Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Marvel Comics anti-hero Ghost Rider’s creation, and in honor of the event, Marvel is declaring it “The Year of Vengeance.” The company has released a promotional image hinting at what this year of Ghost Rider stories may entail. Marvel has also promised a new ongoing series featuring the Spirit of Vengeance in one form or another.
Marvel’s promotional art, drawn by Ryan Stegman and Marte Garcia, was posted on Twitter and doesn’t offer much in the way of plot or character. Rather, it pays homage to the rich five-decade history of Ghost Rider by depicting nearly every mainstream continuity iteration of the hero. Johnny Blaze, arguably the most “definitive” Ghost Rider, takes center stage, but every character gets a spot to shine, including more obscure ones like Caleb from Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears as well as fan favorites like Robbie Reyes. It suggests that Marvel is giving love not just to Johnny, but the entire Ghost Rider franchise, for its fiftieth year.
According to CBR, Marvel has also announced a new ongoing series, but more details remain shrouded in mystery. There hasn’t been an ongoing Ghost Rider series since the King in Black crossover event, when writer Ed Brisson ended his run on the book, but that isn’t to say nothing has been happening with the character. In particular, Robbie Reyes has been a member of the most current incarnation of the Avengers. There is also the eight-part Infinity Comic miniseries Ghost Rider: Kushala, which is currently on its third issue. It focuses on Kushala the Spirit Rider – a somewhat unconventional Spirit of Vengeance from the 1800s (who is also one of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supremes), and her legacy being lived through her descendant Olivia Oberta.
Depending on what happens in the series, perhaps Olivia and Kushala will have even bigger roles to play in the Year of Vengeance line-up of comics. Robbie Reyes is also supposed to be in in the upcoming video game, Marvel’s Midnight Sun, which is also planned to release in 2022. However, there’s not much more info than that yet. The Year of Vengeance could amount to primarily the ongoing series, but it also could include an event of some kind featuring one or more of the Ghost Riders, like the promotional image would suggest.
It’s exciting to see more Ghost Rider content should be coming in the following year. The various incarnations of the character have always been popular but doesn’t necessarily garner the same attention as the heroes of Marvel’s larger titles. With his 50th anniversary coming though, it’s a perfect time for Marvel to dive into the lore and characters of the franchise once again. And so far, Ghost Rider’s Year of Vengeance is looking to be an exciting one.