AI Reimagines Marvel Characters As Ghost Rider - The Results Are Cool As Hell
A Ghost Rider is an entity with the combined might of a mortal vessel and a Spirit of Vengeance. Modern Marvel fans will best recognize the symbiotic antihero as either Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) from Sony's "Ghost Rider" duology or Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) from ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." television series. Both iterations of the character manifest as sentient skeletons bathed in eternal flame. They also wear a bunch of leather, but that's got more to do with Johnny's and Robbie's proclivities than it does with their occult partners'. Provided their vessel is chill with aggressive corporal punishment, then a Spirit of Vengeance would probably agree to wear anything.
Digital artists PlanetAI put that hypothetical to the test in April 2023 by using AI to create a series of Ghost Rider variants, each one reimagining the Marvel legend as a different hero or antihero. There's a precedent for other heroes becoming Ghost Riders in the comics, so it's not even out of the realm of possibility for this to happen. At any rate, the resulting artwork is equal parts devilish and enchanting because who can resist a fire-and-brimstone Spider-Man variant? A skeletal Hulk? A molten Iron Man? All told, there are nine new Ghost Riders to judge ... but not too harshly. The Spirits of Vengeance don't really have a sense of humor.
From Venom to Hulk, Ghost Rider is always terrifying
Ironically, Deadpool, whose costume AI has reimagined in different countries, doesn't make for an interesting Ghost Rider variant; he just makes for a slightly redder Ghost Rider, with his iconic red spandex transformed into a muted leather jacket that, frankly, just looks like something Johnny Blaze would wear. Similarly, the Captain America Ghost Rider is just Ghost Rider with some blue skull paint and a star on his shoulder.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Iron Man Ghost Riders, all three of whom appear generally unchanged except for the whole being-on-fire thing. The designs are still stunning, especially Iron Man; it's just a little difficult to tell if these guys are actually Ghost Riders, what with the full-body armor and all.
Doctor Strange, the Hulk, and Spider-Man all fuse more equally with Ghost Rider. The Doctor Strange Ghost Rider combines the sorcerer's billowing robes with the Spirit of Vengeance's wicked flames. The Hulk Ghost Rider keeps the green titan's massive shape but makes the skin on his face translucent so that his skeleton stands out against the flesh. The Spider-Man Ghost Rider hides his bones beneath a suit of interwoven leather straps that call to mind both skeletal and silken imagery.
And then there's the Venom Ghost Rider. While he looks like an even more demonic version of Surtur from "Thor: Ragnarok," it's what he represents that offers the most intrigue. Is the Spirit of Vengeance bonded to Eddie Brock or the symbiote? Or both? Does that make the Ghost Rider even more powerful? It must, right?