The dictionary definition of vengeance is rather simple, ‘punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense’, the darker side of retribution. I think a good sized poll of people on the street could tell you what vengeance is, but both the dictionary and the average Joe might be a little iffy on where vengeance actually comes from, what the moralistic roots are, so to speak.
Strangely enough, both Marvel and DC are rather divided on the issue as well, both companies with characters who take the retribution act into their own hands. You could say they are dark fate incarnate, another living embodiment of an abstract concept like death (be she Cute Goth Chick or Sexy Skull-Face). You do something evil, eventually justice finds you. Comforting in a way, despite both characters being rather frightening in scope and wardrobe.
But if they are the sword that strikes the wicked down, who makes the call to swing that sword in the first place? What drives vengeance?
Again, forgive any details left out of this discussion as I am weak in the ways of the DCU and all my info could fit into a 2mm Current sized comic bag (plus acid-free board), but as I know and understand, Distinguished Competition, vengeance is God’s domain, being the only one to establish the laws that the Spectre judges souls by. It comes from on high and comes as a force of nature, something that is unstoppable and inevitable. Larger than life (litterally in some cases), the Spectre comes to the common man’s wicked deed and is a morality tale for all of justice’s nitty-gritty details. A great concept, a cool character, there is no way he could possibly mistaken for Ghost Rider.
The way Marvel tells it, the Ghost Rider is a curse; in fact, the whole Blaze line is destined for the Spirit of Vengeance. Mephisto (a being easily mistaken for Satan, happens all the time) tricked Johnny Blaze into selling his soul for the life of his adopted father and bound the demonic being Zarathos to him. Here, the spirit of vengeance is presented as at least from Hell, if not evil in nature. Swallowing souls is Zarathos’s bag and, while being used by the heroic character of Ghost Rider, it is still by hellish means that he accomplishes good. Vengeance itself as wrath is one of the seven deadly sins and certainly a spirit of revenge would be from Satan himself. Or Mephisto, so easy to get those two confused…
So, one goes to Heaven, the other to Hell. Or does it? Today, Ghost Rider #18 throws a curve ball at us with some new information:
This issue, Satan (I think it’s really Satan this time, can we check his ID?) tells Ghost Rider that while he was cursed, the angel Zadkiel interviened on behalf of Rozanne, Johnny Blaze’s… girlfriend we’ll say, since I’m not sure if they’re still married, if that’s in continuity, my apologies to the Ghost Rider fans. She prayed for Johnny and it was this Zadkiel who threw a wrench into Satan’s (no, now that was Mephisto!) plans and added an angelic component to Johnny’s soul, makng him an angel. Yep, Ghost Rider has got a bit of the divine in him as an angel, making his soul not completely damnable and saving him from his fate. Not like anyone told him, but Satan put this to his advantage and used Ghost Rider to escape Hell himself (for more on this, go get the last 18 issues of Daniel Way’s Ghost Rider, fun for the whole family)
Who’s the guy who made this all happen? Zadkiel has an interesting background, as told by … oh, forget it. He’s the Big Evil Guy in Red from now on. Anyhow, Zadkiel sold out the Devil in his big War on Heaven, buddying up to the guy then ratting him out. Because of his involvement with the Devil, Zadkiel wasn’t allowed to serve in the choir. “Instead,” we quote, “they were to serve as a… a kind of ‘Black Ops’ squad, completely off the books. Or ‘book’.” Ghost Rider (or Zarathos I’m assuming) is sort of this Black-Ops angels’ boogyman and that’s where that ‘divine entity’ comes in. This also why Ghost Rider hunts down so many bag guys. Now, at the end of all this, the Big Evil Guy in Red notes that opposed to the choice that Johnny made with the Devil, he was given no choice in regards to this new angelic idea and says that this should be the moment that Ghost Rider teams up with him and they can go get revenge together.
Ghost Rider’s answer is a definate and explosive ‘no’.
So, does this mean Ghost Rider’s an angel now? Consider the source for all this info; it could easily all be a lie and another trick from the Big Evil Guy in Red himself. But considering the two angels who might be corroborating this story, I know there’s more here than what anyone’s said so far.
And, no matter what vengeance may come, from Heaven or Hell, there’s always what the human host has to say about anything.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Gosty’s new status seems logical.(how did Zadkiel intervene? He tainted the Maphisto’s evil with angel energy.)
Thought, I would say I would like that energy to be on Johnny side and in his control. It would really explain why Johnny has some sway over Zarathos during their arguments.
Also I would really like to see the other deadly sins as characters and features in this series. We have Wrath all we need now is Lust, Gluttony, Vanity, Envy,Greed and Sloth. Those can be some interesting bed fellows.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with Lust as an interesting bedfellow, but Gluttony would get the bed full of crumbs & Greed would always hog the blankets…
December 12th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Sounds like a family to me.