Francis Freeman (also known as Ajax) is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Created by writer Joe Kelly and artist Walter A. McDaniel, the character first appeared in ''

Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...

'' #14 (March 1998).

Fictional character biography

Francis Freeman, also known as " The Attending", is an enforcer at Emrys Killebrew's laboratory, known as the Workshop. He works with Killebrew to experiment on Wade Wilson, among others. After becoming Deadpool, Wade apparently kills Freeman.''Deadpool and Death Annual'' (July 1998) Years later, Freeman resurfaces under the name Ajax and kills many members of

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were conducted by Department K, which turned willing and unwilling beings into living weapons to carry out c ...

to exact revenge on Deadpool.''Deadpool #''18 (July 1998) Deadpool later kills Ajax by snapping his neck.''Deadpool'' #19 (August 1998)

Blackheart Blackheart is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary to the superhero Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch), Ghost Rider. Created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist ...

later releases Ajax from

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

in an attempt to prevent Deadpool and

Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...

from meddling in his plot to overthrow Mephisto. Ajax, now calling himself Abyss Man, locates and attempts to kill the two before they defeat him.

Powers and abilities

Francis has enhanced strength and intuitive capacity, as a result of genetic modifications by Killebrew. After receiving implants, he gained superhuman speed and agility. His nerves were also removed to increase his tolerance for pain.

In other media

Francis Freeman / Ajax appears in ''

'' (2016), portrayed by

Ed Skrein Edward George Skrein (; born 29 March 1983) is an English actor, filmmaker, and rapper. He rose to recognition as the supervillain Francis Freeman / Ajax in the superhero comedy film ''Deadpool'' (2016). He also starred in the films '' The Tra ...

. According to co-writer Rhett Reese, the character was selected to serve as the film's antagonist due to his "sadistic quality and his imperviousness to pain and what that implied about him" which "lands very hard on Wade Wilson and creates the fun antagonism". This version tortured Wade Wilson to activate his

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

genes and sell him as a slave. However, Wade escapes and seeks revenge after being disfigured. After Wade corners and injures him, Francis escapes when

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue; colossal statues, are generally taken to mean a statue at least twice life-size ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ...

and Negasonic Teenage Warhead distract his attacker. He and his partner Angel Dust later retaliate by kidnapping Wade's girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle. Wade, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead confront Francis, Angel Dust, and their team in a scrapyard, where Wade kills Francis.

References

External links

* {{Weapon Plus British comics characters Characters created by Joe Kelly Comics characters introduced in 1998 Deadpool characters Fictional mercenaries in comics Fictional swordfighters in comics Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics scientists X-Men supporting characters