Considering his popularity, Marvel hasn’t really known what to do with Ghost Rider in the MCU up until now. Johnny Blaze has never properly appeared, while Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes was a hit on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but ultimately had his own spinoff show – intended to land on Hulu – axed last year. A new rumor, though, is pointing to a third version of the Spirit of Vengeance appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
This info does come our way via 4Chan, so take that how you will, but according to the supposed leak, the Danny Ketch iteration will become the first Ghost Rider to appear in an MCU movie in the sequel. The character, who debuted in the comics back in the 1990s, will only have a small cameo in Doctor Strange 2, it’s claimed, with it unknown whether this is even intended to set up more appearances or is just a one-off.
Something that’s confirmed though is that he won’t even “flame on” during his cameo. While that’s disappointing, at least fans will recognize the actor set to play Ketch in human form. And that’s because this leak claims that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Brett Dalton, who played Grant Ward/Hive on the first few seasons of the series, will be the one to portray the hero for his brief role in DS2.
While Marvel wanting to do more with Ghost Rider makes sense, the casting part of this rumor is pretty bizarre. If they want to bring in someone from AoS, why not simply get Luna’s Ghost Rider back, thereby keeping it all connected and avoiding annoying fans by suggesting that the ABC show is non-canon?
The second part of this leak, that a female Black Panther will also appear, in the form of an alternate Shuri, seems like a much more feasible idea. But this is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness we’re talking about, so maybe all bets are off when it comes to the film, which is going to throw open the doors to the wide, weird Marvel multiverse?