Ajax (Francis Freeman)

Did You Know?

• Ajax's nerves were removed to increase his tolerance for pain.
• Black Talon helped turn Ajax into a gateway to Hell.

Fictional character biography

Francis Freeman was the former enforcer at Emrys Killebrew's laboratory, the Workshop, possessing enhanced strength, intuitive capability, and subcutaneous implants granting superhuman speed and agility. Killebrew allowed Freeman to kill test subject Wade Wilson; Freeman removed Wilson's heart, but his healing factor regenerated it, costing Wilson his sanity. As Deadpool, Wilson seemingly killed Freeman. Freeman later resurfaced as Ajax, hunting and killing surviving Weapon X members to exact revenge. Ajax punched Deadpool off a cliff, but Deadpool survived and tricked Ajax into plunging them into a lake, short-circuiting his armor, then killed him by snapping his neck. Blackheart later released Ajax from Hell; now calling himself Abyss Man, Ajax attempted to kill Deadpool and Thanos, but they subdued him and turned him into a gateway to Hell.

In other media

Francis Freeman / Ajax appears in the 2016 film Deadpool, portrayed by Ed Skrein. Co-writer Rhett Reese stated the character was chosen as the antagonist for his sadistic quality and imperviousness to pain. This version tortured Wade Wilson to activate his mutant genes and sell him as a slave. After Wade escaped and sought revenge, Freeman escaped when Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead intervened. Freeman and Angel Dust later kidnapped Wade's girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle, leading to a confrontation in a scrapyard where Wade killed Freeman.