For years, folks have fan-cast Keanu Reeves in various MCU roles. It seems almost strange at this point that Reeves hasn’t starred in a Marvel project—especially given his vocal passion for comic books. Of course, he did play John Constantine for DC Comics, and may do so again. But Reeves had Marvel aspirations. We learned from a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live (via A.V. Club) that Keanu has wanted to play one Marvel Comics hero in particular ever since he was 10-years-old. And this character is one fans have wanted him to portray for years: Ghost Rider.
You can watch Keanu Reeves talk about his Ghost Rider dreams, all while promoting his own comic book project BRZRKR, right here:
For years, Sony had the the live-action rights to the Spirit of Vengeance. Sony produced the two Ghost Rider movies starring Nicolas Cage. Eventually, however, the rights reverted to Marvel Studios. At first, Marvel was content to introduce the character on TV, and the Robbie Reyes version of the character appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But Marvel has mentioned that they have plans down the road for the original Rider, Johnny Blaze. They did tease us with a Donny Blaze on She-Hulk recently. But so far, that seems like an Easter egg.
If Keanu played Ghost Rider, we think most MCU fans would jump for joy. His Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 was kind of a pre-Ghost Rider version of Johnny Blaze after all. But we actually think that Keanu would be the ideal Silver Surfer. He’s one of the last major Marvel heroes not yet introduced or announced for the MCU. And Keanu’s calming voice would be perfect for the former Herald of Galactus. If the whole Ghost Rider thing doesn’t work out at Marvel Studios (or they give the role to Ryan Gosling, who also wants the part) we would love to see Keanu on a cosmic surfboard instead of a hellfire motorcycle.