The all-powerful ability of Marvel’s terrifying Ghost Rider has lost its edge. When confronted with the Penance Stare, those the Rider judges as guilty are meant to feel the full brunt of the suffering they’ve brought onto others. It’s an ability that is meant to be able to destroy some of Marvel’s most powerful beings. However, the number of heroes and villains that have survived confrontations with Ghost Rider has been steadily increasing, putting into question how effective the Spirit of Vengeance actually is.
The first use of the Penance Stare belongs to the Danny Ketch version of Ghost Rider, who used it on Mr. Hyde in Ghost Rider #4. Traditionally, when Ghost Rider locks eyes with the guilty, they are overwhelmed with the anguish they’ve wrought, inducing catatonia, and in some cases, complete immolation. Aside from common criminals, Ghost Rider has proved the Stare works against foes as powerful as Doctor Strange, as seen when he nearly killed Strange in Ghost Rider #3.
However, many recent stories have shown heroes and villains overcome the Penance Stare. While it’s a move that can underline a character’s willpower or lack of empathy, this trick has been used so frequently by Marvel’s creators that now basically no-one is susceptible to Ghost Rider’s ultimate attack. In Thunderbolts #29, Ghost Rider attempts to use his fabled attack on the Punisher, only for Frank to survive, telling the Spirit that he “regrets nothing.” The Mad Titan Thanos was confronted with the Penance Stare in Thanos #15, but his reliving of the torment he’s inflicted brought him joy instead of suffering. The stare did cause the Venom symbiote pain in Ghost Rider & Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #6, but not enough to immobilize or defeat him. And Ghost Rider was absolutely shocked in Avengers #16 when Captain Marvel rebuked him and his attack, claiming she was sick of the punishment she had already lived through.
Those are just the opponents who even experienced the Penance Stare, with other stories depicting the attack failing because they lack a human soul or even just have more than two eyes. Needless to say, for a Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider’s “ultimate” move is getting less and less impressive with so many contrived exceptions. In the past, Reed Richards has speculated that the Ghost Rider is one of the greatest powers in the Marvel Universe, capable of taking down the Hulk, and is limited only by his remit of taking vengeance on the deserving. However, while every ultra-powerful hero needs limits, what does Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare actually mean if every time it’s used, the victim finds a way to dodge the effects?
While various forms of physical immunity make some sense, that’s not the case for the amount of times Marvel has allowed heroes, villains and anti-heroes to get away from the Ghost Rider’s judgement by bringing their personal feelings into it. Just because Thanos has no qualms about the people he’s killed doesn’t mean he’s exempt from what is generally portrayed as an objective judgement. As more characters survive the Penance Stare, the reasons are becoming increasingly flimsy, and it’s coming at the cost of Ghost Rider’s reputation. If the Stare doesn’t work on human mass-murderers like Frank Castle, Ghost Rider’s divine judgment is ultimately pointless.
Facing off against the Spirit of Vengeance and surviving is a good way to show off how tough a character is or how powerful a will they posses. However, in doing this so often, Marvel is cheapening what should be one of the most powerful attacks in its universe, and making Ghost Rider less of a threat than the comics continue to claim he is.
