| Cosmic Ghost Rider | |
|---|---|
 Cosmic Ghost Rider as depicted inCosmic Ghost Rider #1 (September 2018). Art byMike Deodato Jr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Thanos (vol. 2) #13 (January 2018) |
| Created by | Donny Cates Geoff Shaw (based on the character created byGerry Conway,John Romita Sr. andRoss Andru) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Francis David "Frank" Castle |
| Team affiliations | Heralds of Galactus Guardians of the Galaxy Dark Guardians |
| Partnerships | Galactus (master) King Thanos (master) Punisher Thanos (son) |
| Notable aliases | The Rider The Punisher Cosmic Ghost Phoenix Rider |
| Abilities |
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Cosmic Ghost Rider (Francis David "Frank" Castle) is afictionalsuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. His physical appearance and origin are anamalgam ofPunisher,Ghost Rider, andSilver Surfer, with his personality inspired byDeadpool.[1][2][3]
Cosmic Ghost Rider was created byDonny Cates and Geoff Shaw, and first appeared inThanos #13 (January 2018).[4][5] His backstory was revealed inThanos #16.[6][7]
In 2019, Cosmic Ghost Rider starred in the miniseriesCosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History, written byPaul Scheer.[8][9]
In the alternate reality whereThanos conquered the universe, Frank Castle's early life was seemingly similar to that of the Frank Castle of theEarth-616 universe. When Thanos came to Earth, the Punisher was one of the last casualties during the last stand of the heroes, and his soul was subsequently sent to Hell. Willing to give anything in order to punish Thanos for slaughtering his planet, the Punisher signed a demonic deal withMephisto and became theGhost Rider. When he returned to Earth, however, Thanos was already gone, and everything on Earth was dead. The Punisher roams Earth for years until a badly injuredGalactus arrives and makes him his herald to help battle Thanos.[10][11][12]
Several centuries later, Cosmic Ghost Rider and Galactus confront Thanos, who beheads Galactus in battle. Thanos gives Cosmic Ghost Rider a shard of the Time Gem so that he can travel to the past, recruit a young version of Thanos, and assist in the killing of theFallen One. Cosmic Ghost Rider battles the Fallen One, who manages to kill him.[12][13][14]
Odin from the main reality retrieves Cosmic Ghost Rider's soul and takes him toValhalla, though Cosmic Ghost Rider is unsatisfied. Odin returns his powers and offers to revive him in any time period of his choosing. Cosmic Ghost Rider chooses the day Thanos was born, which allows him to take Thanos into his care and prevent him from becoming a villain. However, this creates a new timeline where Thanos becomes a dictator. After learning this, Cosmic Ghost Rider returns the young Thanos to his own time to restore the timeline.[15][16]
In the aftermath of the "Infinity Wars" storyline, Cosmic Ghost Rider is revealed to have been stranded on Earth-616 and attends Thanos' funeral. The funeral is attacked by theBlack Order, who steals Thanos's body and rips open a hole in space, sending everyone into the rip. Everyone is saved by the arrival ofGladiator and theShi'ar. Starfox begins to recruit warriors to findGamora, the most likely candidate to be Thanos's new body, as they form the Dark Guardians, which causes Cosmic Ghost Rider to side with them.Wraith brings up the issue of the Black Order, but Starfox assures they are searching for them and Nebula states that the team should track down Nova to find Gamora's location. Cosmic Ghost Rider and the Dark Guardians track downNova and clash with the Guardians of the Galaxy to take Gamora.Hela and the Black Order crash the battle, with Hela taking control of Cosmic Ghost Rider and having Thanos' consciousness possess Starfox. Cosmic Ghost Rider's body later falls apart, with his spirit arriving in Hell and encounteringJohnny Blaze.[17]
Cosmic Ghost Rider later leaves Earth and begins a campaign in the cosmos punishing villains for their sins. This attracts theShi'ar, who have theImperial Guard capture him. While in prison, Cosmic Ghost Rider is attacked by a mysterious creature who drains his energy, destroying all of his body except for his skull. One of the prison officers initiates the prison's self-destruct sequence, destroying the prison. Months later, Cosmic Ghost Rider's skull is recovered by a group of pirates, who he kills before rebuilding his body. Cosmic Ghost Rider sparesCammi, whose he declares to be innocent.[18] Cammi goes on to become Cosmic Ghost Rider's companion, with the two battling the Cosmic King and various other villains.
Cosmic Ghost Rider has the same abilities as the Ghost Rider as well as Hellfire manipulation and wielding thePower Cosmic.
Cosmic Ghost Rider wields chains made from the bones ofCyttorak. He also rides around on a Hell Cycle.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die | Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018–2019) #1–5,[22] material fromThanos Legacy #1[23] | February 2019 | 978-1302913533 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History | Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #1–6 | October 2019 | 978-1302917456 |
| Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider | Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider #1–5 | September 2020 | 978-1302921705 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider Omnibus | Thanos (vol. 2) #13–18,Thanos Annual #1,Cosmic Ghost Rider #1–5,Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #1–6,Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 5) #1–6,Avengers (vol. 8) #22–25,Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider #1–5, material fromThanos Legacy #1,Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #3 | October 2021 | 978-1302929633 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider: Duel Identity | Cosmic Ghost Rider (2023) #1–5 | October 2023 | 978-1302948122 |
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