Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead

The Spirit of Vengeance and The Daywalker are joining forces! Our trusted and proven sources tell us that Norman Reedus will make his MCU debut as Ghost Rider in 2025’s Blade.

Back in December 2021, we exclusively reported on the casting of Norman Reedus as Ghost Rider, though at the time we did not know when the Walking Dead star would make his first MCU appearance.

Blade has suffered a number of production delays, even beyond the most recently announced delays due to the Actors and Writers Strikes.

Considering what has been reported about Blade, there could be a very good reason why we didn’t know in 2021 that Reedus would be in the film: because at the time, Norman Reedus appearing in the movie as Ghost Rider might not have been part of the plan.

Blade has suffered a number of production delays, even beyond the most recently announced delays due to the Actors and Writers Strikes. Last September the film’s original director, Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) left the project amidst unconfirmed reports that star Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage) was unhappy with the script.

Yann Demange (Lovecraft Country) has since been tapped as the new director, and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is reportedly rewriting the script. It could very well be that Norman Reedus’ appearance as Ghost Rider is something that was added in one of the more current rewrites.

Other actors who not only received fan love for the potential role, but who voiced their enthusiasm for the idea, include Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049) and Keanu Reeves (John Wick).

The news about Norman Reedus’ Ghost Rider appearing in Blade brings up interesting questions about the film. With both characters finding homes in the more mystical side of the Marvel mythos, it makes sense that Ghost Rider would appear in Blade, though he isn’t the vampire hunter that the Daywalker is.

It could suggest that while the Wesley Snipes led Blade trilogy from the late 1990s and early 00s were focused almost exclusively on vampires, the new Blade could encompass a lot more than the bloodsuckers.

Norman Reedus was of the most widely fan-cast stars to take up the mantle of Ghost Rider, but he wasn’t the only one. Other actors who not only received fan love for the potential role, but who voiced their enthusiasm for the idea, include Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049) and even Keanu Reeves (John Wick).

Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

When he premieres as the Spirit of Vengeance in Blade, Reedus will be the third actor to play Ghost Rider in live-action. He’s preceded by Nicolas Cage (Pig) who played the hero in two films, and Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), who played the Robbie Reyes version of the character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Norman Reedus’ Other Marvel Work

Fittingly, while Norman Reedus’ premiere as Ghost Rider will mark his first time in the MCU, it won’t be his first Marvel project or even his first time in the Blade franchise. He plays Scud in 2002’s Blade II, the eponymous vampire hunter’s treacherous sidekick who briefly replaces Kris Kristofferson’s Whistler.

His only other Marvel project to date is as the voice of Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in the 2013 animated film Iron Man: Rise of Technovore.

Blade is currently scheduled to hit theaters February 14, 2025.