By 
Over centuries in the Marvel Universe, Ghost Rider has gone by many names: he has been the demon Zarathos, his hosts have included the stuntman Johnny Blaze, the troubled teen Danny Ketch, the street racer Robbie Reyes. But now, he’s just Ken.
Ryan Gosling was announced at SDCC 2026 to join the MCU as the next Ghost Rider, in a film directed by Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy. At the moment, details are unclear about which incarnation of Ghost Rider Gosling will play, but coming off of hits Barbie and Project Hail Mary, he’ll likely be the movie’s primary draw.
Created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Mike Ploog, the first modern Ghost Rider debuted in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight #5. In that first incarnation, he was Johnny Blaze, a stunt driver who sold his soul to Mephisto to save his foster father. Bonded with the demon Zarathos, Blaze would transform into Ghost Rider when made aware of nearby evil, with fire consuming his face and body, and his motorcycle would taking on a hellish pallor. In 1991, Blaze was replaced by Danny Ketch, whose blood was spilled on the Ghost Rider’s motorcycle, calling forth a spirit of vengeance who forced evil doers to face his penance stare.
Over the years, several others have taken the Ghost Rider title—including, in a distant future, Frank Castle, who becomes Cosmic Ghost Rider. But the most well-known recent host was Robbie Reyes, who drove a flaming muscle car instead of the traditional motor cycle. Gosling’s casting is particularly notable in relation to the Reyes character, as he’s already appeared in the MCU. Gabriel Luna portrayed Robbie Reyes on latter seasons of Agents of SHIELD, bring a dose of the supernatural into the world of espionage.
Certainly, Gosling’s casting does not rule out the return of Luna as Reyes, as elements of the show have made their way into the mainline MCU. Furthermore, the comics have often seen the various Ghost Riders interact with one another, even when they seemed to be gone for good.
In fact, there has been some speculation that Nicolas Cage would reprise his role as Johnny Blaze from the 2007 movie and its 2012 sequel, Spirit of Vengeance. Those films definitely come from the pre-MCU era, but as Levy’s last outing in the MCU showed, if Chris Evans can return as the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, anything is possible.
But even if we don’t get Cage or Luna back as other Ghost Riders, Gosling’s proven time and again that he has the necessary charm to hold the screen. Add in a flaming skull, and that’s more than Kenough.
Ghost Rider roars into theaters in 2028.
The post Ghost Rider: Ryan Gosling Is Bringing Kenough Energy to the MCU appeared first on Den of Geek.
