Marvel’s 4th Lowest Ever Movie Box Office Hero Is Set To Return In The MCU In 2024

Summary

• Elektra, one of Marvel’s biggest box office flops, will be redeemed in the MCU with a return in Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.
• As the only MCU movie of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine marks a new direction for Marvel Studios and the multiverse concept and is expected to perform well commercially.
• Jennifer Garner’s role in the notorious Elektra movie will see a second chance for redemption in the $1 billion hit expected from Deadpool & Wolverine.

Via the multiversal story of Deadpool & Wolverine, a hero who featured in one of Marvel’s biggest box office flops will return to the MCU in 2024. The third Deadpool film is the only Marvel movie releasing in 2024 that is attached to the MCU. This marks a big departure from the franchise, as Marvel Studios has released at least two MCU movies every single year since 2013.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s story changes this, marking not only a change for the Marvel Studios model but also a game-changing installment in the sprawling MCU chronological timeline. The film will tie heavily into the concept of the Marvel multiverse, with Wolverine’s involvement alone proof of this. Through the exploration of alternate timelines, different universes, and the endless Marvel heroes that come with them, Deadpool & Wolverine will introduce the titular character of Marvel’s fourth-biggest box office bomb: Elektra.

Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Is the 4th Lowest Grossing Marvel Movie Ever

The 2005 Elektra Movie Is One Of Marvel’s Biggest Box Office Flops

Jennifer Garner first appeared as Elektra in 2003’s Daredevil. Bringing to life the character of Elektra Natchios, Garner had strong enough chemistry with Daredevil star Ben Affleck to warrant her own, standalone spin-off. Elektra was then released two years later in 2005, though the promise of a solo movie quickly turned to disappointment.

Elektra was critically panned, garnering an 11% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This negative reception extended to the film’s box office, with Elektra making history as one of the biggest box office disappointments in Marvel’s cinematic history. Even as of 2024, Elektra ranks as the fourth-lowest-grossing movie at the worldwide box office for Marvel, only surpassing some of the other lesser efforts by the studio.

How Jennifer Garner’s Deadpool & Wolverine Return Can Redeem Elektra

Garner’s Elektra Receives A Second Chance In The MCU

Despite the overwhelmingly poor critical and commercial reception of Elektra, it was revealed that Jennifer Garner will return in Deadpool 3. This announcement came in 2023, with some major trades confirming that Garner would reprise her role. This reality gives Garner a chance at redemption after appearing in an infamous Marvel movie, with an MCU appearance in the Deadpool franchise serving as the perfect vehicle for this.

By appearing in what will likely be a $1 billion hit, Garner will have more than made up for headlining a box office flop like
Elektra
.

Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to be a major success for Marvel Studios, already fixing the glaring issue with Elektra. By appearing in what will likely be a $1 billion hit, Garner will have more than made up for headlining a box office flop like Elektra. Similarly, the Deadpool franchise is renowned for its meta, self-referential humor. Aside from appearing in a much better, much more successful movie like Deadpool & Wolverine, the nature of the franchise’s style can allow Garner to poke fun at her prior appearances as Elektra, redeeming her in the best way almost 20 years later.

Elektra’s Role In Deadpool & Wolverine Explained

Deadpool & Wolverine Has Hinted At How Elektra Will Return

With Jennifer Garner getting another chance as Elektra in Deadpool & Wolverine, many will be wondering how exactly she is part of the movie. As it turns out, the answer is fairly simple. Since Loki in 2021, the MCU has opened up to the multiverse. Multiversal stories like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have allowed for this, with Deadpool & Wolverine expected to delve into the concept of variants, alternate timelines, and multiversal heroes to an even greater extent.

The trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine have made this clear, primarily through the inclusion of elements from Loki, namely the Time Variance Authority and The Void. The former is a multiversal police force, explaining how characters like Deadpool, Wolverine, and, of course, Elektra are now involved in the MCU, while the latter is a sandbox at the End of Time where all pruned elements turn up. Concerning Elektra specifically, it is likely that the character has been pruned by the TVA in the past, meaning she will be present in The Void.

This is the most likely way Elektra will return in Deadpool & Wolverine. This is supported by other characters from Marvel’s past being shown in the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine in The Void. These characters include Pyro, Lady Deathstrike, and Azazel from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men timeline, all of whom appear in the MCU as pruned characters. With these types of Marvel superheroes being present in The Void, Elektra will likely be the same, potentially aiding the titular duo in their fight against Cassandra Nova.

What To Remember About Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Before Deadpool & Wolverine

Elektra’s Story Has Been Told Across Two Movies Before Deadpool & Wolverine

Another question many may have before Elektra’s appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine is what her story included before the MCU. As alluded to, Elektra first appeared in 2003’s Daredevil before receiving her own solo spin-off with 2005’s Elektra. In the former, Elektra is a side character who falls in love with Matt Murdock, unbeknownst to the fact that he is the vigilante Daredevil. Elektra’s father is the daughter of Nikolas Natchios, a man trusted by crime boss Kingpin, Daredevil’s nemesis.

In the 2005 film, Stick – a blind martial artist – attempts to train Elektra in the ways of Kimagure…

After Nikolas tries to leave Fisk’s service, the latter hires a killer named Bullseye to kill the former. Bullseye does so, framing Daredevil for the murder, thus causing Elektra to seek revenge against him. Elektra unmasks Daredevil and is shocked to learn Matt is his alter ego, before being tragically killed by Bullseye in an ensuing conflict. However, Elektra is secretly revived by Stick, setting up the story of Elektra.

Stick is portrayed by Terence Stamp in Elektra, a DC alum who also played General Zod in Superman and Superman II.

In the 2005 film, Stick – a blind martial artist – attempts to train Elektra in the ways of Kimagure, the ability of precognition that can also resurrect the dead. After becoming a killer-for-hire and being hired to assassinate a father and daughter duo named Mark and Abby, Elektra refuses and comes into conflict with The Hand, a group of elite ninjas. Elektra, with the aid of Stick, protects Abby and Mark from The Hand’s assassins, one of whom killed Elektra’s mother when she was a child.

After defeating The Hand and resurrecting Abby having mastered Kimagure, Elektra tells the young girl to leave a normal life and parts ways with her and Mark. Elektra then bids Stick farewell, where the film ends. Elektra has not been seen on film or TV since then, that is until the events of Deadpool & Wolverine. Whether the events of Daredevil and Elektra will have an impact on Deadpool & Wolverine remains to be seen, but it is likely, given Garner’s almost 20-year absence playing the character.