19 Years Ago Today, a Powerful Marvel Character Got a Movie, and the MCU Must Stop Ignoring Them

by

Nineteen years ago, Marvel introduced a major hero to the big screen, and fans are eager to see him return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Early on, the MCU focused on characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, whose movie rights were readily available. They later learned a lesson when a Hulk movie couldn’t get a sequel due to rights issues with Universal. However, Disney’s acquisition of Fox changed things, giving Marvel the rights back to popular heroes like the X-Men and Fantastic Four, who are expected to be key players in the next Avengers: Doomsday film.

Marvel and Sony have clashed over character rights before, most notably with Spider-Man and related characters like Spider-Woman. Interestingly, Marvel did get the rights back to Ghost Rider in 2013, but they haven’t significantly featured him in their projects since the earlier Sony films.

Nic Cage Released Two Interesting Ghost Rider Movies

I remember being so excited when Ghost Rider came out in theaters on February 16, 2007! Nicolas Cage was fantastic as Johnny Blaze, and it was really cool seeing him transform into the Spirit of Vengeance. The director, Mark Steven Johnson, had also done Daredevil with Ben Affleck, which I enjoyed. He assembled a great cast, bringing in Peter Fonda as the villain Mephisto, Wes Bentley as his son Blackheart, and the wonderful Eva Mendes as Roxanne Simpson, Johnny’s love interest. It was a fun movie!

The movie earned $228.7 million globally, exceeding its $110 million budget, but it wasn’t a critical hit. Critics generally disliked it, giving it a 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences were more forgiving with a 48% score. Nicolas Cage’s performance earned him a Razzie nomination, and the film was also nominated for a Saturn Award as Best Horror Film. Despite the mixed reception, Ghost Rider has gained a dedicated cult following, and fans campaigned for Nicolas Cage to reprise his role in Deadpool & Wolverine, but that didn’t happen.

While the first Ghost Rider movie wasn’t a huge hit with audiences, it was generally better received than its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Fans were optimistic when the directors of the fast-paced action film Crank took the helm, but their energetic style proved overwhelming for most viewers. Despite a relatively modest $57 million budget, the film’s $132.5 million box office return was considered disappointing. With scores of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 31% from audiences, the movie effectively ended Sony’s Ghost Rider franchise.

Nicolas Cage was working on a third film in the Spider-Man series before Marvel took over the franchise and put it on hold. While Cage expressed his fondness for Marvel comics, he jokingly said he doesn’t need to be in a Marvel movie, stating, “I’m Nic Cage.” Despite this, he left the door open for future involvement, and will soon appear as a different Marvel character – Spider-Noir – in a Prime Video series this year.

Robbie Reyes Needs to Bring Ghost Rider to the MCU

Nicolas Cage played Ghost Rider in two films, but when Marvel got the rights back, the character reappeared in a different form. This wasn’t the original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, and it wasn’t part of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, the TV show Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD introduced Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider, with Gabriel Luna in the role, during a season where the show’s storyline diverged from the established MCU. Plans existed for Reyes to star in his own horror series on Hulu, following Helstrom, but those plans were cancelled when Marvel decided to pursue other projects.

Although Ghost Rider wasn’t in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel should definitely bring the character back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The best choice would be Robbie Reyes, especially with plans for a Midnight Sons movie. However, there’s also potential for Nicolas Cage to return as an older version of Johnny Blaze, similar to his portrayal in the Midnight Suns video game. Both versions could co-exist, but Robbie Reyes should be the main character leading the exploration of the supernatural side of the MCU, alongside heroes like Blade, Black Knight, and Elsa Bloodstone, and any other members Marvel adds to the team.

It’s surprising that Marvel has owned the rights to Ghost Rider for 13 years, yet he’s only appeared in a storyline on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. Despite some consideration for a project on Hulu, nothing ever came of it. This is similar to their struggles with Blade, even though the previous Blade movies were more successful than the Ghost Rider films. Hopefully, after Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel will find a way to properly integrate these supernatural characters into the MCU, as Ghost Rider is long overdue for his own movie.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/13-years-on-marvel-finally-redeemed-the-mcus-most-controversial-twist/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-16 17:10