Deadpool: The Real Reason Negasonic Teenage Warhead Was In The Film

2016's "Deadpool" acts as a showcase for Ryan Reynolds' take on the Merc With a Mouth, but he doesn't carry the film as its only Marvel Comics representative. Numerous other heroes and villains from the publisher's history are present in the feature, from Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) to Ajax (Ed Skrein). Alongside them is Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) — real name Eloise "Ellie" Phimister — who, given her rather niche status, might seem like an odd choice to give such a prominent role in a superhero blockbuster. Nevertheless, her name and the nature of the film's action paved the way for her silver screen debut.

"Deadpool" co-writer Rhett Reese explained how Negasonic's inclusion came to pass during an interview with CinemaBlend, recalling to the publication, "[Director Tim Miller] said he wanted to see more in the way of superpowers and traditional superpowers, so we chose Negasonic Teenage Warhead to fit in there." He added that it helped tremendously that she has a unique and memorable name. The "Deadpool" team also elected to change her powers, making her more energy-based and explosive instead of leaning into the more subdued, telepathic nature of her comic book counterpart.

Just as the writers did, Hildebrand also put her own touches on this new take on a preexisting character.

As a character with a relatively brief run on the pages of Marvel Comics and a comparatively small fanbase to those of other X-Men like Wolverine and Jean Grey, Negasonic Teenage Warhead is the perfect character to tweak a bit for the movies. In addition to expanding on her abilities and personality and offering Marvel fans a fresh take on the character, this decision allowed Brianna Hildebrand to take the character in new directions. Suffice to say, she didn't shy away from taking full advantage of that opportunity.

"I could literally give her my own biography, I could give her whatever I wanted her to be. It's been fun. I'm really excited about it," Hildebrand told Collider in the lead-up to the theatrical debut of "Deadpool." Since then, she has returned to the role of Negasonic Teenage Warhead via "Deadpool 2" to develop the young X-Men member further. Most notably, it's revealed in the sequel that she's in a relationship with X-Men teammate Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) — a romance that will continue in the highly-anticipated "Deadpool 3."

Though she's still not among the most well-known Marvel characters, Negasonic Teenage Warhead's unlikely appearances in the "Deadpool" films and Brianna Hildebrand's hard work to make the character stand out have certainly raised her stock among comic book fans.