With Blade and Moon Knight entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Midnight Sons and other supernatural Marvel elements will likely be appearing soon as well. One such Marvel character fans have been begging for in the MCU is Ghost Rider. Sure the character had the memeable film starring Nicholas Cage, but in recent years the television show Agents of Shield featured Ghost Rider, and the performance and character were both solid by all accounts.
Though Ghost Rider is known for his flaming skull head, that doesn't mean landing the right actor for the role is unimportant, as it's the relationship between the human and supernatural elements of the character that provides storytelling opportunities.
8 Keanu Reeves
It's weird to have Keanu Reeves on the lists, as he seems to be rather eccentric and ethereal for a role as dark as Ghost Rider. That being said, the John Wick films proved that Reeves still holds star power and can carry an action film.
This casting, though it could work, would most closely resemble the version of the character played by Nicholas Cage, and this seems like a direction Kevin Feige and Marvel would want to avoid. Reeves also seems like someone who will want to leave the world of acting in the coming years, so it's unclear if Marvel would cast someone who may not be around for the long haul.
7 Laz Alonso
Laz Alonso is a name on its own that most people reading this likely won't recognize. That's a real shame considering Alonso has brought the character of Mother's Milk in Amazon's The Boys to life in a way no one expected. He manages to blend the stoic and no-nonsense persona with a true charismatic energy that has audiences cheering for him.
The tone of his voice and the gravitas he presents on screen feel like the type of intangibles Ghost Rider should have in the MCU. It's about time Alonso gets his flowers for being the backbone of one of the most successful and beloved superhero properties currently going, and a role in the MCU feels right.
6 Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in The Walking Dead was one of the darkest and most vile portrayals of a villain in television history. These days Morgan is set to appear in Amazon's highly successful superhero satire The Boys. Fans have speculated if or when he'd join the MCU, and there may be no better character for him than Ghost Rider.
It'd surely be a much older take on the character. A fun idea would be to have Morgan playing the Johnny Blaze version of the character, and upon his death or disappearance, he helps introduce the younger generation version of the character, Robbie Reyes.
5 Nat Wolff
The boldest casting for Ghost Rider would be if the MCU decided to pivot to a much younger portrayal of the flaming spirit. This is where Nat Wolff comes in. Sure the actor has been attached to some roles audiences hated, but the dislike of those shows and movies wasn't due to Wolff's performance and were mostly things out of his control.
When he's a part of a project with good writing and direction, he almost always shows his acting capability. Sure Keanu Reeves or Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be fun choices for Ghost Rider, but there's an argument to be made that Nat Wolff could nail the younger version of the character those older men would portray.
4 Charlie Hunnam
Charlie Hunnam is the first of two actors known for riding motorcycles that may very well nail the role of Ghost Rider. Having the ability to ride a motorcycle and look cool while doing it is a plus, but it's what Hunnam brought to the role of Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy that makes him a fit. Teller was a man who was brave to a fault and a natural leader.
He also happened to be quite stubborn, but always made sure to try and follow the idea of being the "perfect outlaw", an ideal brought forth by his father. Ghost Rider functions in a similar way where whoever embodies the spirit has to make compromises, but at the end of the day tries to do the right thing.
3 LaKeith Stanfield
LaKeith Stanfield is too good of an actor to not be in the MCU in any capacity. Some fans have suggested that Stanfield play the Human Torch or Nightcrawler, both stellar ideas for the actor. When thinking about Ghost Rider, on the surface it may feel like an odd pairing, but that thought process does a disservice to Stanfield's range.
The actor often talks about pushing himself and taking roles outside his comfort zone, and though Ghost Rider would be a new challenge, Stanfield's resume indicates he's likely to hit the ground running. His entrance into the MCU is more of a matter of when not if.
2 Norman Reedus
Sure, the idea of making a guy known for riding a motorcycle in another property a hero known for riding a motorcycle in Marvel Comics feels a bit uninspired, but that's not the case with Norman Reedus. He naturally exudes a charismatic aura that immediately endears him to audiences.
Add in that the idea of playing an emotionally layered character who sacrifices for his family, and the role of Ghost Rider starts to feel more and more like a role destined for Reedus. The success of The Walking Dead already makes him a financially viable leading man, and all Kevin Fiege and the company have to do is make the phone call.
1 Gabriel Luna
Gabriel Luna is the actor who brought the Robbie Reyes version of the character to life in the Agents of Shield television show. By all accounts he turned in a phenomenal performance and audiences have been pitching the idea of bringing him over to the big screen.
In recent years the MCU has decided to fold many elements of the Netflix Marvel shows into MCU canon, with the likes of Daredevil and Kingpin. That means that there's hope that Luna reprises his role as Ghost Rider and can bring hell on wheels to the greater Marvel universe.