My name is Elektra Natchios...This blade I am holding...
I have died at the end of it....I tell you this because I want you to know that every time I use this blade...
Every time I slice into a man's flesh with it...
I know exactly how it feels.
But that--isn't the story--I came to tell you.
Real Name: Elektra Natchios
Alias: Elektra
Occupation: Assassin
Group Affiliation: None, formerly the Hand
Base of operations: Mobile
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eye color: Blue-Black
Hair color: Black
Powers: Although she possesses no superhuman abilities, Elektra is a consummate practitioner of the martial arts. She is a mistress of the skills of the ancient ninja of Japan, and an Olympic-level athlete and gymnast.
Weapons:Elektra wields a pair of three-pronged daggers, or sai. Also, she is proficient in the use of various martial arts weaponry.
History
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. Her father's accidental death in the midst of a hostage situation left her emotionally shattered, and Elektra withdrew from the world. Alone and angry, she abandoned her old life, her old loves. She set out in search of meaning and purpose, guidance and training. Elektra's quest led her to Japan.
Befriended by the martial-arts master known as Stick, Elektra honed her fighting skills to peak-human perfection. But her anger was too great. Recognizing that her hatred was all-consuming, Stick cast her out into the world once again...alone. Determined to prove herself to her mentor, Elektra infiltrated the enemy: the secret fraternity of martial artists known as the Hand -- a cult of ninja, shadow warriors, assassins for a price. Wise to her plan, the organization's leaders twisted her anger to suit their own ends. Her hatred had found a home; it made her a perfect warrior for the Hand. The ninja trained her and guided her, but their way was one of deceit and dishonor. As the Hand corrupted Elektra, her anger grew. Eventually, she rebelled against her handlers and fled Japan.
A warrior for hire, Elektra sold her talent and rage to anyone willing to buy it. But she learned that life was cyclical -- that the same players would come in and out no matter how far she ran, no matter how much she thought she knew. Old love would return, and old debts left unpaid would haunt her. Having undertaken a contract in New York City, she crossed paths with the blind adventurer known as Daredevil -- whom she later learned to be Matt Murdock, her ex-flame and a former student of Stick. Daredevil vehemently disapproved of Elektra's chosen profession, but the two cared deeply for one another still.
Together, they fought the Hand -- until the Kingpin, the most powerful figure in East Coast organized crime, hired Elektra as his chief assassin. In that role, Elektra clashed repeatedly with Daredevil. Finally, she was ordered to kill his best friend and law partner, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. When Foggy recognized her, Elektra realized she could not carry out the contract and spared his life. Soon after, the psychotic criminal called Bullseye determined that the only way to regain his status as the Kingpin's No. 1 killer would be to murder Elektra. The maniacal marksman impaled her on her own sai, and she died in Matt's arms. But even the final disappointment of a warrior's passing brought Elektra no peace, because the way of the ninja is to know that life and death are nothing but energy pushed and pulled.
Unwilling to part with one of its most talented operatives, the Hand ninja attempted to resurrect Elektra and place her fully under their thrall. Stone, a member of Stick's order, completed the process, bringing Elektra back to life after Daredevil had purified her spirit through sheer force of will. Now purged of the Hand's corruption, Elektra left Matt's side determined to find her own place in the world. She remains a ninja, a mystery, a shadow -- until she chooses to reveal herself. Her life is one of seclusion, cover identities and a bewildering succession of disguises. A single fact is certain: Every time she kills, she knows exactly how it feels to die.
