Summary
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Midnight Sons: Blood HuntTheGhost Rider, an unfortunate soul bound to a Spirit of Vengeance and cursed to wander in search of sinners to burn with vengeful fury, is a title that most fear to be given. Marvel’s most famous Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, has had a long history of battling against his demonic Spirit, Zarathos, for control over their shared body. However, not every host is so afraid of their abilities.
In theBlood Hunttie-in miniseries,Midnight Sons: Blood Huntby Brian Hill and Germán Peralta, a classic Ghost Rider just as famous as Blaze himself has returned to the comics with his original style and powers in tow -Danny Ketch, the brother of Johnny Blaze.
Unlike Johnny,Ketch has developed a more symbiotic relationship with his Spirits of Vengeance over the years, embracing his powers more than he rejects them.Also, unlike his brother, Ketch has bonded with multiple Spirits, which seem to have recently instilled in him a new sense of purpose for both himself and the Rider.
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A new Ghost Rider variant, the All-Rider, challenges the iconic character’s other versions for the most powerful spirit of vengeance.
The Spirit of Vengeance Embraces a New Destiny
Vengeance Doesn’t Have to be the Answer
Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #3recently debuted a version of Danny Ketch and the Rider that share a significantly closer and more trusting relationship than most hosts have with their Spirits of Vengeance. Danny has achieved a sense of peace with his powers, officially breaking down the barriers that separate the two. This version of the Ghost Rider can easily transition from one form to the other and does so frequently whenever the Rider has something to say.Danny’s connection with the Rider is so strong that the two can even maintain and share control of the body simultaneously.
To be clear, it isn’t Danny in the pilot’s seat when the Rider comes out, meaning that the Spirit of Vengeance is the one choosing restraint and kindness.
More impressively, the Rider seems to have adopted a kinder, more sympathetic, personality than most Spirits usually do. Canon lore struggles to define what a Spirit of Vengeance is; some are demons, some are vengeful mortal spirits, and some are slivers of God’s will. Regardless,Spirits crave vengeanceand the suffering of sinful souls. Danny’s Rider, however, advocates patience over hostility and is seen comforting the victims of the damned they hunt. To be clear, it isn’t Danny in the pilot’s seat when the Rider comes out, meaning thatthe Spirit of Vengeance is the one choosing restraint and kindness.
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Ghost Rider is a brutal instrument of retribution, but Danny Ketch seems determined to curb the cycle of violence - and do more than avenge.
Danny Ketch Was Born to Become the Ghost Rider
Ketch’s “Curse” is 20,000 Years in the Making
Danny Ketch is a unique case among his fellow Ghost Riders. Johnny Blaze made a deal with the Devil that landed him his Spirit of Vengeance. Robbie Reyes was possessed by the spirit of his satanic uncle when Robbie was shot and killed protecting his brother. Ghost,the first Ghost Rider, was given his spirit by the Devil to reap vengeance upon a murderous Wendigo. Most hosts are bound to Spirits of Vengeance when they at their lowest, their most desperate, or at their most hateful. However,Danny Ketch’s Spirit wasn’t a curse, it was a spiritual blood right.
Thousands of years before Danny’s first transformation,a holy war between the original Spirits of Vengeance — vestiges of God’s will — and the demon Zarathos — Johnny Blaze’s Spirit — led to the creation of the Medallion of Power.The medallion carried the collective power of the Spirits and was entrusted to two families who would pass the right to carry the medallion down the bloodline. Eventually, the artifact, now bound to the valiant soul of Noble Kale, the brothers’ ancestor, found its way to Danny Ketch. Soon, Danny was reborn asa new Ghost Rider.
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Danny Ketch’s Ghost Rider shows off a new mastery of the Spirit of Vengeance as the two become one. Blade and his vampire army will know vengeance.
From Ghost Rider to the Avatar of all Spirits of Vengeance
Danny Ketch’s Betrayal Created a New Being Altogether
Ketch’s unique relationship with his Rider doesn’t just come from birthright, but from having been bonded with multiple Spirits of Vengeance. Eventually, Danny, like most hosts, sought to have the Rider removed and successfully exorcised Noble Kale’s soul from his body.Ketch quickly learned that, without a Rider, his soul was left with a cindering hole where the Spirit once filled.Danny was later manipulated by the fallen angel Zadkiel to travel the world and consume the Spirits of Vengeance of other Ghost Riders in an effort to overthrowthe powers of Heaven.
Danny Ketch has been bound to dozens of Spirits of Vengeance, each leaving a fragment of their soul behind.
Zadkiel was later defeated and all but one of the Spirits of Vengeance were released from Ketch to spend the rest ofeternity in Hell. Years later, Danny once again had his Spirit stolen and, left with another pit in his soul, found a new power in the hands of Belasco, the King of Limbo. By now, Danny Ketch has been bound to dozens of Spirits of Vengeance, each leaving a fragment of their soul behind.Danny isn’t just a host anymore, but an avatar for the Spirits whenever the world requires a Ghost Rider.
After taking the mantle of “King of Hell,” Johnny Blaze’s soul was slowly being corrupted by the powers of Hell. Danny had attempted to help his brother, but Johnny instead stripped Danny of his Spirit and threw the Ghost Rider off of a bridge to die. The new Spirit given to Danny from Belasco transformed him into the Death Rider, holder of the Spirit of Corruption. Following the end of theGhost Rider (2019)series (by Ed Brisson, Juan Frigeri, and Aaron Kuder), the Spirit of Corruption inexplicably disappeared and Danny returned to his original Ghost Rider look.
The Ghost Rider Craves Justice, Not Vengeance
The Spirit of Vengeance Draws Closer to its Divine Ancestry
Back to the present,Danny and his Rider walk a new path of inner-peace.Ketch and the Rider have mostly abandonedthe Penance Stareas a means of torture and punishment, instead using it to read the morality and memories of others. InMidnight Sons: Blood Hunt #3,the Rider is seen using his powers not simply for the sake of vengeance, but to make right the sins of the damned. The Rider even debuts a never-before-seen ability to purify cursed ground to ensure the spiritual safety of the previously afflicted.These are acts of compassion, not vengeance.
The unity thatDanny Ketch and his Spirit of Vengeancehave achieved has elevated the two beyond the traditional limits of the Ghost Riders. It’s been established that the only limitation a Spirit of Vengeance has is the will of the mortal it possesses. So, what happens when a host and Rider trust each other so implicitly that there is no need for limitations? Considering his experience, his blood destiny, and the symbiotic relationship he has developed with the Rider, Danny Ketch may soon become something more than what any otherGhost Riderhas ever been.
