Elektra Lives Again? How the Deadpool 3 Casting Could Change the MCU

The multiverse may feel like a relatively new fixation for Hollywood blockbusters, but certain genres — and characters — are uniquely qualified to carry out ambitious crossovers. Deadpool has always traversed comic book timelines, and that’s what makes his upcoming appearance in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe such a ripe opportunity. Deadpool 3 will follow the character on a road trip of sorts through the multiverse, a premise that’s given fans plenty to chew over in recent months. Marvel has the chance to unite forgotten Fox heroes and villains under one banner... even those that aren’t exactly fan favorites.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as Elektra Natchios in Deadpool 3, 20 years after she first appeared in the much-maligned Daredevil. While she was definitely a high point in an otherwise unwatchable film, no one’s exactly been asking for a Daredevil revival. Garner’s Elektra spin-off didn’t fare much better, so it’s interesting that Marvel would announce her return and not that of more in-demand characters. Maybe Elektra’s Deadpool 3 cameo will be the first of many. Maybe Marvel is saving a bigger reveal for later. Either way, Garner’s casting could still tell us something about Deadpool 3 and its planned cameos — namely, whether any of these heroes are here to stay.

It doesn’t seem like this Elektra cameo is just another case of nostalgia bait. If Marvel wanted to bring Elektra into the MCU proper, they could always tap Elodie Yung, who played the character to perfection in Netflix’s Defenders saga. That Deadpool will feature Garner’s version, not Yung’s, may mean the film will be poking a bit of fun at Marvel’s checkered past.

Garner’s cameo could also be a second chance to do the character right. Daredevil and Elektra represented a turning point for the actress: while most of her co-stars were able to shake off the sting of such a flop, Garner’s career was never the same after back-to-back stinkers. The actress later wished for an Elektra movie made under better circumstances, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at the helm and more “elevated” writing and direction. With Deadpool 3, she may just get her wish. But if Marvel is going that route with her character, what does that mean for other cameos?

Ever since Hugh Jackman confirmed he’d be returning for Deadpool 3, mutants in the MCU have been on fans’ minds. The film has the opportunity to legitimize mutantkind — and, more importantly, the X-Men — in Earth-616. While that could well happen, Garner’s appearance does introduce a wrinkle. Will Deadpool 3 use its cameos to make a joke out of the multiverse trend, or to right past Marvel wrongs? Deadpool 3 is more than capable of doing both and introducing the X-Men in one fell swoop. There’s always a chance the film could bring permanent change to the MCU, but at this point it may be following the less ambitious path that previous multiverse films have already charted.