Marvel Finally Reveals How Ghost Rider's Spirits Work

There is no introduction needed for the fiery and unforgettable fury of Marvel’s Ghost Rider, but there’s a major difference between loving a character for his design, and actually understanding his mythology. And with the new Spirits of Violence series, Marvel is finally looking to solve that growing problem of just how Ghost Riders actually work.

By bringing together multiple former and current heroes to claim the title of Ghost Rider, the creative team of Sabir Pirzada and Paul Davidson are looking to deliver a tale that changes “Everything you thought you knew about Ghost Rider.“ And in the first preview, the series reveals just how that’s going to be accomplished.

Ghost Riders unite! When a strange group of new villains set their sinister plan in motion, Ghost Riders past, present and future must combine forces to save the world. But just who is the Spirit of Violence, and what horrors do they bring from Johnny Blaze’s and Danny Ketch’s pasts? Forget everything you thought you knew about Ghost Rider! The most climactic ride in history starts here!

All Ghost Riders Are Connected, But Not How Fans Think

Any fan of Ghost Rider, whether casual or devoted, will know that the history of the character is one of the more fragmented of all Marvel ‘legacy’ characters. At least, that’s the impression given by Marvel’s many (and not all successful) reboots and relaunches of the franchise.

What began as a simple idea of a chosen host for the Spirit of Vengeance has complicated over decades. First, by passing the role to new hosts, then by creating parallel, returned, and varied incarnations of the Ghost Rider operating at the same time. And it is that chaotic canon that Spirits of Violence is apparently dealing with immediately.

In this first preview, Sabir Pirzada and Paul Davidson give fans the kind of explanation they’ve been waiting for. Explaining how different Riders are created, why some are good and others evil, and how they all connect as part of one unique Marvek legacy. And the timing couldn’t be better.

Ghost Rider is Finally Unifying Its ‘Spirit’ Lore Into One Canon

With nostalgia for superheroes of the 1990s at a new height, the timing couldn’t be better to attempt a single, cohesive expansion and canonization of Ghost Rider lore. Even if the similar feat attempted in the Venom line by writer Donny Cates will be hard to ever reproduce, fans proved they’re more than ready to dive into cosmic lore for a beloved antihero.

How and why the new Spirit of Violence claimed Danny Ketch’s sister Barbara, how the other Riders will share her pain or seek to end it, and how newer heroes like Wolverine’s son the Hellverine will be brought into the canon remains to be seen. But if anyone doubted that this series would be a must-read for the Rider’s future, this preview just put our hopes sky high.

Spirits of Violence #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.