchios has killed her way to the upper echelons of the world’s deadliest assassins—and not even her own death has stood in the way.
Daughter of Darkness
Elektra Natchios was born in tragedy, as her mother was shot while pregnant and died shortly after giving birth to the girl. Elektra was raised by her father, Greek ambassador Hugo Natchios. As a young child, Elektra became a dedicated student of the martial arts, beginning to acquire the skills that would serve her years later in her chosen profession.
By her late teens, Elektra was living in the United States with her father, and attending Columbia University. There, she met and fell in love with fellow student Matt Murdock, who would later become the costumed crimefighter, Daredevil. The couple found that they shared a thirst for danger and adventure. Because of her father’s overprotectiveness, Elektra and Matt met in secret, which only fueled their passions. But Elektra was plagued by dark voices that drove her to violence, which she contained only by acting out against criminals whom she felt deserved punishment.
After Elektra and Matt had been dating for a year, she and her father were taken hostage on campus. Matt, in disguise, defeated their captors with Elektra’s help, but a police officer mistook Hugo Natchios for one of the terrorists and shot him dead. Unable to bear the pain of losing her father, and fearing that she would be overwhelmed by her own aggressive urges, Elektra fled, leaving Matt heartbroken.
Elektra hoped to join the Chaste, a clan of warriors led by the blind martial-arts master Stick, who had advised her in the past. But Stick recognized the pain and hatred that still burned within her. To preserve the group’s purity, he forced Elektra to leave the Chaste. Determined to prove her worthiness, Elektra planned to infiltrate the Hand—the ninja cult that had been at war with the Chaste for many years—and defeat them from within. The Hand proposed a test, tricking Elektra into killing her former sensei. Her already fragile psyche was shattered. The Hand exploited this vulnerable state of mind and trained her to become one of their greatest weapons. But they could not bring her over to their side completely. Elektra broke free of the Hand’s control, but was forever tainted by the group’s sinister touch. She then became an assassin-for-hire, selling her lethal services to the highest bidder.