GHost Rider

Name: Johnny Blaze, The Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance

Alignment: Neutral Good

Affiliation: Shadowpact

History:
John Blaze was born into a world of motorcycle grease and cheering crowds. The son of Barton Blaze and Naomi Kale, Johnny spent his early years in the Quentin Carnival, where his parents starred in a stunt show with Craig "Crash" Simpson. His idyllic home life ended abruptly, however, when Naomi abandoned John, taking his younger siblings - Barbara and Daniel - with her. Naomi's decision to leave had been difficult, but she felt it was necessary "because of the family curse."

Crash figured Johnny's mother was just nuts, and officially adopted the boy. Unaware of the mystical forces swirling around him, John followed the Simpsons into their own traveling stunt show - the Crash Simpson Stunt Cycle Extravaganza. Crash had become a true father figure to Johnny by this time, teaching him how to ride in the hopes that the younger man might eventually succeed him as the star of the show. This dream came to a fiery end when Johnny was fifteen. While practicing a dangerous stunt, Johnny was nearly killed and Mona Simpson was mortally wounded. When Mona asked John on her deathbed to quit riding, he swore to her that he would.

Over the next five years, Johnny's relationship with Crash deteriorated as John refused to take part in the show. Not understanding John's motivations, Crash grew increasingly frustrated, even accusing his adopted son of cowardice; however, John continued to practice at night, honing his skills until he surpassed his mentor. He had another secret, too: he and Roxanne had become lovers. When Crash revealed he was dying of cancer, he asked Johnny once more to take over the show, but Johnny refused despite Roxanne's disappointment. Distraught, John turned to the occult in search of answers. His studies ultimately led to a spell that supposedly could summon Satan himself. John didn't realize it, but the entity he summoned was actually Mephisto. The demon offered to cure Crash's cancer in exchange for Johnny's servitude.

Mephisto then cured Crash of his cancer in return for Johnny's promise of servitude. Crash died almost immediately afterwards, however, in a failed attempt to set a world's record by jumping over 22 cars. Despairing over the loss of his adopted father, Johnny attempted - and made - the jump himself, seeking to honor Crash's memory. Johnny was still at Mephisto's mercy, though, and would have lost his soul outright if not for the heroic intervention of Roxanne, who proclaimed her love for Johnny and drove the demon away with the purity of her emotion (though Mephisto would return).

One night after Crash's death, Johnny found himself transformed into a skeletal being with a flaming skull. Fearing at first that this demonic form was a manifestation of his own evil side, he soon realized that he had bonded with some wholly separate entity. Transforming nightly into a fiendish figure with a blazing skull, John became involved with a local motorcycle gang, Satan's Servants. Their leader, Curly Samuels, had gained the fiend's trust, until a shocked John discovered that the soul of Crash Simpson lurked within Curly's form. Mephisto had offered Crash a new life in exchange for betraying his adopted son, and Crash had eagerly accepted. Johnny was cast into Hell, where he managed to reawaken Crash's sense of honor and love. The older man sacrificed himself to help Johnny escape, making him promise to protect Roxanne- and providing Johnny with greater control over his demonic alter ego.

Now, Johnny has taken to the streets to protect Roxanne, the Quentin Carnival, and the innocent people of the nation from threats- infernal, criminal, or monstrous. Styling his alter ego after the countless urban legends of undead figures traveling the nation's highways and bringing Old Testament justice to evildoers, Johnny Blaze has become... The Ghost Rider.

Supporting Cast:
Quentin Carnival:
The Spirits of Vengeance: The other Ghost Riders, usually written off as urban legends. There seems to be one for each nation, and in some parts of the world, multiple Ghost Riders.

Villains:
Mephisto: The devil...
Blackheart: The antichrist...
Deathwatch: And a demonic mob boss who wants to overthrow the above and become the new Kingpin of Earth and Hell alike.

The Ghost Rider Assassination League:
Verminus Rex
Death Ninja
Jack O' Lantern
The All-New Orb
Doghead
Blackout


How (if at all) does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?: Basically, from the start, there's the spirits of Vengeance which inspired Johnny's identity. These are the other Ghost Riders, which could be used for storylines down the road.

Post References: