The Spirit of Vengeance, the Ghost Rider, is ridiculously powerful. It’s not all flaming bones and motorcycles. While it’s easy for Ghost Rider to use his Penance Stare to defeat villains, with heroes it’s more complicated than that.
Ghost Rider’s main weakness is that he can be defeated by any weapon forged in Heaven or Hell, and DC has quite a few religious artifacts that could do the trick. On the other hand, when it comes to some popular heroes, many of whom make the most powerful list, Ghost Rider is stronger. With his Hellfire-wielding ability and his immense power, the battles would be a little one-sided. Here are 5 DC heroes that Ghost Rider could beat, and 5 who would defeat him.
10 WIN: Batman
Batman, master of vengeance and crusader of Gotham, is about as powerful a human superhero you can get… but that’s just it – he’s human. Ghost Rider has fought the Hulk to a standstill, so it’s pretty believable he could defeat Batman easily. Without even using his Penance Stare, Ghost Rider is physically superior to Batman, and in some storylines has been proclaimed close to a god.
There is the question of Batman’s Insider Suit, a suit that allows its wearer to absorb superpowers. However, the suit has one flaw – it needs to be recharged.
9 LOSE: Superman
Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time. The Man of Steel's god-like powers would make a formidable match for Ghost Rider, and arguably, he would leave the Spirit of Vengeance in the dust. He has also been capable of wielding the Spear of Destiny, something which would be able to damage Ghost Rider.
Ghost Rider plays host to the demon Zarathos, who is possibly more powerful than Superman. However, Ghost Rider is a human host, therefore the immense power of Zarathos has limits. Zarathos could beat Superman, but that would be Zarathos beating him, and not Ghost Rider.
8 WIN: Aquaman
Aquaman is a powerful hero in his own right. He has superhuman strength, durability, and the ability to breathe underwater. He also has the Life Force, which allows him to communicate with sea life. While it’s pretty cool to imagine Ghost Rider fighting sharks, Aquaman isn’t a match for his powers.
One of Aquaman’s flaws is that he becomes weak after spending too much time on land. If the battle was on land, Ghost Rider would surely have the upper hand. Even if the fight took place beneath the sea, Ghost Rider can survive underwater, and his Hellfire isn’t affected by water.
7 LOSE: Wonder Woman
Even though there is no stopping Ghost Rider with a physical attack, Wonder Woman has a handful of tricks up her sleeve that would have him running for the hills. With his weakness against religious or mystical devices, Wonder Woman has the upper hand here.
Her Lasso of Truth was forged by the god of fire and blacksmiths, Hephaestus. If we’re thinking of the Wonder Woman from the 2017 film, she was capable of wielding another weapon forged by Hephaestus, the God-killer. This sword is something that could definitely inflict damage on the Spirit of Vengeance.
6 WIN: The Flash
We all know the Flash is really, really fast but would he be able to outrun Ghost Rider’s motorcycle? Ghost Rider’s Hell vehicles are immensely fast and have the ability to teleport. The Flash is said to be able to move faster than teleportation, but it’s something to consider.
While the Flash has some healing powers, he doesn’t have the physical capability of Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider’s healing powers surpass Flash’s, as he has the ability to regenerate limbs. Even with his momentum-generated attacks, the Flash wouldn’t do much damage to Ghost Rider. The Spirit of Vengeance could wrap his Hellfire chain around Flash, meaning he’s not going anywhere.
5 LOSE: Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate has been the title of many different sorcerers in the DC universe. All of them have one thing in common: enormous powers of magic, flight, superhuman strength, immunity to attack, and telepathy.
Doctor Fate wields not one, not two, but three religious artifacts he could use against Ghost Rider. He wears the Helmet of Fate, which was forged by the Lord of Order, Nabu. He also holds the Amulet of Anubis and the Cloak of Destiny. Even without his superior mystical powers, he has a trifecta of weapons he can use against Ghost Rider.
4 WIN: Shazam
Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam, is an immensely powerful hero. While he possesses many powers handed down to him by Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, he doesn’t wield any specific weapon that could damage Ghost Rider. Until he utters the word “Shazam”, he is in human form.
Shazam is also vulnerable when it comes to magical attacks. Imaginably, Ghost Rider’s mystical abilities, the Eldritch Powers, would render all of Shazam’s impressive powers useless.
3 LOSE: John Constantine
John Constantine, a sorcerer of the Dark Arts and expert on everything occult, would have some tools in his arsenal that could defeat Ghost Rider. It’s questionable whether Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare would work on Constantine, as he is resistant to telepathy. Even if it was something that would be effective, it’s unlikely that Ghost Rider would be able to break through his collection of religious artifacts and spells in the first place.
Constantine would be bested easily in a hand-to-hand battle, but don’t forget, he’s sold his soul too – twice. He would be a challenging opponent for Ghost Rider, and let’s face it – it would make a great storyline.
2 WIN: Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan, the best-known Green Lantern, has powers of flight, force field generation, and hard light construction. These abilities come from his power ring, however, and it needs to be recharged.
Hal Jordan is one of the few heroes that Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare would work against. For a time, the Green Lantern became Parallax, one of DC’s most destructive villains, wreaking havoc on the universe. Hal Jordan's guilt over this would make him an easy target for Ghost Rider, who can use his Stare to make his enemies relive their worst sins over and over until their minds break.
1 LOSE: Lucifer Morningstar
This might be a bit obvious, but Lucifer is one of the characters that would utterly destroy Ghost Rider. While Ghost Rider is able to defeat the Marvel comics version of Mephisto or Satan, DC's Lucifer is a different character altogether. He is portrayed as both hero and villain, a fallen archangel who is one of the most powerful characters in the DC universe.
Even with the assistance of his inner demon, Zarathos, Ghost Rider would have a hell of a time if he were to go head-to-head with Lucifer. Lucifer's intellect is matchless, and his willpower could erase Ghost Rider from existence with a split-second thought.