Ghost Rider is back in the spotlight thanks to Marvel Comics’ new Spirit of Violence comic book series. As with most crossovers like this, several different Ghost Riders are teaming up to battle a violent evil being; in this case, it is the Spirit of Violence. Ghost Rider has been around Marvel Comics for years, with Johnny Blaze as the first one introduced in the comics, although it turns out there have been many different people who served as the Spirit of Vengeance before him. They have also had a strong connection to Hell, and Mephisto has always had a hand in this demonic, yet heroic being.
From Johnny Blaze and his family to the classic heroes of yesteryear, here is a look at the best versions of Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics.
10) Phantom Rider
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Phantom Rider is Carter Slade, and he was the original Ghost Rider (although there were hosts before him with different names), although he is very different in appearance and powers. Carter was shot numerous times by white men pretending to be Native Americans to cause unrest in the West. A Native American tribe took him in, and their medicine man, Flaming Star, believed Carter to be the Chosen One sent to him.
When Carter miraculously awoke, restored to health, Flamingh Star gave him a white costume and a white horse named Banshee, and he became the first Ghost Rider. This version has no access to Hellfire or any other power of the Ghost Riders in the future, and only has his Spirit Gun as a weapon. He debuted in Ghost Rider #1 (1966) and soon had his name changed to Phantom Rider to differentiate between the other Ghost Riders.
9) Caleb
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Caleb was a former enslaved man who purchased the freedom of himself and his wife around the American Civil War. However, he and his family were soon murdered by a gang led by a man named George Reagan. Two years later, he returned from the dead as the Spirit of Vengeance and began to seek revenge. The story was told in Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears in 2007. He has most of the powers of any other Ghost Rider, as well as possession and dimensional travel. In the end, Caleb and his close friend Travis were both sent to the demonic plane as punishment for their thirst for vengeance.
8) Barbara Ketch
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Barbara Ketch is Danny Ketch’s sister, and she made her first appearance in Ghost Rider Vol. 3 #1 in 1990. She was murdered when she and Dan went to a graveyard and were attacked by Deathwatch and his ninjas, and she was murdered by Blackout while in the hospital. Danny always held her death close to him, and part of why he fights is the memory of his sister. That made it shocking when she returned in the new Spirit of Violence series as the titular character seeking to feast on the suffering of the various Ghost Riders.
7) Noble Kale
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Noble Kale is the Angel of Death and made his first appearance in Ghost Rider (1990) #1. Noble Kale is the man who really started the legacy of the Ghost Riders in Marvel Comics, the ancestor of Neomi Kale, Johnny Blaze, and Danny Ketch. He is also the reason all of those characters were destined to become Ghost Riders. He is extremely powerful, a man who killed witch hunters and some real witches in the 17th Century before fighting Mephisto himself. He is also immortal, as he is not allowed to enter Heaven or Hell and instead passes through the firstborn child of every generation of his family.
6) Hellverine
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Hellverine is one of the newest Ghost Riders in Marvel Comics, as it is the former Daken, Wolverine’s son, who returned from Hell as a new Weapon of Vengeance. Bagra-Ghul was a demon that once possessed Wolverine, and it was such a great idea that Marvel brought it back with Daken after Sabretooth murdered him. Bagra-Ghul brought Daken back from the dead and tried to use him against Wolverine. The storyline is almost like a mix between Hellraiser and Ghost Rider, with the former Daken punishing sinners as a work of twisted art. He has the same powers as other Ghost Riders, as well as the use of his flaming Wolverine claws.
5) Cosmic Ghost Rider
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Making his first appearance in Thanos #13 in 2016, Cosmic Ghost Rider is Frank Castle, which is frightening enough without considering that on top of Frank’s murder lust and Ghost Rider’s primary powers, he also has access to the Power Cosmic. While this could have been an interesting What If…? series, instead, Cosmic Ghost Rider has a deep history now in Marvel, fighting everyone from Cable and Thanos to Galactus. Most recently, Maximus brought in Cosmic Ghost Rider in the Imperial series, and he murdered Gamora and Darkhawk, showing his immense powers.
4) Alejandra Jones
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Alejandra Jones made her debut in Ghost Rider (2011) #1 as a trainee under Johnny Blaze, who ended up becoming the new Ghost Rider when Johnny gave up the curse, and she was forced to take it as the next chosen one. When Johnny reclaimed the Spirit of Vengeance, he went on to train Alejandra on how to control the power and use it as a force of good, rather than to let the evil overcome her soul. She died in the Absolute Carnage storyline, but she was a very popular and very powerful Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics, and she deserves a resurrection and a new run.
3) Danny Ketch
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Danny Ketch was Johnny Blaze’s brother that he never knew about, and he became the Ghost Rider in comics in the 1990s. His first appearance was in Ghost Rider (1990) #1, where he took on the role with the memories of his beloved dead sister in his mind. When people think of the leather-bound Ghost Rider, it is Danny’s appearance that influences that, as Johnny was more dressed like a stunt rider. Danny and Johnny have worked together over the years, as well as against each other at times, and they will always be interconnected as Ghost Riders in Marvel Comics.
2) Robbie Reyes
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Robbie Reyes might be the most popular Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics today. He is different from other versions of the character because he is not a Spirit of Vengeance. Instead, he gained his powers when he was killed in a drive-by shooting and came back to life with his powers. However, he was not one of Mephisto’s demons and was instead possessed by his Satanic uncle. Despite this, he has access to Hellfire and other tools, and Johnny Blaze even said Robbie is as much a Ghost Rider as he was, and he soon became so much more.
1) Johnny Blaze
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Johnny Blaze was the first Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics, and he will always be well known as the most famous of the characters who have held the title. He sold his soul to Mephisto to save his mentor’s life, only to watch his mentor die anyway in a different fashion. He used his anger to find a way out of Mephisto’s deal, but was still stuck as Ghost Rider from that moment on. He has been the standard bearer for every Ghost Rider after him, from his days as an antiero to his role as the ruler of Hell and his return to Earth as a being who punishes evil beings. Johnny Blaze is the definitive Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics.
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