Marvel Comics fans may know the origin stories of Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and Robbie Reyes, but now Marvel revealed the original origin story of the original Ghost Rider.
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SPOILERS for Avengers #7 by Jason Aaron, Sara Pichelli, and Justin Ponsor follow.
The Ghost Rider’s story has always been tied to Mephisto, the Marvel Universe’s closest analog to the biblical Satan. Someone like Johnny Blaze sells his soul to Mephisto and is transformed into the Spirit of Vengeance, thus empowered to punish the wicked.
The tale is similar for the first Ghost Rider, dating all the way back to 1,000,000 BC. Avengers has revealed that the origin of super-beings on Earth can be traced back to a sick Celestial who crash-landed on Earth to die.
The Celestial’s presence influenced human evolution. Suddenly, certain humans were much more intelligent than others and became able to speak a language. The human who would become the first Ghost Rider was one of them.
This human’s tribe lived in a cave and they were visited by another advanced human. This newcomer took control of the tribe, named the young boy Ghost, and then transformed and devoured the flesh of the other members of the tribe.
Determined to seek vengeance, Ghost went out into the cold to find the man who killed his tribe. On the brink of death, the boy was approached by a talking serpent. The snake convinced Ghost to speak the name “Mephisto” in exchange for power. Thus, Ghost was transformed into the first Spirit of Vengeance. Ghost began riding on the back of a mastodon. Other humans had never seen someone ride an animal before and began referring to Ghost as “The Rider.”
The Rider continued his search and eventually caught up with the man who devoured Ghost’s tribe. The man transformed, revealing himself to be the first Wendigo. During the fight, the Rider took the bones of the dead that Wendigo had killed and used them to form a weapon, the earliest version of Ghost Rider’s signature chain. The Rider fought Wendigo until finally Wendigo and the Rider’s mastodon tumbled over a cliff.
That left the Rider alone, but not for long. He was soon greeted by Lady Phoenix and Odin. They putting together a team to deal with a larger threat and they want the Ghost Rider to join them.
What do you think of the original Ghost Rider’s origin story? Let us know in the comments!
Avengers #7 is on sale now.
