Élodie Yung’s Elektra is officially confirmed for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, and she’s got a brand new costume. We know a surprising amount about the cameos and character returns in Born Again Season 3, largely because the show is filming a lot on location rather than in studios. This means set photos have captured the returning Defenders, while Marvel fans even think they’ve spotted Alice Eve’s Typhoid Mary.
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The most exciting confirmation so far, though, is Élodie Yung’s Elektra. Matt Murdock’s first love, Elektra apparently died in The Defenders (although nobody believed it, and the character is of course best known for her resurrection stories). Even better, though, Elektra is now suited up in what feels like one of the most interesting comic-book-accurate costumes so far. But how do the four Elektra costumes from the MCU rank so far?
4. The Proto-Elektra Costume
Let’s start with what I call the proto-Elektra costume. Marvel Netflix’s Daredevil was initially reluctant to embrace the superhero costume aesthetic (Matt himself wore a black burglar-style outfit for most of Season 1). Elektra’s first look is in keeping with this, styled more towards acting from the shadows than embracing the “cool factor.” There was still some of the character’s signature red from the comics, but it was carefully concealed for shadow-work. While this was undoubtedly more practical than Elektra’s typical red bathing-suit look in the comics, it was so much less dramatic.
Most frustrating was the fact Elektra’s first costume ended simply with a pair of jeans. It’s worth noting jeans are considered very poor clothing choice for martial arts; denim has a lack of elasticity, limiting the range of motion for high kicks and deep stances. There’s really no world in which any version of Elektra should be wearing jeans.
Elektra’s Ninja Outfit
Daredevil Season 2 did feature an alternate costume, though – albeit unfortunately tending to show it in the shadows. This costume had a more effective homage to the comics, with more use of red, but it was all still concealed behind darker elements. There’s a riff on the traditional loincloth panel, which serves a decorative function in Elektra’s typical comic book look. The arm and leg wraps are comic book accurate in design, albeit color changed again.
The design works, and it fits the typical Marvel Netflix style. But, in truth, it feels more like a tease for the real deal; it riffs on the classic costume just enough to seem like a commentary, telling viewers the real deal wouldn’t make sense. It’s better than the jeans – you can certainly see why Elektra switches to this – but it’s still not all that great. It’s hardly surprising Marvel swiftly moved on to a different look, when Elektra returned in The Defenders.
2. Elektra’s Defenders Costume
Elektra returned in The Defenders, and the Marvel Netflix team-up show finally gave us something a little more comic book accurate. It did this by following the same kind of pattern from Elektra’s previous ninja outfit, but switching the colorscheme round. Now, red dominated rather than black, although black maintained a heavy presence. It looks like a martial arts costume, but it’s actually incorporated fairly common stunt outfit elements; note the fabric weave, good for flexibility.
Looking through, it’s pretty clear Marvel Netflix kept revisiting Elektra and improving the design in every way. It isn’t just a matter of colorscheme; the overall design is improved, enabling better fight choreography. It’s just a shame The Defenders didn’t really land as a project, meaning Marvel moved on from Elektra and the Hand. It’s only now, with the Hand returning in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the ongoing Marvel Netflix revival, that we’re seeing her costumes evolve again.
1. Elektra’s MCU Debut Outfit
We’re never going to see a full, comic book accurate version of the Elektra costume in the MCU; not least because it wouldn’t be practical. That said, the comics themselves have recently embraced the Marvel Netflix aesthetic during Elektra’s stint as a new Daredevil. The overall design here feels more like a homage to those comics than it does to previous Marvel Netflix iterations, which is a notable improvement. The fabric seems to have been carefully chosen for movement, which should allow for great fight choreography.
Many Marvel fans have noted the textured red center panel, which has a very different aesthetic to other costumes in this list. In truth, the use of red is an improvement on Born Again‘s other superhero costumes; it shows us just how well Marvel could make an actual Daredevil suit now. This is undoubtedly the best Elektra costume to date, earning first place in this ranking, and it will be exciting to see it in action.
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