Snap Into Marvel — Your Pain Makes Ajax Strong

Real Name: Francis “Frankie” Fanny

First Comic Book Appearance: Deadpool (vol. 3) #14 (January 1998)

First Multimedia Appearance: Deadpool (2016) played by Ed Skrein

Powers: Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and agility, enhanced intuitive capacity, and physical modifications that increase his tolerance to pain.

Comic Book Chronicles

Thanks to the first Deadpool movie, Ajax is, essentially, Deadpool’s archenemy. He doesn’t have a ton of stories on his CV. He’s not a character with whom Deadpool has crossed paths over and over again, a perennial foe, like the X-Men and Magneto or Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. But thanks to being plucked to serve as the chief antagonist of Deadpool’s first cinematic adventure (and the role he played in Deadpool’s origin which motivated that selection), Ajax is relevant enough to serve the role of archenemy for the Deadpool-centric  “Maximum Effort” season.

So you know how Wolverine received his adamantium bones via the Weapon X project, a clandestine government organization obsessed with creating super-soldiers? Well, when candidates/test subjects of that program washed out, they ended up in the Workshop. That is where Deadpool first encountered Ajax.

Deadpool was a subject of Doctor Killebrew, while Ajax was Killebrew’s enforcer, helping keep the lab subjects in line. Deadpool taunted Ajax constantly, before Killebrew gave Ajax permission to kill him — which he did, but only after manipulating Deadpool into killing fellow inmates he cared about. Ajax killing Deadpool triggered Deadpool’s healing factor, bringing him back to life, after which he seemingly killed Ajax. 

But Ajax returned years later (using the name “Ajax” for the first time), hunting down former members of the Weapon X project. He and Deadpool battle again, with Deadpool learning in an annual co-starring Death that he was now honor bound to kill Ajax once and for all. He does, eventually, notwithstanding a later miniseries when Blackheart, son of Mephisto, releases Ajax from Hell to battle Deadpool and Thanos, as one does. 

Fit and Finish 

Somewhat curiously, neither Ajax’s main card nor any of his initial variants lean into his cinematic appearance (which, granted, is fairly generic). Instead, we get Ajax in all his very “90s armor” glory. Most importantly, his big ol’ shield — which doesn’t seem to serve any notable thematic purpose or do anything especially cool — is prominently featured. It’s the cherry on the sundae that is this visual goofball. 

Form and Function 

Like Hydra Bob, the ability of Ajax’ card speaks more to his personality than his powers. As the enforcer/overseer of the Workshop, Ajax took pleasure in the pain of others. Similarly, the more cards in the game that are “hurt” (afflicted with negative energy) the more powerful he is, a sort of reverse-Gilgamesh. The question is whether that ability is enough to make him worth the keys/tokens. When first announced Ajax was a 4/4 card, making him low powered on his own, but with potential synergy for a turn 6 combo with Hazmat that could easily boost.

Eventually, he got changed to a 5/5, and then a 5/7, which is where he stands on release. This eliminates the Hazmat turn 6 combo potential (short of games with extra energy on hand, a 7th turn, etc.). But at 5/7, it puts Ajax close to being a decent turn 5 play on his own, ability aside. There are better 5/7 cards to play on turn 5, but he’s not worthless there even without any negatively-afflicted cards on the board.

Unlike Gilgamesh, however, Ajax is an Ongoing card, not an On Reveal card. Which means he’s susceptible to Luke Cage. Toss him in a deck with Hazmat, USAgent and Man-Thing, drop him on turn 5 and score big. Until your opponent drops Cage on turn 6 and wipes out Ajax’ boost.

Ajax could be paired with Typhoid Mary (keeping your own cards afflicted with negative energy even if your opponent has Luke Cage), but then the question becomes, does a boosted Ajax offer enough points to balance out the points lost by Typhoid Mary? If Luke Cage is everywhere, and Ajax is *always* just a 5/7, he’s easy enough to replace.

Ajax is a card with a lot more questions than the typical new card. He could lead a resurgence in Affliction decks, and become a centerpiece of that archetype. He could be another useful add to High Evo decks, providing another tool to take advantage of the negative energy put out by the evolved cards. Or he could simply cause a resurgence in Luke Cage taking the tech slot in a lot of other decks, and fizzle out quickly, popping back up periodically when Luke Cage fades from use once more.