‘Deadpool’ Actor Wants to Play Fantomex

Ed Skrein brought the Marvel villain Ajax to life in the original Deadpool, but it seems he is also up for playing a hero, and his name is Fantomex.

Well, maybe anti-hero is the better way to describe the sometimes X-Men and X-Force character. Skrein’s new film is called In Darkness, which is very different from his work in Deadpool. That said, it doesn’t mean he isn’t up for another superpowered role, and when asked if there was a character or movie he would love to take part in, the conflicted but always entertaining Fantomex happened to come up.

“The other one actually is Fantomex,” Skrein said. “He always wears a mask, as well, so maybe that would be a way of me getting back. I think he’s French, so I’d have to do a French accent and wear the mask and get away with it. He’s super cool. He’s one of my favorite characters, as well. There’s just so many awesome characters, but I’m excited by the unknown, about the characters that I haven’t read yet, the intellectual property that I haven’t stumbled across, full of amazing narratives out there. It’s just exciting. It is exciting.”

For those unfamiliar, Fantomex is a rather complex mutant who was originally created as a super soldier using Sentinel technology within the artificial surroundings of The World. Since his creation, he has fought alongside the X-Men and against them (though that was power induced), and has struggled at times to keep his identities straight. Fantomex is a skilled marksman and spy who also travels in his biological ship E.V.A., who also has a variety of attacks and abilities as well.

Fantomex has the power of misdirection, able to fool the mind with tactile illusions, even doing so to skilled telepaths like Professor X and Jean Grey. He’s a force to be reckoned with for sure, and you never quite know where his loyalties lie.

For Skrein though, it is okay if he isn’t the one to play the character on the big screen, as he approaches these characters from a fans point of view.

“It was the same with “Deadpool.” I would have been in the cinema as a fan and just wanting it to be done right, whether it’s the villain or the lead role and whatnot,” Skrein said. “So yeah, it’s just got to be done right, man. I’m so emotionally invested in these characters. “

“I’m kind of weird because I’m such a comic book head that I want it to be done right rather than me be in it,” Skrein said. “So let’s say there’s … my favorite set of books ever is “The Boys.” Seth Rogen’s making it, and I’m so happy it’s in Seth’s hands. I’ve never met him, but I’m so happy it’s in his hands. For me, Billy Butcher is like the character that I’ve always wanted to play, but for me, it’s 10 years too early for me. I’m not the right character. I’d have to like, put on a lot of size and I should be older, so it wouldn’t be right for me to take it even though it’s a dream, you know?”

Deadpool is available on home video, and Deadpool 2 and In Darkness are in theaters now.

Additional reporting by Scott Huver