Ghost Rider is one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes, unmistakable with his flaming skull, motorcycle, and chain. Cruising the universe as the Spirit of Vengeance since his first appearance in 1971, many people have held the title of the Ghost Rider over the years. The best known are Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and most recently, Robbie Reyes. The powers that come with being the Ghost Rider are more than just a vehicle with flaming wheels, however.
Ghost Rider has superhuman strength, regenerative abilities, and infernal pyrokinesis. His most formidable power is his Penance Stare, which peers into the soul of his enemies and causes them to painfully relive their sins, driving them into madness. His arsenal of weapons and skills would make him a worthy adversary to many villains. Let’s take a look at which DC villains he would beat, and which ones he would lose to.
10 WIN: Joker
The archenemy of Batman, the Joker is perhaps one of the best-known villains of all time. With his psychopathic tendencies and warped sense of humor, he has been wreaking havoc on Gotham since his first appearance in comics way back in 1940. Despite his various origin stories, it is generally accepted that his physical deformities at the hands of a vat of chemical waste are responsible for his descent into madness and villainy.
Despite his long-standing role as one of the baddest guys in the DC universe, the Joker has no superhuman powers. Due to this, Ghost Rider could easily defeat him. Not only is Ghost Rider physically superior but using his Penance Stare against Joker would render his already questionable mental state completely crushed.
9 LOSE: Darkseid
The demon god Darkseid is arguably one of DC’s most powerful beings. In addition to his superhuman strength, speed, teleportation, and telepathic skills, he is able to fire Omega Beams that can disintegrate any living thing or object.
Ghost Rider might be extremely powerful but going up against a villain of Darkseid’s magnitude would spell trouble for him. Darkseid is as mighty as a god, and it seems that even with Ghost Rider’s demon on his side, he wouldn’t be an equal match. Despite the inner demon granting Ghost Rider’s powers, the human host limits these powers, and because of this, it wouldn’t be a fair fight.
8 WIN: Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor has been portrayed as both a mad scientific genius and a businessman, and one of the most intellectually superior humans on earth. Although he is Superman’s archnemesis, he lacks any superhuman abilities. His power is his mind, and he uses it often to thwart his rivals.
However, powers of intellect would be no match for Ghost Rider. Although Luthor has an advanced battle suit and is able to get his hands on many dangerous weapons, he has nothing that could defeat the Spirit of Vengeance. Ghost Rider could use any of his Hellfire weapons or his Penance Stare to easily defeat him.
7 LOSE: Sinestro
Sinestro is the archnemesis of Hal Jordan, one of the Green Lanterns. Sinestro actually used to be a Green Lantern and has held onto some of these cosmic powers. He wields a yellow power ring which enables him to fly, survive any environment, and create objects.
Although this ring must be charged often, he also has received an extreme amount of power from Parallax. He has the ability to alter reality and bend time, space, matter, and energy. Because of Ghost Rider’s human host, it appears that Sinestro could defeat him.
6 WIN: Ra's Al Ghul
Another villain that Ghost Rider could easily defeat is Ra’s Al Ghul. Despite being known as the “Chief of Demons,” this main Batman villain doesn’t boast any powers that would equal Ghost Rider’s.
Ra’s Al Ghul has had a prolonged life thanks to his frequent visitation to the Lazarus Pits, but it is his reliance on these for his success that makes him an easy target. Ghost Rider could use any weapon in his arsenal against Ra’s Al Ghul, whether it be his soul-burning Penance Stare or his Infernal Pyrokinesis.
5 LOSE: Black Adam
Black Adam is an antihero with very similar powers to Superman. He has superhuman speed, strength, knowledge, and the use of magic. He doesn’t need the basics that humans do: he does not require food, sleep, or even air.
Black Adam is also resistant to telepathy, which is something that could potentially cause a serious problem for Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare. Even without his weapons and extreme strength, Black Adam is comparable to a god, something which would definitely give Ghost Rider a hard time. Watch out for him in the upcoming film starring Dwayne Johnson.
4 WIN: Two-Face
The District Attorney-turned-villain Two-Face wouldn’t put up much of a fight for the Hellfire-wielding Ghost Rider. His villainy came about when he was disfigured by acid, which led to a descent into insanity.
Two-Face does have some skill at marksmanship and having excellent knowledge of weaponry. Despite being trained by the expert Deathstroke, he would give Ghost Rider no grief. Ghost Rider is accustomed to making guys like Two-Face relive their sins, and Two-Face has a lot of sins to atone for.
3 LOSE: Deathstroke
Deathstroke has been an enemy in quite a few DC storylines, and rightly so. Thanks to an experimental serum, he has superhuman strength, agility, and durability. He also has a healing factor, but unlike Ghost Rider, he can’t regenerate limbs.
If this was all the leverage Deathstroke held against Ghost Rider, he would surely win, but unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Deathstroke has wielded a weapon which would surely spell the destruction of Ghost Rider: the sword forged by Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths. Called the “God-killer,” this weapon is one of the few that would take advantage of the fact that Ghost Rider’s only weakness is weapons crafted in Heaven or Hell.
2 WIN: Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage has been alive for 50,000 years, but that wouldn’t stop Ghost Rider from kicking him to the curb. His possible backstory offers ammunition for Ghost Rider: he has been referred to as the first murderer, the Biblical Cain.
Armed with this knowledge, Ghost Rider could take Vandal Savage’s mind on a wild ride using his Penance Stare. If Savage has been a murderer for millennia, think of how many deaths would be on his conscience for Ghost Rider to make him suffer through.
1 LOSE: Anti-Monitor
While one might think that Ghost Rider could make Anti-Monitor suffer by reliving his sins of destroying thousands of universes, it’s pretty likely that Anti-Monitor could defeat him. With his size, strength, durability, he would physically be a match for Ghost Rider, but he has more up his sleeve than that.
Anti-Monitor has commanded an army of demons, and if he can use his powers of mind to do so, what would stop him from controlling the inner demon that gives Ghost Rider his powers?