Who Is the Prehistoric Ghost Rider & What Happened to Him?

Ghost Rider is one of the most popular Marvel Characters, and as such, he has had many versions over the long history of the character’s existence. Numerous people have held the mantle of “Ghost Rider” and bonded with Spirit of Vengeance, and the ones we know best, Like Johnny Blaze and, most recently, Robbie Reyes. As it turns out, the history of Ghost Riders goes back almost a million years, and before there were bikes and muscle cars, they had fiery, woolly mammoths. Today, we will analyze what is likely to be the first Ghost Rider that ever existed. Let’s see the power of the Prehistoric Ghost Rider and what ultimately happened to him.

Prehistoric Ghost Rider was exiled from his Tribe due to questioning the status quo 

The origin story of Prehistoric Ghost Rider was told on the pages of ‘Avengers’ Vol. 8 #7. It takes place a million years ago when humans were at the stage of being slightly more advanced than monkeys. Prehistoric Ghost Rider lived with one of many tribes that dotted the frozen wasteland of the world, but he was different.

Inside his head, he would form coherent sentences and question the world and the purpose of existence. But he could never reveal it because his Tribe was stuck in its backward ways. They were afraid of everything, but most of all, they were afraid of something being different, and he was very different. 

He admitted that he was by far the smartest member of the Tribe but couldn’t show it because he would be exiled. And being exiled and alone in such a horrifying landscape means death sentences. So he hid his thoughts and communicated with grunts and groans like the rest of his Tribe. 

Wending exile Prehistoric Ghost Rider from the Tribe 

One day, a stranger showed up on the Tribe’s doorstep. He traveled alone, which was impossible in such conditions, and carried weapons that the Tribe was unfamiliar with. Overnight, the stranger used his knowledge and more advanced weaponry to gain control of the Tribe. He killed the strongest among them, leaving only the meekest who would worship him. The intelligent tribe member, at first, was impressed and intrigued by the stranger.

He learned that he could also speak and was intelligent until the stranger revealed to him that he was once in his own footsteps, despising the rest of his Tribe for being dumb and afraid of everything unknown. The peace that came after the stranger came was short-lasting, as in one night, the stranger ate the rest of the Tribe, revealing himself to be Wendigo. 

The small, intelligent tribesman was the only one of his Tribe left, and instead of eating him, Wendigo exiled him, naming him Ghost because he was dead and didn’t even know it.  

Ghost bonded with the Spirit of Vengeance after a talking snake approached him

Following his exile, Ghost started wandering the wilderness alone. He was facing a sure death and collapsed in the snow when a talking snake approached him. The snake offered Ghost a deal: it’s going to give him the powers to exact vengeance upon Wendigo, and it’s going to let him live and be powerful, but most importantly, the snake will make it so that he is warm again and he hasn’t been warm in a long time. All Ghost had to do to seal the deal was say the snake’s real name – Mephisto and the deal was sealed.

Soon after uttering Mephisto’s name, Ghost was transformed into a Ghost Rider, possibly the first of his kind. Soon after becoming the Ghost Rider, Ghost happened upon a wooly mammoth that he bonded with, using him as his ride, and four years after being turned into a Ghost Rider, he killed Wendigo to exact vengeance in the name of those he ate to fuel his horrible powers. 

After killing Wendigo, Ghost was approached by Lady Phoenix and Odin, who recruited him into the Avengers of 1,000 000 BC. 

How powerful was prehistoric Ghost Rider?

We can assume, from what we’ve seen, that Prehistoric Ghost Rider had all the powers and abilities that modern Ghost Riders have, with several notable exceptions. To keep with the overall theme of his age, instead of having a vehicle, Ghost Rider moved around on a fiery, wooly mammoth, just like Frontier-Era Ghost Rider rode a fiery horse. 

Prehistoric Ghost Rider’s mystic chain was likewise created out of the bones of the people that Wendigo consumed instead of a diving material. Prehistoric Ghost Rider also had the ability to re-anime the bones of the dead. 

Overall, being possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance at that time, Ghost was likely among the most powerful members of prehistoric Avengers. 

Prehistoric Ghost Rider died at the hands of Multiversal Masters of Evil

When Doctor Doom visited ancient history along with his Multiversal Masters of Evil in order to meddle with the timeline and ensure his dominion in the future, Prehistoric Avengers were the only ones who could offer some kind of resistance. Prehistoric Avengers were joined by Modern-day Avengers, and the three groups clashed. 

Prehistoric Ghost Rider managed to kill Berserker Wolverine and Ghost Goblin but fell victim to Doom Supreme’s spell after the latter aimed to kill an entire group of cavemen. Ghost Rider made a noble sacrifice and died on duty. 

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

Liked this article? Follow us on Bluesky for the latest Marvel & DC news!