Elektra (2) #1-5 "The Scorpio Key Saga" (August 2001 - January 2002)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Chuck Austen
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Comicraft

Hydra has formed an alliance with Iraq and S.H.I.E.L.D. hires the enigmatic assassin Elektra to investigate matters which reach a crisis point as the forces of the Zodiac Key are unleashed.

  • Continuity Notes
  • Appearances by Dum Dum, Sharon Carter and James Woo, who is secretary of state for the United States.
  • Fury mentions that he knew Elektra's father, and that he had a chance to kill Hitler and didn't, most likely a reference to The Fantastic Four (1) #292
  • The Scorpio Key is hidden away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest of the world by Elektra.
  • Fury once owned a dog.
  • Agent Stanley Dreyfuss was an LMD series 44.
  • Reprinted in the Elektra: Scorpio Key Saga TPB and featured as part of Marvel's DotComics at their website.

Review
In all honesty its all Elektra's show (of course, its her title), but Nick Fury presents a strong presence here as the story posses one of the better S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra battles of recent years. Further interest is piqued as many traditional S.H.I.E.L.D. hallmarks appear, including the Zodiac Key and a new twist on the LMD. Fury gets in some great lines, especially when he's watching Sharon Carter defend S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence to a U.S. Senator on a political roundtable show. Ironically enough Fury logs in most of his panel time during the Nuff Said issue of Elektra, however the last issue showcases one of Nick Fury's best moments in a looong time as he cuts down Elektra and justifies his methods with a great allusion to the FF #292 (his chance at killing Hitler). I dunno how other people read it, but Fury comes off better here then Elektra.

The Stanley Dreyfus sub-plot however may be the longest lived legacy of this storyline. The notion of self-aware LMDs and Fury's ambivalent use of them adds a new darker level to Fury. Coupled with his casual use of LMDs to stand in for himself without telling anyone, Fury's speech about his nervous dog showcases a rather hard-edged view on LMDs and their potential. 

Rating