What Happened To Everyone Who Became Ghost Rider?

10. Caleb

Cosmic Ghost Rider Frank Castle
Marvel Comics

While technically a side story, Garth Ennis' Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears DOES take place in the 616 universe, so it counts here.

The story of Caleb - as is the case with most Ghost Riders - is not the happiest one. Set shortly after the American Civil War, Caleb was a former slave who risked his life to save a confederate soldier named Travis. After nursing him back to health and helping him see the error of his old beliefs, the two parted as best friends. And then Caleb and his entire family were murdered by a lynch mob. Because in the world of Garth Ennis, every good action is met with a brutal one from the opposite end of the spectrum.

Fortunately for Caleb, this is exactly the kind of backstory the spirits of vengeance SALIVATE over, so he very quickly came back as his era's Ghost Rider. Once resurrected, and reuniting with his best buddy Travis, the two proceeded to hunt down every member of the racist mob that tortured him and his family without remorse. What separated Caleb from his peers was that he was NOT a superhero. The book heavily leaned into the horror aspects of the character of Ghost Rider, making him into a vengeful god seeking retribution for mortal crimes instead of a leather clad superhero.

While he hasn't been a major part of the Marvel universe since his debut, that's maybe for the best. His story ended with the conclusion of Trail of Tears, and it should probably stay that way.

Contributor
Contributor

John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?