Ed Skrein

As Ajax in Deadpool (2016), Ed Skrein commits to being ruthless while Ryan Reynolds keeps the jokes coming. His emotional coldness gives the comedy a credible antagonist, which matters when so much else is being mocked. We were relieved by his severity, because the constant wisecracking had begun to tire us. Reynolds and Morena Baccarin remain the main reasons we recommend the film, and Skrein does not cure its familiar superhero plotting. He does make the casting of its villain feel sound.

The leading parts came early, with Plan B’s Ill Manors (2012) followed by The Transporter Refueled (2015), his first major studio lead. After the breakthrough of Deadpool, the career moved towards supporting work in studio action and science fiction. Atticus Noble in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) continues the villain casting. We can see the practical appeal of an actor whose physical presence so readily suggests menace. We can also see the risk of giving him another threatening character and considering the acting taken care of.

That supporting work includes Bobby Atwater in Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), a film with more convincing dinosaurs than people. Gareth Edwards stages the creatures with patience and scale, and two long sequences are worth seeing. David Koepp’s script leaves us knowing too little about the people sent on its errand. There is limited help an actor can offer when the writing has supplied so little character. We would not take that film as a useful test of everything Skrein might be able to do.

His supporting role as Officer Bell in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) is a reason not to mistake the action casting for the whole career. Still, the ruthless antagonist is the clearest strength here, and it needs writing that gives the actor something specific to be ruthless about. We would welcome more of that before another demonstration that he looks the part. Start with Deadpool, provided its stream of jokes about superhero films is part of the attraction.