Nicolas Cage reveals what it will take for him to return as Ghost Rider in the MCU. Cage had been a comic book fan for years, and after a failed attempt to play Superman in Tim Burton's scrapped Superman Lives project, he finally got to step into the role of a superhero as Johnny Cage in 2007's Ghost Rider. The actor reprised his role in 2012's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence, but the film failed to live up to expectations, and plans for a third movie were scrapped with the rights reverted back to Marvel Studios.

Ghost Rider has already appeared in the MCU, as the Robbie Reyes incarnation of Ghost Rider appeared on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and was set to get his own spin-off series on Hulu, but the series was canceled. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also hinted at the existence of Johnny Blaze in the MCU in Robie Reyes's origin story, but the character's human face was never shown, leaving the door open for Marvel to cast any actor in the role, even possibly bringing back Cage if they so wanted to. As the supernatural side of the MCU begins to fill up with characters like Blade, Moon Knight, and Werewolf by Night set to appear, it is just a matter of time until Ghost Rider makes his grand return.

Related: Nic Cage Is Right: Ghost Rider Is Amazing (& The MCU Should Realize It)

Promoting his latest film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage did an AMA on Reddit where he answered fan questions. The actor was asked what it would take for him to reprise his role as Ghost Rider if Marvel asked him to. Using the Lionsgate account on Reddit, Cage said, "I would really need to see what they had in mind before answering that."

Cage has previously expressed interest in reprising his role as Ghost Rider but has assured that he will not be appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Currently, there are no active plans for Ghost Rider in the MCU, but there are rumors the character will appear soon. In August 2021 Marvel Studios filled a mysterious LLC for Richmond Street Productions, a reference to the Danny Keitch version of Ghost Rider hinting at a Disney+ series for the character. Still, with bringing Robbie Reyes into the MCU first, it appears Marvel is avoiding Johnny Blaze for some reason.

Marvel Studios has brought back past actors to play iconic roles before, like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning as their respective Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home or Patrick Stewart as Professor X in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, all of those returns come with a multiversal explanation, so if Cage were to appear in the MCU as Ghost Rider it is highly unlikely he would be the main MCU version but rather his original character from the prior films established as part of the Marvel multiverse. The appearance of Cage as Ghost Rider would likely be a nice surprise for audiences, even if the original movies themselves were not well received.

Next: Moon Knight Proves The MCU Needs Ghost Rider

Source: Nicolas Cage

Key Release Dates