Ghost Rider's MCU Arrival Is A Perfect Opportunity To Bring Back A Long-Missing Villain

The MCU has done surprisingly little with one of the most powerful villains in the history of Marvel Comics, and perhaps it will be thanks to Ghost Rider's arrival that he'll finally regain relevance. Officially introduced into the MCU in Doctor Strange, Dormammu is the Lord of the Dark Dimension and Doctor Strange's greatest enemy in the comic books.

Dormammu served as the central threat of Doctor Strange, but the role of the main antagonist of the 2016 film actually belonged to Kaecilius. Played by Mads Mikkelsen, Kaecilius and his followers fought against Doctor Strange in their efforts to let the Dark Dimension consume Earth. This allowed for an epic confrontation between Doctor Strange and his comic book archrival, in which Strange forced Dormammu to agree to a bargain that would prevent him from attacking Earth again.

That small role has thus far been the extent of Dormammu's presence in the MCU. That's rather surprising, especially when considering his massive power level in Marvel Comics and the number of clashes he's had with the Sorcerer Supreme over the years. He'd be a fitting choice as the villain of a Doctor Strange sequel or even a supernatural crossover film, but there's been no indication as of yet that Marvel has any intention of circling back to him.

However, an interesting opportunity for Marvel to make good use of him may come up in the near future. At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Marvel Studios confirmed that Ryan Gosling would star as Ghost Rider in an upcoming film, set to be released in 2028. With the Spirit of Vengeance returning to the big screen, this development could pave the way for Dormammu to make a comeback as well. And how their stories intersected in the comics for the first time demonstrate how that could work.

Ghost Rider's History With Dormammu In Marvel Comics Explained

Despite both characters sporting flaming heads, Ghost Rider and Dormammu hail from very different corners of the Marvel Universe, with one a demon from Hell and the other the ruler of a completely separate dimension. That said, their paths have crossed before, with their stories first converging all the way back in 1978 in the pages of Ghost Rider's self-titled comic book series. The story also offered the first-ever meeting between Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange.

Beginning in Ghost Rider #29 was a three-part story arc that saw Johnny Blaze become an unwitting pawn of Dormammu in his plan to defeat Doctor Strange. Via an illusion, Dormammu was able to trick Blaze into thinking both he and his love interest Roxanne had come under attack by Doctor Strange. At least temporarily, the scheme was a success; Dormammu's deception led to a furious Ghost Rider targeting the real Doctor Strange, and in turn set the stage for a fun one-on-one battle between the two Marvel heroes.

Due in part to the two being distracted by their battle with each other, Dormammu was able to possess Ghost Rider's body, pushing out Johnny Blaze's consciousness completely. This turn of events culminated in a surprise team-up - Doctor Strange's astral form joined forces with Blaze (who had taken control of Strange's body) to defeat the Dormammu-possessed Ghost Rider.

The arc wound up being the beginning of a popular (and quite storied) superhero pairing in Marvel Comics. Since then, Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange joined forces numerous times, both in their respective comic book titles and elsewhere. The two are often fixtures in supernatural crossovers and are core members of the superhero team known as the Midnight Sons. Johnny Blaze even served as a key supporting character in Doctor Strange's 1990s comic when he was no longer Ghost Rider.

Dormammu's Return Could Be The Basis Of A Doctor Strange & Ghost Rider Team-Up In The MCU

As things stand now, there's no known plans for Benedict Cumberbatch to exit the MCU, which means that unless the Sorcerer Supreme meets an unexpected end in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, Doctor Strange should still be a part of the MCU when Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider bursts onto the scene in 2028.

Given the two heroes' comic history and their natural proximity to supernatural threats, it would make a lot of sense for Marvel to eventually pursue a team-up film, whether it's in Doctor Strange 3, Ghost Rider 2, or a Midnight Sons movie where they appear alongside characters with mystical origins. As for who they could fight, Marvel has plenty of options, including Nightmare, Mephisto, and Lilith. But perhaps none would be able to match the stakes of a fight with Dormammu, whose power inside the Dark Dimension easily eclipses that of most Marvel characters.

If Marvel were to head in this direction, it could take inspiration from the comics by having Dormammu manipulate one or both of the two heroes into fighting each other before they inevitably set their differences aside to form an alliance. Much like his comic counterpart, Dormammu's ultimate goal in the film could be to possess Ghost Rider, who would surely make for a powerful vessel of destruction for the villain on Earth.

Doctor Strange's Ending Doesn't Rule Out Dormammu's Return

It's important to note that a scenario where the MCU's Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange do battle against Dormammu is very much within the realm of possibility for the MCU, regardless of what was established in Doctor Strange's ending. Though he was reluctant to do so, Dormammu made a pact that supposedly prevents him from returning, but this wouldn't be the first time the Lord of the Dark Dimension made a promise he didn't intend to keep.

In the classic comics, Dormammu made a similar pledge, but would always work to find loopholes that would enable him to still get what he wanted. It's not hard to imagine Dormammu trying the same strategy in the MCU; theoretically, he could avoid breaking his bargain with Strange by using Ghost Rider to threaten Earth. Whatever the case, what happened in Doctor Strange is only just an obstacle to Dormammu returning, as opposed to a definitive end to his designs on Earth.