Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
heroic
gunfighter
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
. The character was originally called
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
, and was renamed following the introduction of Marvel's motorcycle-riding character of the
same name
''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first name and surname. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after fou ...
.
The character has made minor appearances across media. He made his live-action debut in the 2007 film ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'', played by
Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
.
Publication history
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
' first Ghost Rider look was based on the
Magazine Enterprises
Magazine Enterprises was an American comic book company lasting from 1943 to 1958, which published primarily Western, humor, crime, adventure, and children's comics, with virtually no superheroes. It was founded by Vin Sullivan, an editor at Co ...
character Ghost Rider (Rex Fury), created by writer Ray Krank and artist
Dick Ayers
Richard Bache Ayers (; April 28, 1924 – May 4, 2014) was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on s ...
Tim Holt
Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures.
In a career spanning more ...
'' #11 (1949). The character appeared in horror-themed Western stories through the run of ''Tim Holt'', ''Red Mask'', and ''A-1 Comics'' up until the institution of the
Comics Code
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' #1 (
cover-date
The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...
d February 1967), by plotter and original ''Ghost Rider'' artist Ayers, and writers
Gary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'', and, in the following era, for the series '' The Monster o ...
and
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
.
In an interview, Ayers recalled how the character was conceived, "Vin would come in and sit down and describe what he wanted in The Ghost Rider. He told me to go see Disney's Sleepy Hollow-Ichabod Crane, The Headless Horseman, and then he told me to play the
Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter, big band leader, actor, and businessman, who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for rec ...
record, "
Ghost Riders in the Sky
"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" is a cowboy-styled country/western song written in 1948 by American songwriter, film and television actor Stan Jones.
A number of versions were crossover hits on the pop charts in 1949, the most ...
." And then he started talking about what he wanted the guy wearing."
With the introduction of Marvel's supernatural Ghost Rider in the 1970s, Marvel renamed its Western Ghost Rider — first, to the unfortunate Night Rider (a term previously used in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
to refer to members of the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Ca ...
) in a 1974–1975 reprint series, and then to Phantom Rider. At least five men have been the Phantom Rider, one of whom is active in the modern day.
The Magazine Enterprises library of characters, including its version of Ghost Rider, was reprinted by
AC Comics
AC Comics (formerly known as Paragon Publications and Americomics) is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.Native American
medicine man
A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and cerem ...
.
He was never called the Phantom Rider in these original appearances. In Marvel continuity, it was not until after Slade's death that the name Phantom Rider was given to the character, and reprints now retroactively use that name for Slade.
Eventually, the modern era
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
Johnny Blaze found himself transported into the 19th century where he met and teamed up with Carter Slade. Carter was badly wounded and Blaze took him to Flaming Star to be healed and then dealt with Carter's enemies. Carter recovered and Johnny returned to the present.
Carter Slade's spirit, however, returned and possessed his descendant Hamilton Slade to make him a new Phantom Rider and rode out to rescue Johnny Blaze from certain doom.
Jamie Jacobs
After Slade's death in ''
Western Gunfighters
''Western Gunfighters'' is the name of two American Western-anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics and its 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics.
That initial Atlas series ran eight issues, from 1956 to 1957, and featured artists includi ...
'' #7 (January 1972), his sidekick Jamie Jacobs became the second Phantom Rider. He was soon killed in action.
Lincoln Slade
Lincoln Slade is Carter Slade's brother and a U.S. Marshal, as well as the third Phantom Rider. Lincoln was driven
insane
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
by his powers. When the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
are traveling through time on one of their adventures, Lincoln becomes infatuated with one of their members, Mockingbird. Lincoln kidnapped the Avenger and fled to a secret location. He then drugs Mockingbird, removing her ability to give or deny consent, and rapes her. Once the effects of the drugs wear off, an enraged Mockingbird fights and defeats him. In the course of the battle he is knocked over a cliff. As he clings to the cliffside, he first pleads with Mockingbird to help him, then attempts to reassert his hypnotic authority and ''orders'' her to help him. Hating him for his violation of her, Mockingbird allows him to fall to his death. Years later, Lincoln's restless spirit possesses his descendant, Hamilton Slade, to seek "vengeance" against Mockingbird. His spirit returns a second time in order to make Mockingbird return his feelings.
Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom ...
placed him as one of the superheroes Marvel wants you to forget.
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
gunslinger Reno Jones used the Ghost Rider identity briefly in a battle with the Klan-affiliated mercenaries called the Nightriders. Jones was one-half of the team called the
Gunhawks
The Gunhawks is the name of a pair of fictional comic book characters in the Western genre that first appeared in a self-titled series published by Marvel Comics.
Original series
The Gunhawks were Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones. As introduced in ' ...
, along with his former friend,
Kid Cassidy
The Gunhawks is the name of a pair of fictional comic book characters in the Western genre that first appeared in a self-titled series published by Marvel Comics.
Original series
The Gunhawks were Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones. As introduced in ...
, whom Jones had believed dead. Cassidy was revealed to be alive and the leader of the Nightriders; he was killed, and Jones retired.
Hamilton Slade
In present-day continuity, Lincoln Slade's distant descendant Hamilton Slade was an archaeologist who found the burial site of his legendary ancestor, in issue #56 of the
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
-
motorcyclist
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous co ...
series ''Ghost Rider''. As he explored the site, he found a large burial urn and from it appeared the ghostly garb of his ancestors Carter and Lincoln Slade. Possessed by the spirits of his ancestors, he became the new version of the Phantom Rider, and rode off to rescue Johnny Blaze, the current Ghost Rider, from one of his foes. However, he would have no memory of his adventures as the Rider and eventually Lincoln's ghost would takeover more frequently and haunt Mockingbird for his death. An exorcism released the spirits of Carter and Lincoln from Hamilton and Lincoln was defeated and banished while Hamilton agreed to have Carter possess him, only now Hamilton was in control and retained memory of his adventures as the Rider. Hamilton attempted a similar exorcism to save his daughter Jaime from the returning spirit of Lincoln Slade. He was killed by
Crossfire
A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I.
...
as the exorcism was being completed.
J. T. Slade
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos' ...
recruits Carter Slade's grandson, James Taylor Slade (also known as J. T. Slade), introduced in ''The Mighty Avengers'' #13, to be part of Fury's team against the "
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term i ...
" of the shape-shifting alien
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated ...
s. He has superhuman reflexes and the ability to cause a chain to ignite in flame and cause massive damage. The character roll call at the beginning of ''Secret Invasion'' #4 (September 2008) refers to J. T. as "Hellfire". Hellfire goes on to make numerous appearances in the ongoing series, '' Secret Warriors''. In ''Secret Warriors'' #16, he is revealed to be a HYDRA double agent. Nick Fury allows Hellfire to fall to his death as a result of the character's double dealings.
Jaime Slade
In the 2010 series '' Hawkeye & Mockingbird'', it is revealed that Hamilton Slade had a daughter named Jaime Slade. While she was examining an urn belonging to the Slade family estate, Lincoln Slade's spirit possessed her, transforming Jaime into the new Phantom Rider. Claiming to be both "the spirit and the heir", the Phantom Rider teamed up with
Crossfire
A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I.
...
to battle the heroes Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Jaime's father Hamilton Slade attempted an exorcism which would rid his daughter of the possessing spirit. Hamilton was successful, but was killed by Crossfire as the exorcism had been completed. Jaime regained her senses to see Mockingbird stand over her father's dead body and believed the Avenger was responsible. Despite having Lincoln's spirit vanquished from her, Jaime transformed back into the Phantom Rider and attacked Mockingbird. She was defeated and taken into custody.
Other versions
In the " Old Man Logan" finale "Dead Man Logan", there is a gang called the Phantom Riders who operate in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
and model themselves after Phantom Rider by wearing costumes that resemble his attire and ride high-tech horses. Upon Logan's return to Earth-21923, the Phantom Riders attack Logan when he enters his territory in light of the power vacuum he caused by killing
Red Skull
The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...
A variation of the Phantom Rider appears in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'' episode "Return to the Spider-Verse" Pt. 2. This version is the Ben Parker (voiced by
Clancy Brown
Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles.
Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
) of a
Wild West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
Carter Slade, credited as and amalgamated with the " Caretaker", appears in ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'', portrayed by
Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
. This version was a former Texas Ranger from the 1800s who sold his soul to
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles i ...
as a consequence of his greed and became the latter's personal
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
. After trapping 1000 evil souls within the Contract of San Venganza, Slade knew they would bring hell on Earth and outran Mephistopheles to keep it from him before going into hiding as a cemetery's caretaker. After Johnny Blaze becomes the new Ghost Rider in the present, Slade helps him understand his powers and prepare him to face Mephistopheles' son,
Blackheart
Blackheart is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary to the superhero Ghost Rider. Created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist John Romita Jr., Blackhea ...
. Once his successor is ready, Slade reveals his identity and gives Blaze the contract and his shotgun before vanishing into the afterlife.
Video games
* The Phantom Rider appears as an alternate costume for Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance''.
* Carter Slade appears in the ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' film tie-in game, voiced by
Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC m ...
.
* The Phantom Rider appears in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on 14 November ...