Here come the Spirits of Vengeance.
Marvel has announced that the Hulu streaming service has ordered two new live-action series, Marvel's Ghost Rider and Marvel's Helstrom, both based on the Marvel Comics characters.
Marvel’s Ghost Rider centers on Robbie Reyes, the quintessential antihero, who lives on the Texas/Mexico border, consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon. When he unleashes the Rider, Robbie brings vengeance for the innocents he encounters, but struggles controlling the power he wields. Marvel’s Ghost Rider is executive produced by Ingrid Escajeda, who will serve as showrunner, Paul Zbyszewski and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb.
"I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be handed the reins to a Marvel character as beloved as Ghost Rider," said Ingrid Escajeda. "This story hits every note for me—my love for grounded yet conflicted characters and my desire to scare the $&!# out of people! It’s important to me to find a take that thrills existing fans as well as wider audiences and I believe we’ve done just that."
Created in 2014 by Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore, the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider first appeared All-New Ghost Rider #1 as a high-school student working as a mechanic at an auto body shop, who lives with his developmentally disabled brother Gabe and seeks to get away from the dangerous, gang-riddled streets of East Los Angeles. To that end, he enters a street race, hoping to use the prize money to move themselves away. He is gunned down by mercenaries trying to retrieve pills that caused the transformation of Calvin Zabo into the supervillain Mr. Hyde, which had been left in the trunk of the 1969 Dodge Charger he "borrowed" from the auto body shop for the race. He is revived as Ghost Rider, a demonic being with a flaming, helmet-like head. He drives off in the car, which also blazes with flame.
Marvel's Helstrom, meanwhile, focuses on Daimon and Ana Helstrom, the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the worst of humanity—each with their attitude and skills. Marvel’s Helstrom is executive produced by Paul Zbyszewski, who will serve as showrunner and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb.
"As a lifelong Marvel fan, I feel incredibly fortunate to help bring this darker, thrilling corner of the comic book universe to life, and I’m just grateful to everyone at Marvel Television and Hulu for the opportunity,: said Paul Zbyszewski. "Marvel’s known for all the heart, humor, and action they put into every series, but this time around we’re adding some scares to that mix. I think we’ve found a compelling way to dissect some of our deepest fears through the experiences of our two lead characters."
Created in 1973 by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, Daimon Hellstrom first appeared in Ghost Rider (vol.1) #1 as the son of Satan and a mortal woman named Victoria Wingate (his father was later retconned into a demon named Marduk Kurios, who was actually the biblical Lucifer). Daimon and his sister, Satana, were trained by their father in the art of magic, tapping into the power granted them by their dark heritage. However, while Satana embraced her heritage, Daimon clung to his humanity. When their mother discovered who her husband really was, she was driven mad. Daimon and Satana were separated and put in different homes after his mother was institutionalized and his father banished back to Hell. Daimon grew up in a Jesuit-run orphanage, never hearing a word from his father or sister. He became a professor of anthropology at St. Louis University, then set himself up as an occult investigator and defender of humanity. Under the name "Son of Satan", Daimon battled dark arcane forces—primarily those of his father—as a demonologist and exorcist. He later joined the superhero team the Defenders and married his teammate Patsy Walker, the superhero known as Hellcat. Eventually, he started going by a different alias, Hellstorm, and still assists various superheroes with mystical threats.
Ghost Rider and Helstrom are both expected to debut on Hulu sometime in 2020.