THE BATMAN Star Robert Pattinson Was Reportedly Eyed for MCU’s Ghost Rider in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
Marvel Studios casting rumors tend to snowball fast, and this latest one is a pretty wild swing. A new report claims that Robert Pattinson nearly found himself riding a flaming motorcycle into the MCU as Ghost Rider, with the role possibly tied to Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios has already teased that Ghost Rider is finally gearing up for a proper MCU debut, and Avengers: Doomsday is expected to introduce several new players into the mix. The Russo Brothers have a track record for this kind of rollout, using ensemble films as launchpads for major characters, and Ghost Rider could be a character they bring into the mix.
Pattinson, of course, is already entrenched in comic book mythology thanks to The Batman, and last year it was reported that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had met with the actor for an undisclosed role. Now, it appears things may have gotten a lot more specific.
According to Nexus Point News’ @ApocHorseman, “Pattinson was eyed for [Ghost Rider] at one point,” but “it’s not gonna be him.” That immediately reopens the door for another name that has been circling this character for a while now, Ryan Gosling.
Gosling has never exactly hidden his interest in playing Johnny Blaze, and while promoting The Fall Guy, he was previously asked about possibly getting Feige’s blessing for the role.
Gosling recounted the moment by saying, “This was a magical moment. I told Josh I would like to play Ghost Rider. He found Kevin Feige, corners him, does an interview with him. When he says, ‘I would like this,’ all the lights go off.”
When pressed on whether anything had actually moved forward, Gosling kept it vague. “I don’t know.” During the same conversation, co-star Emily Blunt joked that she didn’t expect him to jump into a superhero franchise, prompting Gosling to respond, “I would love to, it would be amazing. Come be in Ghost Rider.”
What remains unclear is how Marvel plans to use the Spirit of Vengeance once he shows up. There’s still speculation over whether Ghost Rider in Doomsday would be a one-off Variant or the definitive MCU version who carries into projects like Midnight Sons after Avengers: Secret Wars.
There were also earlier rumors about Ghost Rider appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, though that seems less likely now if Marvel is saving the character for the Avengers-level chaos.
Either way, the idea that Doomsday could put the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider on screen together is pretty awesome, especially with the threat of Doctor Doom looming over everything.
As always, rumors like this should be taken lightly. Still, it’s hard not to have some fun imagining what Ghost Rider’s long-awaited MCU arrival might look like, and how close we may have come to seeing Pattinson unleash the Spirit of Vengeance instead of the Dark Knight.