Elektra

Batman wasn't the first superhero Ben Affleck portrayed. Before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he played Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer by day and vigilante by night Daredevil.

I can't say Daredevil is one of my favorite Marvel films, but the 2003 superhero film introduced the character Elektra Natchios, played by Jennifer Garner, and was followed by the spin-off film Elektra a couple years later. Even though Elektra makes brief references to Daredevil, you don't necessarily have to see Daredevil to understand the movie.

Elektra is an assassin with superpowers, but what makes her extra cool is her use of sai (pronounced "sī") as a primary weapon. Sai are rarely seen in fight scenes, even in Asian martial arts films.


Like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider and Kate Beckinsale in Underworld in the early 2000s, Jennifer Garner's Elektra helped pave the way for today's female action heroes. Even at age 49, Garner still looks great and fit, and she could probably reprise her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

While ass-kicking, strong female characters have become a mainstay of Hollywood action movies, Jennifer Garner was ahead of her time with Elektra, one of the first major films about a female superhero, many years before Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow.

Elektra wasn't well-received back when it was released, but I don't listen to movie critics anyway. Elektra is one of my favorite Marvel films. While superhero movies tend to focus on action, Elektra is very story and character-oriented. Incidentally, Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the high-grossing MCU films, served as Co-Producer on Elektra, before Disney acquired Marvel.

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