The news broke yesterday that Marvel Studios' Ghost Rider reboot will star Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie as the movie's villain. Speculation has since run rampant about who he's playing, with Mephisto's son, Blackheart, among the most popular suggestions.
Murphy's Multiverse has shared a very compelling theory today, arguing that Storrie may have been cast as the MCU's Danny Ketch.
As a reminder, Danny became the second Ghost Rider when he was introduced in Ghost Rider #1 in 1990. After discovering a mystical motorcycle in a Brooklyn cemetery, Ketch was transformed into the Spirit of Vengeance, gaining supernatural abilities and a hellfire-powered ride. Unlike Johnny Blaze, Ketch's powers were tied to the mysterious Spirit of Vengeance Zarathos.
"In early production leaks, characters who spend the first two acts of a script in opposition to the hero are routinely categorised as antagonists or villains by studio sources," the site posits. "And technically, they’re not wrong. Jean Grey was Peter Parker’s primary antagonist in Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
"Placing Storrie in the shoes of a misunderstood anti-hero hunted by Johnny Blaze, Gosling’s veteran Rider, for two acts isn’t just wishful thinking; it is ripped directly from the pages of Ghost Rider’s 1990s comic renaissance," the report continues, correctly pointing out that Johnny and Danny—later revealed to be brothers—initially clashed upon meeting.
A story like this would avoid repeating what we saw in 2007's Ghost Rider movie and, crucially, give Marvel Studios more than one Ghost Rider moving forward. Or, as the site puts it, "Gosling anchors the launch; Storrie carries the flaming chain into the future. Gosling... remains available for supernatural team-ups, such as the long-rumoured Midnight Sons."
It's a great idea, but only time will tell whether it pans out (as you can see below, one scooper has already thrown water on the fire). Still, if Gosling doesn't want to make a long-term commitment to the MCU, he can introduce a seasoned Johnny here before passing the torch to one of Hollywood's rising stars.
We'll see what happens, but we know this is a passion project for Gosling. "I am going to let Ryan reveal what he wants to reveal, when he wants to reveal it," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said at Comic-Con, "and what he wanted to reveal today is that he’s playing Ghost Rider. He is a huge fan of the comics; he did come to us with a specific vision, based on some particular comics."
"It was Gosling who had the vision. It was Gosling who had the pitch that won over Shawn, that had them come and pitch us this idea, which led to us on stage," he added.
Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, Ghost Rider is set to race into theaters on July 28, 2028.