It’s no longer just a rumour. Alleged footage of Ghost Rider has leaked from Avengers: Doomsday, spreading across X and racking up over 250,000 views before Disney copyright takedowns started flying, which is as close to confirmation as you get before a trailer drops. The clip carries a “PROPERTY OF MARVEL STUDIOS” watermark and visible ILM credits. Marvel hasn’t said a word. So there’s no telling if it’s even real. But with the Spirit of Vengeance apparently already in production, the question actually isn’t if Ghost Rider is coming — it’s who’s wearing the skull.
With the nostalgia overload in the MCU right now, thanks to films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, one important Marvel character has been noticeably absent from the cameos: Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider. Thankfully, it seems that’s about to change. If the rumors are indeed true, the 60-year-old’s flaming head might just be blazing back into the Marvel spotlight. Could Cage’s Spirit of Vengeance ride into the MCU?
Ghost Rider’s Fiery Past
Ghost Rider. We all watched it. But do we all hate it?
Nicolas Cage first donned the all-black leather biker outfit in Ghost Rider (2007) and then the sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), two Sony-produced films that failed to set the box office on fire. Johnny Depp apparently wanted the role of Johnny Blaze, such were the high expectations of the first one, but instead we got Nicolas Cage and things didn’t go as fans had hoped.
The first Ghost Rider film was your basic origin story — Johnny Blaze, a carnival stunt-biker, sells his soul to Mephisto in exchange for his dad’s cancer being cured. It’s all pretty underwhelming. The effects aren’t bad, and there’s a certain wicked joy in seeing Ghost Rider in action. However, the plot is boring and potentially great moments are wasted. The villains are as bland as the hero.
Spirit of Vengeance went in the opposite direction, creating a far more hardcore Ghost Rider vibe. Nicolas Cage went gonzo and Ghost Rider truly became something from your nightmares. The gloss of the first film was done away with, replaced with a rough and sleazy style, a high body count and twisted jokes so funny you can’t help but laugh.
Neither of these films are classics in any way. Strangely though, both also have elements that work. Spirit of Vengeance, by contrast, strangely gets better the more times you watch it — and if you fancy some Crank-style comic book mayhem, it’s worth a look.
Deadpool & Wolverine & Ghost Rider?
According to Variety, Ryan Reynolds floated the idea of Cage’s Ghost Rider joining the cameo chaos in Deadpool & Wolverine already. “Yes. Came to a conversation for sure. Yeah, but no,” he said in a classic Reynolds answer.
Still, just the fact that Ghost Rider’s return was even considered shows there’s an appetite for the character to return and play in Marvel’s current sandbox. And with Marvel leaning hard into the multiverse — Robert Downey Jr. is coming back as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, for crying out loud — there’s actually no reason why Cage’s Ghost Rider couldn’t roll in on a flaming Harley from another dimension, too.
Scooper Daniel RPK believes it’s pretty much already in motion: “If you remember, I was the first to report that Wesley Snipes would reprise his role as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine. Now, I can confirm that Nic Cage will reprise his role as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider in an upcoming project. I don’t know which one just yet, but there aren’t many options left.”
When Will Cage Return?
Look, technically, Nic Cage has already returned to Marvel — but as Spider-Noir in Amazon Prime Video’s Spider-Man spinoff TV series. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be Ghost Rider in the MCU, too. Many actors have played various characters across Sony and Marvel Studio’s cinematic universes recently. Plus, Cage might be keen, too. “I would really need to see what they had in mind before answering that,” Cage responded to a Redditor who asked if he’d return as Ghost Rider if Marvel called. It sounds like a yes, right?
At the moment, the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027 are probably the best films for Cage’s return. Secret Wars is essentially the MCU’s “everything and the kitchen sink” movie, meaning anyone and everyone could show up in some way or another. Just imagine Ghost Rider trading quips with Deadpool or intimidating Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with his hellfire stare.
According to rumours, Marvel has been quietly resetting its universe, and Secret Wars is said to act as a massive reboot for the franchise. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, has even hinted at introducing Danny Ketch, another popular version of Ghost Rider from the comics. So, imagine bringing in Nicolas Cage’s Johnny Blaze back first to pass the torch to the next Ghost Rider?
Ghost Rider in Doomsday and Ghost Rider going forward may not be the same answer, of course. Oscar Isaac has already gone on record backing Ryan Gosling for the role in a potential Midnight Sons project: “Make it happen, fellas, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. Gosling himself first floated the idea in a tweet to journalist Josh Horowitz, saying he’d be far more interested in playing Johnny Blaze than the Nova role rumours had linked him to. He has since confirmed actual talks with Marvel about Ghost Rider.
And Gosling isn’t the only name circling the skull. Fans have also made a compelling case for Keanu Reeves.
The likeliest scenario: Cage’s Johnny Blaze as a multiverse legacy cameo now, but someone new carrying the role forward later.
Welcome home, St. Nicolas Cage. The MCU could use a little more fire — and you know you’re just the man to bring it.
