Jennifer Garner is returning to the role of Elektra after nearly twenty years, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She first appeared as the character alongside Ben Affleck in 2003’s Daredevil – a movie which existed before the MCU. She reprised the role in 2005’s Elektra – but neither Daredevil or Elektra were critical or commercial hits. She has now reportedly joined the cast of Deadpool 3, alongside Hugh Jackman making his return as Wolverine.
Shawn Levy is directing Deadpool 3, and the last movie he directed was The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana – all of whom play Marvel characters – and Jennifer Garner. Deadpool used to belong to Twentieth Century Fox, but Disney has now acquired Fox and their branch of Marvel (including the X-Men and the Fantastic Four) can be enveloped into the MCU proper.
People have associated Jennifer Garner with cozy Mom roles for many years now, and it’s easy to forget she was ever an action movie star. While playing Elektra, she also starred on the action thriller series Alias, in which she played a spy.
Deadpool is a movie series that has always been known for its crazy star cameos, and that’s even before they were able to dip their hands into the entire roster of MCU characters. The chances of Deadpool 3 being cameo-heavy are extremely high, so whether Garner has a substantial supporting role or a quick visual joke remains to be seen.
To make matters even more confusing, Daredevil and Elektra became characters in the Netflix staple of Marvel series – played by Charlie Cox and Elodie Yung. Cox’s version of Daredevil is now officially in the MCU, so by extension – so should be Yung’s Elektra.
We will bring you more on this story as we know more, but for now, check out our guide to the best Marvel villains.