The Rider's journey has seen more CRAZY then all of Nicholas Cage's career.
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00:00Now, there's no question that Ghost Rider is one of Marvel's most popular characters.
00:05Ever since his iconic debut in Marvel's Spotlight No. 5, the spirit of vengeance has been blazing
00:10through the Marvel Universe on his tricked-out chopper as the Underworld's favorite anti-hero.
00:15But as you might expect from his unique backstory to his unconventional physical appearance,
00:19there are a lot of bizarre things going on with this demonic entry.
00:23And that's where I'm here to help, as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these
00:26are 10 Insane Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Ghost Rider.
00:3110.
00:32There's a Blue Ghost Rider
00:33Now, every Ghost Rider is possessed by a demon which gives the anti-hero their powers.
00:38For instance, Xarathos was the demonic entity who possessed Johnny Blaze and turned him
00:42into the fire-resistant biker that we all know and love.
00:45But there is another rider who ends up being possessed by something other than a demon
00:49and rocks a different color scheme than the others.
00:52Danny Ketch is the third person to don the identity of the Spirit of Vengeance.
00:56He made his big debut in Ghost Rider Vol. 3, No. 1, in May of 1990.
01:01Here Daniel touched the mystical sigil on a bike that he found in a junkyard, turning
01:05him into the rider, and was possessed by the demon known as Noble Kale.
01:09But this wasn't always the case.
01:10Danny played the villain once he was possessed by the Angel of Vengeance, Zadkiel, who wanted
01:15to become God.
01:16This angel figured that manipulating the Spirit of Vengeance would be the best way to accomplish
01:20it, and with a new team came new colors.
01:23Ketch began rocking the blue flame look, which, by scientific standards, is much, much hotter.
01:28So the thing to remember here is that demon-possessed Ghost Riders are orange, and the angel-possessed
01:33ones are blue.
01:349.
01:35The original Ghost Rider was just a cowboy
01:38Ghost Rider wasn't always a demon hell-bent on vengeance.
01:41When the superhero identity debuted in 1967 in Ghost Rider No. 1, he was not the leather-wearing,
01:47chain-wielding, fiery, bonehead individual that fans are used to, because this version
01:51was a cowboy.
01:52A young man named Carter Slade happens to come upon a group of Native Americans attacking
01:57some innocent people.
01:58It turns out that they weren't actually Native Americans, but evildoers in disguise.
02:02And when Slade tried to stop them, he was shot several times.
02:06He survived thanks to some actual Native Americans who found him close to death.
02:10They brought him to their tribe, and their doctor took a look at him.
02:12The tribe doctor's medical assessment diagnosed him in need of a resurrection.
02:16Upon his return to the land of the living, he was told that he was the champion of the
02:20Great Spirit.
02:21Carter embraced the role, and became the Ghost Rider.
02:24However, his great spiritual championship run didn't last forever.
02:28When Johnny Blaze's version of the Ghost Rider blazed onto the scenes in the comics,
02:31Slade changed his moniker from the Ghost Rider to that of the Phantom Rider, and he still
02:36maintains a relatively small presence in the ever-expanding Marvel Universe.
02:408.
02:41He once outran Thor's hammer
02:43There's no question that the Ghost Rider's badass chopper has done some pretty remarkable
02:47things during the Spirit of Vengeance run in the comics, having even been able to outrun
02:52some pretty powerful things in the past, with one of these being Thor's hammer.
02:56This epic accomplishment went down in Avengers number 241.
02:59As a member of the X-Men known as Angel was squaring off against the demonic anti-hero
03:03Johnny Blaze, we saw Ghost Rider, who isn't really known for his restraint, end up putting
03:07the mutant into a coma.
03:09The Avengers tried to stop Blaze from hurting anyone else, but soon realized that they are
03:13no match for the Rider.
03:14Realizing that they've underestimated the fire-resistant biker, Thor tries to weaken
03:18Blaze by throwing Mjolnir at him.
03:20In response, Johnny jumps on his bike and outruns this mythical weapon.
03:24To add insult to injury, he grabs the powerful hammer and rides it back towards the God of
03:28Thunder, using the momentum to deliver a devastating blow.
03:31It's really not a surprise that Blaze is considered one of the greatest riders in the
03:35Marvel Universe, and his legendary hammer grab is a true testament to that very statement.
03:407.
03:41The car trunk is actually a portal
03:44Each rider has their own taste in transportation.
03:46Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch were all about the bike, and Carter Slade was a fan of the
03:50horseback.
03:51Robbie Ray's, however, is different to the other versions of the character, more specifically
03:55in how he chooses to get around.
03:57Because, you see, Robbie chose to roam around in a badass 1969 Dodge Charger.
04:01This Spirit of Vengeance's prime mode of transportation was aptly named the Hell Charger,
04:06and his sweet ride had quite a few bells and whistles to help Robbie get the job done.
04:10But the most surprising and memorable feature on this otherworldly four-wheeled beast is
04:15the trunk.
04:16In the issue Ghost Rider Vol. 1, Robbie's little brother Gabe is rescued from a conflict
04:20involving a gang.
04:21The demonic anti-hero puts him in the trunk in what readers assumed was for safety, but
04:25in actuality was something far, far cooler.
04:27You see, the trunk is actually a portal.
04:30Gabe instantly was safely transported from the gang battle all the way to Robbie's
04:34workplace.
04:35And this is a great way to get something somewhere in a hurry during a crisis, but it also serves
04:39as a solid argument for the Hell Charger over the chopper.
04:426.
04:43The Entire Backstory of the Original Ghost Rider
04:46Nobody has better backstories than comic book characters.
04:49They range from unbelievably epic to, well, unbelievably ridiculous.
04:53And somewhere in the middle lies the twisted nature of the Ghost Rider mythology.
04:57To put it plainly, the story behind the Spirit of Vengeance is all kinds of out there.
05:01The demonic anti-hero has been around for basically thousands of years, and one of its
05:05most notable and prominently early hosts is none other than Noble Kane.
05:09And Kane's whole story is very weird and incredibly intriguing.
05:13During the 18th century, his family was entrusted with the powers of the Spirit of Vengeance,
05:17and Noble had fallen head over heels in love for a woman.
05:20They had a happy life together and even had a baby.
05:22But his family's happiness would soon fade, because one day his wife discovered a dark
05:26secret about his father, Pastor Kale.
05:29She learned that he was a worshipper of Mephisto.
05:32This discovery led to the Pastor having his son's wife burned alive for the crime of
05:35being a witch.
05:36However, before passing away, his wife summoned spirits to kill Pastor Kale.
05:41In order to survive this, Pastor desperately sold Noble's soul to Mephisto, which resulted
05:45in Mephisto turning Noble into the Ghost Rider.
05:495.
05:50He Can Control His Chain With His Mind
05:52One thing that Ghost Rider fans can all agree on is that one particular weapon has become
05:57an indispensable tool for the demonic anti-hero.
05:59The fiery chain whip has become a crucial part of the Rider's makeup, as seen both
06:04with Robby Rays in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Johnny Blaze in the Nicolas Cage feature
06:08films.
06:09But it was actually the third Rider that first rocked this notable piece of weaponry.
06:12One of the biggest differences between Blaze and Ketch was their weapon of choice.
06:16Back then, Blaze was all about using his bare hands to beat down the bad guys.
06:20Ketch, on the other hand, relied on a mystical chain that was linked to his mind.
06:24Through the use of his brain, Ketch could instantly change the shape of the chain into
06:28all sorts of crazy weapons.
06:30This otherworldly metal-linked whip could also stretch as long as the demonic anti-hero
06:33needed it to go.
06:35Needless to say, this was an invaluable asset in the war against Hell and all of its dark
06:39forces.
06:40Eventually, even good ol' Johnny Blaze came around, dropped the fisticuff routine, and
06:44gladly adopted the chain to have it forever remain as part of the Ghost Rider's arsenal.
06:484.
06:49Frank Castle Was Once Ghost Rider
06:51Over the years, there have been several different individuals to take on the Ghost Rider identity.
06:56The most noteworthy Ghost Riders would be that of Johnny Blaze, Robbie Rays, Danny Ketch,
07:00and Alejandra Jones.
07:01But not many know one other popular Marvel character also took up the demonic anti-hero
07:06mantle, who in 2018 became the first Cosmic Ghost Rider.
07:10During the Thanos wins run, Frank Castle is killed by the infamous villain and sent to
07:14the fiery depths of Hell.
07:16There, he makes a deal with Mephisto.
07:18He makes the mercenary the Cosmic Ghost Rider and allows him to return to the world of the
07:22living.
07:23However, for his freedom and newfound powers, he must exact revenge on the Mad Titan.
07:27And Frank can never say no to payback, so he of course obliges.
07:30Unfortunately, the Mad Titan had already wiped out everyone else in the universe.
07:35This drove the Cosmic Rider insane, and eventually led to him becoming a servant under Thanos.
07:39But thankfully, that's all cleaned up, and he now serves as a member of the New Guardians
07:43of the Galaxy.
07:443.
07:45He Was a Member of the Fantastic Four
07:47Those who know a lot about the demonic anti-hero know that he's not much of a team player.
07:52However, Ghost Rider has been part of a few select superhero groups since his debut, including
07:56the Fantastic Four.
07:57This all went down in Fantastic Four number 347, when a Skrull named Delilah goes after
08:02Marvel's favorite foursome.
08:04She gets to their headquarters and takes them out one by one.
08:07Once she's done, she assumes the form of Sue Storm.
08:10Using Reed Richards' tech, she summons Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Spirit of Vengeance.
08:15When the heroes arrive, they realize that three of the members are dead.
08:18But not realizing that she is actually in disguise, they believe the fake Sue Storm
08:21and immediately set out to find the supposed killer.
08:24The heroes agree to work together to avenge their friends and become the new Fantastic
08:28Four.
08:29This eclectic group of heroes is absolutely nuts, and would be something that would be
08:32great to see unfold one day on the big screen.
08:34But until then, it can only be seen during the few times that they've popped up over
08:37the years, which has been nothing major since their debut.
08:402.
08:41The Rider Once Bonded with Hulk and Venom
08:43If anyone has ever wondered what would happen if the Venom symbiote, the Incredible Hulk
08:47and the Spirit of Vengeance all bonded together, then Marvel's Circle of Four storyline has
08:52your answer.
08:53This unlikely combo came about when some of Marvel's finest were attempting to stop
08:57Blackheart from turning Earth into a new version of Hell.
09:00Alejandra Jones' Ghost Rider teamed up with Red Hulk, Venom, and X-23 to stop the devilish
09:05villain.
09:06But they underestimated Blackheart, who proved to be more than they could handle.
09:09In a desperate attempt to beat the demon and stop his ungodly plan, both the Red Hulk and
09:14Ghost Rider bonded with the Venom symbiote at the same time.
09:17This resulted in a very large and very fiery beast riding a huge demonic chopper.
09:22Now armed with the power of three of the Marvel Universe's most powerful beings, this unbelievable
09:27triple threat single-handedly defeated Blackheart.
09:30Having the symbiote bond with Alejandra's version of the Rider alone would have been
09:33an exciting thing to see unfold within the comics, but throwing the Red Hulk into the
09:37mix as well is just the type of insanity that readers love.
09:401.
09:41His 2099 Counterpart Was a Cyborg
09:44Marvel decided to shake things up in the 90s by introducing futuristic versions of its
09:48most popular characters via the 2099 universe.
09:51And of course, one of these lucky heroes was that of the Spirit of Vengeance.
09:55And they couldn't have been any more different from the original.
09:58Marvel abandoned his demonic and mystical origins completely here, because the Rider's
10:02makeover for the future would turn him into a cyborg with a robot body who looked pretty
10:06much identical to the original anti-hero.
10:09This new story revolves around a hacker named Kenshiro Cochrane.
10:12Cochrane was attempting to steal some very important information when he's attacked
10:15by a violent gang, which results in his murder.
10:18After he dies, he wakes up in a digital realm known as the Ghost Worlds.
10:22A group of artificial intelligence programs convince him to return to the real world and
10:26prevent the destruction of humanity.
10:27He accepts, and his mind is uploaded into the aforementioned robotic body that is the
10:31spitting image of the Ghost Rider.
10:34The end result is a futuristic cyborg version of the Spirit of Vengeance, and it's safe
10:38to say that this is probably the craziest iteration of the ruthless Avenger that has
10:42ever been created.