10 Insane Facts You Didn't Know About Ghost Rider
The Rider's journey has seen more CRAZY then all of Nicholas Cage's career.
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00:00 Now there's no question that Ghost Rider is one of Marvel's most popular characters.
00:04 Ever since his iconic debut in Marvel's Spotlight #5, the spirit of vengeance has been blazing
00:10 through the Marvel Universe on his tricked-out chopper as the Underworld's favorite anti-hero.
00:15 But as you might expect from his unique backstory to his unconventional physical appearance,
00:19 there are a lot of bizarre things going on with this demonic entry.
00:23 And that's where I'm here to help, as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these
00:26 are 10 Insane Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Ghost Rider.
00:31 10.
00:32 There's a Blue Ghost Rider
00:33 Now every Ghost Rider is possessed by a demon which gives the anti-hero their powers.
00:38 For instance, Zarathos was the demonic entity who possessed Johnny Blaze and turned him
00:42 into the fire-resistant biker that we all know and love.
00:45 But there is another rider who ends up being possessed by something other than a demon
00:49 and rocks a different color scheme than the others.
00:52 Danny Ketch is the third person to don the identity of the spirit of vengeance.
00:56 He made his big debut in Ghost Rider Vol. 3 #1 in May of 1990.
01:01 Here Daniel touched the mystical sigil on a bike that he found in a junkyard, turning
01:05 him into the rider, and was possessed by the demon known as Noble Kale.
01:09 But this wasn't always the case.
01:10 Danny played the villain once he was possessed by the angel of vengeance, Zadkiel, who wanted
01:15 to become God.
01:16 This angel figured that manipulating the spirit of vengeance would be the best way to accomplish
01:20 that, and with a new team came new colors.
01:23 Ketch began rocking the blue flame look, which by scientific standards is much, much hotter.
01:28 So the thing to remember here is that demon-possessed Ghost Riders are orange, and the angel-possessed
01:33 ones are blue.
01:34 9.
01:35 The original Ghost Rider was just a cowboy
01:38 Now Ghost Rider wasn't always a demon hell-bent on vengeance.
01:41 When the superhero identity debuted in 1967 in Ghost Rider #1, he was not the leather-wearing,
01:47 chain-wielding, fiery bonehead individual that fans are used to, because this version
01:51 was a cowboy.
01:52 A young man named Carter Slade happens to come upon a group of Native Americans attacking
01:57 some innocent people.
01:58 It turns out that they weren't actually Native Americans, but evil-doers in disguise.
02:02 And when Slade tried to stop them, he was shot several times.
02:05 He survived thanks to some actual Native Americans who found him close to death.
02:10 They brought him to their tribe, and their doctor took a look at him.
02:12 The tribe doctor's medical assessment diagnosed him in need of a resurrection.
02:16 Upon his return to the land of the living, he was told that he was the champion of the
02:20 Great Spirit.
02:21 Carter embraced the role and became the Ghost Rider.
02:24 However, his great spiritual championship run didn't last forever.
02:28 When Johnny Blaze's version of the Ghost Rider blazed onto the scenes in the comics,
02:31 Slade changed his moniker from the Ghost Rider to that of the Phantom Rider.
02:35 And he still maintains a relatively small presence in the ever-expanding Marvel Universe.
02:40 8.
02:41 He once outran Thor's hammer
02:43 There's no question that the Ghost Rider's badass chopper has done some pretty remarkable
02:47 things during the Spirit of Vengeance run in the comics, having even been able to outrun
02:52 some pretty powerful things in the past, with one of these being Thor's hammer.
02:56 This epic accomplishment went down in Avengers #241.
02:59 As a member of the X-Men known as Angel was squaring off against the demonic anti-hero
03:03 Johnny Blaze, we saw Ghost Rider - who isn't really known for his restraint - end up putting
03:07 the mutant into a coma.
03:09 The Avengers tried to stop Blaze from hurting anyone else, but soon realized that they are
03:13 no match for the Rider.
03:14 Realizing that they've underestimated the fire-resistant biker, Thor tries to weaken
03:18 Blaze by throwing Mjolnir at him.
03:20 In response, Johnny jumps on his bike and outruns this mythical weapon.
03:24 To add insult to injury, he grabs the powerful hammer and rides it back towards the God of
03:28 Thunder, using the momentum to deliver a devastating blow.
03:31 It's really not a surprise that Blaze is considered one of the greatest riders in the
03:35 Marvel Universe, and his legendary hammer grab is a true testament to that very statement.
03:40 7.
03:41 The Car Trunk is Actually a Portal
03:44 Now each rider has their own taste in transportation.
03:46 Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch were all about the bike, and Carter Slade was a fan of the
03:50 horseback.
03:51 Robbie Reyes, however, is different to the other versions of the character, more specifically
03:55 in how he chooses to get around.
03:57 Because, you see, Robbie chose to roam around in a badass 1969 Dodge Charger.
04:01 This Spirit of Vengeance's prime mode of transportation was aptly named the "Hell
04:06 Charger", and his sweet ride had quite a few bells and whistles to help Robbie get
04:10 the job done.
04:11 But the most surprising and memorable feature on this otherworldly four-wheeled beast is
04:15 the trunk.
04:16 In the issue "Ghost Rider Vol. 1", Robbie's little brother Gabe is rescued from a conflict
04:20 involving a gang.
04:21 The demonic anti-hero puts him in the trunk in what readers assumed was for safety, but
04:25 in actuality was something far, far cooler.
04:27 You see, the trunk is actually a portal.
04:30 Gabe instantly was safely transported from the gang battle all the way to Robbie's
04:34 workplace.
04:35 And this is a great way to get something somewhere in a hurry during a crisis, but it also serves
04:39 as a solid argument for the Hell Charger over the chopper.
04:42 6.
04:43 The Entire Backstory of the Original Ghost Rider
04:46 Nobody has better backstories than comic book characters.
04:49 They range from unbelievably epic to, well, unbelievably ridiculous.
04:53 And somewhere in the middle lies the twisted nature of the Ghost Rider mythology.
04:57 To put it plainly, the story behind the Spirit of Vengeance is all kinds of out there.
05:01 The demonic anti-hero has been around for basically thousands of years, and one of its
05:05 most notable and prominently early hosts is none other than Noble Kane.
05:09 And Kane's whole story is very weird and incredibly intriguing.
05:13 During the 18th century, his family was entrusted with the powers of the Spirit of Vengeance,
05:17 and Noble had fallen head over heels in love for a woman.
05:20 They had a happy life together and even had a baby, but his family's happiness would
05:24 soon fade, because one day his wife discovered a dark secret about his father, Pastor Kale.
05:29 She learned that he was a worshipper of Mephisto.
05:32 This discovery led to the pastor having his son's wife burned alive for the crime of
05:35 being a witch.
05:36 However, before passing away, his wife summoned spirits to kill Pastor Kale.
05:41 In order to survive this, Pastor desperately sold Noble's soul to Mephisto, which resulted
05:45 in Mephisto turning Noble into the Ghost Rider.
05:49 5.
05:50 He Can Control His Chain With His Mind
05:52 One thing that Ghost Rider fans can all agree on is that one particular weapon has become
05:57 an indispensable tool for the demonic anti-hero.
05:59 The fiery chain whip has become a crucial part of the Rider's makeup, as seen both
06:04 with Robbie Rays in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Johnny Blaze in the Nicolas Cage feature
06:08 films.
06:09 But it was actually the third Rider that first rocked this notable piece of weaponry.
06:12 One of the biggest differences between Blaze and Ketch was their weapon of choice.
06:16 Back then, Blaze was all about using his bare hands to beat down the bad guys.
06:20 Ketch, on the other hand, relied on a mystical chain that was linked to his mind.
06:24 Through the use of his brain, Ketch could instantly change the shape of the chain into
06:28 all sorts of crazy weapons.
06:30 This otherworldly metal-linked whip could also stretch as long as the demonic anti-hero
06:33 needed it to go.
06:35 Needless to say, this was an invaluable asset in the war against Hell and all of its dark
06:39 forces.
06:40 Eventually, even good ol' Johnny Blaze came around, dropped the fisticuff routine, and
06:44 gladly adopted the chain to have it forever remain as part of the Ghost Rider's arsenal.
06:48 4.
06:49 Frank Castle Was Once Ghost Rider
06:51 Over the years, there have been several different individuals to take on the Ghost Rider identity.
06:56 The most noteworthy Ghost Riders would be that of Johnny Blaze, Robbie Reyes, Danny
06:59 Ketch, and Alejandra Jones.
07:01 But not many know one other popular Marvel character also took up the demonic anti-hero
07:06 mantle, who in 2018 became the first cosmic Ghost Rider.
07:10 During the Thanos wins run, Frank Castle is killed by the infamous villain and sent to
07:14 the fiery depths of Hell.
07:16 There, he makes a deal with Mephisto.
07:18 He makes the mercenary the cosmic Ghost Rider and allows him to return to the world of the
07:22 living.
07:23 But in exchange for his freedom and newfound powers, he must exact revenge on the Mad Titan.
07:27 And Frank can never say no to payback, so he of course obliges.
07:30 Unfortunately, the Mad Titan had already wiped out everyone else in the universe.
07:35 This drove the cosmic Rider insane and eventually led to him becoming a servant under Thanos.
07:39 But thankfully that's all cleaned up, and he now serves as a member of the New Guardians
07:43 of the Galaxy.
07:44 3.
07:45 He Was A Member Of The Fantastic Four
07:47 Those who know a lot about the demonic anti-hero know that he's not much of a team player.
07:51 However, Ghost Rider has been part of a few select superhero groups since his debut, including
07:56 the Fantastic Four.
07:57 This all went down in Fantastic Four #347, when a Skrull named Delilah goes after Marvel's
08:03 favorite foursome.
08:04 She gets to their headquarters and takes them out one by one.
08:07 Once she's done, she assumes the form of Sue Storm.
08:10 Using Reed Richards' tech, she summons Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Spirit of Vengeance.
08:15 When the heroes arrive, they realize that three of the members are dead.
08:18 But not realizing that she is actually in disguise, they believe the fake Sue Storm
08:21 and immediately set out to find the supposed killer.
08:24 The heroes agree to work together to avenge their friends and become the new Fantastic
08:28 Four.
08:29 This eclectic group of heroes is absolutely nuts and would be something that would be
08:32 great to see unfold one day on the big screen.
08:34 But until then, it can only be seen during the few times that they've popped up over
08:37 the years, which has been nothing major since their debut.
08:40 2.
08:41 The Rider Once Bonded With Hulk And Venom
08:43 If anyone has ever wondered what would happen if the Venom symbiote, the Incredible Hulk,
08:47 and the Spirit of Vengeance all bonded together, then Marvel's Circle of Four storyline has
08:52 your answer.
08:53 This unlikely combo came about when some of Marvel's finest were attempting to stop
08:57 Blackheart from turning Earth into a new version of Hell.
09:00 Alejandra Jones' Ghost Rider teamed up with Red Hulk, Venom, and X-23 to stop the devilish
09:05 villain.
09:06 But they underestimated Blackheart, who proved to be more than they could handle.
09:09 In a desperate attempt to beat the demon and stop his ungodly plan, both the Red Hulk and
09:14 Ghost Rider bonded with the Venom symbiote at the same time.
09:17 This resulted in a very large and very fiery beast riding a huge demonic chopper.
09:22 Now armed with the power of three of the Marvel Universe's most powerful beings, this unbelievable
09:27 triple threat single-handedly defeated Blackheart.
09:30 Having the symbiote bond with Alejandra's version of the Rider alone would have been
09:33 an exciting thing to see unfold within the comics, but throwing the Red Hulk into the
09:37 mix as well?
09:38 That's just the type of insanity that readers love.
09:40 1.
09:41 His 2099 Counterpart Was A Cyborg
09:44 Marvel decided to shake things up in the 90s by introducing futuristic versions of its
09:48 most popular characters via the 2099 universe.
09:51 And of course, one of these lucky heroes was that of the Spirit of Vengeance.
09:55 And they couldn't have been any more different from the original.
09:58 Marvel abandoned his demonic and mystical origins completely here, because the Rider's
10:02 makeover for the future would turn him into a cyborg with a robot body who looked pretty
10:06 much identical to the original anti-hero.
10:09 This new story revolves around a hacker named Kenshiro Cochrane.
10:12 Cochrane was attempting to steal some very important information when he's attacked
10:15 by a violent gang, which results in his murder.
10:18 After he dies, he wakes up in a digital realm known as the Ghost Worlds.
10:22 A group of artificial intelligence programs convince him to return to the real world and
10:26 prevent the destruction of humanity.
10:28 He accepts, and his mind is uploaded into the aforementioned robotic body that is the
10:31 spitting image of the Ghost Rider.
10:34 The end result is a futuristic cyborg version of the Spirit of Vengeance, and it's safe
10:38 to say that this is probably the craziest iteration of the ruthless Avenger that has
10:42 ever been created.
10:43 There we go my friends, those were 10 insane facts that you didn't know about the Ghost
10:47 Rider.
10:48 I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in
10:50 the comments section below.
10:52 As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJ but the O is a
10:56 zero, or you can swing by Instagram where it's the same handle.
10:59 As always I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak