5 Heroes Marvel Saved By Getting The Movie Rights Back

How Colombia Pictures managed to screw up Ghost Rider as badly as they did is anyone's guess. The films had some decent talent behind them and say what you will about Nicolas Cage, but giving him the main role of Johnny Blaze was some pretty spot-on casting.

Regardless, however, the first Ghost Rider film released in 2007 bombed hard with fans and critics alike. And while the eventual 2012 sequel was slightly better, many of the problems from the first film, such as a major identity crisis in terms of the its tone, hammy acting, and inconsistent effects were still present. Shortly thereafter, people moved on with their lives and it was apparent that Columbia's Ghost Rider series was completely dead in the water.

Fortunately, Marvel regained the rights to the character not long after the fact and made use of them in the best way possible. In 2016, Ghost Rider, the Robbie Reyes version this time, was given a prominent role in the fourth season of the Marvel television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which has since become arguably the most acclaimed season of the show yet.

The season was praised for its darker, edgier tone, which complimented the morbidly entertaining Ghost Rider perfectly. And not only is Ghost Rider cool, Gabriel Luna plays the role of Robbie Reyes incredibly well.

Marvel not only saved Ghost Rider, but Ghost Rider helped keep Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from growing stale. So, it's a win-win.