The MCU is going to be set ablaze by this epic return.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Related: Marvel Replaces Chris Evans, New Steve Rogers First Look Shared
Under the guidance of Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), owned by The Walt Disney Company, has significantly altered its superhero lineup. The conclusion of the Infinity Saga and the apparent shift away from Thanos (Josh Brolin) as an overarching adversary marked the culmination of Phase Three with the releases of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Credit: Marvel Studios
Endgame marked the departure of the original Avengers team, initially introduced in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) — namely in the exit of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark, who selflessly sacrificed his life, and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers, who retired after entrusting his iconic Vibranium shield (and “Cap” title) to Anthony Mackie’s Falcon/Sam Wilson.
Now, it looks like the MCU as we know it will undergo a massive shift with the latest reported actor to join the hero lineup.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Ghost Rider: An Icon of the 2000s
Ghost Rider is an iconic 2007 superhero film starring Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who becomes the Ghost Rider after making a deal with the Devil/Mephistopheles, played by Peter Fonda. Eva Mendes portrays Roxanne Simpson AKA Roxy, Johnny’s former girlfriend and a television reporter who becomes involved in his supernatural struggles.
Related: RUMOR: Nicholas Cage Reprises Ghost Rider for MCU
Wes Bentley plays Blackheart (Legion), the film’s main antagonist and the son of the Devil, aiming to unleash evil upon the world. Sam Elliott appears as Caretaker, a character who guides Johnny on his journey as Ghost Rider. The film iconically features Nic Cage’s campy acting as the Ghost Rider, and combines action and supernatural horror as Johnny Blaze contends with his newfound powers while battling demonic forces.
Will Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider Join the MCU?
Credit: Sony Pictures
Previously, we reported that the MCU is likely to see a Ghost Rider return — but now further sources have appeared to confirm that it is indeed Nicolas Cage’s iteration of Ghost Rider AKA Johnny Blaze from the 2007 eponymously titled movie — and not Diego Luna’s portrayal of Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider in Netflix’s Agents of SHIELD (2013-2020)
Insider My Time To Shine Hello shares that:
Now that’s a cool fucking shot. Glad Cage is coming back ?
Now that’s a cool fucking shot. Glad Cage is coming back ? https://t.co/0MjuMphO9w
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) August 24, 2023
Well, it seems more or less confirmed that if Ghost Rider were to appear in the Multiverse, it would be this version!
And when will this reprisal be happening? Well, allegedly it’s soon:
Sooner than you think ?
Sooner than you think ?
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) August 25, 2023
Which Movie Will Ghost Rider Be In?
Well, if Sony’s version of Nic Cage-flavored Ghost Rider is set to make a comeback, the most likely contenders are the slated “crossover” style movies. Perhaps the most obvious would be Avengers: Secret Wars, which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has already stated to be a crossover of simply epic proportions.
However, since our big hint now is that it Cage’s return will be “sooner than [we] think” — it stands to reason that he will actually return in Deadpool 3. This is because the third Deadpool film is set to bring in the Fox X-Men Universe into the MCU proper, with the alluded inclusion of multiple X-Men heroes from the 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) film franchise, in an epic “meta humor”-style reset (and consolidation) of a bunch of non-MCU characters into the Multiverse storyline.
What this means is that multiple Variants of Ghost Rider likely exist — from Nicolas Cage’s Johnny Blaze, to Diego Luna’s Robbie Reyes, and even Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson! And with the Multiverse rules as-is — all would be equally MCU-kosher. This could be a big shift to telling even more irreverent and insane types of stories, by bringing in campy, nostalgic characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and essentially setting fire to preconceived notions of how seriously audiences are supposed to take the MCU. I mean, Ghost Rider and Deadpool will be running around with the Avengers.
What will Marvel Studios do with Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider in the MCU? Is this a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Will the MCU go up in flames? Read More