Among Marvel’s demonic heroes, Ghost Rider is easily one of the most powerful. Once a regular motorcycle stunt rider, Johnny Blaze acquired great powers when a deal with the devil Mephisto left him bonded with the demon Zarathos. Under Zarathos’ influence, Johnny became a skull-faced fiery “Spirit of Vengeance,” riding a mystical motorcycle that seemed capable of anything.
Yet while Johnny gained unbelievable power thanks to this unholy union, it might be surprising to know that Zarathos got the short end of the deal as his demonic power was reduced thanks to Johnny Blaze. Sounds strange, but Blaze’s greatest contribution to this demonic superhero may actually be his ability to keep his evil half from running amok.
Those who’ve seen the Ghost Rider in action might find this hard to believe. After all, once Johnny Blaze transforms, it often feels like nobody – not even supernatural entities – can stand in his way. The Ghost Rider has vast superhuman strength, can control torrents of hellfire capable of searing human souls, and wields the dreaded “Penance Stare” that causes anyone he looks at to re-experience all the torment they’ve caused others. This power alone is so powerful that sufficiently evil people have shut down completely if the Ghost Rider just looks at them.
Aside from his considerable strength, the Ghost Rider is also virtually invulnerable. While it’s technically possible for his flaming skeleton to take on damage if he’s struck with enough force, the Spirit of Vengeance regenerates so quickly that even (literally) bone crushing moves are barely an inconvenience for him. Even beings like Hulk and Mr. Hyde have found that the Ghost Rider can shrug off their most powerful blows and continue accepting more punishment, apparently indifferent to the pain.
Then there’s the Ghost Rider’s Hell Cycle. While different Ghost Riders have conjured up different mystical vehicles, virtually all of them have displayed insanely high-power levels. Not only is the Ghost Rider unbelievably fast and maneuverable on the motorcycle, the bike can do literally impossible things – like ride straight up buildings or cruise on top of water. The bike can even move independently of Ghost Rider, allowing him to launch multi-prong attacks at his foes.
So, given all of this, how exactly is Ghost Rider weak? Well, he’s not… but he could be a whole lot stronger. Before Zarathos was bonded to Johnny Blaze, he was a demon feared among other demons. Eventually he became worshipped by a Native American tribe for vanquishing their enemies in exchange for a steady diet of souls. In fact, Mephisto captured Zarathos’ essence largely because he felt the demon was depriving the Lords of Hell of their fair share of souls. While Mephisto was able to defeat Zarathos, the very fact that the demon was able to battle the Lord of Hell at all certainly shows how powerful he once was.
Indeed, it’s been established that Zarathos grows even stronger as he consumes more souls – and considering how many souls he ate during his heyday, his true power is literally immeasurable. His physical strength far exceeds anything he displayed as Ghost Rider, he can conjure thunderstorms, shoot bolts of lightning, and even create earthquakes at a whim. To top it all off, he’s immortal and unable to be killed or harmed except by the most powerful of cosmic beings.
Naturally, Mephisto didn’t want his prisoner to access his full strength – so when he was bonded to mortals like Johnny Blaze, the mortal acted as a limiter on Zarathos’ power, allowing him to tear apart people’s souls on a much smaller scale than before. Nevertheless, Zarathos would occasionally exert greater control over Johnny Blaze, causing the Ghost Rider to become more violent – and more powerful. At one point, Doctor Strange claimed the Ghost Rider was possibly on a power level comparable to the Hulk’s “Green Scar” form – a Hulk capable of starting earthquakes simply by walking.
Fortunately, Ghost Rider rarely abuses his power to this extent – thanks largely to the mollifying effects of his human host. It may sound strange, but for all the heroic things Johnny Storm has done as the Ghost Rider, his most heroic may be keeping the Spirit of Vengeance from unleashing his full potential.