Summary
- 2007's Ghost Rider brought the dark hero to life, for the first time, on the big screen.
- Ghost Rider also introduced a wildly dangerous enemy that was barely present in the finale.
- As a result, Ghost Rider underutilized a villain that could've led to a scary and epic final battle.
The 2007 adaptation of Ghost Rider rarely tops anyone's Best Of list: a forgettable effects-laden placeholder that basically gave the studio something to market in February. Star Nicolas Cage was still a viable A-lister, and director Mark Steven-Johnson -- while imperfect -- still possessed a deep love and respect for the character. (His big-screen Daredevil is underrated.) Nonetheless, while it turned a mild profit at the box office, it failed to generate much enthusiasm from fans. With Iron Man heralding the arrival of the Marvel Cinematic Universe just one year later, it feels like the last gasp of a passing era in retrospect.
And yet the film isn't without its charms. Cage is tons of fun -- especially in the early scenes -- and supporting figures like Sam Elliott make for bright spots as well. Ghost Rider's problems lie elsewhere, not the least of which in its villains. Blackheart, a nebulous but well-established figure in the Marvel canon, has an agreeable incarnation in Wes Bentley and a cool connection to an army of the damned called Legion. It holds a lot of potential, especially in light of the comic story that spawned it. But the film doesn't know what to do with the idea, reducing and seriously underselling Legion as a concept.
2007's Ghost Rider Wastes Its Potential
Ghost Rider has a number of problems, but its fatal flaw lies in the special effects that bring the title character to life. They haven't aged well, to say the least, but even in 2007, they rendered the title character more comical than terrifying. Add to that a handful of uninspired catchphrases, and the central hook falls completely apart.
Ironically, the film does much better when Cage is in Johnny Blaze form. As usual for the actor, he dives in head-first -- resulting in moments of vintage nuttiness that are not to be missed -- and actually manages to bring a little Elvis to the role. He also generates a decent star-crossed romance with Eva Mendes' Roxanne Simpson, and even when the second half slides into CGI afterthought, figures like Sam Elliott's Caretaker help it go down more smoothly. Johnson's decision to treat it as a modern Western gives it some distinctiveness as well, and while it can't get across the finish line, it delivers some interesting material in the effort.
Nowhere is this more true than the villains, starting with Peter Fonda's Mephistopheles who helps make the first 20 minutes an active hoot. Bentley is saddled with less inspired dialogue as Blackheart -- Johnson admits that he couldn't crack the character in a 2021 interview with ComicBook.com -- but he makes up for it with sheer glee: looking for a MacGuffin containing a thousand damned souls that can bring about the end of the world. Together, the two of them might have brought some much-needed energy to the film's finale. Instead, it goes for easy mayhem -- turning Ghost Rider against the police before a perfunctory throwdown with Blackheart -- and leaves the audience thoroughly underwhelmed.
The Ghost Rider Comics Delivered a Fantastic Legion Story
Legion officially first appeared in Ghost Rider #15 (Tony Isabella, William Robert Brown, Don Heck, Michele Brand, Karen Mantlo), as Roxanne Simpson is inhabited by an army of demons. Two issues later, Johnny Blaze and Daimon Hellstrom team up to expel and destroy them. They never reappeared -- and the name "Legion" was subsequently appropriated by Charles Xavier's son David Haller -- but Ghost Rider had a perfect opportunity to run with the idea.
Blackheart himself isn't specifically attached to Johnny Blaze the way Legion is, but his arc bends firmly back to the MacGuffin, and the film is clearly set up to support an army of demons. It could have given the third act some much-needed energy, as well as aptly recreating the stint with Daimon Hellstrom, with the Caretaker filling in for the Son of Satan. It would even give Roxanne more to do than play sidekick: acting as host for Legion and forcing Blaze to choose between saving her and saving the world. Ghost Rider even baits the hooks just before her abduction as she discovers an image of a Satanic figure surrounded by a maelstrom of shrieking faces.
Instead, it undersells the whole affair: building Blackheart into a de facto arch-nemesis, then setting them against each other in a bombastically lazy final fight. The damned souls arise and give every hint of a spectacular battle to come as they fly madly around the scenery. But they simply feed into Blackheart's own body to let the pair duke it out, and his claim of being "Legion" is simply an excuse to ramp up his power levels. Bentley can't do it all on his own, and without the pizzazz of a Legion-style attack, the ending feels lazy and pro forma.
The MCU Could Bring In Legion Along with Ghost Rider
Johnny Blaze made a prominent appearance in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, saving Robbie Reyes in Season 4, Episode 6, "The Good Samaritan" and passing on the Ghost Rider mantle to him. Agents of SHIELD currently resides in canonical limbo, and a hard reboot may be possible for the MCU, but the footprint is there, and introducing some version of The Spirit of Vengeance could be an easy sell for the franchise at some point in the future. (Particularly with the success of the Werewolf by Night special and the prospect of similar supernatural heroes like Blade on the horizon.)
If that happens, Legion could serve as an outstanding fulcrum not only for Ghost Rider himself but for any number of his villains in the process. Since WandaVision, Mephisto has crept around the edges of the MCU on little cats' feet, and an appearance by Legion could formally bring him into the saga as well: either on his own or connected to Ghost Rider's plot arc. Regardless, should either Blaze or Reyes become a going concern, the MCU could readily use an army of demons to give him a proper introduction and take advantage of Ghost Rider's lost opportunity in the process.