There have been numerous iterations of Ghost Rider throughout his history in the Marvel Universe. The Spirit of Vengeance tends to travel from soul to soul, adapting with each new host. Be it Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, Alejandra Jones, or Frank Castle, the Ghost Rider has many forms and iterations of various levels of power, but one thing remains constant: he's a demonic agent of vengeance and justice.
However, in the cyberpunk alternate future of 2099, Ghost Rider took a very different form. When Miguel O'Hara became that future's version of Spider-Man, Marvel Comics rapidly expanded the line of futuristic comic books. And in 1994, Len Kaminski and Chris Bachalo updated Ghost Rider for this future. Enter Kenshiro "Zero" Cochrane, a street hacker who managed to accidentally hack into the depths of cyberspace, allowing a hive-mind of artificial intelligences on the 'net to transform him into the Ghost Rider of 2099.
No Spirit of Vengeance?
Unlike prior Ghost Riders, Ghost Rider 2099 is not a supernatural entity. Instead, he's a purely cybernetic construction, based on the supernatural Ghost Riders of the past. Zero was part of a street hacker gang known as the Hotwire Martyrs, living in the cyberpunk sprawl known as Transverse City. However, after hacking an encrypted file sent by the D/Monix Corporation, Zero was shot with a corrosive liquid, and his gang was murdered. However, Zero had a plan: send the file and his mind into cyberspace. Burning out his circuits so no one could trace him, Zero descended into the depths of the internet.
Once there, he entered a secret network known as the Ghostworks. The artificial intelligence who lived here believed that humanity was heading toward an inevitable decline due to their over-reliance on automation. However, they needed an agent on the outside to enact their agenda. They hijacked a machine factory, inserted Zero's consciousness into a newly assembled, all-powerful warbot, and designed it after the Spirit of Vengeance from the 20th Century.
As Ghost Rider 2099, Zero pursued and investigated the secrets behind the file that led to his demise, ultimately realizing that his father Harrison Cochrane, a loyal employee of D/Monix, was responsible. Now with the world -- including his girlfriend -- believing him dead, Ghost Rider set out to enact vengeance upon those who killed them, as well as obliterate any adversaries who came his way. In the process, Ghost Rider uncovered that the Ghostworks had enacted limitations on what he could and could not do as a means to manipulate him.
Eventually, Ghost Rider was obliterated, but rebuilt by Doom 2099, who recruited him to service him in pursuit of his own goals of domination and authority, turning him into a defender of the sprawling Transverse City. In 2099: Manifest Destiny, we learn that Ghost Rider will eventually blend with the planet's communication system, becoming part of the interconnected web that is the world. We would also see, years later, that Zero would meet the source of his inspiration, Johnny Blaze, in 2019's Ghost Rider 2099.
The Powers of Ghost Rider 2099
Ghost Rider 2099 possesses a host of abilities, all of which makes him a danger to all who face him. He possesses a camouflage system that can make him invisible to the eye and hide any traces of his massive body from view and give him the appearance of anyone. However, when it comes to fighting, he can enter into "Combat Mode" which makes him a large, imposing force of power, complete with multiple eye-mounted lasers. His right hand can transform into a chainsaw, while his left hand possesses claws that can cut enemies down to a submolecular level.
Should Zero be damaged, he has several nanomachines that can repair and reconstruct his body, making him virtually indestructible. On top of that, he can hack into the internet, performing cybernetic warfare against any target he wishes. However, his body does need to recharge to harness the full extent of his abilities. Otherwise, he does not need sustenance.
Of course, 2099's Spirit of Vengeance rides a motorcycle. For all that might change in the future, the rider's love of vehicles never goes away. While Ghost Rider 2099 might remain in the future, dominating cyberspace, his legacy remains as currently the only cyberpunk Ghost Rider.