Marvel Rumor: Ghost Rider Is Coming To The MCU In A Big Way
As the Multiverse Saga rolls on, numerous names are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe hero roster. At long last, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) will join the blockbuster franchise, following in the footsteps of other recent additions like America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), and Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), to name a few. According to the rumor mill, these names and other established MCU do-gooders will soon be joined by one of Marvel's most popular anti-heroes: Ghost Rider. Here's what's reportedly in store for the character's MCU debut.
Word of Ghost Rider's impending MCU arrival comes from Hollywood insider @MyTImeToShineHello on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. They claim that Marvel Studios figurehead Kevin Feige has big plans for the character in the form of a solo movie. They go on to note that Sacha Baron Cohen — the actor heavily rumored to play the demonic Mephisto in the MCU — will factor into the story and that Marvel Studios is seeking out an A-list name to play Ghost Rider himself. Of course, these are nothing more than rumors for the time being, so until Marvel Studios speaks on the matter, it's best to take these claims with a grain of salt.
In the event Ghost Rider is indeed MCU-bound via his own movie, one can only hope this live-action adaptation of the character is finally a homerun.
Hopefully Marvel can finally get Ghost Rider right
To date, Ghost Rider has been brought into live-action in two different ways. First and foremost is arguably the more well-known of the two, the Nicolas Cage-led "Ghost Rider" duology. In 2007's "Ghost Rider" and 2012's "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," Cage plays the Johnny Blaze version of the character, bringing plenty of his signature wackiness and absurdity to the role. While both films have their positives, they ultimately failed to impress critically and commercially in their day, also failing to stand as definitive takes on the source material.
Fast forward to 2016, Season 4 of the seemingly non-MCU canon ABC series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." brings Ghost Rider back into the limelight. This time around, Marvel fans are given a television take on the Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) version of Ghost Rider. He appears throughout the remainder of the season, being mentioned here and there in subsequent seasons. This is a rather strong adaptation of the character, but being a part of a larger narrative means that he doesn't get much time to shine before his time at the forefront concludes.
All in all, Ghost Rider hasn't had the best luck in live-action despite his enduring popularity and the talented actors who've tried out the role. One can only hope that if and when he finally rides his flaming motorcycle into the MCU, the character will receive the definitive adaptation he's been missing.