A new rumor suggested that Ghost Rider will finally get his proper MCU debut as a part of one upcoming movie. Fans have been itching to see Ghost Rider appear in a proper Marvel Studios project for years. The character previously appeared in the continuity-questionable series Agents of SHIELD, but has yet to appear in a MCU movie. That could all change, though, as rumors of the Ghost Rider-associated team, the Midnight Sons, have started circulating online.
According to insider Jeff Sneider, the long-rumored Midnight Sons MCU movie would feature the proper Marvel Studios debut of Ghost Rider as part of its super-powered plot.
Speaking on The Hot Mic podcast, Sneider posited that, "I have heard Midnight Sons rumors," that would include "Mahershala [Ali] and Oscar [Isaac] and whoever's playing Ghost Rider:"
"I have heard Midnight Sons rumors. I have heard that it would be Mahershala and Oscar and whoever's playing Ghost Rider."
Sneider did not offer much more beyond that, only mentioning that he's heard Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi could be in the running to direct the Midnight Sons project.
The Ghost Rider character was previously played by The Last of Us star Gabriel Luna in Agents of SHIELD; however, it is unclear whether Marvel Studios would have him back for a potential Ghost Rider return on the big screen. The Spirit of Vengeance is also rumored to make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, though it is unclear whether this will be a returning or new version of the character.
Rumors of a Midnight Sons movie have been swirling for months. It was previously reported that this movie was a priority for the comic book brand and that some version of the Ghost Rider character would serve as its de facto leader.
In the comics, the Midnight Sons are a team of supernatural adjacent heroes, including Blade, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange. A Midnight Sons movie has been floating in the MCU ether for some time now, with reports pointing to its release coming sometime in Phase 7 of the interconnected comic book movie canon.
Who Will Play Ghost Rider in the MCU?
Ghost Rider has been one of the few tentpole Marvel heroes that has not gotten his time in the MCU sun as of yet. Sure, the character popped up in Agents of SHIELD, but he has yet to appear in any mainline MCU movie to this point.
This, of course, comes after Nicholas Cage brought the character to life in two pre-MCU Ghost Rider movies, proving the hot-headed hero could work on the big screen.
Similar to characters like Nova, The X-Men, and Venom, it seems like only a matter of time before Ghost Rider gets the proper MCU treatment, making it into a big-screen project set firmly within the interconnected comic book canon.
But the big question remains: who would play him? And what version of the character will it inevitably be?
Gabriel Luna brought to life the Robbie Reyez version of the hero in Agents of SHIELD. If Marvel Studios were to bring Robbie back into the fold for a Midnight Sons movie, surely, Luna would be interested in returning to the role.
However, it does not appear that the MCU will take that approach with its big-screen adaptation of the hero. According to reporting from July of this year, Marvel Studios wants to go with the Johnny Blaze version of the hero (as seen previously played by Cage in the mid-00s Ghost Rider duology).
This opens the door to a whole new casting search to commence for the next iteration of the character, bringing in another A-list actor into the MCU to play the iconic comic book character.
