Pitching the Marvel Cinematic Universe take on the Spirit of Vengeance.
And I figured what better gift for myself than to put my trade to the test doing something that may not get buzz but makes me happy.
For a longer portion of my life than I can remember, I’ve been an unapologetic proponent of fanfiction.
Despite acknowledging the vapid, ugly, amateurish, gross, lazy, unpolished and outright reprehensible abyss that accounts for a good 90% of the stuff, I’ve always loved seeing new interpretations of existing material by those passionate about it and adore seeing what can be done with said concepts when free from the red tape of corporate overlords dictating the direction properties by way of marketing research and the perceived impact on their monetary bottom line.
As somebody attempting to turn writing independently as a career and never dared to consider my hand at creative writing until recently however, it remains a practice I am unlikely to partake in anytime soon.
That said however, when my mind runs wild, it tends to generate some fairly detailed pitches and since I know the likelihood of me working on some of my favorite franchises is more than likely slim to none, I hope you get a bit of enjoyment out of hearing a few of my personal fanboy pipe dreams in a new series, starting with the topic of who is probably my third favorite superhero of all time and his potential adaptation into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In Marvel lore, the Ghost Rider is an individual possessed by
a super natural entity known as a “Spirit of Vengeance.” These spirits are
commonly depicted as demonic entities or fallen angels, blood thirsty to
utilize their human vessels to sate their hunger by enacting what they perceive
to be justice upon the wicked, be they malicious human beings or other
supernatural entities with malevolent intentions.
Regarding the depiction of the concept within the MCU, the
character was most recently portrayed as a legacy passed on to its current
comic book incarnation, professional mechanic and moonlighting street racer
Robbie Reyes (Played by Gabriel Luna) in season 4 of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
The curse of the Rider inflicted upon him however was by a more
traditional depiction of the character implied by the writing staff to be the
iconic Johnny Blaze, first character to bear the name in affiliation with the
Spirit of Vengeance concept and subject of two terrible Nicholas Cage movies.
Assuming that the format would be that of a 10 to 13 episode
premium television series in the vein of what Netflix has done with its “Defenders”
Heroes, it’s with this character in desperate need of an un-screwing over that
we’ll begin.
The tale of Johnny Blaze is one of desperation, tragedy,
regret, self loathing, and coping with grief. Turning to occult rituals to save
the life of his cancer ridden mentor, carnival stunt rider Crash Simpson,
Johnny inadvertently summons the demon lord Mephisto, curing Simpson of his
illness in return for Blaze’s service as the Ghost Rider, playing the role of
Hell’s bounty hunter on Earth with the demonic spirit Zarathos grafted onto his
soul.
His story is more or less a neo-western infused with supernatural
horror born from Judeo-Christian biblical iconography and gothic imagery, with
the biker outlaw concept playing well into the western tropes at play.
With that in mind, the mold I’d posit to fit perfectly would
basically be that of a dark fantasy “Sons of Anarchy.” Get Kurt Sutter as
showrunner with Charlie Hunnam in the lead as Johnny Blaze.
I’ve contended for quite a while now that Hunnam is a
supremely underrated actor that’s had the misfortune of being swept up in the
Hollywood system and miscast in places that poorly utilize his talents.
The
absolute height of those talents was undoubtedly put on display in the aforementioned
series, regaling the tragic story of Jax Teller, a biker torn between doing
right by his vigilante family by inheriting and embracing leadership in their
criminal politics or doing right by his newborn son and the woman that he loves
by walking away from the people that have cared for him his entire life.
It’s a tragedy that tears the character apart in a fitting
way that if he did a few more stunts with his motorcycle while wearing an old
school carnie rider uniform, he’d basically be Johnny Blaze without the flaming
skull.
For added effect, the story would be an 80's period piece, heightening
the cultural significance of his stunt rider background past while the
downgraded prolific status of technology adds to the mythologizing of the Ghost
Rider, making him akin to an urban legend possibly linked to documented
tragedies but with no tangible evidence of existence.
The origin of the character can unfold gradually via
flashback but the focus would be kept on a tight arc of Johnny on a mission
that could shake up his Ghost Rider status while forcing him to confront the
specters of the troubled past that led him to his curse, including reuniting
with Simpson’s daughter and former love of his life, Roxanne who shares the perspective
lens of the series to keep just enough of Johnny shrouded in mystery until the
mythology of the Ghost Rider takes center stage.
By now you may be thinking that the “Supernatural” meets “Sons
of Anarchy” could be a sound enough idea but how will the show unfold in the
long term?
Regardless of whether Johnny Blaze’s status as Ghost Rider
is upheld or not (most likely so given what occurs in cannon later on down the
line), his self contained and completed season spanning story arc ends with
season 1.
Season 2 of “Marvel’s Ghost Rider” picks up as a 90s period
piece, focusing on well meaning aimless slacker young adult Danny Ketch, cursed
with Spirit of Vengeance Kale to hunt down his sister’s killer and gradually
come to terms with the pain of loss and tragedy, taking inspiration from 90s
Alex Proyas Neo-Noir genre movies like “Dark City” and “The Crow.”
Season 3 picks up years later in the same decade with loose
cannon and morally dubious cop Michael Badilino, cursed with a Spirit of
Vengeance after breaking up a satanic ritual, forced to balance his code of ethics and duty with dishing out
justice as he, or rather the Ghost Rider, sees fit in a sort of “Exorcist”
meets “The Shield” cop drama with the building mythology of the Ghost Rider
haunting the background.
By now you probably see where this is going.
Tailor every comic book Rider’s storyline into a unique
genre ostensibly infused with a ghost story of some sort, while playing up the growing urban myth of the Ghost Rider in the background, allowing new casts, writers,
directors, and showrunners to serve the story fit to be told.
Alejandra Jones could be a biblical horror version of “Narcos”
or “Sicario” and if you want to make good on the street racing cultural aspect
that made Robbie Reyes cool, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad reason to do the “Secret
Wars Ghost Racers” concept and get one or several of his predecessors into a
race to see which Spirit of Vengeance is the fastest and most furious.
Additionally, since it’s hopping around in the time line,
you can do some fun world building. Maybe a young Hank Pym finds himself in a
domestic Ant-Man mission at the worst possible location. Perhaps Stick has
something to say about demons roaming America as he attempts to build up his
army against The Hand.
So by making a more top down adaptation of the mythology and
what it means for the setting, punctuated by tight and intimate yet wholly separate
character driven narratives, you’re essentially left with the MCU equivalent of
“American Horror Story” that even touches on a light allegory connected with
the Johnny Cash song serving as the character's namesake.
Agree? Disagree? Be sure to comment and let me know your
thoughts and whether or not you’d like to see more of these.
No comments:
Post a Comment