She-Hulk episode 4 debunks Ghost Rider fan theory
Some fans may be disappointed by another Ralph Bohner-style misdirect.
The latest episode of She-Hulk has debunked a popular fan theory which speculated that the show could formally introduce Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The rumour mill began turning when a sign was spotted in the background of a She-Hulk featurette, which appeared to have the name Johnny Blaze and a blurry figure surrounded by flame.
However, upon release of She-Hulk episode 4 on Disney Plus, viewers discover that those fan sites had been misreading the placard, which is actually promoting a magician named Donny Blaze (no relation).
The similarity between the two names appears to have been a total coincidence, which is made only stranger by the fact that Johnny has a secret brother in the comic books named Danny – making this a near-miss on two fronts!
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This mishap could prove controversial among Marvel fans, who had a mixed response when Evan Peters's WandaVision character was revealed to be an unremarkable slacker, comically named Ralph Bohner (rather than superhero Quicksilver).
Nevertheless, in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law director Kat Coiro named Donny Blaze as one of the characters she most enjoyed working on during her time in the MCU.
"One thing I wanted to play with was this idea that his portals are subpar," she said of the low-grade sorcerer. "I didn't want it to be comically goofy, but I wanted those portals to not be as great as Doctor Strange. Like, it takes him a little more effort to get them going. And when they get going, they're a little less perfect and circular."
Coiro continued: "So that was something we had a lot of fun with, how do these powers kind of change in this more comedic world? And it's very subtle, but there's all kinds of little things like that that we had fun with, in terms of translating these very serious superpowers onto a more comedic canvas."
Johnny Blaze's Ghost Rider has previously appeared in the MCU – albeit very briefly – in an episode of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, although fans fiercely debate whether the show is still canon to the wider franchise.
She-Hulk premiered on Disney Plus on Thursday 18th August 2022 with new episodes weekly – sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
