Johnny Blaze

For other uses, see Ghost Rider (disambiguation)

Johnny Blaze
Real Name	Johnathon Blaze
Alias(es)	Johnny Blaze Codenames Ghost Rider Nicknames The Good Samaritan The Devil
Species	Human
Citizenship	American
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Appearances
TV Series	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1 episode)
Actors/Actresses
Portrayed by	Tom McComas

"And you're right. There was someone there when I came to. But it wasn't a Good Samaritan. It was the Devil."

―Robbie Reyes to Gabe Reyes^[src]

Johnathon "Johnny" Blaze is a former host of the Spirit of Vengeance who was able to transform into the demonic Ghost Rider. He rescued Robbie Reyes and Gabe Reyes after they were attacked by the Fifth Street Locos, dragging Gabe from their burning car and passing the Spirit of Vengeance to Robbie.

Biography

At some point, Blaze was witnessed escaping from Hell by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson.

Resurrecting Robbie Reyes

Blaze approaches Robbie Reyes

One night in Los Angeles, Robbie Reyes and his brother Gabriel were attacked, their car crashed and Robbie was sent flying through the windshield. He begged and pleaded with God, and whoever else would listen, to please save his brother.

Robbie hit the ground and was killed, but a voice called out to him through the darkness. It asked if he would truly do anything to save his brother and punish the men who attacked them; Robbie said yes. Blaze arrived at the scene on his Hell Cycle, pulled Gabriel from the car, and resurrected Robbie, transferring the Spirit of Vengeance into him, so he can fulfill his deal and punish the souls that did him wrong. Having given up his abilities, Blaze then left the scene.

Powers

Former Powers

"Then I heard a voice. It was asking me if I wanted a second chance. Did I want to punish those who hurt my brother? Did I wanna avenge my own death? I answered yes. More than anything, yes."

―Robbie Reyes to Gabe Reyes^[src]

• Demonic Empowerment: Johnny Blaze was imbued with the Spirit of Vengeance, granting him incredible supernatural powers at his disposal.
  • Transformation: Blaze was able to transform into the "Ghost Rider", a powerful being with the appearance of a skeletal humanoid engulfed in flames.
    • Superhuman Strength: Blaze gained incredible strength as a result of the Spirit of Vengeance.
    • Superhuman Durability: Blaze was shot in the head, with the bullet even leaving a hole right in the forehead of his skull. Despite this, he continues to live and work as if it had no effect.
    • Superhuman Agility: Blaze's agility was also greatly heightened due to the power from the Spirit of Vengeance.
    • Superhuman Stamina: Blaze could exert his energy for a great period of time without tiring or breaking a sweat.
    • Regenerative Healing Factor: The Spirit of Vengeance was able to heal Blaze's wounds. However, he was not able to heal a wound to the head as there is still a hole above his eye.
    • Hell-Fire Manipulation: Blaze was able to manipulate fire which even radiated from his body around him and gave Blaze a flaming skull look.
      • Incineration: Whole possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Blaze was able to incinerate beings and objects into ashes.
      • Heat Generation: As the Ghost Rider, Blaze could generate heat through the Spirit of Vengeance as well as hellfire.
      • Heat Immunity: The Spirit of Vengeance's powers allowed Blaze to be immune to heat.
    • Empathy: Blaze judged people on their morals and decided whether they should live or die. He did this to Robbie Reyes and decided to resurrect Reyes in order to make him the Ghost Rider.
    • Power Inducement: Blaze had the ability to imbue his power into inanimate objects, doing so with the motorcycle he used to travel.
    • Mediumship: Johnny was able to hear Robbie Reyes' mental prayer for help right before death and even after death he was still able to communicate and answer Reyes. He then arrived to make a deal with him for life and vengeance.
    • Resurrection: Blaze was able to bring Reyes back from the dead, by making a deal that Reyes will also become Ghost Rider and seek vengeance on those who had wronged him, but also any who had hurt the innocent.

Equipment

Vehicles

• Hell Cycle: Johnny Blaze has a personal motorcycle. He used it when he met Robbie Reyes.

Relationships

Allies

• Spirit of Vengeance - Former Power Source
• Robbie Reyes - Successor
• Gabe Reyes

Appearances

In chronological order:

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode 4.07: Deals With Our Devils (flashbacks)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode 4.02: Meet the New Boss (mentioned)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode 4.04: Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire (mentioned)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode 4.06: The Good Samaritan (mentioned)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode 4.08: The Laws of Inferno Dynamics (mentioned)

Trivia

• In the comics, Johnny Blaze was a member of the Quentin Carnival before he became Ghost Rider.
• The bullet hole in Blaze's skull is likely a reference to the comics in which Blaze got shot in the head by a dying priest with a holy bullet and was sent back to Hell in Ghost Rider Vol 5 #5.
• There are several references to Johnny Blaze in the episode Lockup. When Lucy and Joseph Bauer find the Darkhold in an abandoned basement, there is a poster for Quentin Carnival, an old stunt bike, a black leather jacket and a chain. In the comics, Johnny Blaze worked at the carnival with his father as motorcycle stuntmen.
• In the Luke Cage episode Manifest, Zip refers to Domingo Colon's guns as "that John Blaze shit". "John Blaze" is a nickname of Method Man, which he took from the character Johnny Blaze.

Behind the Scenes

• Johnny Blaze in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second live-action incarnation of the character, following an incarnation portrayed by Nicolas Cage.
  • The Nicolas Cage incarnation of Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider was originally planned to make a physical appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, as confirmed by concept art.
• Even though this Ghost Rider's real name is not revealed on screen, he was intended to be an adaptation of Johnny Blaze.
  • In the flashbacks from episode Lockup, there are visual clues provided in the basement where the Darkhold is found that allude to Blaze's backstory from the comics.
  • Clark Gregg also affirmed on Twitter that the Ghost Rider seen in The Good Samaritan was intended to be the "original Ghost Rider". Gabriel Luna mentioned that the Ghost Rider that gave Robbie Reyes his powers was meant to be Blaze but they could not mention his name due to legal issues.
  • Jed Whedon and Jeffrey Bell noted that "there were suggestions [to the identity of the Ghost Rider] within the storytelling" but that was as far as they were allowed to take that part of the story. Furthermore, Brent Fletcher commented that Reyes' origin story did not preclude any further expansion nor clarifications of the lore of Ghost Rider if the story were to continue.

External Links

• Ghost Rider on Marvel Database
• Johnny Blaze on Marvel Database
• Ghost Rider on Wikipedia
• Johnny Blaze on Wikipedia