Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1!
Although she's never been the most trustworthy of Marvel history by revealing the side she's been on from the very beginning. Elektra Natchio's character revolves around whether Matt Murdock trusts her or not. In Chip Zdarsky and Rafael De Lattore's Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1, Elektra recounts her first encounter with the Hand.
This new retelling of Elektra's origin story takes inspiration from Netflix's second season of Daredevil. In episode eight, "Guilty as Sin," Elektra reveals Stick, Daredevil's first martial arts teacher, asked her to recruit Matt to the Chaste. When Matt asks if their meeting was fate or a mission, she responds solemnly with one word: "mission." Matt was under the impression that nothing but circumstance brought them together during their time at Columbia University, similar to Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's Daredevil #168 (Elektra's first comics appearance). Netflix retold Daredevil's college years with Elektra as a period of irresponsibility. A flashback in episode five, "Kinbaku," Charlie Cox and Élodie Yung's interpretations of the characters steal a red convertible and drive off into the night, which Woman Without Fear directly references.
As the Hand sends Elektra to initiate Daredevil as a member. In both the comics and the show, Elektra eventually discards her assignment as she falls deeper in love with Matt.
This narration doesn't just reveal Elektra truly loved Matt all along; it also makes her death in Miller and Janson's Daredevil #181 more of a tragedy. When Elektra dies at the hands of Bullseye, it's because she abandons Kingpin's order to kill Foggy Nelson. Woman Without Fear continues this thread, exploring an Elektra who refuses to kill. Now that she's taken the mantle of Daredevil, she's starting to understand the importance of sparing enemies. These new heroic choices intrinsically connect to her relationship with Matt. Even though Matt's love for Elektra distracted him from his studies, it convinced Elektra to abandon her ways as an assassin; it ultimately saved Foggy's life.
Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 proves to be a fascinating story. Even though Elektra is a compelling character in her own right, it's rejuvenating to understand her perspective and see her become more heroic than she's ever been. As she continues her journey as Marvel's new Daredevil, it appears Elektra is accepting Matt's moral ideologies more clearly than ever.
