There don't seem to be plans to bring any version of Ghost Rider into the MCU anytime soon, but recently, Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Gray Man) made headlines when MTV News' Josh Horowitz said the actor had expressed interest in playing the Spirit of Vengeance. Now, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has addressed the report.
While speaking with Feige at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, MTV News brought up Gosling's interest in the flaming-skull superhero, to which the Marvel Studios President replied: "Hey, man, if Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider — what else? Who else? [...] Gosling's unbelievable. [...] Ryan's amazing. I'd love to find a place for him in the MCU. He's dressed up as Ken on Venice Beach and gets more press than a giant movie [that's coming out] that weekend; it's amazing."
As an aside, in a Netflix promotional video for The Gray Man, Gosling jokingly stated that 2007's Ghost Rider would be the one film he would take if he were on the run. Actors discussing what superhero they'd hypothetically like to play is nothing new, but Gosling being one of the most high-profile performers without a live-action comic-book role under his mantle makes the prospect of him appearing as the Spirit of Vengeance enticing. However, him actually getting cast in the role seems far from a sure thing.
Feige was clearly joking, and more importantly, seemed unwilling to say something that hinted at wanting to have Gosling join The MCU. Furthermore, the actor reportedly expressing his desire to portray a character that, so far, Marvel Studios seems to have no plans for, makes his casting even unlikelier.
Admittedly, the upcoming Blade was given the greenlight after Mahershala Ali pitched the project to Feige. Yet, that was a deal made behind closed doors, and not an answer to a question that many actors are asked (i.e., "What superhero would you like to play?").
Ghost Rider has had a peculiar career in live-action. The character was the focus of two live-action films starring Nicholas Cage — 2007's Ghost Rider (Tomatometer score: 26%/Audience score: 48%) and 2012's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Tomatometer: 18%/Audience: 31%). The films weren't received well critically or financially, with the first one making $228 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget, and its sequel raking in $132 million worldwide against a reported $75 million budget.
Years later, Ghost Rider returned to live-action in the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., this time as the Robbie Reyes version of the character, played by Gabriel Luna. Reyes proved popular enough to have a standalone show greenlit on Hulu. However, the project was scrapped in 2019, and to this day, it remains to be seen when the hero (in any of his iterations) will return.
The MCU is developing its supernatural side more as time progresses with projects like Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Blade, and Werewolf by Night, so an appearance from Ghost Rider could theoretically be in the cards for the not-too-distant future.