Marvel’s Hell Was Surprisingly Not A Good Fit For Ghost Rider

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ghost Rider: King In Black #1

In the latest one-shot issue of Marvel’s massive King in Black crossover event, it’s revealed that ruling Hell is surprisingly not so great a fit for Ghost Rider after all. While Johnny Blaze recently took the throne from Mephisto in the hopes of controlling and containing the dark realm, it has not been smooth sailing in the slightest. Now, symbiote-controlled demons having broken free from Hell during Knull the Symbiote God’s invasion is the ultimate test of Ghost Rider’s rule, and the choice he makes to abandon the throne afterward makes sense for several reasons.

In Marvel’s King in Black, Knull has overtaken the entire world with his legions of symbiote dragons, while also covering the entire globe in a massive symbiote dome. Naturally, it makes sense that Ghost Rider’s domain would be affected as well, putting fuel on the fire in an already tense situation Johnny Blaze has found himself in. The ancient villain known as Lilith is planning to claim all of the underworlds for herself, and that includes the realm of Hell Ghost Rider claimed from the demon lord Mephisto.

Now, Ghost Rider: King in Black #1 from writer Ed Brisson with art by Juan Frigeri sees Johhny racing through New York on his Hellcycle, and he’s got Mephisto chained and unceremoniously towed behind him, needing the demon lord to lead him to the demon armies of Lilith. Meanwhile, hundreds of demons have escaped to Earth, rebelling against the Ghost Rider and seeing him as a false king. Despite how good it might have looked on paper, even Ghost Rider is conceding that he might not be the best choice to rule hell in the Marvel Universe.

Thankfully, Ghost Rider’s allies such as Danny Ketch and the Caretaker help him realize he needs to give up the throne of Hell, especially after they just fought an army of wayward demons that had been overtaken by Knull’s symbiotes. The Ghost Rider’s place on Earth keeping people safe from demons, not trying to rule them. Despite Blaze’s resistance, he agrees and abdicates the throne, allowing Mephisto to reclaim his crown and rule over the underworld once more. While it’s certainly not an ideal scenario, Mephisto has resisted Lilith in the past, and he’s clearly able to keep the chaos of Hell in check better than Johnny could.

However, the short-term benefits of giving the throne back to Mephisto in this King in Black one-shot could soon be outweighed by potential long-term consequences down the line in the Marvel Universe. Mephisto is not a villain to be underestimated, and it’s known from other recent comics that he’s been planning something big for a while now. While Ghost Rider clearly wasn’t doing the best as Hell’s king, he may just regret giving the crown back to the demon lord in the future of Marvel Comics.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
(2525 Articles Published)

Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

More From Kevin Erdmann