We Ride As One

Birthed from a cool tattoo idea, The Ghost Rider is a mainstay of The Marvel Universe as they ride the streets seeking vengeance on those who have wronged the innocent. I already covered the predecessor to The Ghost Rider (The Rider of The Old West) so let's explore the lineage of the leather-clad badasses! Well, the ones that matter anyway.

Johnny Blaze (Cursed in 1972)

Created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Mike Ploog, Johnny Blaze was Marvel Comic's reinvention of The Ghost Rider title in the same way DC Comics ditched Jay Garrick for Barry Allen. Johnny was part of a stunt show with his foster father Craig "Crash" Simpson who had been developing a deadly cancer. Johnny-in an attempt to save the man he saw as his father-studied an occult spell and accidentally summoned the demon Mephisto. Making his deal with the devil, Johnny asked Mephisto to remove the cancer from Craig's body and in return he'd give Mephisto his soul. However, Craig still died from a stunt accident and Johnny was left at Mephisto's mercy. Rather than drag him to Hell, Mephisto bonded Johnny's soul to the demon Zarathos and commanded that whenever Johnny came across evil, he would fuse with Zarathos and become The Ghost Rider. As "The Spirit of Vengeance", Johnny would be tasked with sending evil souls to Hell using his demonic powers. Being a long standing Marvel character, aligned with teams like The Champions, The Defenders, The Heroes For Hire, The Midnight Sons and The Thunderbolts, Johnny Blaze is the Rider people know best. Thanks in no small part to Sir Nicholas of The Cage!

Daniel Ketch (Cursed in 1990)

Daniel Ketch was created by Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares, he and his sister Barbara were simple New York Citizens who were one night attacked by a character named Deathwatch and his gang. While Barbara was being beaten by Deathwatch, Ketch escaped to a junkyard where he found a motorcycle with a pentagram. The motorcycle carried the revived spirit of Zarathos and when Ketch hopped on the bike he was bonded with the demon and became the new Ghost Rider. Though he defeated the gangsters, he was unable to stop Deathwatch from putting Barbara into a coma and the villain Blackout from killer her later. Being a former member of The Midnight Sons, The Secret Defenders and The New Fantastic Four, Danny Ketch was more of a visual than a character, much like Johnny before him. Though Johnny was reused and given depth, Ketch remained a simple design of a character. When Ghost Rider eventually got his own film, the Johnny Blaze character was given Danny Ketch's leather-chain-spikes outfit since Ketch's appearance was the best known at that time.

Robbie Reyes (Cursed in 2014)

Created by Felipe Smith, Robbie Reyes is the newest Ghost Rider and most different to date. Robbie was originally a young man from LA who cared for his disabled brother Gabe, went to school and worked at an auto repair shop. In his spare time he'd steal cars from the shop and participate in street races. One car he stole was bonded to the spirit of a satanic mob assassin-and his own uncle-Eli Marrow. Now fused with the spirit of a killer, Robbie gained the ability to become The Ghost Rider and fight gang crimes in his city. Though he is the newest and least used character, Robbie Reyes brings a level of character that was unseen in his predecessors. Though his future is undetermined, Marvel Comics would benefit from the continued use of this character.

The Ghost Rider title may have only been used for hardcore imagery, but the development of the most recent Rider brings a level of hope to the mantle. The fact is, The Ghost Rider acted on a genre before characters like Spawn had a chance to and the care of the character and his iterations may prove Marvel Comics is aware of the goldmines they sit upon. Though I hope Robbie gets more exposure and even a Netflix series for Marvel's Cinematic Universe, I'd be satisfied with any of these characters getting more development to prove they aren't all action and pretty faces.
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