Marvel's Terminator Ghost Rider Makes a Grand Return, Proving the '90s Are Back
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Spirits of Vengeance #5
Lost behind to the wild antics of the 1990s, a far-future variant of the Ghost Rider is about to make a massive comeback. This complex cyborg monstrosity of nanites and military-grade weaponry is virtually no different from a Terminator, instead set in the dystopian future of Earth-2099. For the first time in Ghost Rider comics, the world’s most ridiculously 90s Ghost Rider is finally making it into the prime continuity.
In Spirits of Vengeance #5 - by Sabir Pirzada and Sean Damien Hill - Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch continue their hunt to gather their fellow Ghost Riders before the ominous Spirit of Violence kills them first. After taking on a group of mercenaries called Death Row, Michael Badilino re-bonds with his Spirit, Vengeance.
As the three fully-formed Ghost Riders gather themselves, they prepare to track down more of their kind before the Spirit of Violence can. However, during the fight, Vengeance is attacked by a robotic creature that copies his ghostly essence into a robotic Terminator-like body.
Ghost Rider 2099 Is a 1990s Classic That Stayed Behind With the Decade
Spirits of Vengeance #5 - Written by Sabir Pirzada; Pencilling by Sean Damien Hill, Brian Level, & Paul Davidson; Inking by Jay Leisten; Color by Andrew Dalhouse; Lettering by VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Art by Josemaria Casanovas
The original Ghost Rider 2099, Zero Cochrane, is a relic born and left behind in the 90s. Set in the same dystopian cyber-punk future as the more popular Spider-Man 2099, this Ghost Rider is about as dark and edgy as could come out of that decade. Unfortunately for Zero Cochrane, Ghost Rider 2099 hasn’t appeared in any comic since 1996. Despite Zero being a clear product of the 90s interest in cyberspace and nanotech, he wasn’t entirely a one-note trick. Zero isn’t technically a Ghost Rider but is instead someone’s consciousness placed into a skull-faced, military-grade, robot.
However, Earth-616’s version of the cybernetic Ghost Riders is being reintroduced under different circumstances. When Vengeance captures one of the Death Row members, the villain reveals his true cybernetic nature. One of his eyes pops out, burrowing into Vengeance’s skull. Meanwhile, a series of laptops spin to life as Vengeance’s essence is uploaded into a series of familiar robotic skeletons. When the war machines fully activate, the computer displays the program named “Ghostworks.” In the 2099 comics, “Ghostworks” was the name of a group of rogue AI programs that empowered Zero to overthrow the globe’s fascist corporatocratic government.
Zero Cochrane Isn't the Only Far-Future Ghost Rider
Spirits of Vengeance Still Has More Ghost Riders to Reveal
While it’s not likely that these Ghost Rider machines are going to last for very long, they are at least a fun homage to a unique chapter in the franchise’s past. These bulky Terminator-like robots of mass destruction are thematic artifacts from the early 90’s adoration of the far-future cyberpunk aesthetic. All that said, it’s exciting to see them return; not every 2099 character has been as lucky as Miguel O’Hara.
Readers are teased with the return of Robbie Reyes thanks to the assistance of the interdimensional Ghost Rider, Fantasma.
However, there is a chance we could see Zero’s return. Spirits of Vengeance has promised to bring every major Ghost Riderinto the story and, so far, it continues to uphold that commitment. As the issue closes out, readers are teased with the return of Robbie Reyes thanks to the assistance of the interdimensional Ghost Rider, Fantasma. While Ghost Rider stories are traditionally dark and mystical, there’s an entire realm of modern Ghost Riders just beyond the thin edges that divide the multiverse.
Spirits of Vengeance #5 is now available from Marvel Comics.
- Created by
- Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Mike Ploog
- First Film
- Ghost Rider
- Latest Film
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
- Cast
- Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Gabriel Luna, Peter Fonda, Violante Placido
- Movie(s)
- Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
- Character(s)
- Johnny Blaze, Roxanne Simpson, Carter Slade, Mephistopheles, Blackheart, Robbie Reyes, Moreau (Ghost Rider), Nadya
The Ghost Rider franchise revolves around the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider, a supernatural anti-hero who gains the ability to transform into a flaming skeletal figure and ride a hellfire-fueled motorcycle. The most famous Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, is a stunt motorcyclist who makes a deal with the demon Mephistopheles, transforming him into the Ghost Rider to battle evil spirits. The franchise includes two films starring Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, exploring his fight against demonic forces and his internal struggle with the curse.
