Spoilers for Marvel-related content, in general.
The two Ghost Riders (from left: Carter Slade and Johnny Blaze)
You know something is undoubtedly amiss when the only option at your disposal to catch your favorite superhero on screen is by having to sit through an incompetently made subpar mess of a film or simply fast-forwarding through it to get to the handful of reasonably decent scenes it has to offer. This, of course, sums up our experience of 2007’s Ghost Rider, and its equally egregious sequel, 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. On the matter of who or what is to blame for these terrible films, well, that is a story for another day. Instead, we would like to discuss the notion of a possible reboot for one of the coolest, or more aptly, hottest characters Marvel has to offer, and why we find it rather unfathomable that we have yet to see a new iteration of Johnny Blaze materialize in all his fiery glory on screen.
Since the character’s advent nearly five decades ago, Ghost Rider has often been pegged as Marvel’s very own alternative to the more streamlined and often predictable superheroes that filled its sizeable roster. Johnny Blaze was a man who sold his soul to the Devil, thereupon receiving the powers of the Ghost Rider and battling the forces of darkness. To say that the character is somewhat “edgy” would be an understatement, but it is precisely this edginess exuded by the character that garnered him widespread appeal during the 1970s and 1980s. Whether it was his flaming skull for a visage, the spiked-shouldered leather jacket, or the flame engulfed motorcycle that he rode, this unique display would certainly warrant a second look, even by today’s standards.
Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. The Ghost Rider
With such a vividly imaginative character, it is sincerely astounding that a much-needed reboot of the character is yet to be announced. After all, in the last two decades, we have seen three iterations of Spider-Man and two of the Fantastic Four, begging the question: when will Ghost Rider have his chance? Granted, an alternative version of the character did appear for a short stint in Season 4 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and while the character was intriguing in his own way, his subsequent spinoff series was soon unceremoniously canceled before it even began.
Therefore, we believe there is a pressing need to reboot the Ghost Rider. If not for the sheer brilliance that the character has to offer in terms of his storytelling potential, then at least for the simple need to provide a captivating substitute to the significantly formulaic superhero films that the studio continues to churn out.
The Ghost Rider needs to live again.
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