Cosmic Ghost Rider (Francis David "Frank" Castle) is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. His physical appearance and origin are an

amalgam Amalgam most commonly refers to: * Amalgam (chemistry), mercury alloy * Amalgam (dentistry), material of silver tooth fillings ** Bonded amalgam, used in dentistry Amalgam may also refer to: * Amalgam Comics, a publisher * Amalgam Digital, an in ...

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple superheroes or antiheroes 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

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

, with his personality inspired by

Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...

Publication history

Cosmic Ghost Rider was created by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, and first appeared in ''

Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...

'' #13 (January 2018). His backstory was revealed in ''Thanos'' #16. In 2019, Cosmic Ghost Rider starred in the miniseries ''Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History'', written by

Paul Scheer Paul Christian Scheer (born January 31, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. Scheer is best known for his roles in FX/ FXX's ''The League'' and Showtime's comedy series '' Black Monday''. Scheer also co-created and s ...

Fictional character biography

Origin

In the alternate reality where

conquered all the Universe, Frank Castle's early life is seemingly similar to that of the Frank Castle of

Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...

. However, when Thanos comes to Earth, the Punisher is one of the last casualties during the last stand of the heroes, and his soul is sent to Hell. Willing to give anything to punish Thanos for slaughtering his planet, the Punisher signs a demonic deal with Mephisto and becomes

. When he returns to Earth, Thanos is already gone and everything on the planet is dead. He roams Earth for years until a badly injured

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...

arrives and makes him his herald to help battle Thanos.''Thanos'' (vol. 2) #13 (January 2018) Alongside Galactus, Cosmic Ghost Rider travels across the cosmos to stop Thanos, which leads them to become legends. Centuries later, Thanos kills Galactus and Cosmic Ghost Rider is killed by the Fallen One.''Thanos'' (vol. 2) #16 (April 2018)

Arrival on Earth-616

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

from the main reality retrieves Cosmic Ghost Rider's soul and rewards him with

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

, though Cosmic Ghost Rider is unsatisfied. Odin returns his powers and offers to revive him in any time period of his choosing. Cosmic Ghost Rider chooses the day Thanos was born, enabling him to adopt Thanos and prevent him from becoming a villain. However, this creates a new timeline where Thanos becomes a dictator, forcing Cosmic Ghost Rider to leave Thanos alone to restore the timeline. In the aftermath of the " Infinity Wars" storyline, Cosmic Ghost Rider is revealed to be stranded on Earth-616 and attends Thanos' funeral. The funeral is attacked by the Black Order, who steals Thanos's body and rip open a hole in space, sending everyone into the rip. Everyone is saved by the arrival of

Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

and the

Shi'ar The Shi'ar ( ) are a fictional species of aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Empire (or Imperium) is a vast collection of alien species, cultures, and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Em ...

. Starfox begins to recruit warriors to find

Gamora Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the last ...

, the most likely candidate to be Thanos's new body, as they form the Dark Guardians, which causes Cosmic Ghost Rider to side with them. Wraith brings up the issue of the Black Order, but Starfox assures they are searching for them and Nebula states that the team should track down Nova to find Gamora's location. Cosmic Ghost Rider and the Dark Guardians track down

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

and clash with the Guardians of the Galaxy to take Gamora.

Hela HeLa () is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line is ...

and the Black Order crash the battle, with Hela taking control of Cosmic Ghost Rider and having Thanos' consciousness possess Starfox. Cosmic Ghost Rider's body later falls apart, after which he arrives in Hell and meets with Johnny Blaze. Cosmic Ghost Rider later leaves Earth and begins a campaign in the cosmos punishing villains for their sins. This attracts the Shi'ar, who have the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

imprison him on an asteroid. A demonic parasite drains Cosmic Ghost Rider's energy, destroying his body and only leaving his skull intact. Space pirates recover the skull, enabling Cosmic Ghost Rider to rebuild his body.

Powers and abilities

Cosmic Ghost Rider had the same abilities as the Ghost Rider as well as Hellfire manipulation and wielding the Power Cosmic. He additionally wields chains made from the bones of

Cyttorak Cyttorak is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mystical entity, he is the deity that powers Juggernaut through the artifact known as the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Publication history Cyttorak wa ...

In other media

* Cosmic Ghost Rider appears as a playable character in ''

Marvel Contest of Champions ''Marvel Contest of Champions'' is a 2014 fighting video game developed and published by Kabam. It was released on December 10, 2014, for iOS and Android. The fighting game is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. The game is strongly based o ...

''. * Cosmic Ghost Rider appears as an alternate costume for Punisher in '' Marvel Future Fight''.

Collected editions

References

External links

Cosmic Ghost Rider
at Marvel Wiki
Cosmic Ghost Rider
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