Noble Kale - Behind The Scenes Confusion

Behind The Scenes Confusion

In 1990, Howard Mackie (who wrote the series until #69 in 1996) reintroduced the Ghost Rider by creating a new incarnation; Danny Ketch, who was transformed by touching a medallion on the gas cap of a motorcycle. The medallion that transformed Ketch is revealed to be a part of the Medallion of Power. It was, in ancient times, an object of great power sought by Zarathos. Zarathos was opposed by beings called The Blood and the four (pictured) Spirits of Vengeance. These spirits sacrificed themselves to destroy Zarathos (though seemingly they only banished him as he is seen in his stone form in Ghost Rider #77) and were bound to the Medallion of Power. It was decided that it would be broken into four pieces, each spirit inhabiting a shard, and secreted away within two human bloodlines. A member of The Blood, dubbed The Caretaker, was set to watch and guard these two lines. This origin was told in Ghost Rider v2 #43 and Spirits of Vengeance #16 Nov, 1993. A later writer, Ivan Velez Jr., retconned the Ghost Rider origin with the Noble Kale backstory shortly before the series was cancelled.

Shortly after Ghost Rider was cancelled, Mackie had Ghost Rider guest star in Peter Parker: Spider-Man and denounced Velez's origin story as being "lies" or at least incomplete. Since then, the true status of Ghost Rider/Noble Kale's origin has yet to be confirmed by Marvel. Events are confused even further by the current the Ghost Rider: Road to Damnation miniseries and the current Ghost Rider series, which features Johnny Blaze once again as a Ghost Rider. The Rider to which he is bonded is never revealed to have a name other than Ghost Rider (although this Ghost Rider is never mentioned by name in this series, it appears that this entity is indeed Zarathos, since this was confirmed in the 2009 Official Handbook To The Marvel Universe Volume 4 trade paperback), and is revealed to be an angel, rather than a demon. Danny Ketch later shows up in the series, having been imbued with a Spirit of Vengeance from heaven.

• see the Ghost Rider History Explained link below.