Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch)
Danny Ketch Ghost Rider | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1 (May 1990) |
Created by | Howard Mackie (writer) Javier Saltares (artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Daniel "Danny" Ketch |
Species | Human/demon hybrid |
Place of origin | Brooklyn, New York |
Team affiliations | Midnight Sons Secret Defenders New Fantastic Four |
Notable aliases | The Spirit of Vengeance |
Abilities | Superhuman strength and durability Ability to project regular and ethereal flame Ability to travel between interdimensional realms and along any surface Using magical chain and motorcycle Penance Stare |
Ghost Rider (Daniel "Danny" Ketch) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the third Marvel character to don the identity of Ghost Rider, after Johnny Blaze (the first supernatural Ghost Rider and brother to Danny) and the Western hero known as the Phantom Rider, who used the name in 1967.
Publication history
The third Ghost Rider debuted in Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1 (May 1990). The series ended with a cliffhanger in vol. 3 #93 (Feb. 1998). Marvel finally published the belated final issue nine years later as Ghost Rider Finale (Jan. 2007), which reprints vol. 3, #93 and the previously unpublished #94. Ketch appears in the current Ghost Rider series alongside Johnny Blaze. In support of the series, Ketch received his own miniseries titled Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, written by Simon Spurrier.[1][2][3]
Fictional character biography
Daniel Ketch was born in
Ketch later learned the origin of Zarathos from the mystical dream lord Nightmare,[6] who believed the entity to which Ketch was bound was Zarathos reborn and freed from the Soul Crystal. Ghost Rider denied this, though others, including Mephisto, believed otherwise.[7]
Alliances and deaths
When Ghost Rider becomes a part of the team the
Ketch and Johnny Blaze later learned they were long-lost brothers and that their family was the inheritor of a mystical curse related to the Spirits of Vengeance.[volume & issue needed] Danny Ketch seemed to die by the hand of Blackout,[8] but the Spirit of Vengeance to which he had been bound through the bike's talisman lived on.[volume & issue needed] During this time Ketch's only existence remained inside a void and he was only able to communicate with Ghost Rider via the spirit world.[volume & issue needed]
Rebirth
In Peter Parker: Spider-Man #93, Ghost Rider is seen being summoned forth on the streets of New York, his powers out of control due to lacking a host. He encounters Spider-Man and Ketch, who tells him that he is Noble Kale even though Ghost Rider denies this, and should be in Mephisto's realm. The trio contend with a bomb created by a group of terrorists who wish to incinerate the city. Although Ghost Rider takes possession of the bomb, he lacks the strength to contain the impending explosion, and thus Ketch rejoins with him to become Ghost Rider once more, and aids Spider-Man in neutralizing the threat.[9]
This Ketch/Kale hybrid version of Ghost Rider eventually becomes the King of Hell in a brokered arrangement with then-ruler
Ketch slipped into a coma in the mortal plane and was later revived by his dead mother, Naomi Kale-Blaze, and brother, Johnny Blaze, and goes on to live a seemingly normal life. However, his longtime girlfriend Stacy Dolan learns she is pregnant with Ketch's child and runs away.[11]
2000s
In the 2008 miniseries Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, Ketch is tormented that his life has fallen apart due to his
2010s
In a 2014 story, Ketch is briefly consulted by
During
Powers and abilities
While transformed, Danny exhibits much of the same powers as Johnny Blaze; supernatural strength, heightened reflexes, and a resistance to injuries that makes him effectively immortal to all but otherworldly weapons such as those forged in Heaven or Hell. Like Blaze, Ketch can inflict the Penance Stare through eye contact. Uniquely, Danny has been seen to be able to control the degree of trauma his Stare inflicts; such as when he freed Wolverine from mind control by making him relive the pain and sorrow he inflicted during a single day of his time as a soldier during World War I.[16]
As the Ghost Rider, Ketch uses a length of heavy chain approximately 3 feet (0.91 m) long which possesses magical properties. For instance, when it is thrown it is able to separate into individual links which behave like shuriken, later reintegrating and returning to the Ghost Rider's hand. The chain can grow in length, is supernaturally strong, and can transform into other weapons such as a spear. He can also spin it quickly to be used as a drill.
The common theme of the Ghost Rider is a human host who transforms into a flaming-headed motorcyclist with supernatural powers. When riding their bikes, the vehicles can travel faster than conventional motorcycles and can maneuver impossible feats such as riding straight up a vertical surface or across water. In a one-shot comic featuring Doctor Strange and the Daniel Ketch/Noble Kale version of Ghost Rider, it was shown to be capable of riding on nothing but air. This was repeated shortly after Kale started to regain his memories, causing him to alter his suit by sheer force of will, and create an entirely new bike.[volume & issue needed]
When empowered, Ketch's motorcycle undergoes a more radical transformation. It changes from a conventional looking motorcycle to one that appears powerful and high-tech. Along with flaming wheels, the bike includes a shield-like battering ram on the front. Ghost Rider also created two other bikes that he could utilize in the same manner as the one he normally rode, one out of necessity when Blackheart stole the original in a crossover graphic novel that brought together Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Punisher, and again in the regular series as a spare in case something made him unable to get to his regular cycle. The latter would wind up in the hands of Johnny Blaze.
He has displayed some other powers briefly, like the ability to summon a wall of flame. In the beginning, Ketch could only transform "when innocent blood was spilled" and had to touch the gas cap of his motorcycle. Later it was revealed that this was only a psychological limitation he imposed on himself, and which he later overcame.
He possessed hellfire powers similar to the Zarathos/Blaze version, but he also had the ability to destroy the undead and was supposedly the incarnation of the angel of death and judgement, which detailed the supposed origins of the Noble Kale version of the Ghost Rider.[17]
In addition, Ketch and Noble Kale worked together to an extent, unlike Blaze and Zarathos, who battled for dominance and control over their shared body. Kale had a compassionate side and while there were times that he seemed tempted to simply take over completely, he refused to do so, though he felt anger at condemning Daniel to only being able to live his life out half the time, while he dominated the other half. Kale and Ketch, like Blaze and Zarathos, could sometimes communicate through dreams, and in at least one issue communicated via messages written on a mirror in lipstick.
Other versions
Ultimate Marvel
In the
Marvel Zombies
In the alternate-dimension
Marvels
Danny Ketch appears on the last page of the Marvels series where he is shown as a young paperboy. The main character of Marvels, Phil Sheldon, refers to him as "a nice, normal, ordinary boy" and has a picture taken of him as a symbol of ordinary humanity.
Spider-Man/Human Torch
A younger version of Ketch is seen during the third issue of the Spider-Man/Human Torch miniseries written by Dan Slott. He is interviewed about Spider-Man and the Human Torch, and is approximately the same age as his appearance in Marvels.
New Fantastic Four
In a reality where the
In other media
Television
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "The Final Decision".[citation needed]
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider appears in the Fantastic Four episode "When Calls Galactus", voiced by Richard Grieco.[citation needed]
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "Innocent Blood", voiced again by Richard Grieco.[citation needed]
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider was intended to appear in Spider-Man, but was ultimately cut due to objections from Fox.[20]
Video games
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider appears as a guest assist character in Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.
- Danny Ketch / Ghost Rider was intended to star in a self-titled video game by Crystal Dynamics prior to its cancellation.[21]
Bibliography
- Ghost Rider Vol. 3 #1-93, Annual #1-2, Finale
- Marvel Comics Presents #64-71, 90-146
- Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #1-23
- Midnight Son Unlimited #1-5, 7 (February 1993-February 1994, August 1994)
- Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness #1 (December 1991)
- Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design #1 (December 1994)
- Ghost Rider: Crossroads #1 (December 1995)
- Cyblade/Ghost Rider #1 (December 1996)
- Ghost Rider/Ballistic #1 (February 1997)
- Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #1-5
- Marvel Comics Presents Vol. 3 #6
- Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider #1-4
Collected editions
- Ghost Rider: Resurrected (Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1–7)
- The New Fantastic Four: Monsters Unleashed (Fantastic Four #347–349)
- X-Men & Ghost Rider: Brood Trouble in the Big Easy (Ghost Rider vol. 3 #26–27 and X-Men #8–9)
- Wolverine and Ghost Rider in Acts of Vengeance (Marvel Comics Presents #64-70)
- Rise of the Midnight Sons (Ghost Rider vol. 3 #28, 31; Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #1, Morbius #1, Darkhold #1 and Nightstalkers #1)
- Spirits of Venom (Web of Spider-Man #95–96 and Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #5 – 6)
- Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch – Addict (Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #1–5; Ghost Rider Finale)
- Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Classic Vol. 1 (Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1–10)
- Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Classic Vol. 2 (Ghost Rider vol. 3 #11–20 and Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #28)
References
- ^ WWC: Simon Spurrier & Javier Saltares Tackle Danny Ketch, Newsarama, June 27, 2008
- ^ WW Chicago: Spurrier on “Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider”, Comic Book Resources, June 29, 2008
- ^ Spurrier's Spirited Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, Comicon, October 13, 2008
- ^ Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1
- ^ Ghost Rider vol. 3 #7
- ^ Ghost Rider vol. 3 #11
- Cloak and Dagger#18
- ^ Ghost Rider vol. 3 #25 (May 1992). Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Peter Parker: Spider-Man #93 (July 1998). Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Ghost Rider vol. 3 #93. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Ghost Rider Finale. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #1–3. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #4–5. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Superior Spider-Man Annual #1. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Absolute Carnage: Symbiote of Vengeance #1
- ^ Spider-Man & Fantastic Four #3
- ^ as revealed in Ghost Rider #93
- ^ Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #27
- ^ Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Ultimates #3
- ^ "The Ghost Rider In Animation – A Retrospective". Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ "Ghost Rider". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 84. Ziff Davis. July 1996. p. 68.
External links
- Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch) at Marvel.com
- Ghost Rider at Marvel Directory
- Daniel Ketch at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Ghost Rider (1990) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016.
- Danny Ketch on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki