by Johnny Blaze’s Ghost Rider could be revving up to join Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
There are currently a lot of rumors flying around concerning the upcoming MCU sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but this latest one is sure to set many a Marvel fan’s hearts on fire, as reports are now claiming that Ghost Rider will make an appearance. Now, it must be stated again that this is simply a rumor at this stage, but sources are confident that a new incarnation of Johnny Blaze is set to make a cameo in the Doctor Strange sequel, and have even claimed to have seen some concept artwork.
While very few details have so far been revealed regarding Ghost Rider’s alleged appearance, the report does claim that the flame-skulled vigilante will only appear in a cameo, adding the horror element that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going for. The report also states that, while Ghost Rider could carry his own movie, the plan is to have him appear in other character’s movies as a side character similar to Bruce Banner/The Hulk.
Obviously, this is all frustratingly vague right now, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi would certainly be well-suited to bringing Ghost Rider to life on the big screen. It has been said several times by various different cast and crew members that the Marvel sequel will take a more horror movie-esque approach to the franchise. WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen, who will reprise her role as Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch for Doctor Strange 2, recently added fuel to the flame of this idea saying, “It’s a bonkers movie, they’re definitely going for that horror show vibe.”
While specific plot details are largely unknown, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will evidently introduce audiences to a previously unexplored side of the MCU, the multiverse. The movie will see Benedict Cumberbatch once again reprise the role of the Sorcerer Supreme, with Chiwetel Ejiofor also set to return as friend-turned-enemy, Karl Mordo. Scott Derrickson, who directed the first Doctor Strange, was initially slated to direct the multiverse-exploring follow-up, but after Derrickson stepped down, Sony’s Spider-Man director Sam Raimi was brought in, bringing with him Spider-Man collaborator Danny Elfman to compose the movie’s score.
Principal photography on the MCU installment began in London on November 4, 2020, with Elizabeth Olsen reportedly shooting back-to-back with WandaVision. Filming was delayed from an initial May 2020 start date due to the ongoing global situation, but thankfully things eventually got back on track and are now likely to have wrapped, with Kevin Feige saying on April 15 that the movie was now in the final week of filming.
As for Ghost Rider, the last time audiences saw of him on the big screen was in 2011’s poorly received Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. On the small screen, a version of the Ghost Rider has already introduced to the MCU in the form of Roberto “Robbie” Reyes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and while Reyes was well-received, the show itself was recently removed from canon, potentially paving the way for Johnny Blaze to burst onto the scene in Doctor Strange 2.
No doubt fans of the antihero cannot wait to see what Marvel does with Johnny Blaze. Could he be one of the familiar faces to appear from the now revealed Earth-616, which is due to feature in Doctor Strange’s journeys through the multiverse? Sadly, we all have to wait a little while yet, as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 25, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. This comes to us from The Hashtag Show.
