Every Ghost Rider Reference In She-Hulk Episode 4
She-Hulk episode 4 was arguably the best episode of the series. It brought back a fan-favorite character in the form of Wong. The storyline followed Wong as he travels to She-Hulk for help in a case involving a magician known as Donny Blaze. He was recklessly using the magic he had learned at Kamar-Taj. It carried volunteers in different dimensions. The name Donny Blaze might sound familiar if you’ve ever heard of Ghost Rider aka Johnny Blaze. So let’s explore every weird Ghost Rider reference in the episode.
Donny Blaze
He is a former student of the mystical arts of Kamar-Taj. He was expelled because he conjured three barrels and his fraternity brother Ky-Dog. Wong makes his dislike and disrespect for Donny Blaze very clear. This is the most obvious reference to Ghost Rider, also known as Johnny Blaze. Before appearing in Agents of SHIELD simply as a cameo, Johnny Blaze was first portrayed by Nicolas Cage in 2007’s Ghost Rider. The episode also has a blurry in-scene poster that sounds true to a poster of Ghost Rider. Few fans have also speculated that the name “Donny” could have been a combination of Johnny and Danny Ketch, who was the third Ghost Rider.
Mephisto referenced as Jack the Demon
In the episode, we are introduced to one such volunteer, Madisynn King, who testified as a witness in court regarding her experience in an alternate creepy dimension. During her testimony, she spoke of a demon called Jack who she made a deal with. The demon would send him to Wong at Kamar-Taj and in return would earn him silence. He even threatened to devour her soul and that of her family if she told anyone about their pact.
“I made a pact with a demon that I can’t discuss. Otherwise he said he would harvest my soul and the souls of everyone I love. The demon, I think his name was Jake, opened a portal that dropped me off at Wongers, and that’s how we became best friends.
It looks exactly like Mephisto, the ruler of Hell. He has already made several deals with known superheroes in exchange for their souls. He’s also previously encountered She-Hulk in the comics regarding one of his legal documents. Thus, rumors are rife regarding the official appearance of Mephisto in She-Hulk. Mephisto even made Ghost Rider what it is. Johnny Blaze made a deal with Mephisto to save his adoptive father’s life in exchange for his own soul. This led to him being consumed by hellfire that night and becoming a Ghost Rider. However, the deal was that Mephisto would cure Crash’s cancer. So even though he escaped his illness, Crash died moments later during a stunt.
Hellfire Chain from Ghost Rider
She-Hulk Episode 4 also had a nod to Ghost Rider’s signature weapon, the Chain Hellfire. In the episode, Donny Blaze accidentally opened a portal to hell. This resulted in the mystical castle being flooded by a group of flying demons that grew bigger with every passing second. Wong, recruited She-Hulk and went to clean up the mess. During this battle, Wong wielded a magical chain much like a whip which he used to grab the creatures and throw them through a portal into a snowy region. It was very similar to Ghost Rider’s Hellfire chain, which was his icon used to create and control mystical fire. The chain has been used by multiple versions of Ghost Rider and is arguably the most famous detail of its classic look.
Johnny Blaze’s appearance in the MCU
The Spirit of Vengeance, the long-awaited MCU appearance of Ghost Rider has yet to hear much news. However, there have been many rumors that he was introduced in one of the other supernatural MCU projects such as Moon Knight, Blade, and Werewolf by Night. There’s even been talk of Ryan Gosling throwing his hat in for the role of Johnny Blaze. Hopefully we will have something new soon.
