Credit: Inside the MagicThe head of Marvel Television has revealed what’s next for Ghost Rider, the iconic Spirit of Vengeance, in his inevitable debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There have been rumors for years that Marvel Studios wants to bring Ghost Rider into the mainstream MCU, but little confirmation.
The modern character was created by Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog, with Stan Lee popping into provide the name “Johnny Blaze” for the most famous incarnation of the antihero; a previous, Western-themed character named Ghost Rider was later retconned into being part of the mythos and renamed Phantom Rider.
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Ghost Rider has previously appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Gabriel Luna and Tom McComas playing two different versions of the character. But that show’s connection to the greater MCU has always been a little sketchy, and it has been unclear how much of its story is treated as canon by Marvel Studios.
More importantly, it has always been unclear exactly what Marvel’s plan to properly debut Ghost Rider is. Ryan Gosling has reportedly been a top pick to play the Johnny Blaze version of the character for some time, with Marvel chief Kevin Feige saying, “If Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider, Ryan’s amazing. I’d love to find him a place in the MCU.”
Others have fancast Jensen Ackles for quite some time, but it turns out that Marvel has actually placed some heavy restrictions on the character in recent years.
Both Deadpool & Wolverine and the animated Disney+ What If…? show were reportedly barred from using the character, with the latter’s executive producers Brian Andrews and AC Bradley confirming that they had not been allowed to use Ghost Rider until he debuted in live-action.
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Now, Marvel Television chief Brad Winderbaum has thrown fans a curve and said that he doesn’t want to bring in Johnny Blaze but the 1990s version of the character.
Collider asked what Disney+ series Winderbaum would greenlight if he could “snap [his] fingers right now,” and Winderbaum revealed that he “would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider. I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.”
The Danny Ketch version of Ghost Rider, created by Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares, debuted in Marvel Comics in 1990.
The Johnny Blaze version of the character had been out of action for nearly a decade, and Ketch was something of a modernized take on the spirit, complete with a futuristic motorcycle and ninja enemies (hey, it was the 1990s). Since then, both Blaze and Ketch have acted as the spirit, as have numerous other figures.
It is unclear when the Spirit of Vengeance might actually make his debut in the live-action MCU, but it seems it might not exactly be what fans expect when he does.
Which version of Ghost Rider do you want to see in the MCU?