Marvel Just Killed One of Its Biggest ’90s Heroes (And No One Noticed)

The 1990s were a wild time in the comic book world, especially for Marvel Comics. From Spider-Man’s Clone Saga to the arrival of original characters like Darkhawk, Speedball, and Deathlok, there were extreme storylines that were bursting off the page. Luckily, many of the stories and characters revealed during this decade still have parts to play in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, one of the biggest characters from Marvel’s 90s era has died, and it’s a death that many might have missed as a supernatural figure gave his life to protect the Spirits of Vengeance and the world.

In a new Marvel mini-series, Spirits of Violence, various Ghost Riders from all over the world assembled to fight against a new threat, the Spirit of Violence. Bringing back Danny Ketch’s sister, Barbara, from the dead and making her an avatar of the Spirit of Violence. Barb wasn’t the only character returned to the world of the living, as Johnny Blaze’s wife, Roxanne, was once again made into the villainous Black Rose. With all the Spirits of Vengeance assembling to fight this new threat, Danny Ketch makes the ultimate sacrifice by holding his sister in place to make sure that both he and his sibling are killed by the Blight Blade.

In the final pages, Johnny tries to resurrect his brother, though thanks to Corruption and the Spirit of Violence’s defeat, the Spirits of Vengeance cannot jump in and out of their hosts. Laid to rest next to Barbara, it seems as though Danny’s time in the Marvel Universe has come to an end for now. However, the supernatural side of Marvel Comics will routinely see resurrections take place, as the dead will routinely return, akin to a revolving door. Even Johnny Blaze himself has dragged himself out of the underworld more times than we can count. You can check out Danny’s final moments below, and don’t be too worried about the Spirit of Vengeance as there are plenty more where Ketch came from.

Too Many Ghost Riders

Losing Danny might be a big blow to fans of the Midnight Sons, but there are plenty of other Spirits of Vengeance to stand in his place. Johnny Blaze might still be in the motorcycle seat as the most “traditional” Ghost Rider, but Robbie Reyes is still operating within his hot rod. Daken, the son of Wolverine, is still holding a Spirit of Vengeance of his own by rocking the moniker of “Hellverine,” paling around with Cable and the new iteration of X-Force. There is also the dark doppelganger Vengeance, who made his big comeback in this mini-series. These four grittier heroes weren’t the only Ghost Riders in attendance.

While most of the Spirits of Vengeance are adults, there is one character that might usher in a new era of supernatural eras in Fantasma. Isabella Alvarez doesn’t have a vehicle to call her own, but still rides fairly fast thanks to her roller skates. There is also Kulisha, the native American Ghost Rider who dabbles in magic far more than many of her brethren. There’s a big Ghost Rider family in the world today, and even without Danny Ketch, the flaming skull-headed hero remains a big part of the Marvel make-up.

Danny Ketch Vs. Johnny Blaze

Danny and Johnny have been operating as independent Spirits of Vengeance for years now, ever since Jason Aaron decided to bring back Ketch from comic book limbo during his previous run. While the brothers have been at odds more times than we can count at this point, they recently were at peace with one another to take on this brand new threat. Ghost Rider doesn’t have a new series confirmed for now, but we could see another mini-series once again exploring the supernatural side of the Marvel Universe, especially if we finally see the flame-skulled hero making his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Danny’s adventures were quite different from Johnny’s when he first appeared in the ’90s, struggling with the Spirit of Vengeance as a much younger host than his brother was. Ketch presented a Ghost Rider that became a big deal for Marvel, becoming one of the top-selling books of his time. Fingers crossed that Danny will get a resurrection sooner rather than later in the supernatural side of the Marvel comics.

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