Y: The Last Man Star Ashley Romans Wants to Play X-Men Fan-Favorite Frenzy
Actress Ashley Romans has gained a legion of new fans, with the help of breakout roles on AMC's NOS4A2 and the currently-airing Y: The Last Man. Romans currently portrays Agent 355, a secret agent tasked with protecting Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer), one of the few mammals with a Y chromosome to survive a deadly apocalypse, on the series, which is based on the Vertigo Comics series of the same name. While the series recently was met with a heartbreaking blow with news that it will not be returning on FX on Hulu for a second season, it has resonated with old and new fans alike, especially thanks to inspired performances like Romans'. While speaking to ComicBook.com about her role on Y: The Last Man, Romans revealed another established character she would like to play – Marvel antihero Joanna Cargill, also known as Frenzy.
"Somebody sent me a character that I've been looking up. She's a villain, specifically. It's definitely a world. I feel like this is my chance to pitch myself. Are you familiar with Joanna Cargill?" Roman explained. "I have limited knowledge about her, but just from the drawings alone, I mean, she's striking. I'm curious to read whatever universe she's a part of. I'm embarrassed to say I don't know. Is she in the X-Men Universe?"
"Oh man. Out of all the universes that have really struck me, X-Men, I think, is just the coolest," Romans continued. "I was reading this book about speed reading with Jim Kwik. Jim Kwik has a really a great book about expanding your mind and all that, but he has a really great chapter where he talks about how he wants to be an X-Men, and it was just such a beautiful chapter. And then I started getting into X-Men and God, yeah. That's my answer."
Initially created by Bob Layton and Keith Pollard in the pages of X-Factor #4, Frenzy grew up in an abusive household, the trauma of which triggered her mutant abilities and led to her killing her abusive father. After running away from home and becoming a mercenary, Frenzy started out as a member of the Alliance of Evil, and later became an Acolyte under the tutelage of Magneto. Over the years, Frenzy factored into multiple key X-Men events, and later saw what it would be like to be a hero after she was married to Cyclops in the Age of X alternate universe. This emotional experience caused Frenzy to want to become a member of the X-Men, and she did so under Rogue's team. She currently serves as an Intergalactic Ambassador for SWORD.
With the X-Men expected to fully join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the coming years, fans will have to wait and see if Frenzy becomes part of that plan — and if Romans might get a chance to bring her to life.