Ghost Rider’s MCU Debut Teased in New Concept Art

Ghost Rider was awfully close to popping to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Ryan Reynolds revealed he spoke with Nic Cage about appearing alongside Blade (Wesley Snipes), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), and Gambit (Channing Tatum) in Deadpool & Wolverine, new concept art has surfaced online showing what such an appearance may have looked like.

Shared Monday by visual development artist Rodney Fuentebella, the Spirit of Vengeance can be seen helping Deadpool (Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)—plus the aforementioned characters—as they face off against the Deadpool Corps.

“Yes,” Reynolds briefly said when asked if there was an idea for Cage to reprise Ghost Rider in Deadpool & Wolverine. “[It] came to a conversation for sure. Yeah, but no.”

Will Nic Cage ever return as Ghost Rider?

Cage has long said he’s done playing the Spirit of Vengeance, saying in 2013 he’s done what he can with the character. The actor went on to tell us in 2022 that Marvel had yet to contact him about a return to the franchise.

“Not yet, no,” Cage said when asked if he has ever talked to Marvel’s Kevin Feige or vice versa about each other’s work. “That hasn’t happened, but what’s interesting is nobody asked me about going back to Ghost Rider. That was a question that came up, and they weren’t asking about Ghost Rider, they were asking ‘What do you think of the Marvel movies?’ And I gave my opinion about it.”

Who’s all in Deadpool & Wolverine?

In Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The film also stars Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox, and Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova, with the return of Deadpool alums Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Rob Delaney as Peter, and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar. Aaron Stanford is returning as Pyro from the X-Men film series.

Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey and Simon Kinberg serving as executive producers. Deadpool & Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy. Deadpool & Wolverine is now exclusively in theaters.