A new Ghost Rider design has been revealed, and it breaks with the character’s typical skull-on-fire appearance. The design hails from Marvel Dimensions, an original graphic novel penned by Alex Ross, Jason Millet, Josh Johnson and Ariana Maher, which trades the demon’s flaming skull for a fiery halo instead.
Johnny Blaze has been part of Marvel’s universe since 1972, and he remains the original Ghost Rider, even though other riders like Robbie Reyes and Danny Ketch have taken up the name since then. As Marvel looks ahead to a fresh chapter for the character, it is rolling out a major visual overhaul for him.
Blaze’s Long History
The tale concerns a stunt driver named Blaze, who took on the host of a supernatural entity. That bargain carried a cost: the fire raged inside him, and the skull appeared whenever he rode his motorcycle. This story follows a pattern that readers will recognize from comics and films alike.
The Design From Marvel Dimensions
The story takes place in the In-Verse, an alternate reality where Marvel’s biggest heroes are villains and vice versa. The narrative follows the villainous 1st Strike, Exalted and Unknowables — the In-Verse’s Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four respectively.
The climax brings together a vast host of villains, and among them appears Johnny Blaze’s Ghost Rider, who shows up on his signature fiery motorcycle. He does not bear a burning skull, though. His head is encircled instead by a flaming halo.
Blaze wears an all-black suit with a gap evocative of an absent clerical collar. He holds his hand up in a seeming inversion of traditional images of Jesus Christ. The codename isn’t given in the comic, but the creative team flips the meaning of each character’s vigilante identity, and Johnny bearing a halo makes the angelic ‘Host Rider’ a likely candidate.
A Look That Brings Back Memories
The new look draws on a previous appearance for the character. During the Doctor Strange: Damnation event, Johnny took over from Mephisto as King of Hell for a short time, in 2018. The design began with flame-like candles, yet as Blaze became more corrupted by the position, his skull grew horns.
The design was a brilliant one, and it did something that only the finest superhero redesigns manage: it made the new look feel like the inevitable destination for the character all along. It showed exactly what Johnny’s flames were always ‘meant’ to become.
The Ultimate Universe Revamp
In the Ultimate Universe, the Spirit of Vengeance took on a terrifying form with wicked blue flames, a hellfire-infused machine gun and Cerberus the three-headed hellhound as his mount. He first appeared in The Ultimates #21, drawn by Pere Pérez and scripted by Deniz Camp, and became one of Luke Cage’s rebel Avengers in a world controlled by the villainous Maker and his forces. He went by the codename ‘Penance’ in reference to the mainstream Ghost Rider’s theoretically powerful but seldom effective Penance Stare.
Why The In-Verse Matters
The X-Men’s towering guardians, once built to resemble castles brought to life, and a Spider-Man who breaks into the world rather than saving it’s most powerful superhumans, Marvel Dimensions, prove what a delight In-Verse is. This story reveals just how much potential this vast lore holds for stories to come.
Ghost Rider’s flaming skull for a fiery halo is a design choice that dares future creators to tease out the villainous variant’ has a history that is worth revisiting, and it would be good to see that happen without delay.
The Road To The MCU
The redesign arrives soon after Marvel revealed Ryan Gosling will take on the role of the stunt driver who becomes the Spirit of Vengeance in the MCU. The character’s backstory runs deep, and this fresh appearance matches a franchise that has spent years constructing a darker, more cosmic mythology.
The creators of the character were Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog, who brought him into being in 1972. Since then, Blaze has appeared in numerous comics, cartoons and films. The first film featured Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Gabriel Luna, Peter Fonda and Violante Placido. The latest film is Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
What The Halo Means
A glowing ring around his head is the clearest sign that this version of Ghost Rider is not the demon you would expect. The In-Verse setting trades places between heroes and villains, and Blaze’s new look plays with that concept. Fire surrounding his head instead of fire within him points toward purity and holiness — the exact opposite of the Hellfire that defines his usual form.
The missing portion of his clothing, suggestive of a lost clerical collar, underscores the reversal. The raised hand appears to mirror traditional depictions of Jesus Christ, which stands the character’s customary demonic appearance on its head.
The Future Of Host Rider
A promising world, the In-Verse is, and its ‘Host Rider’ design proves there is much room within it for stories to unfold. What remains uncertain is whether Marvel will turn back to it soon.
A stunt driver turned villain in a world where heroes and villains trade places gives rise to questions about Blaze’s standing within this reality. Such queries are precisely what make a recurring universe worth returning to.
A bold change has been made. A figure long defined by fire and darkness now bears a halo upon his head, and it forces readers to question everything they believed they understood about him.
The new Ghost Rider design has been revealed by Marvel, leaving the rest to be determined by the people who create it.
Comparison Of Ghost Rider Designs
| Appearance | Setting | Codename |
|---|---|---|
| Flaming skull | Marvel main continuity | Not specified |
| Fiery halo | In-Verse | Likely ‘Host Rider’ |
| Wicked blue flames, machine gun, Cerberus mount | Ultimate Universe | ‘Penance’ |
Key Facts
- First appearance: Ghost Rider debuted in 1972, created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog.
- Original rider: Johnny Blaze, the stunt driver who took on the host of a supernatural entity.
- Ultimate Universe codename: ‘Penance,’ referencing the mainstream Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare.
- Doctor Strange: Damnation event: Johnny took over from Mephisto as King of Hell in 2018.
- MCU casting: Ryan Gosling will play the stunt driver who becomes the Spirit of Vengeance.
- Comic credits: Marvel Dimensions written by Alex Ross, Jason Millet, Josh Johnson and Ariana Maher.
See the video the story is built around at Screen Rant.
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