The Time Is Finally Right For The MCU To Bring Norman Reedus" Dream Marvel Role To Life

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Summary

Norman Reedus is eager to play Ghost Rider in the MCU, showcasing his passion for the role in multiple interviews.
Marvel's upcoming slate of releases including more supernatural characters sets the stage for Ghost Rider's debut.
The MCU has sidelined Ghost Rider due to previous adaptations, but the timing is now right to bring the character into the fold.

Now is the perfect time for Marvel to fulfill Norman Reedus' dream role in the MCU. Best known for his roles as Daryl in The Walking Dead and Murphy MacManus in the cult classic The Boondock Saints, Norman Reedus is a somewhat understated but widely recognizable actor with a fervent fanbase. This has led to plenty of fan casts within popular franchises, and the MCU is no exception, with one dubious character in particular standing out as a particularly popular pick.
The MCU's release slate is ready to introduce a slew of fan-favorite Marvel characters to the MCU including the Fantastic Four and Blade, while more obscure characters like Wonder Man are poised to make their live-action debuts down the line. Yet of the many Marvel heroes with live-action experience that have been adapted (and often improved) by the MCU, there are still some gaps. Among the most glaring of these is Johnny Blaze's Ghost Rider, whose live-action reputation is in need of redemption.

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Norman Reedus Has Expressed Interest In Ghost Rider Close Norman Reedus has already stated that he would be willing to play Ghost Rider in a 2016 interview with Uproxx. When questioned about taking the role, Reedus responded enthusiastically:

“Hell yeah...It would be a blast. Do I get a skull face that’s on fire and all that stuff? F*** yeah. I’m down.”

The question was asked as rumors swirled about a possible Ghost Rider reboot even back in 2016. Suffice it to say that a lot of time has passed since then, but the appetite for Ghost Rider's MCU debut has hardly waned. In fact, it is a role that an increasing number of Hollywood A-listers are gunning for, including Ryan Gosling and Keanu Reeves.
Reedus has also doubled down on his desire to portray Johnny Blaze, stating in a 2021 interview with comicbook.com:

"I want to play Ghost Rider... I want a fire skull. I want my face to turn into a fire skull and whip a chain around. That would be great."

Given fans are so enthusiastic about Ghost Rider joining the MCU, it stands to reason that Marvel is at least considering bringing the character into the fold soon, and Reedus' passion for portraying the role does not seem to be dying down. With that in mind, this should be one of the occasions in which MCU fan casts should come to fruition, as Norman Reedus is a perfect choice for Ghost Rider.
Why Norman Reedus Is Perfect For Ghost Rider Close Marvel's Johnny Blaze is already reminiscent of Norman Reedus' most famous role: the strong, silent type with an affinity for motorcycles. In fact, the latter is a trope that Reedus has carried over to his latest role as Funny Sonny in 2023's The Bikeriders, which stands to reason given Reedus' personal enthusiasm for motorbikes and biker culture. On his past works alone, it is easy to see Reedus flying in the face of Nick Cage's over-the-top rendition with a more comic-accurate depiction of Blaze as a down-and-out and unassuming hero with a fiery alter-ego.
His time as the porter, Sam, in Hideo Kojima's sprawling "courier simulator" video game, Death Stranding, shows that Reedus is more than capable of delivering some of his finest work with MoCap suits and green screens.
Reedus also has experience working with detailed motion capture - a trait he shares with fellow Ghost Rider aspirant, Keanu Reeves. His time as the porter, Sam, in Hideo Kojima's sprawling "courier simulator" video game, Death Stranding, shows that Reedus is more than capable of delivering some of his finest work with MoCap suits and green screens. Given Reedus has specifically mentioned his head turning into a flaming skull both times he's expressed his interest in the role of Blaze, this certainly seems like a part of the job he would seize with relish.
It's Time For The MCU To Expand Its Paranormal Side After Blade Close In a positive sign for the Ghost Rider's MCU genesis, the paranormal side of the MCU appears to be ramping up. The debut of characters like Man-Thing in Werewolf by Night and Blade in his upcoming MCU movie bodes well, in particular, for an adaptation of Marvel's Midnight Sons. This superhero team comprises a revolving door of Marvel's supernatural heroes, though at least one iteration of the team (featured in Doctor Strange: Damnation) is almost exclusively composed of characters that have already been introduced in or are confirmed to be joining the MCU - with one notable exception.
MCU Characters Who Have Been In The Midnight Sons
Blade
Johnny Blaze
Doctor Strange
Wong
Elsa Bloodstone
Iron Fist
Man-Thing
Werewolf by Night
Moon Knight
Scarlet Witch
Various iterations of Ghost Rider are stalwarts of the Midnight Sons alongside Blade. With Blade confirmed to be joining the MCU in 2025, Johnny Blaze feels like the next logical step for the MCU to help pad out its paranormal roster and line up an outing for one of its most compelling and original teams so far. With X-Men adjacent characters like Magik and Nico Minoru also now under Marvel's purview, the team looks especially cohesive if Johnny Blaze is en route.
A notable absentee of any Midnight Sons lineup would be Morbius, whom Sony still owns the distribution rights for.
Furthermore, one of the most important characters in Johnny Blaze's story is reported to be joining the cast of Ironheart as portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen. Mephisto is the entity responsible for binding Johnny Blaze with the Spirit of Vengeance (his justice-seeking, flame-skulled alter-ego), and his reported arrival is yet another positive sign that Ghost Rider's story will soon be adapted within the MCU. With all that in mind, all that remains is whether the MCU should get the ball rolling with Blaze sooner rather than later.
Why The MCU Has Sidelined Ghost Rider For So Long Close Nicholas Cage's Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance came out in 2007 and 2011, respectively. With the second being released in the same year as Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, it is reasonable to assume that Marvel needed to keep some distance between Nic Cage's divisive rendition of Johnny Blaze and the MCU's version. With over a decade between them now, however, it's safe to say that the MCU can introduce its version of Blaze without it being associated with Cage or confusing casual viewers.
The film rights for Ghost Rider reverted to Marvel from Sony in 2013.
What is confusing is whether the Robbie Reyes rendition of the character featured in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is MCU canon. Without official confirmation in either direction from Marvel, the canonicity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is debatable, with the prevailing sentiment dubbing it "soft canon" due to the fact it was so closely linked to the mainline stories and characters of the MCU. Since the final episode aired in August 2020, the MCU has been coy about integrating any of the characters introduced in this series into the official MCU timeline.
This has hampered a Ghost Rider debut in the mainline MCU as he has tentatively already been operating within this series; though it does not preclude Johnny Blaze's version of the character from debuting. Additionally, while Marvel has debuted a handful of supernatural heroes in shows, there has only been one movie franchise that leans towards the paranormal - namely, Doctor Strange. With Blade set to supercharge the paranormal side of the MCU, the time is now right for the franchise to finally bring the beloved Spirit of Vengeance into the fold.

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man Upcoming Films Deadpool & Wolverine , Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts (2025) , Blade (2025) , The Fantastic Four (2025) , Avengers: The Kang Dynasty , Avengers: Secret Wars First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Upcoming TV Shows Agatha: Coven of Chaos , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again , Wakanda , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man , Marvel Zombies , Wonder Man , Vision Quest Upcoming MCU Movies
Release Date
Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024
Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025
Thunderbolts*
May 5, 2025
The Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025
Blade
November 7, 2025
Avengers 5
May 1, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027
Source: Uproxx/Comicbook.com

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