Every new Marvel Cinematic Universe project seems to throw tons of new heroes and villains into the mix. Most recently, Hawkeye gave us Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Echo (Alaqua Cox) and the return of Daredevil‘s Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). There are still thousands of Marvel characters out there who could join the fun. One in particular that fans are keen to see is Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider.
Before the MCU, Nicholas Cage played Ghost Rider in a pair of movies. A different version of the character, Robbie Reyes, also appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., played by Gabriel Luna. However, we’re still awaiting Johnny Blaze’s debut appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Several actors have been linked with the role, including Keanu Reeves, but the actor almost everyone agrees would be best is The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon).
If you take a brief look at his résumé, it’s evident that Reedus seems tailor-made to play Johnny Blaze. Ask any Walking Dead fan what Daryl’s vehicle of choice is, and they answer it’s a motorcycle. But it’s not just Daryl who’s passionate about two-wheelers: Norman Reedus hosts his own TV show, Ride With Norman Reedus, where he rides his favorite bikes all over America. And he’s been involved in a Marvel movie before, playing Scud in Blade II (2002).
Talk of Reedus playing Ghost Rider has stared to spread again after the acotr liked many tweets about him taking on the role. He even liked a tweet sharing a petition to give him the part; it currently stands on over 300 signatures and continues to grow.
“The Ghost Rider conversation has been coming up for years, and yeah, tell them to put me in it,” Reedus previously told ComicBook.com about the rumor. “That would be great. So, I don’t know, call somebody, make that happen. I want to do it. I want a fire skull. I want my face to turn into a fire skull and whip a chain around. That would be great.”
If Reedus were to enter the MCU, he’d be joining several of his Walking Dead costars, including Danai Gurira (Okoye), Ross Marquand (Red Skull), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), Michael Rooker (Yondu), and Michael James Shaw (Corvus Glaive). There’s even Jon Bernthal as The Punisher if you want to include Netflix’s Marvel shows in the list.
Still not convinced Reedus is the best option? Perhaps this amazing fan art depicting Reedus as Ghost Rider will help sway you:
Yes, Reedus liked a tweet with that art, too.
The Walking Dead showrunners want Reedus as Ghost Rider!
Nobody knows Norman Reedus like the people who have directed him on The Walking Dead, and his bosses want him as Ghost Rider just as much as he does. That includes both showrunner Angela Kang The Walking Dead content chief Scott Gimple:
He already does A+ chain work. pic.twitter.com/WxQTTssAJC
— Scott M. Gimple (@ScottMGimple) December 27, 2021
Of course, actually getting to play Ghost Rider may not be as easy as just tweeting about it. That said, isn’t that exactly how Simu Liu got to play Shang-Chi?
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