Marvel Studios has recently introduced a new category that could allow director Zack Snyder’s dark project to come to fruition in the MCU’s future.
Director Zack Snyder has revealed the Marvel Comics story that would convince him to join the MCU, and while it might be too dark for the franchise’s main continuity, Marvel Studios already revealed the perfect way for this story to be told. As well as directing projects including Dawn of the Dead, 300, Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder achieved widespread recognition for his work in the DC Extended Universe. Although personal circumstances meant he couldn’t complete his plans, Snyder delivered Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Since then, many have wondered what it would take to bring Zack Snyder to the MCU.
During a recent cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, Zack Snyder revealed the one Marvel Comics story that would make him interested in directing an MCU project. 1990’s Elektra Lives Again, written by Frank Miller, provided an in-depth investigation of Matt Murdock’s, a.k.a. Daredevil’s, psyche in the wake of Elektra Natchios’ demise, as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen finds himself plagued with dreams of his love-interest returning from the dead and once again operating as a vigilante. Elektra Live Again is incredibly dark, emotionally draining and littered with adult themes, which makes it difficult to imagine being adapted for the family-friendly MCU, but Marvel Studios has provided the perfect solution.
Marvel Spotlight Makes Snyder’s Daredevil & Elektra Movie A Perfect Possibility
In November 2023, Marvel Studios revealed the creation of the Marvel Spotlight banner, a new category for a selection of the MCU’s Disney+ shows. Inspired by the Marvel Comics series that was first introduced in 1971, the Marvel Spotlight banner will allow Marvel Studios to tell more grounded, character-driven stories, focusing on street-level stakes instead of contributing to the overarching continuity of the MCU. Marvel Studios’ Echo series will be the first releasing under the Marvel Spotlight banner, and with a TV-MA rating to boot, Echo is set to be an incredibly graphic, dark, gritty and realistic MCU series, a huge departure from the family-friendly tones of the wider continuity.
Zack Snyder’s comments about directing an MCU adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Elektra Live Again play perfectly into the new Marvel Spotlight banner, and make this combination an actual possibility in the MCU’s future. Elektra Lives Again’s grounded tones could be explored fully in a Marvel Spotlight project, and this would allow the project to fully explore Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios as troubled and flawed human characters rather than full-blown superheroes. Élodie Yung’s version of Elektra died during Netflix’s The Defenders, so Snyder’s Elektra Lives Again could explore what happened to Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in the wake of this traumatic event, only loosely tying into the MCU’s wider timeline.
Why Zack Snyder’s MCU Movie Suggestions Would Avoid All Of The DCEU’s Biggest Issues
One of the biggest criticisms aimed at the DCEU was the drastic tonal shift from page to screen. Superman, for instance, is seen as the epitome of optimism and hope, but Snyder transformed him into a brooding and unapproachable figure. Snyder’s love for darker storylines lends itself perfectly to Elektra Lives Again, and producing this under the Marvel Spotlight banner would allow him to let loose and be as dark as he wants, without this feeling too jarring when compared to the rest of the MCU. Marvel Studios’ upcoming Echo series is expected to be grounded and gritty, and Zack Snyder could repeat this with a future Marvel Spotlight project.
