The following contains major spoilers for Ghost Rider #10, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
After his other demons were gruesomely exorcised, Johnny Blaze was finally able to reunite with the Spirit of Vengeance. And, now that the Ghost Rider is back in action as he should be, there is little standing in his way of stopping Blackheart from making his Shadow Country a reality. Of course, his old enemy is just the beginning of his concerns, even if he doesn't know it yet. As it turns out, he isn't the only Ghost Rider who has spent recent months getting ready to make a big comeback, although Danny Ketch's impending return was hardly his own idea.
Ghost Rider #10 (by Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith, David Cutler, Oren Junior, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Travis Lanham) finds the titular anti-hero and his new partner, F.B.I. Agent Talia Warroad, facing off against the demonic might of Exhaust. After dealing with Ghost Rider's malevolent shadow, the heroes make their way to do the same to Blackheart. Unsurprisingly, they don't receive any praise for saving the world. Instead, Talia's entire department is shut down in the aftermath. Not only does this take her off the board, but it also leaves her former handler free to embark upon a working relationship with another shadowy figure, one who just so happens to have Danny Ketch well within her clutches.
Danny Ketch is About to Make a Terrifying Comeback
Danny Ketch has been at the heart of some of Marvel's most harrowing stories since his first appearance in the pages of 1990's Ghost Rider #1 (by Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares). Born to Johnny's parents Naomi Kale and Barton Blaze, Danny and his sister Barbara were given up at a young enough age that neither of the siblings were aware of their older brother until well into adulthood. Before that revelation could ever take place, however, Danny had to become the next Ghost Rider after being caught in the middle of a gang war between the Kingpin and the demonic Deathwatch.
In the years since, Danny has faced off against a myriad of foes, from the rogue angel turned god Zadkiel to his centuries-old ancestor and fellow Spirit of Vengeance Noble Kale. Of all his enemies, the one Danny could never defeat on his own was eventually revealed to be himself. Under Zadkiel's influence, Danny became a font of power, unlike anything he had displayed previously. By stripping his fellow Spirits of Vengeance of their abilities, he very nearly turned the tide of war against Heaven single-handedly. Thankfully, Danny was brought back to his senses, though that wasn't the last time they were taken from him.
Marvel's Ghost Riders May Come into Conflict
Even before he fell into the machinations of the mysterious Dr. Diyu, Danny was being preyed upon by the likes of Belasco, who transformed him into the Spirit of Corruption, aka Death Rider, not all that long ago. In his latest form, Danny has continued to play the role of a hero, although he hasn't been seen doing so particularly often. In fact, Danny's few appearances in recent years mean that there is almost nothing to be known about the circumstances he finds himself in today, other than that they certainly don't bode well for him or anyone else.
Whatever Dr. Diyu and her government contacts have planned for Danny can't be good, and not knowing what that is, only makes the situation all the worse. If Danny is being weaponized against his brother, then he may very well become the one opponent Johnny can't beat. Then again, Danny could merely be how Dr. Diyu's work can come to fruition, which may actually be worse than anything else. Whether as a simple cog or the machine itself, it is all but assured that the return of Danny Ketch will be as explosive as any of his other appearances, even if it does end up being a major problem for the original Spirit of Vengeance.