For most of his existence, he was a supernatural character--he fought Satan and demons, demons and Satan fought him, he hung around with Jesus (no, really....well, sort of).
Eventually the horror craze began to die off, and no doubt Marvel began to feel some pressure about featuring so much Satan and Hell in a comic book for kids (reminder: Walt Disney owns Satan!!)
So Marvel began to transition Ghost Rider away from supernatural stories to more mainstream heroism. He saw lots more crossovers with regular old Marvel heroes and villains, he joined the Champions, his foes were (mostly) of a non-hellspawn variety.
Like this week's Friday Night Fights.
A number of super-villains are having a bit of a donnybrook over a scientific gizmo that can eventually be turned into a death ray. The Eel was the last to have it, but someone murdered him and took it. And when Johnny Blaze stumbles across the Eel's corpse, Gladiator is there, and assumes that Blaze has the gizmo.
Fisticuffs result...
Spacebooger is kinda curious why Blaze didn't just spritz Gladiator with a bit of the old hellfire...
SPTANG was brought to you by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and Sam Grainger in Ghost Rider #21 (1976)
Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? SPTANG!!!! So go and vote!!
Ah, the Gladiator. I don't think any Marvel villain has had such consistently inconsistent characterisation. When he was introduced in Daredevil, he came off as a grandiose-talking genius inventor out for glory, whose plans after trouncing Daredevil were to take on Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor (sh'yeah, right.) Later, he was more of a dimwitted thug for hire; later still, a reformed costume shop owner in therapy.
ReplyDeleteI really would have liked to see him take on Thor, however briefly.
Uh...yeah. That fight should have lasted about three seconds, and only as long as that because Ghost Rider had to stop laughing first.
ReplyDeleteBut that would have been a very short comic.