Daredevil and Elektra just got married

Daredevil has had a headline worthy love life lately. Last week his MCU counterpart got fandom buzzing by sleeping with She-Hulk, and this week the comic book version is marrying his assassin ex-girlfriend Elektra in Daredevil #4. Daredevil’s love life has always been a chaotic mess, so it makes sense that his wedding to Elektra involved ninjas, ghosts, and a secret society. Let’s break it down.

The wedding of Daredevil and Elektra

If you haven’t been reading Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil run, let’s bring you up to speed. In recent months the Punisher has taken control of the Hand, a group of highly trained assassins. Matt Murdock has recently faked his death, and left his old life behind in order to join Elektra in her quest to take down the Hand. The assassin Elektra recently took on Matt’s Daredevil mantle, and is wearing a modified version of his costume. For now, there are two Daredevils.

Matt and Elektra are seeking to revive an ancient society known as the Fist, hoping the group can stop the Hand. In order to do that the couple are leaving the United States behind in order to rebuild the ancient order. In Daredevil #2 (2022) we learned that these plans included a wedding ceremony between Matt and Elektra. This week, in Daredevil #4 (2022), that wedding took place, and it was action-packed.

Matt and Elektra journey to a cave where the souls of the Hand’s dead warriors lay, as foretold by the Fist’s ancient scriptures. The two Daredevils enter the cave and battle a hoard of ghost-ninjas. They barely survive the experience, ending up exhausted on the cave floor. Their mentor Stick enters, holding an ancient Fist book, and begins reciting their wedding vows. Matt and Elektra each say ‘I do’ and with that Stick pronounces them king and queen of the reformed Fist, and husband and wife. The couple are too weak to get up and kiss, so they celebrate their new union by holding hands on the ground.

Is the marriage legal?

Is this marriage legal? Yes and no. By the laws of the Fist, Daredevil and Elektra are married, but the marriage probably wouldn’t be recognized by the American judicial system. Don’t forget, the world believes Matt Murdock is dead, so legally he doesn’t exist. It’s also doubtful that Stick filed paperwork at the local courthouse, especially since they’re many miles away from traditional civilization.

What’s important is, the marriage is legal by the laws of the Fist, and Matt himself seems to see it as a real marriage. Ever since the plans for the marriage were revealed in Daredevil #2 (2022), Matt’s internal thoughts have treated it like a real union. As a lawyer, Matt is known for looking at legal matters in precise terms.

The history of Daredevil and Elektra’s relationship

Before he was a masked vigilante, and she was a skilled assassin, Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios were college sweethearts. The early days of their relationship were first seen during a flashback in Daredevil #168 (1980), the same issue that introduced Elektra. The couple were inseparable during their days at Columbia University, but tragedy changed halted their budding romance.

Elektra and her father were kidnapped by terrorists, and Matt attempted to save them. At the time he was still years from becoming Daredevil, so he put on a makeshift mask and tried to act quickly. Matt was able to stop the terrorists, but a misunderstanding from the police caused them to recklessly open fire, killing Elektra’s father. Heartbroken, Elektra left Matt and the United States behind.

The ex-lovers reunited years later, but by then Matt was the vigilante Daredevil, and Elektra was an assassin for hire. Their reunions were bittersweet, with their dueling ideologies causing them to clash on multiple occasions. Elektra was murdered by the assassin Bullseye, which shattered Matt emotionally. The Hand revived Elektra in a mystical ceremony, but she and Matt never rekindled their love affair. Although they both still cared deeply for one another, their lives had moved too far into different directions, making a long-term paring almost impossible – until now.

In the 2003 Daredevil film, Matt and Elektra’s romance was brought to the big screen, with Ben Affleck playing Murdock and Jennifer Garner playing Elektra. The co-stars began dating in real life, and got married in 2005. The couple eventually divorced in 2018. In a strange way, this means that Daredevil and Elektra’s actors were married before their comic counterparts were.

Can a marriage with Daredevil work?

Daredevil doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships. Most of his romantic relationships end horribly, even by superhero standards. In some cases, Matt’s girlfriends haven’t survived the experience. Notable love interests like Karen Page, Glorianna O’Breen, and Elektra have been killed, although Elektra was later revived. Heather Glenn took her own life, and Milla Donovan lost her sanity.

Some of this is due to interference from Daredevil’s enemies, but Matt’s behavior as a boyfriend is less than stellar. He disguised himself as his non-existent twin brother Mike and dated Karen Page in that persona. He ditched Natasha Romanoff at an airport after spending a romantic weekend together so he could kiss Karen. He used his legal resources to financially ruin Heather Glenn’s family business to coerce her into accepting his marriage proposal. He slept with Dakota North while his wife Milla was in a mental institution. While Matt has come to regret these actions, there is no denying that he is a flawed romantic partner with room to grow.

Daredevil has chased the idea of matrimonial bliss throughout his heroic career, but it has never stuck. He and Karen Page became engaged in Daredevil #86 (1972), even though he had slept with Black Widow the previous day. By the end of the day their engagement was broken, and Matt was back with Natasha.

Matt proposed to Heather Glenn in Daredevil #183 (1982), and she reluctantly accepted in Daredevil #186 (1982). Foggy Nelson and Natasha Romanoff were concerned about the toxicity of the potential marriage, so they tricked the couple into ending their engagement by planting fake breakup letters in Daredevil #189 (1982). To this day Foggy and Natasha still haven’t confessed their role in the cancelled wedding.

Milla Donovan is the only other woman Matt Murdock has ever married. Like Matt, Milla was also blind, giving the couple a connection he didn’t share with his other love interests. The two married after a whirlwind courtship, but Milla didn’t realize Matt was still emotionally reeling from the recent death of Karen Page. Milla attempted to annul the union, but the couple reconciled. The villain Mr. Fear drugged Milla as a way to hurt Daredevil, and she lost sanity.

Matt placed Milla in a mental institution. Milla’s parents sued Matt for custody of their daughter, citing Matt’s irresponsible behavior and his extramarital affair with Dakota North. Thinking it was best for Milla, Matt signed the divorce papers and gave them complete control over Milla’s affairs.

Elektra has led a more solitary life than Matt, so she hasn’t flirted with marriage as much. Although Daredevil is her most notable romance, she has also had relationships with the Punisher and Wolverine. The nature of Elektra’s life and line of work haven’t put her in the path for marriage, but perhaps now things will be different.

What’s next for Daredevil and Elektra

Don’t expect Daredevil and Elektra’s honeymoon to be peaceful. The couple have united in order to reform the Fist and help go up against the Hand, so I imagine their newlywed days will be filled with battle training instead of romantic walks. We’re obviously building to a war between the Hand and the Fist, and things are likely to get explosive when the two sides clash.

Don’t forget, the Punisher is one of Elektra’s exes, which adds a bit more drama to the upcoming confrontation. Matt also still seems to be hung up on his ex-girlfriend Kirsten McDuffie, which could add some complications to this marriage. Daredevil might have left his life as Matt Murdock behind, but it’s likely he’ll seek to return to it one day. When he does, will Elektra have a place in his new life?

When all these facts are laid out, it seems like this entire situation is going to blow up in everyone’s face. But we’re dealing with Daredevil, Elektra, the Punisher, and killer ninjas, so at least the inevitable blowup will be entertaining. Let’s hope Matt and Elektra enjoyed their wedding, because the honeymoon will probably be murder.

Want more? Check out our recommended best Daredevil comics stories of all time.