Ghost Rider: Why Carter Slade’s Phantom Rider Might Be Marvel’s Best Bet at a Reboot

It’s only a matter of time before Ghost Rider joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, Marvel Studios executives have hinted at the arrival of other characters rooted in horror in a post-Werewolf by Night world. Suffice it to say, the Spirit of Vengeance will join the franchise before too long at all. Given we’ve already gotten two films starring Johnny Blaze and an extended role featuring Robbie Reyes on ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, it might be Marvel’s best bet to go with a version of the character much more obscure.

That’s right, we’re talking about the MCU’s first version of Ghost Rider being none other than Carter Slade, the first character to ever don the Ghost Rider name.

Who is Carter Slade?

Introduced in Ghost Rider #1 (1966), Slade donned the Ghost Rider name years before anyone else. Though the name is the same, Slade’s usage of the mantle is vastly different than the likes of Blaze and Reyes. Instead of being one of the Spirits of Vengeance, Slade was turned into a literal ghost. With a Western story at its roots, Slade’s ghost body was a natural fit for the moniker. Ghost plus horse equals Ghost Rider, after all.

That said, Slade has also been portrayed in live-action, with Sam Elliott playing the character in the Nic Cage-starring Ghost Rider film of 2007. There, filmmakers combined the Western aesthetic of Slade’s comic roots with the fiery Spirit of Vengeance.

Why should Carter Slade be the MCU’s Ghost Rider?

In short, Slade’s uniqueness is different than anything that Marvel fandom of today has ever seen. Slade’s Western roots could provide another genre the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to reach, and the character could reach an entirely new demographic.

Furthermore, a fire-imbued horse would make for some dope toys, and we totally want to see Hasbro get its hands on the character for a Marvel Legends toy. That’s fair enough, right?

Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance are available wherever movies are rented and sold.