Summary

• The Ghost Rider's use of his power to absolve the corrupt of their sins goes against his vital purpose and could lead to the end of Johnny Blaze's time as the Spirit of Vengeance.
• In Ghost Rider #21, Talia and Johnny confront Talia's former mentor and the cult of children he has indoctrinated. The Ghost Rider absorbs the evil possessing the children, leading them to realize their actions and be forgiven.
• By using the power of Hell for heroic purposes, Johnny has abused his powers beyond their intended scope and has ultimately damned himself. His misuse of this power will likely lead to his own destruction.

Warning: Spoilers for Ghost Rider #21 ahead!In his cross-country journey with Talia Warroad, Johnny Blaze and the it betrays his vital purpose and spells the end of Johnny's tenure as the Spirit of Vengeance.

Benjamin Percy, Carlos Nieto, and Bryan Valenza's Ghost Rider #21 marks the end of Talia and Johnny's journey as the pair confront Talia's demonic former mentor, Stefan Skaar, and the children he has indoctrinated into the Cult of Mephisto. As Talia squares off against Stefan in a final showdown, the Ghost Rider is left to fend off the army of cult youth rushing to Stefan's defense.

In a shocking move, the Ghost Rider swallows all of the evil possessing the children. As the former cult look on in sudden cognizance of their actions, the Ghost Rider's voice echoes across the room, saying that they are forgiven.

Ghost Rider's New Skill Betrays His Ultimate Power And Purpose

As the Spirit of Vengeance, the Ghost Rider's powers exist to enact dreadful judgment and punishment upon the guilty. To this end, its greatest power is its Penance Stare: when confronted with the Ghost Rider's gaze, its victim is forced to endure all the pain and suffering they have inflicted upon others, stripped of any delusions or excuses justifying their actions. While not explicitly a lethal power (Howard Mackie, Daniel Picciotto, and GURU-eFX's Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider shows how Danny tempers the Spirit's power into nonlethal punishment), it is not generally a force for redemption: it is a strictly punitive measure, as befits the Ghost Rider's purpose.

While the Ghost Rider has tremendous power in finding and judging sin, it is not meant to redeem its victims. Each time its powers have been used redemptively, it has come at a tremendous cost: in the 2011 Ghost Rider series by Rob Williams, Matthew Clark, Sean Parsons, and Robert Schwager, an inexperienced Ghost Rider's attempt to redeem the innocent leaves them as little more than zombies, with none of the "negative" emotions or drives crucial to humanity. While Johnny Blaze's greater mastery over the Ghost Rider shows a more perfect usage of this "sin-eating" power, it is still implied to cost him dearly, with the teaser for the next Ghost Rider series declaring that "heroism isn't what the Rider is meant for, and Johnny Blaze's time as the Spirit of Vengeance must come to an end." This suggests that this blatant act of forgiveness by an agent of Hell has finally seen Johnny push the powers of the Ghost Rider too far from their intended purpose.

In Redeeming Others, Ghost Rider Has Damned Himself

By perverting the power of Hell for heroic purposes, Johnny has sewn the seeds of his own destruction. It's an ironic inversion of how "corruption" is usually depicted, but it is nonetheless a clear case of someone abusing their powers beyond their intended scope and purposes. Johnny has used the power of Hell with the best of intentions, punishing the guilty and redeeming the innocent - but the Ghost Rider should know better about good intentions and the saying about the road to Hell.

Ghost Rider (2022) #21 is available now from Marvel Comics.