Elektra Gets A New Costume In The Defenders

Expect to see a whole new Elektra in Marvel’s The Defenders.

Matt Murdock’s femme fatale lover made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Marvel’s Daredevil Season 2. She seemed to have died during that seasons’ climax, but fans of the comic book character knew better than that. Elektra will be back with a new attitude and a new look.

“It was a great idea. I think they got really inspired by the comics,” Elektra actress Elodie Yung tells CinemaBlend. “Elektra dies and comes back in a new outfit, and she’s changed. It was a really cool and interesting thing to have Elektra again, just being a completely new character almost, because she doesn’t remember anything. And so exploring kind of a new character was exciting for me. So this is where we start.”

A fresh start doesn’t necessarily mean newfound freedom for Elektra. It isn’t long before Marvel’s The Defenders villain Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) begins molding Elektra to her own needs.

“And then Alexandra takes over this new Elektra and forges her the way she wants her to be if that makes sense,” Yung says. “So that’s the start.”

Elektra was created by Frank Miller during his seminal run on Daredevil. One of the most memorable moments from that run was when Elektra was killed with her own sai by the assassin Bullseye. Daredevil did not take the death well and was even less pleased when The Hand stole Elektra‘s body to attempt to resurrect her as one of their thralls. With the assistance of Stone, a member of Stick’s order, Daredevil was able to stop them, though Elektra was resurrected later.

While most Marvel Comics fans would agree that Elektra has a single iconic and definitive look, she has tried on quite a few different outfits in the past. Here’s a look at some of the Elektra costumes that could inspire her new look in The Defenders.

Elektra Classic Red Costume

Elektra’s signature look is a crimson costume that blends the classicism of her Greek heritage with concessions to her life as a ninja.

The costume is fitted on the top, slinging over one shoulder. On the bottom, it appears like a dress with open legs on both sides. She compliments that with a red bandanna and red arm and leg straps.

This is the costume that Elektra wore when she debuted in Daredevil. It was also the costume she wore when she battled Bullseye for the right to be the Kingpin’s assassin, the battle she ultimately lost.

She also wore the costume in the miniseries Elektra: Assassin and in Frank Miller’s Elektra Lives Again.

Elektra White Costume

It was later revealed that Stone had successfully resurrected Elektra after the Hand’s attempt. She went off the grid for a while but later returned in a solo series as part of the Marvel Knights line.

Elektra had become quite wealthy working as an assassin for hire but never considered the suffering of those she targeted and their loved ones until she was kidnapped by some of those collateral victims and forced to watch video proof of it.

Elektra was beaten, drugged, and left in the desert to fend for her life against several mercenaries. She survived and decided to try to change her life for the better. The new white costume was meant to symbolize this.

The most obvious change from this costume was the color. The white costume was drawn in many different variations, from simply being a palette swap of the original costume to cutting out out the midsection and becoming something more akin to a bikini.

Elektra Enemy Of The State

Elektra later re-emerged when Wolverine was kidnapped and brainwashed by The Hand, who then used him to hunt down, kill, and resurrect even more heroes to serve them.

Nick Fury and SHIELD paid a handsome sum to Elektra to find and stop Wolverine. However, things seemed to backfire when Elektra too was captured and brainwashed by the Hand.

It was later revealed that her capture was actually all part of the plan so that Elektra could infiltrate the Hand and bring them down from the inside. Things went back and forth for a while, but she eventually went off on her own to create her own version of the Hand.

During this storyline, Elektra wore a black version of her classic costume.

Ultimate Elektra

The Ultimate Marvel version of Elektra traded the original’s classicism for something more like a modern biker girl style with a look that was likely inspired by the costume worn by Jennifer Garner in the Elektra movie.

This version of Elektra is a college student at Columbia University, which explains why her costume is a bit more rudimentary. Ultimate Elektra’s life started innocently enough but her willingness to go to any length to protect her family and loved ones eventually led her to the life of an assassin.

Elektra later appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man as the chief assassin of the Kingpin.

Modern Elektra Costume

Elektra recently returned for another solo series, this time sporting a new costume that seemed quite influenced by the costume Yung wore late in the second season of Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix.

This costume, like the one in the Netflix series, was a more practical, all black look with a red collar/mask that pays homage to her original red costume.

The latest Elektra solo series sees the assassin trading New York City and her past life for a move to Las Vegas. There she discovers that Vegas has its own Kingpin, the deadly assassin called Arcade, and that he has his eyes set on her.

More Marvel’s The Defenders

MORE DEFENDERS: Marvel Still Has Not Discussed A Heroes For HireSeries / Defenders Includes One Bloody Elektra / The Defenders Will Complete Iron Fist’s Origin Story / How Is Alexandra Connected To The Hand?

Marvel’s The Defenders follows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

Marvel’s The Defenders premieres on Netflix on Aug. 18, 2017.