He’s gone by many names - the Spirit of Vengeance, the Devil’s Bounty Hunter - and acquired dozens of human hosts over the years. And one look at his blazing skull and demonic ride seems to confirm that Marvel’s Ghost Rider is indeed an agent of the devil. But is this really the case?
It’s an interesting question that cuts to the heart of what Ghost Rider really is. Although his origins are steeped in bargains with the devil, the Ghost Rider is frequently an agent of good, using his powers to punish the wicked and even protect the innocent. Given all of this, could the creature dwelling inside Johnny Blaze and other Ghost Riders be an angel?
The question gets trickier when readers learn that not all Ghost Riders are possessed by the same entity. The most popular Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, was the human host to an entity known as Zarathos. His successor, Daniel Ketch, became the Ghost Rider when he was possessed by his ancestor Noble Kale. The Ghost Rider known as Robbie Reyes is possessed by the spirit of Eli Morrow, a deceased serial-killing Satanist. And in the far future of 2099, the Ghost Rider Kenshiro “Zero” Cochrane was recruited by the artificial intelligence known as the Ghostworks to be resurrected as a cybernetic Spirit of Vengeance.
In the movie Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the spirit possessing Johnny Blaze was revealed to be an incarnation of Zarathos, an Angel of Justice who was charged with protecting humanity. However, Zarathos was tricked by the Devil, corrupted, and driven insane. Later in the film, Zarathos’ angelic side reawakens and his flames go from yellow to blue to symbolize his transformation. This differs from the comic books, where Zarathos is indeed a demon - and in fact, one of the worst (or best, depending on your stance) given his incredible power and hunger for souls. Comic book lore states that Zarathos was once worshipped by a Native American sorcerer’s tribe which gave him a steady supply of souls in exchange for his protection. Eventually, his activities earned him the envy of the demon Mephisto, who felt those souls belonged to him. Mephisto tricked and defeated Zarathos and then bonded his essence to several mortal hosts to create Ghost Riders.
These Ghost Riders were influenced by their mortal hosts and could become instruments of good if people like Johnny Blaze directed their powers to be used for heroic purposes. However, Zarathos was still a malevolent entity and could gradually overpower Blaze, turning the Ghost Rider into a dangerous creature once more.
So, it would seem that - in the comics, at least - Ghost Rider is indeed a demonic force. However, this isn’t the complete story. In a later Ghost Rider storyline, Danny Ketch learned that his Spirit of Vengeance, Noble Kale, had dealings with both demons and angels. In the story, Noble’s soul was promised to Mephisto who transformed him into a new “Spirit of Vengeance.” When the time came to collect his soul, however, the archangel Uriel appeared and demanded that Noble’s soul be spared. As a result, Noble’s soul was kept in a limbo realm - untouched by devils or angels - and could only be bonded to members of his family like Danny Ketch.
Thanks to these weird dealings, Ghost Rider remains a weird paradox among Marvel superheroes - a champion who has roots in genuine evil and demonic power. Nevertheless, he has also been influenced by moral beings and even genuine angels, making his true allegiance a constant mystery.