After previously expressing her dismay at having played a Marvel character before the superhero film renaissance that came about with the 2008 release of Iron Man and the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like Jennifer Garner may finally be getting a bit of redemption. Garner played the original Elektra in the 2003 release of Daredevil, led by Ben Affleck, and again in a self-titled spinoff for her character in 2005. When the films failed to perform sufficiently at the box office, the series was scrapped completely, with the character rights eventually reverting to Marvel and a reboot of the characters launching as part of the Daredevil series on Netflix. At the time, it looked unlikely that Garner would ever play the role again.
Update July 14, 2023: This article has been updated by Valerie Parker following the announcement that Jennifer Garner would return as Elektra in Deadpool 3.
That was until Deadpool 3. Speculation has been rife since the film was announced about how the fourth-wall-breaking character would be integrated into the existing MCU and what that could mean for other characters in the Fox Universe of Marvel films. When it was announced that Hugh Jackman would be returning to the role of Wolverine in the film, speculation began as to whom else might make an appearance in the film. According to a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, Garner will be joining her The Adam Project co-star Ryan Reynolds and Director Shawn Levy on the set of Deadpool 3, reprising her role as the sai-wielding assassin.
Garner's Past Comments
Much like many Marvel fans, Garner had previously expressed sadness that she missed out on being a part of the MCU, with the actress wishing that the likes of 2003's Daredevil had been under the guidance of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Garner credits Feige with elevating the comic book movie genre, something which she would have loved to have seen happen during her original run as the popular Marvel assassin.
"It's such a shame, honestly, because once Kevin took over everything there was elevated: the writing, the direction, the comedy inside of the stories they were telling. And I did not have that experience."
In 2003's Daredevil, Elektra Natchios beginnings the film as Matt Murdock's love interest before being given her own action-packed vendetta seeking revenge on the Kingpin for killing her father. Elektra is overpowered and stabbed with her own sai daggers by Colin Farrell's villainous hitman, Bullseye, in a sequence that mirrors the iconic pages of Daredevil #181.
Elektra was brought back for her own spin-off in 2005, with Garner reprising the role of the now-revived assassin who is tasked with protecting a man and his prodigy daughter from another assassin who was hired by supervillain organization, The Hand. While Daredevil received generally mixed reviews from critics and was profitable at the box office, Elektra was a commercial and critical failure, barely making back its budget.
Sadly, this ended Garner's time as the character, with both movies coming at a time before Marvel and Disney had taken over the genre and made crafting a successful comic book outing look effortless. With the huge success that Marvel has seen so far with the MCU, it is no wonder that Garner would want to return as Elektra.
Elektra In The MCU
The character of Elektra has since shown up in Netflix and Marvel's beloved Daredevil series, where she was killed off once again with the assassin, this time played by Élodie Yung. Before this latest news about Elektra's integration into the current MCU, filmmaker Zack Snyder declared his love for the character, with the Man of Steel director saying that if he ever got the chance to work for Marvel, he would relish the chance to bring a famous Frank Miller comic to life.
"I would choose Elektra Lives Again," Snyder said. "Do you know that Frank Miller comic book? It's a graphic novel about Elektra. Daredevil is having these dreams about Elektra coming back to life, and it's really cool and weird...It's just cool, and beautiful. That's what I would do. No one cares, but that's what I would do."
Charlie Cox has already returned as Matt Murdock and Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and will also headline his own Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. He will also appear in the upcoming series Echo and a variant version will appear in the animated series Spider-Man: Freshman Year. With this strong emphasis on Daredevil, one hopes Elektra will return, and while many suspected it would be Yung's incarnation, it appears it will be Garner who gets a second chance at the character.
Jennifer Garner's Future in the MCU
Jennifer Garner reprising her role as Elektra in Deadpool 3 could be a hint at the film's overall plot. With Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine and recent set photos showing a destroyed 20th Century Fox logo, it appears the upcoming Deadpool 3 will be the final farewell to the Fox Marvel characters. Not just the X-Men but also the Daredevil characters and likely the Fantastic Four.
It is unclear how big of a role Garner's Elektra will play in the film. It is unlikely it will be a major role like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home. If anything, it will either be a one-joke cameo appearance, similar to how the X-Men appeared in Deadpool 2. It also could be similar to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where Elektra is there only to be killed off in a brutal way to show the destruction of the previous Fox universe.
If Elektra is going to go out, one hopes it is at least in a blaze of glory. Jennifer Garner is a great performer and deserves a better film than what she was given during her time as Elektra. Also, being a sai-wielding warrior makes her perfect for action scenes against Wolverine's sharp claws or Deadpool's swords. With the recent reveal of Hugh Jackman's comic-accurate costume, one can only hope Garner will be given the chance to wear a comic-accurate costume. One hopes that Garner's Elektra is given a proper send-off for a great actress in a part that she never got the chance to truly shine in.