Which Ghost Rider Will Ryan Gosling Be Playing In The MCU?

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Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and Robbie Reyes Ghost Riders

Published Jul 27, 2026, 11:47 PM EDT

Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.

With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.

Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Marvel Studios officially announced that actor Ryan Gosling will finally be starring as Ghost Rider in a brand-new movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, releasing in 2028. Even more exciting, the project is set to keep Gosling with director Shawn Levy and writer Jonathan Tropper following 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter. However, some key details about the project are still a mystery, like which specific Ghost Rider Gosling will bring to life in the MCU.

In Marvel Comics, the role of The Ghost Rider has been passed down and shared between multiple characters over the decades. While Johnny Blaze may be the most recognizable as the original Spirit of Vengeance, there are other prominent Ghost Riders as well, like Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes.

Despite the exciting announcement that saw the actor take the stage at SDCC, Marvel Studios has yet to officially reveal the identity of Gosling's Spirit of Vengeance, leaving room for some fun speculation in the interim. Looking at the three main Ghost Riders in the Marvel Comics continuity, here are our thoughts on which one Gosling will most likely be playing in the upcoming MCU movie releasing in 2028.

Robbie Reyes (Is He Still MCU Canon?)

Gabriel Luna's Robbie Reyes transforms into Ghost Rider wearing a leather jacket in Agents of SHIELD

One of the newest Ghost Riders in Marvel Comics, Robbie Reyes debuted as the "All-New Ghost Rider" as part of a major publishing initiative in 2014.

Originally, Robbie was a teenage mechanic and street racer from LA who became bonded to the vengeful spirit of a Satanic serial killer named Eli Morrow, driving an impressive black flaming muscle car known as the Hell-Charger instead of a motorbike. Eventually, Robbie became an Avenger, and Eli's corruptive spirit was exorcized. This allowed Robbie to fully take on and control his powers as a more unique Ghost Rider known as the "All-Rider", capable of riding anything across the multiverse.

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The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?

AUltron BThanos CLoki DKang the Conqueror

✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.

In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?

A2006 B2008 C2010 D2012

✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.

Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?

ADestroyed the universe BSnapped away half of all life CBecame ruler of Earth DTraveled back in time

✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.

In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?

AStormbreaker BGungnir CMjolnir DJarnbjorn

✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.

Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?

AThe Red Room BHYDRA Academy CThe Winter Soldier Program DDepartment X

✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.

The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?

ACosmic Rays BPym Particles CGamma Radiation DTerrigen Mist

✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.

In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?

ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CJohn Walker DIsaiah Bradley

✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.

Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?

ABruce Banner BHank Pym CTony Stark DVision

✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.

✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.

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Additionally, Robbie is technically part of the MCU canon, having been played by actor Gabriel Luna in the fourth season of Agents of SHIELD. However, the ABC show's official canonicity has been called into question in recent years. Certain events line up and weave between the films incredibly well, though others definitely diverge as the series progresses, resulting in the argument that the show ended in another timeline/reality. That said, Marvel Studios has referenced elements of the show in small ways since the show ended in 2019.

Ambiguous continuity aside, Robbie Reyes still feels like the least likely choice for Ryan Gosling, seeing how the newest Ghost Rider is a young Latino.

Danny Ketch: Johnny Blaze's Long Lost Brother

Danny Ketch wielding chains and looking off screen as blue Ghost Rider

If Marvel wants to introduce a Ghost Rider who's never appeared in live-action before, Danny Ketch is arguably the strongest candidate. Introduced in the 1990s, Ketch discovers a mystical motorcycle in a cemetery while trying to save his injured sister. Eventually, Danny becomes bonded to a powerful Spirit of Vengeance connected to an ancient family curse spanning generations. This in turn leads to the reveal that Danny and Johnny Blaze are actually long-lost brothers.

Danny's Ghost Rider has also had one of the franchise's most distinctive visual identities. While a Ghost Rider's flames are typically orange, various comic storylines have given him blue hellfire instead, representing Ketch drawing upon other supernatural energies beyond the demonic Spirits of Vengeance (in Danny's case, an Angel of Vengeance).

Overall, casting Ryan Gosling as Danny Ketch could help differentiate his Spirit of Vengeance from Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze, who starred in two Ghost Rider movies. Likewise, the redemptive blue flames of Cage's Ghost Rider seen in 2011's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance were based on Ketch's Ghost Rider in the comics. Who knows, Gosling as Danny could perhaps even allow Marvel Studios to bring Cage back as an MCU-canon Johnny as an older mentor for Ketch (just like Sam Elliott's Phantom Rider was for Blaze).

However, it can also be argued that Danny Ketch isn't as well-known as Johnny Blaze, especially for more mainstream audiences.

Johnny Blaze: The Original Ghost Rider

Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze in the graveyard in Ghost Rider

More so than the previously mentioned Ghost Riders from the comics, Johnny Blaze arguably remains an obvious choice if Marvel Studios wants the biggest possible impact.

First appearing in 1972, Johnny Blaze was a motorcycle stunt driver who sold his soul to the demon lord Mephisto to save his surrogate father from cancer, becoming bonded to the Spirit of Vengeance named Zarathos and promising eternal servitude. Dispensing justice while seeking dark souls for eternal punishment, Blaze became the original Ghost Rider, riding his impressive Hell Cycle, wielding flaming chains and his devastating Penance Stare.

At times, Johnny has managed to avoid service to Mephisto in attempts to regain more free will and do more good than bad, though recent years have seen his contract with Mephisto renewed, with Blaze and Zarathos forming a more unified bond than ever before.

As previously mentioned, the live-action Ghost Rider on the big screen was famously played by Nicolas Cage in two films. Although those movies exist outside the MCU with mixed receptions, Cage's performance remains quite beloved by Marvel fans. That leaves some big flaming shoes to fill, though one could argue that Gosling's version of Johnny Cage in the MCU could easily become the definitive live-action Ghost Rider.

Interestingly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may have already laid some original Ghost Rider groundwork. After all, the live-action Robbie Reyes inherited the Ghost Rider mantle from a mysterious Rider who was strongly implied to be Johnny Blaze. Seeing how his human form was never shown on-screen, Marvel Studios could easily cast Ryan Gosling as Johnny without creating any continuity issues (assuming the SHIELD series is still part of the main MCU continuity). Then again, perhaps it won't even matter if major canon shifts happen in the wake of Avengers: Secret Wars.

It can also be argued that Johnny Blaze makes the most sense if Marvel Studios has plans for Ghost Rider to join a greater group of supernatural heroes like the Midnight Sons. Until Marvel Studios and/or Gosling officially confirm otherwise, Johnny Blaze does seem like the safest and most likely bet overall.

Ghost Rider is set to release in 2028 from Marvel Studios.