The MCU is set to expand heavily on its cache of in-universe characters over the next few years, with plenty of heroes and villains still waiting in the wings. Included in that mix is the enigmatic Ghost Rider, someone who's seen his fair share of screen time outside the Marvel Studios bubble. He first came to life in Nicolas Cage's two Ghost Rider solo movies from 2007 and 2011, just as the MCU got off the ground.
Incredibly, some of that pre-MCU work is already confirmed to come back into play within the MCU with films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Spider-Man 3 brought in over half a dozen characters from Toeby Maguire and Andrew Garfield's movies while Doctor Strange 2 is already set to reintroduce fans to Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, and that should be just the start.
Recently, Cage teased the chances of his own return as Johnny Blaze, admitting that he still loves comic book movies amidst rumors of a comeback in Doctor Strange 2. Following those comments, Cage dove further specifically into a potential return to the character, although he didn't exactly confirm anything in the process.
Nicolas Cage on Ghost Rider Reprisal
Speaking with Brandon Davis from ComicBook, Ghost Rider star Nicolas Cage addressed the chances of a return to the role with Marvel Studios.
When asked if he'd spoken to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about reprising his Ghost Rider character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, Cage shared that it "hasn't happened" yet:
“Not yet, no. That hasn’t happened..."
Addressing his recent comments about the role, Cage clarified that his response wasn't specifically about Ghost Rider. Rather, he was sharing his opinions about Marvel movies as a whole:
“But what’s interesting is nobody asked me about going back to Ghost Rider. That was a question that came up and they weren’t asking about Ghost Rider, they were asking, 'What do you think of the Marvel movies?' And I gave my opinion about it.”
Davis then asked him point-blank what he thought about returning to Ghost Rider, to which Cage simply said that he's an "amazing" and "complicated" character:
“Ghost Rider is an amazing character. I mean, he’s a complicated character. It’s kind of like, how do you tell the story of Faust within the context of that universe? Because, it’s a very philosophical character. I think it makes him special from other superheroes.”
Nic Keeping Ghost Rider Hopes Caged...For Now
Almost nobody in Hollywood has a passion for superhero movies like Nic Cage. The longtime action star has experience working with both Marvel and DC, and with the MCU expanding, his Ghost Rider is a regular topic in conversations about who fans want to see make a comeback.
Even considering the potential that Cage is fibbing, he seems fairly genuine when saying that nobody's spoken to him about bringing his take on Johnny Blaze to Marvel Studios. The actor also doesn't have a history of lying about his movies, specifically with major spoilers like those from Marvel Studios, although he hasn't seen the kind of situations like those in the MCU from the last few years.
While he hasn't had any discussions about the role, these quotes certainly keep the door open for Cage to don Ghost Rider's hot skull again should Marvel decide to go that route. With other supernatural heroes like Moon Knight and Blade set to take their place in the story, the opening is there for the character to bring his flaming bike and chain into the mix.
