Warning! Contains spoilers for Ghost Rider #3.
In the Marvel Universe, ghost rider is known as the Spirit of Vengeance. But it looks like her other half, Johnny Blaze, might get in the way of that.
Several different characters have taken up the mantle of Ghost Rider over the years, but the most well-known is that of stuntman Johnny Blaze. His origins have changed over time, but the basic idea is that he made a deal with the Devo; to save someone’s life. Unfortunately, this deal required him to be tied to an entity known as Ghost Rider. His job is to hunt down those who hurt innocent people, punishing them in the name of revenge with his signature Penance Stare attack.
Similar to Hulk, Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze are seen as two entities that act independently of each other. Johnny Blaze passes out when the Ghost Rider takes control, but that didn’t stop Johnny from immersing himself in the world of the Ghost Rider. For the most part, Johnny has been thrown into a world of danger, often having to step in and save innocent people like he did in Ghost Rider #3 by Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith and Brent Peeples. When a young boy was about to be run over by a truck, Johnny Blaze sprang into action and tackled the boy out of the way.
Although he saves innocent people from time to time, Ghost Rider cares less about protection and more about punishment. He is the spirit of vengeance and uses his gaze of penance to make the guilty relive all the pain they have caused. But if Johnny Blaze saves lives, his actions are in direct contradiction to the Ghost Rider’s mission. Bad things have to happen for the Ghost Rider to seek revenge, the really bad things that Johnny Blaze is trying to prevent.
In this regard, Ghost Rider is very different from Hulk. Hulk doesn’t necessarily have a mission. He’s just trying to live and stay out of trouble. But the Ghost Rider is driven by a need to punish. Innocent blood must be shed for this to happen. It’s unclear what might happen to Johnny Blaze if the Ghost Rider he’s attached to is unable to punish people. Although it’s highly unlikely that Johnny would stop saving people, willingly leaving them to die just so the Ghost Rider would have a culprit to inflict his penance glare on. Anyway, Johnny Blaze and the ghost rider are two sides of the same coin and they will have to accept their opposing intentions of heroism against punishment.
ghost rider #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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