Moon Knight transforms into a godly Ghost Rider in Marvel’s latest series of Stormbreaker variant covers. In anticipation of Hellverine making its debut in May, Marvel has previewed the hell-raising art for all eight covers that will be released leading up to the Ghost Rider and Wolverine crossover. The Vengeance of the Moon Knight variant cover by Martín Cóccolo imagines Marc Spector’s demonic descent into a new anti-hero identity.
The stunning variant cover shared by Marvel showcases Moon Knight with all the hallmarks of a Ghost Rider; he stands in a fiery blaze, with a skull face and burning chains attached to his weapons. The moon in the backdrop almost looks like the sun as the hellfire around the anti-hero illuminates it.
Moon Knight has a history with Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics and both have been members of the Midnight Suns. While this character crossover is just for the variant covers as of now, the comics or MCU could take inspiration from Cóccolo’s cover for the characters’ future.
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Marvel’s Stormbreakers Variants Tease More Ghost Rider Crossovers
Moon Knight isn’t the only character getting the transformation treatment for the Stormbreakers variants, but his cover is one with the best chance of becoming a reality in continuity. Marvel has assembled a skilled group of artists to create the bold variant covers celebrating Hellverine including Elena Casagrande, C.F. Villa, Chris Allen, Jan Bazaldua, the aforementioned Cóccolo, and more. Spider-Verse characters Spider-Punk and Spider-Man 2099 get the Ghost Rider makeover, along with Daredevil, Black Cat, Carnage, Captain America, and Laura Kinney’s Wolverine. Moon Knight’s ties to Ghost Rider make him the most worthy candidate to legitimize the crossover upgrade.
Characters have spun out of comic book covers before, specifically also from Stormbreakers series, as some of the New Champions debuted in Marvel continuity after being featured in variants. The Ghost Rider character amalgamations are coming out in honor of Hellverine’s series, which itself is spinning out from events in Benjamin Percy’s Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons Of Vengeance. Wolverine is also a member of the Midnight Suns, along with Ghost Rider and Moon Knight, setting a precedent for members of that team to take on the demonic mantle.
Moon Knight Would Make A Fitting Ghost Rider
Besides their shared affiliations to the Midnight Suns, there’s more in common between Moon Knight and Ghost Rider. The anti-heroes run in the same paranormal circles as part of the mystical side of the Marvel universe. Both characters made a deal with a supernatural entity and received power from them that they use to enact vigilante justice. The first team-up between the two occurred in Marc Spector: Moon Knight #25 by Howard Mackie and Mark Bagley, where Moon Knight confirms his respect for Ghost Rider. As both characters have their similarities, a hybrid of the two is not too far-fetched.
With characters like Hellverine making his debut and Cosmic Ghost Rider, it seems like the demonic mashups have just begun. In line with Wolverine and the Punisher, Marc Spector’s anti-hero is a strong fit to also take up the mantle of the hell-blazing Rider. As Oscar Isaac’s character hasn’t been seen in the MCU since the Moon Knight series’ first season, and Midnight Suns film rumors swirling, the variant cover for Vengeance of the Moon Knight seems like a real possibility. Cóccolo’s imagined Moon Knight and Ghost Rider remix is a perfect contender for both the MCU and future comic lore to expand upon.
Source: Marvel Comics
Moon Knight
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, a gift-shop employee in London who discovers he has dissociative identity disorder. He shares a body with Marc Spector and together, they travel to Egypt to uncover a deadly mystery surrounding the gods. Moon Knight consisted of six episodes and was the fifth live-action TV show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4. Also starring in the series is Ethan Hawke as the villainous Arthur Harrow and May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly.
