The popular casting idea of Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to life through powerful art as he suits up as the Spirit of Vengeance. As the MCU timeline has added many new heroes and villains over the last couple of years, one that many fans are waiting to see in the franchise is Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. Ghost Rider. One of the major Hollywood stars who wants a chance to play Ghost Rider is Gosling, as he has shared his passion for the Marvel icon in many interviews.

Outside of Nicolas Cage’s portrayal in Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the character has yet to be back on the big screen since 2011. Following Gosling’s recent comments about playing Ghost Rider in the MCU, Erathrim shared new art where they designed the Barbie star as the terrifying antihero.

The rights to Ghost Rider reverted back to Marvel Studios all the way back in 2013, but a solo film has yet to happen under the MCU. With the amount of supernatural characters that have joined the MCU, Ghost Rider has continued to be a popular choice as another player who would fit into that side of the franchise, with many hoping this fancasting could be made a reality in upcoming MCU releases.

Will The MCU Ever Feature Ghost Rider Again & How Likely Is It Ryan Gosling Could Play Him?

For the time being, the only Ghost Rider that has been explored in the MCU was the Robbie Reyes iteration in Agents of SHIELD. Even though Johnny did appear as part of Robbie’s backstory, the MCU has yet to retread that story plot, especially as Agents of SHIELD’s place in the MCU timeline is a big mystery, given that Marvel Studios hasn’t acknowledged the ABC drama in most of their films and series. The closest the MCU got to having a project centered on the Spirit of Vengeance was the Ghost Rider TV show that was supposed to happen with Robbie, featuring Gabriel Luna back as the Marvel character.

With rumors about Gosling’s Ghost Rider dream regularly coming up at various points, Marvel Studios has yet to indicate if he is actually in the running for the role. If Ghost Rider even gets a bigger focus in the MCU, it might not be a few years from now, perhaps sometime after The Multiverse Saga is over. Since Avengers: Secret Wars is rumored to serve as a soft reboot for the MCU, Marvel Studios may go with a younger actor for Johnny by the time they decide to explore Ghost Rider in the franchise.

If the MCU is truly getting partially rebooted after The Multiverse Saga, it would make sense to shift the spotlight to unexplored characters like Ghost Rider, as this franchise could look very different after 2027. However, depending on the direction they go with Johnny, they could still have Gosling play him and have Ghost Rider as a veteran antihero. But for now, the MCU audience will have to wait and see if Ghost Rider is anywhere near to getting a bigger role in the movies and TV shows over the next few years.

Upcoming Marvel Movies
Release Date

Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024

Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025

Thunderbolts*
May 2, 2025

The Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025

Blade
November 7, 2025

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
May 1, 2026

Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027

Source: Erathrim/Instagram