Marvel's Most Disturbing Ghost Rider Villain Is Too Dark For The MCU

Ghost Rider occupies a darker part of the Marvel Universe. His head is a flaming skull and he battles all types of demons and other forces of Hell. However, his most disturbing villain — a demonic parasite — is too gruesome from the MCU.

During the "Unchained" story arc of "Ghost Rider" by Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith, Brent Peeples, and Bryan Valenza, Johnny Blaze struggles with hallucinations and controlling the Spirit of Vengeance within him. He has a major scar at the back of his head from a supposed accident, so the fear is that he might have brain damage that's causing his peculiar behavior. When an eye, teeth, and disgusting tentacles seep out of the wound, though, it's clear that there's something else crawling inside of him. As it turns out, a demonic parasite burrowed its way into Johnny and used him as a host, wreaking havoc with his body and mind.

Ultimately, it's Wolverine who assists Johnny by teaming up with the Spirit of Vengeance to cut this demon out of his head. It doesn't end there, though, as this parasite then takes other hosts and creates a shadow form of Johnny, introducing itself as Exhaust. Oh, and this demon has been in cahoots with Blackheart the whole time. Hey! Marvel's Ghost Rider was once a zombie, so this isn't outside of their storytelling wheelhouse at all.

If Marvel's darkest Wolverine story is too twisted for the MCU, then Ghost Rider's most disturbing villain will be banished to the bin of never-ever-happening. To put it bluntly: The MCU isn't ready for this extreme level of possession and body horror (oh yes, far wilder than what we saw in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"), as the demonic parasite shares more in common with the Xenomorph from "Alien," the shapeshifting creature from John Carpenter's "The Thing," and Pazuzu, aka Captain Howdy, from "The Exorcist" than it does with any comic book villain.

Imagine the cinematic universe where Thor jokes about a friend from work during a gladiator battle and the Avengers eat shawarma after a victory also having a fiend from the depths of Hell digging into the skull of another character and controlling them. Not only that, but when it sheds its human host, this parasite burns through the body and rips through the flesh to take its new form. When's the last time an MCU scene looked like something out of a slaughterhouse, huh? Sit down, Frank Castle, this is out of your jurisdiction, too.

While Marvel has the Shadow King, a parasitical mutant who possesses others (and creates an irredeemable twist) in "Legion," Ghost Rider's demonic parasite is far too dark of a villain to make it onscreen. The children will cry, the parents will gasp, and Marvel Studios will have a heart attack over who allowed such a diabolical creature to ever make it into one of its productions.