Colossus, Angel Dust, Ajax, and All the Other Heroes and Mutants You'll Meet in 'Deadpool'

The Deadpool trailers, posters, and TV spots that have been released so far have focused primarily on hammering home the film’s R-rating, and telling Wade Wilson’s origin story as quickly as possible. Though the film will introduce several new mutants, including the woman Deadpool calls his “best girl”, we’ve only seen these characters in quick reaction shots to Deadpool’s antics.

Some of Deadpool’s mutant allies and foes, including Copycat, Angel Dust, Ajax, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, are worth getting to know on their own, and not just because their names are ridiculous.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead

You may recognize this foul-tempered teenager as the shaved-bald girl who gives Deadpool an emotionless eyebrow-raise in the film’s trailer. Though in Marvel comics, Negasonic Teenage Warhead (whose real name is Ellie) has a complex background and personality, all of the set photos of the character simply show her pouting. Though this doesn’t suggest an exciting debut for the character, it will be interesting to see superpowers enacted by a teenage actress.

In trailers, Ellie sits wordlessly behind Colossus, who was confirmed at Comic Con as Ellie’s “mutant trainer”. We hear Colossus say, “We can’t allow this, Deadpool,” in an Eastern European accent, and Deadpool brushes off his “X-Men bullshit”. So, it’s obvious Deadpool film will likely feature mutants who oppose his particular brand of chaotic violence. Although Colossus only pops up a few times in the trailers, Ellie seems to have more screen-time, which suggests she might end up supporting Deadpool.

It’s possible that Ellie’s silence in the Deadpool trailers is due to a language barrier. In the comics, she was born in Genosha, a fictional, island nation written by Marvel creators to represent South Africa. Marvel’s take on apartheid plays out in Genosha, pitting mutants against humans. Born and raised in this conflict, Ellie becomes a student of Emma Frost, whom fans might remember from 2011’s X-Men: First Class, when she was played by a flat January Jones. As Ellie is killed off in different ways, in multiple comics, there’s a high probability that she won’t survive Deadpool.

Colossus

Though Colossus (whose real name is Piotr Rasputin) is not from Genosha, but instead from Russia, it makes sense that he might ally himself with Ellie, as they are both non-American mutants who work primarily with super powered Americans.

In the comics, Colossus uses his power, which allows him to turn his skin into steel, to aid local farmers in Russia. Professor X finds him and tasks him to save several X-Men abroad. Once his mission is complete, Colossus comes to the United States. Working as a well-behaved mutant, Colossus has quite a few sexual rendezvous, sometimes resulting in children. Most notably, he has a short-lived romance with mutant Kitty Pryde, who was played by Ellen Page in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.

Colossus has appeared in two previous X-Men films, although he was played by a different actor and didn’t do much. At Hawaii Comic Con, Deadpool’s creator Rob Liefeld confirmed that Colossus would matter more to Deadpool than he did to the older X-Men Films.

You guys have seen a glimpse of him in the trailer; at San Diego in Hall H, they showed a little bit more of Colossus…You are going to love Colossus in Deadpool. He’s in it a good amount; he doesn’t just walk through the movie.

Angel Dust

Angel Dust, a young outcast mutant who goes by both “Christine” and “Dusty” in Marvel Comics, is to be played in the new Deadpool film by mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano. Since Angel Dust is not a huge character in any Marvel comic, it’s doubtful that her appearance in Deadpool will have much weight to it, although Carano was reportedly the third actor cast in the film, just behind Ryan Reynolds and TJ Miller, who will play Deadpool’s bullied nerd-buddy, Weasel.

In a promo photo uploaded to Carano’s Facebook page, it appears Angel Dust will have some qualm with Weasel. Another promo photo depicts Angel Dust in a leather, strap-heavy bodice and covered in debris.

In Marvel comics, Angel Dust’s allegiance varies, though she belongs to The Morlocks, a cult of mutants living under the streets of Chicago. Acting as mercenaries on suicide missions, the mutant Morlocks band together to fulfill one last wish per mutant, something each of them hadn’t fulfilled during their human lives on the surface.

Angel Dust, who has the ability to increase her adrenaline (get it? drugs?), eventually returns home to her parents after leaving the Morlocks. Since Carano is 33 years old, her Angel Dust probably won’t mirror the comics closely. It’s possible the MCU simply wanted a role for an actress skilled in combat, and that the writers cherry-picked Angel Dust for her physical abilities. It remains to be seen whether the Morlocks will appear in Deadpool, although their presence sounds distracting.

Ajax

Ah, Ajax. The scariest character to ever be named after a cleaning product. Though film stills released by Entertainment Weekly feature a lean, normal-looking human Ajax, the character is formidable in his comic book appearances.

Enhanced and tortured by the same folks who gave Deadpool his powers, Ajax was originally named simply the Attending, and made the subject of experiments similar to the ones conducted on Deadpool. What Deadpool had that Ajax didn’t was, of course, a sense of humor, and developments on Ajax ceased when the scientists realized he had a sadistic personality. After Deadpool defeated his original form — again, called The Attending for some reason — he was rebuilt as a still-sadistic cyborg.

In the comics, Deadpool also manages to kill Ajax by snapping his neck. This action cements for the hero that the man known as Wade Wilson has officially ceased to be. After killing Ajax, Deadpool decides his only real objective in life is to kill, and the character’s long saga begins.

Copycat

Most Deadpool trailers feature Wade Wilson’s romantic relationship with Vanessa Carlysle, who tells him that they can fight the odds as a couple following his cancer diagnosis.

It’s unclear whether the film will allude to Vanessa’s pre-Wade-Wilson storylines, but they are definitely interesting. Born in Boston, Copycat works as a young prostitute in the city, using her shapeshifting abilities to please different clients. Though she has an intense romance with Wade Wilson, he breaks up with her while transforming into Deadpool. The two characters are sometimes forced into opposition by more powerful mutants, but Deadpool often finds a way to avoid hurting her.

Copycat’s story in the comic book ends with her running a chimichanga stand, and seducing Deadpool into cheating on the other women he dates. In some comics, she does die. We’re still not sure if she’ll survive Deadpool’s 2016 debut, but it’s probable that any harm that comes her way will only motivate the hero to kick more asses.