The Marvel Movie Zack Snyder Would Love To Make

Zack Snyder is largely attached to his directorial work in the DCEU, ranging from Superman origin-rehash Man of Steel to his upcoming director's cut of Justice League on HBO Max. Fans are generally split on his handling of DC's iconic characters, but there's little doubt that his contributions haven't gone unnoticed. Even so, the Snyder Cut could very well be his final stroke on the grand tapestry of the DCEU; if true, it's unclear where he's headed next.

Imagine for a moment that the news is true, and Snyder switches over to the MCU, continuing his comic book movie streak on the other side of the corporate comics spectrum. Given the darker tone present in most of his work, it's easy to imagine him tackling characters like Moon Knight (whom Marvel's already found an actor for, and casting couldn't be more perfect) or the Hellfire Chain-wielding Ghost Rider. In an interview with ComicBook Debate, though, Snyder spoke about exactly which Marvel character he'd love to work on given the chance: Elektra Natchios, sai-wielding assassin and mercenary extraordinaire (via Screen Rant).

Elektra's Marvel Comics history is rife with tragedy and violence — subject matter Snyder is more than accustomed to by this point in his career. Much of her complicated life is intricately tied to Daredevil, previously the star of a canceled Netflix show that over 20% of fans miss the most; she plays a role in both the non-MCU Daredevil movie (portrayed by Jennifer Garner) and Netflix TV show (portrayed by Elodie Young). As is the case with most Marvel characters (and most comics characters in general), though, it's hard to point to any one comic and say, "That's the definitive Elektra!"

Even so, as a long-time director of comic book films, Snyder knows that the final product is a combination of taking creative license and drawing from source material. If his dream were to come true and he held the reins of an Elektra movie, he stated in the ComicBook Debate interview that Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's Elektra Lives Again would be his main inspiration. "Daredevil is having these dreams about Elektra coming back to life, and it's really cool and weird," the director said of the graphic novel. "It's just cool, and beautiful. That's what I would do. No one cares, but that's what I would do."

In Miller's preceding comics run on Daredevil, Elektra is killed by the supervillain Bullseye, which is why Daredevil is having those haunting dreams about her in the storyline Snyder mentioned. Reconciling the dreams with reality — and eventually drawing the line between them — proves an emotionally turbulent task for the hero, testing his love for Elektra and forcing him to understand what it does to him. Elektra Lives Again won Best Graphic Album: New at the 1991 Eisner Awards, which are basically the Academy Awards for comics. The only reason it hasn't been adapted to screen yet is probably because Elektra's live-action appearances have been few and far between as of January 2021.

Whether or not Snyder's wish will ever come true is a question of time and the ever-shifting whims of Hollywood, but were it to happen, seeing Elodie Young reprise her role as Elektra and Charlie Cox put Daredevil's mask back on would be ... well, awesome is a good way of putting it. Marvel Studios has its rights to the Daredevil franchise back from Netflix, so Ol' Hornhead may show up sooner rather than later — possibly with Elektra along for the ride.