For ardent comic book fans, 2022 is turning out to be the Year of the Ghost Rider. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Spirit of Vengeance's first appearance, Marvel is celebrating the moment with two all-new series: Ghost Rider #1 (February release) featuring Johnny Blaze as the titular hero and created by Benjamin Percy and Cory Smith, and a five-issue series from Peter David and Alan Robinson that will take readers back to the early 90s with the New Fantastic Four (May release), the brief team-up between Wolverine, Spider-man, the Hulk, and Ghost Rider.
As for his upcoming solo outing, it's still a mystery which of Ghost Rider's many adversaries will make an appearance, but with his super-powered and supernatural rogues gallery--a who's who of demons, Hell-lords, satanists, and murderers--readers can be assured that righteous vengeance will be coming, one way or another.
Nightmare
Fear lord and ruler of a dream dimension, with immortality powered by the psychic energy of dreaming beings, Nightmare is a villain straight out of a Jeunet-Caro film. No matter which early incarnation of Ghost Rider he's faced--both Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch have had the displeasure of making his acquaintance--Nightmare has been a nightmare throughout the years. Primarily an antagonist for Dr. Strange, Nightmare was rumored to be making an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before that film's original director, Scott Derrickson, left the project.
Zarathos
A demonic being that tortures and devours souls, Zarathos is simultaneously the source of Ghost Rider's power and the reason for the hero's eternal guilt--a constant reminder that accomplishing "good" through hellish means comes at a cost. Less an adversarial relationship and more of a partnership aimed at ridding themselves of a powerful, mutual adversary, Mephisto, the Zarathos-Ghost Rider association is a quintessential example of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Towards the end of Johnny Blaze's run as the Ghost Rider, Zarathos is eventually able to separate himself from Blaze, but was greatly weakened without a connection to a mortal body. Using the last of his strength he's able to free Johnny Blaze's soul--frenemies until the end.
Scarecrow
Ebenezer Laughton was a contortionist, escape artist, and garden variety murderer. After battling Ghost Rider and being impaled on his own pitchfork, the Scarecrow was reincarnated by the sorcerer Stern. Now undead and empowered with superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to induce fear in humans and animals alike, Scarecrow became a far more formidable opponent to Ghost Rider than when they first clashed.
He would die at the hands of Ghost Rider again only to be resurrected once more, this time by the demon Blackheart.
Dormammu
Dormammu's powers and abilities read like a Task Rabbit profile for omnipotent, interdimensional beings bent on world destruction. Another villain usually associated with Dr. Strange, Dormammu has had his run-ins with Ghost Rider as well, at one point tricking the Sorceror Supreme into fighting Ghost Rider in an effort to kill both. Ghost Rider usually isn't in the business of fighting street-level heroes, and Dormammu's position as Chaos lord and master of the dark dimension, is a prime example of this.
Centurious the Soulless Man
A man who sold his soul to Mephisto in order to combat Zarathos--long before the demon became bound to Johnny blaze--Centurious is a mirror image of Ghost Rider himself, both empowered, earthly representatives of demonic forces waging a war for their masters. During past encounters, Centurious has proven himself to be a formidable opponent, once using the Crystal of Souls to imprison Johnny Blaze's soul. He would continue his fight against Danny Ketch, often through surrogates like the Reverend Styge and Steel Wind. Given his immortality, Centurious won't be giving up the fight anytime soon.
Madcap
Madcap is like Deadpool, but with a faster healing factor. Virtually immortal and completely unhinged, he feels no physical or emotional pain, a perfect symbol for the societal purposelessness and indifference that he represents. After Madcap induced mass violence at Grand Central Station causing an entire station of people to start murdering each other, Ghost Rider intervened, subjecting him to the Penance Stare (the ability to make his enemies feel the suffering of their victims). For once, Madcap felt pain--and he liked it, making him one of Ghost Rider's scariest villains.
Blackheart
Created by Mephisto out of the cumulative evil energy of a murderous New York town, Blackheart has all the requisite powers of a demon of his station: telekinesis, interdimensional teleportation, literal hell-raising, etc. Despite his being an enemy to Ghost Rider, Blackheart's enmity for his own father, Mephisto, has occasionally placed him, if not on the same side, in a position borne from the same perspective as the Spirit of Vengeance. In the graphic novel Hearts of Darkness, Blackheart even tried to recruit Ghost Rider, along with the Punisher and Wolverine, in his war against his father, but when they refused, he brainwashed an entire town and kidnapped a young girl out of spite.
Zadkiel
A renegade archangel who became envious of God's love for humanity. Not to be confused with either the biblical Lucifer or the Marvel Lucifer, who is just another Hell-lord, Zadkiel's origin story contains all the epic pomp and religious undertones of Paradise Lost. Once responsible for overseeing the Spirits of Vengeance, Zadkiel manipulated Danny Ketch into leading his army, the Black Host, in his war against God, Johnny Blaze, and the other Spirits of Vengeance. With Danny's help, Zadkiel was victorious, and though his reign was short-lived, any being that can conquer and rule over Heaven is powerful indeed.
Lilith, Mother of All Demons
Lilith, Mother of All Demons, known in Judaic mythology as being the first wife of Adam and the primordial she-demon, possessor of the ability to spawn demons at will. Many of her children, or Lilin, have fallen victim to various incarnations of Ghost Rider over the years, only to be re-birthed by their mother. She once allied with Centurious in order to acquire the Medallion of Power, but she and her children would inevitably betray Centurious and reveal herself to be allied with Zarathos.
Aside from Ghost Rider, Lilith's enemies list includes Dr. Strange, the Midnight Sons, the Nightstalkers, and Morbius. She would be atop this list if it were solely based on power.
Mephisto
Mephisto is Ghost Rider's archenemy and greatest foe. Based on Mephistopheles from the Faustian legend, Mephisto possesses a substantial Hell-lord bag of tricks, but what makes Mephisto so special is not his desire for acquiring souls, but his requirement to do so: Mephisto needs the victim's permission. It's an extremely dangerous monster that can persuade a person to give up their soul, thus exposing the monster within all living beings. He has manipulated multiple Spirits of Vengeance since he first made his debut in The Silver Surfer #3 in 1968. Tangling with Ghost Rider--who at certain points literally has his Hellfire chain tangled around Mephisto's neck--as recently as 2021's King in Black: Ghost Rider, when it comes to archvillainy, Mephisto is Ghost Rider's past, present, and future.