Robbie ReyesGhost Rider

Robbie Reyes is the latest in a long line of Ghost Riders, Spirits of Vengeance burning down the highway full of hellfire and rage.

The Ghost Rider is a powerful warrior bound to reap the souls of the wicked, but Reyes is different than men like Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch who held the title before him. He’s younger, more naïve, and less prepared for the life of violence, mystery, and high-octane adventure that his new fate has plunged him into. Nevertheless, he balances his familial responsibilities with cleaning up his neighborhood and keeping the restless spirit possessing him at bay.

He's Got Spirit

As a boy, Robbie Reyes was warned by his parents to stay clear of his sinister uncle, Eli Morrow. But after his parents tragically died, Robbie was left as sole caretaker and protector of his disabled younger brother, Gabe. Years later, he lived in gang territory due to his low income while he worked as a garage mechanic in Los Angeles, California. Seeking to escape the violent neighborhood using prize money from illegal street racing, Robbie stole a black muscle car from the garage. But unbeknownst to Robbie, the car was haunted by his uncle—a serial killer and Satanist—who had been murdered by a mobster named Yegor Ivanov.

The car belonged to a drug lord known as Grumpy, who had stolen drugs—which transformed users into violent, monstrous forms—from the paramilitary cartel of Mister Hyde (Calvin Zabo), before stashing them in the trunk. Hyde’s enforcers tracked down the car, shot Robbie dead, and set it on fire after retrieving the drugs. However, sensing Robbie’s anger and frustration, Morrow’s spirit resurrected Robbie as a weapon of vengeance akin to other Ghost Riders, complete with a blazing, metal-infused, skull-like head and a supernaturally powered car.

A Different Kind of Muscle

As regular ol’ Robbie Reyes, he’s a proficient street fighter, expert mechanic, and brilliant driver, but as the Ghost Rider, he possesses a great many supernatural abilities. He has superhuman speed, strength, durability, and a regenerative healing ability. His connection to the Hell Charger, his ride, is a power unto itself, giving him the ability to teleport short distances, create portals, and become intangible with pieces of the car. He is also able to summon a spire that drags his enemies down to hell and most recently, has developed the classic Ghost Rider power: the damning Penance Stare.

Asking for Vengeance

Outside of his dalliances with Mr. Hyde and the many criminals in his neighborhood, Robbie’s greatest foe has been his demented and deceased Uncle Eli, In other words, the thing he has to fight most is the thing raging inside of him.

Fiery Friends

Robbie has mostly been something of a lone wolf, but the closest thing he’s had to an ally thus far is his little brother Gabe, who looks up to Robbie as the hero Robbie himself isn’t always sure he truly is. Recently, however, he’s joined his first ever super team and it just so happens to be the biggest one there is…the Avengers.

The Rider

After Grumpy reclaimed his car and evaded Hyde’s men, taking some of Hyde’s pills in the process. Ghost Rider opened a portal to the car, emerging from the vehicle’s roof, but was beaten by the now monstrously powerful Grumpy. Feeding on Robbie’s anger and despair, Morrow proposed a bargain that would allow Morrow to remain in Robbie’s body so long as Morrow focused his bloodlust only toward the criminal element in his neighborhood. Robbie, however, resisted. But after ending a lethal clash between local gangs and Hyde’s cartel, the flaming-car vigilante became a local legend.

Robbie returned to illegal street racing and used the earnings to pay off debts and fund Gabe’s treatments which heartened both brothers, but Morrow was angered at being denied violent vengeance. Seeing reports of this new Ghost Rider and concerned of possible demonic involvement, the Zarathos-possessed Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze located and fought Reyes. The resulting stalemate left Robbie weakened and easily overcome by Morrow, who fled to pursue bloody revenge against Ivanov. Blaze’s Penance Stare later relieved Morrow’s control over Robbie. Blaze advised Robbie to coexist with Morrow by harnessing the rage on which the spirit fed to control his supernatural abilities.

Meanwhile, Robbie’s violent classmates joined Hyde’s pill powered Blue Hyde Brigade and discovered Robbie’s supernatural identity. An Ivanov-Hyde alliance failed to stop Ghost Rider due to Blaze’s timely intervention, and Robbie’s focus in battle as Ghost Rider fostered Blaze’s trust in him. Months passed as Robbie used his Ghost Rider powers to fight crime; Robbie’s control freed personal time that included interaction with Gabe, whose condition improved when he began walking with crutches. However, Morrow’s spirit relentlessly pushed for murderous revenge against Ivanov, and Morrow’s revelations of his own past violence against the Reyes family—such as likely causing in utero injury to Gabe, resulting in his disability—nearly secured his control over the angry Robbie.

To foment dissent, Morrow subtly split his power between Robbie and Gabe before finally possessing Gabe in demonic form and pursuing Ivanov. Robbie gave chase, and the brothers’ strong emotional bond helped Gabe reject Morrow. Returned to full power as Ghost Rider, Robbie destroyed Ivanov when the mobster threatened Gabe, thereby avenging Morrow and permanently bonding the spirit to Robbie.

To stop Morrow’s lust for murder from mutilating his soul, Robbie made a deal with Morrow only to destroy the darkest degenerate souls identified by Morrow, but with no more killing. The battle to keep Morrow’s spirit in check continues to rage on as Robbie finds himself on an even grander stage, most recently doing battle with She-Hulk and joining the latest line-up of the Avengers.