10 Insane Facts You Didn't Know About Ghost Rider
9. Original Ghost Rider Was Just A Cowboy
Ghost Rider wasn't always a demon hellbent on vengeance. When the superhero identity debuted in 1967 in Ghost Rider #1 he was not the leather wearing, chain wielding, fiery boneheaded individual fans are so used to. This version was a cowboy.
A young man named Carter Slade happens to come upon a group of Native Americans attacking some innocent people. It turns out they weren't actually Native Americans, but evildoers in disguise. When Slade tried to stop them he was shot several times.
He survived thanks to some actual Native Americans who found him close to death. They brought him to their tribe and had a doctor look at him. The tribe doctor's medical assessment diagnosed him in need of a resurrection. Upon his return to the land of the living, he was told he was the champion of the Great Spirit. Carter embraced the role and became Ghost Rider.
However, his great spiritual championship run didn't last forever. When Johnny Blaze's version of the Ghost Rider blazed on the scene in the comics, Slade changed his moniker from the Ghost to that of the Phantom Rider. He still maintains a relatively small presence in the ever-expanding Marvel Universe.