Summary
- The new Daredevil, Elektra, has adopted Matt Murdock’s “no killing” rule and now uses fear as her most effective weapon against criminals.
- Elektra believes that by instilling fear in criminals, she can prevent them from returning to a life of crime and ensure her own survival on the streets.
- Elektra’s decision to continue as Daredevil and her use of fear as a weapon show her growth and evolution from her violent past as an assassin.
Warning! Contains spoilers for Daredevil #14!The newest Daredevil on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen has revealed one of the most crucial tools in a hero’s cache. A standard encounter with criminals gives the Woman Without Fear a chance to use a her most valuable weapon.
In Daredevil #14 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, and Matt Wilson, the original Daredevil has freed the souls that had been trapped in Hell by the Hand, but Matt Murdock is nowhere to be seen. Life moves on in the months after the experience, with Matt’s allies continuing to do their good work in Hell’s Kitchen.
Elektra Natchios, the new Daredevil, hits a couple of criminals who are transporting a shipment of guns under the orders of the new Kingpin, Butch Fisk. As Daredevil attacks the criminals, she notes that she never used to scare anyone, because her victims would be dead before they could even react. But now that Elektra has adopted Matt’s ‘no killing’ rule, she tells herself that anyone she runs into needs to be terrified of her. That way, they’ll never even think about going back to crime to avoid running into Daredevil again.
Daredevil Confirms Fear is the Most Effective Weapon
Ever since Daredevil was sent to prison for manslaughter, Elektra has been fighting crime under the mantle of greatest love. Though Elektra initially only took on the Daredevil mantle to convince Matt to join her in her destruction of the Hand, she found herself adapting to the role and took it seriously, avoiding spilling any blood. When Matt got out of prison, he resumed his role as Daredevil, but Elektra kept the title as well as a sign that she’d truly changed. Despite her past as an assassin, Elektra has grown from her violent ways.
Of course, now that the new Daredevil can’t kill, she has to get creative if she wants to reduce the amount of crime on the streets. Sure, someone like Elektra could easily dish out broken bones and bloodied noses. But there’s no guarantee that they won’t just go back to crime as soon as their wounds heal. Fear, on the other hand, greatly reduces the chances that criminals would continue their law-breaking ways. Not to mention, if Elektra can put the fear of the devil into local criminals, she gives herself a much greater chance at survival.
Fear Can Keep Daredevil Alive on the Streets
Granted Daredevil isn’t the only no-killing hero, but as a street-level pugilist, she could easily be felled with one bullet or a knife. But fear can help Elektra throw bad guys off their game, decreasing their chances of a successful attack and, hopefully, making them never want to pick up a weapon in the name of crime ever again. While Elektra has put a lot of people down over the years, those days are behind her and she needs a new method if she wants to continue helping out the city her beloved cared for so much. Instilling fear is the best weapon the new Daredevil has at her disposal when it comes to keeping the city’s criminal element in line. Fans can see more of Elektra and her effective method in Daredevil #14, on sale now.
