The Big Change Elektra Will Go Through For The Defenders

daredevil season 2 elektra elodie yung marvel netflix
(Image credit: Photo courtesy of Netflix)

Netflix will be kicking off a whole new chapter in Marvel television next month with The Defenders, which will bring together characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. We've known for a while that Elodie Yung would be reprising her role as Elektra from Daredevil Season 2. Given that Elektra actually died in Daredevil, fans have been wondering just how she'll be different when she returns alive in The Defenders. Elodie Yung appeared at the big Defenders panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and she had this to say about Elektra on the new show:

Basically, Elektra doesn't remember who she is, and she's trained by Alexandra to be some sort of weapon. And, I guess the question for my character is how much of the Elektra that we know remains.

Elektra had ambiguous motivations through a decent amount of Daredevil Season 2, but she was firmly on the side of the good guys by the finale, when she gave up her life to help Matt Murdock. Judging by Elodie Yung's comments at the Defenders panel, the Elektra who died as an ally of Matt might be resurrected as somebody else entirely. While her appearance in the newest Defenders trailer indicates that death and resurrection hasn't altered her look too much, she has been changed on a deeper level.

Of course, given what Sigourney Weaver has said about her role as the antagonist Alexandra, we might not want to say that Elektra is necessarily on the side of any evildoers. Alexandra is reportedly more about self-preservation than the greater good, and she deems some things and people as perfectly expendable to her cause. She'll be an adversary to our team of heroes; it just remains to be seen just how dastardly of a villain she is in the show. Using Elektra as a weapon doesn't exactly speak well of her character, but who's to say what state of mind Elektra was in after she was resurrected?

That said, Alexandra seems to be all about the destruction of New York City, so I'm guessing we in the audience are going to be firmly on the side of the Defenders. Hopefully they'll be able to get through to Elekta before she does a great deal of damage... or forces them to kill her. Only time will tell.

You can catch Elodie Yung back in action as Elektra when The Defenders debuts on Netflix on Friday, August 18 at 12:01 a.m. PT. Our breakdown of what we know so far about the next Marvel series can help you get ready for the premiere, and our Netflix guide can point you to what else to watch on the streaming service. If you're still working out what to watch in fall TV season, our rundowns of what has been renewed and cancelled on cable/streaming and network TV can help you out.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).