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Introduced in Ghost Rider (2007)
Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider
Portrayed by: Nicolas Cage | Matt Long (age 17)
Dubbed by: Dominique Collignon-Maurin (European French)
- Anti-Hero: Ghost Rider is a Terror Hero who punishes wrongdoers and subjects them to pain with his Penance Stare.
- Composite Character: Ghost Rider is Johnny Blaze, but the different appearance of Ghost Rider (chain wrapped around the torso, and the spikey one) is the comic book costume of Danny Ketch (Ghost Rider II). Originally, the chain was exclusive to Danny, who had the spike-bearing costume. When Johnny was brought back for the new comics, he inherited the look. Johnny originally wore stylized black leathers with a high collar and that was it. Also, Johnny's version of Ghost Rider fired blasts of flames while Danny had the Penance Stare. This version has both powers, though the Penance Stare is given more importance by the plot.
- Though originally, the Ghost Rider wears Johnny's motorcycle jacket, and steals the spikey one from a prisoner who ripped the original.
- Deadpan Snarker: Both as Johnny and as the Ghost Rider.(After the Caretaker tells him about how he now has to defeat Blackheart how Mephistopheles wants)
Johnny: And thanks for the info. I feel much better now that I know I'm the devil's bounty hunter.- He drops a lot of one liners as Ghost Rider in the first movie and after killing Blackout in the second movie.
- Dem Bones: As per usual with Ghost Rider, he transforms into a flaming skeleton when his powers activate.
- Detect Evil: One of the Rider's powers. He isn't fooled by the good cop/bad cop routine because he can tell that they're both good cops who genuinely think that he killed people and want to protect the city.
- Faustian Rebellion: Turns out, Mephisto can give him the power of the Ghost Rider, but he can't take it back. At least not without Johnny's consent.
- Heavenly Blue: The Ghost Rider's flames turn blue when he calls on Zarathos's angelic side.
- Hunk: He is a good looking man and is absolutely ripped as his Shirtless Scene reveals.
- Laughing Mad: While turning into the Ghost Rider for the first time. Though it's not exactly Johnny laughing...
- Painful Transformation: His first transformation has him agonizingly burning away from the inside. Later tranformations are instantaneous, though.
- Power Incontinence: He can't entirely control the Ghost Rider; if there's enough evil people near him, he's going to transform.
- Walk on Water: He demonstrates the power to ride his hellfire bike on water.
Roxanne Simpson
Portrayed by: Eva Mendes | Raquel Alessi (teenager)
- Cassandra Truth: She doesn't believe Johnny at first when he tells her that he works for the Devil as a bounty hunter, though she comes around after seeing the Ghost Rider in action.
Mephistopheles/Roarke
Portrayed by: Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider) | Ciarán Hinds (as Roarke, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance)
- Adaptation Name Change: Downplayed in the first movie where he goes from "Mephisto" in the comics, to "Mephistopheles" the longer version of the former. Played straight in the second movie where he's referred to as Roarke.
- Deal with the Devil: He made one with Johnny Blaze that bound the Spirit of Vengeance to his soul and made him a demonic bounty hunter. In the past, he also managed to make one with 1,000 residents of San Venganza, creating the contract the plot focuses around.
- Fallen Angel: He is one, which is why he, unlike Blackheart, can't fully exercise his powers on Earth and must work through proxies like the Ghost Rider.
- I Gave My Word: After Johnny destroys Blackheart with the Penance Stare, he considers their pact to be fulfilled and offers to free Johnny from the curse of being the Rider. Johnny rejects his offer.
- Mephistopheles: Mephistopheles is a Fallen Angel and the demon that Johnny Blaze makes a deal with to become the Ghost Rider. He appears as an elderly man in a black overcoat and triggers the plot by making a deal with a thousand residents of San Venganza.
- Power Degeneration: In the second movie using his powers outside of deals takes a toll on his human body, noting that he is like a "flamthrower made of paper mache", which is why he seeks to use the body of his son Danny as a vessel through he will be able to challenge his power unbounded.
- The Shadow Knows: When he's making his deal with Johnny, flashes of lightning occasionally illuminate the room and show that his shadow is much less human-looking than he is.
- Super-Empowering: He is able to give the power of the Ghost Rider although he can't take it back by force; and in the second movie he turns Carrigan into a demonic creature with the power of causing the decay of every living thing he touches.
- Weakened by the Light: In the first film he only appears at night and destroys lights around him since they cause him pain. This is Averted in the second film however where he is seen walking around in broad daylight.
Caretaker/Previous Ghost Rider/Carter Slade/Phantom Rider
Portrayed by: Sam Elliott
The last Ghost Rider, who ran from the Devil with the Contract of San Venganza.
- Adaptational Badass: In the comics, Carter Slade was just a Badass Normal in a glowing white outfit. Here he's a fully fledged Spirit of Vengeance with all the attendant powers.
- Adaptational Origin Connection: Carter Slade has no real connection to the supernatural Ghost Riders in the comics outside of his name, which has since been changed to Phantom Rider. Here he's the direct predecessor to Blaze and serves as a mentor.
- But Now I Must Go: After showing Johnny the way to San Venganza, he's used up the last of his Ghost Rider power and has to leave.
- Composite Character: The Caretaker is really Carter Slade (the original Ghost Rider, later renamed Phantom Rider).
- Faustian Rebellion: It was initially his job to bring Mephisto the Contract of San Venganza, but he broke off and hid it instead because of the power it could bring.
- Heel–Face Turn: Had one in the past when he refused to hand over the Contract of San Venganza to Mephisto.
- Hellish Horse: Rides one in his Ghost Rider form.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Fades away after using up the last of his powers. As is sometimes the case when this trope applies.
Blackheart
Portrayed by: Wes Bentley
Mephisto's son, who seeks to supplant his father by gaining possession of the Contract of San Venganza. Unlike his dad, he's free to walk on Earth.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Looks considerable better than the comic version's monstrous self, though his human form is shown to be a disguise.
- Bad Boss: Could care less about his henchmen, the Hidden, as Ghost Rider picks them off all through the movie.
- Deadpan Snarker: While his father is rather reserved in his act, Blackheart acts like a playful teenager and employs snarky remarks.Man: You're not supposed to be here.
Blackheart: That's what they keep telling me (proceeds to kill the man with his Touch of Death).Ghost Rider: Back to Hell.
Blackheart: We're not gonna have a meaningful conversation now are we? - Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: He is played by a young Pretty Boy Wes Bentley but is every bit as evil and demonic as you would expect the son of the Devil to be.
- Game Face: Whenever he wants to appear more intimidating he reveals his demonic face, which has tainted veins, pitch black eyes and a roaster of teeth.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Gaining the 1,000 souls in the contract of San Venganza renders him vulnerable to Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare, times 1,000.
- I Am Legion: He calls himself Legion upon absorbing the 1,000 damned souls from the Contract of San Venganza.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Upon absorbing the 1,000 souls of San Venganza he gains an appearance more similar to his comics counterpart.
- The Soulless: As a being born of Hell, he doesn't have a soul of his own, which makes him immune to the Rider's penance stare. That quickly changed, though, when he absorbed 1000 souls to become more powerful, it removed his immunity to the Penance Stare, and allowed the Rider to destroy him.
- Touch of Death: He is able to kill people by touching them, with their bodies being left dark-blue, eyeless corpses.
The Hidden
Blackheart’s henchmen, fallen angels who have hidden inside the elements of earth, wind and water. They’re summoned by him to aid in his quest for the Contract of San Venganza and overthrow Mephisto.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Gressil pathetically begs for mercy after the Rider sucker punches him. He gets none. He even begs for Blackheart and the other Hidden to help him. They readily abandon him.
- Big "NO!": Abigor does this when Ghost Rider burns him alive in a hellfire tornado.
- Elemental Powers: Each of them has abilities tied to the elements
- Blow You Away: Abigor has mastery over wind and speaks as though he’s talking through an electric fan.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Gressil has earth based abilities and seems invulnerable.
- Making a Splash: Wallow is perpetually soaked and can hide in any body of water.
- Kill It with Fire: How all three are killed thanks to Ghost Rider’s hellfire. In order:
- Gressil is superheated til he’s Taken for Granite then shattered.
- Abigor is killed via Ghost Rider spinning his chain around creating a hellfire tornado and superheating the air, thus Abigor, away.
- Wallow is boiled alive as the hellfire is hot enough to burn underwater.
- Paper Tiger: Each is supposed to be a deadly foe but all three are easily beaten by the Rider.
Introduced in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Danny Ketch
Portrayed by: Fergus Riordan
- Adaptational Wimp: Thanks to the Age Lift he's just a kid and isn't a Ghost Rider like the comics.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Is Johnny Blaze's brother in the comics, here they're not related.
- Age Lift: Is substantially younger than the normal of the version character.
- Anti Anti Christ: While he possesses the power of Hell itself and is destined to become the vessel for his father, he is a normal kid who wishes to have no part in it.
- Black Eyes of Evil: His eyes turns temporarily pitch black during the ceremony meant to transfer his father into his body.
- In Name Only: Shares little in common with his comics self outside of his name.
Nadya Ketch
Portrayed by: Violante Placido
Moreau
Portrayed by: Idris Elba
- Canon Foreigner: Has not appeared in the comics before his appearance in the film.
Ray Carrigan/Blackout
Portrayed by: Johnny Whitworth
- Adaptational Badass: Downplayed. In the comics he had vampire-like vulnerability to the sun and was only a threat to Danny Ketch because he targeted his loved ones, attacking him when he was human, and got his ass handed to him every time he fought the Rider. Here, this vulnerability is ommitted and he has the power of decay, which allows him to challenge the Rider on a more even basis.
- Adaptational Superpower Change: While he still possesses the ability to extinguish light, his vampiric abilities are replaced with a Touch of Death that decays organic matter.
- Adaptational Species Change: Blackout was in the comics a Lilin, a demonic hybrid descended from Lilith, but in the movie he is a regular guy who is given demonic powers by Roarke.
- Badass Normal: He tries to counter the Rider using high-tech weaponry and while he fails he still manages to slow him down and face him without fear.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Although he is an adaptation of the character he is only referred to as Blackout in promotional material.
- Deceased and Diseased: Roarke's comment about Carrigan being "little less than alive" after his transformation into Blackout implies that the latter is now an undead of some kind, and he now has the power to make any living he touches rot.
- Expy: To Blackheart from the first movie. Both of them have a connection to Mephisto and face the Ghost Rider using a Touch of Death.
- In Name Only: Shares nothing in common with the Ghost Rider villain from the comics aside from his appearance and the ability to extinguish light.
- Make Them Rot: His transformation gave him, in the words of Roarke, "the power of decay" which gives him the ability to decay any organic matter he touches, be it wood, fruits or people. This causes a bit of a problem when he gets hungry since he can't turn it off...
- Nerves of Steel: He is one of the few people in the movie who isn't cowering in fear at the sight of the Rider, even after seeing what he can do and .
- White Hair, Black Heart: After his transformation he gains long, white hair, but he is even more of a monster than before.
