The Marvel character we've been waiting for finally makes MCU debut

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a genuine gift to comic book fans, bringing to life some of the most beloved Marvel Comics characters of all time. When you really think about it, it's probably easier to count the major characters who haven't made their MCU debut as of yet than it is to count the ones who have, as the franchise has turned the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Nick Fury, Scarlet Witch, Falcon and the Winter Soldier into even bigger stars than they already were.

This time around in the Multiverse Saga, the franchise has been focusing on doing the same for some lesser-known Marvel characters, placing the spotlight on the likes of the Eternals, Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Agatha Harkness, Kate Bishop, and Wiccan. It hasn't been as seamless this time, but it has still introduced them all to new, wider audiences, again turning them into much bigger stars.

But through it all there is one Marvel character that fans have been longing to see appear in a Marvel Studios property. It finally happened in recent days in the most unlikely way.

Ghost Rider's first MCU appearance comes in a What If...? cameo

Ghost Rider has made his first appearance in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project. A variant of the character made a cameo appearance in the series finale of What If...? as part of a sequence in which audiences were shown multiple different "What If...?" scenarios come to life. Among those variants was a Samurai Ghost Rider, and if that's not the coolest thing we've ever seen, I really don't know what is.

Check out the variants here:

Samurai Ghost Rider and the other variants shown give life to the endless possibilities that exist within Marvel's Multiverse, but they also serve as something of a "What If...?" scenario outside of the show too, because unfortunately fans will never get to see them in action. At least not in this show.

What If...? wrapped its three season run with Uatu The Watcher exploring the countless other various realities that the show did not get to explore, and fans have been increasingly vocal about how some of these particular scenarios would have been more interesting than some of the ones we got. And again, Samurai Ghost Rider just sounds so cool, so it's hard to argue with that.

Ghost Rider's appearance in Marvel Television's What if...? is a huge moment because it's the first time that any version of The Spirit Of Vengeance has made his presence felt in a Marvel Studios project. Granted, What If...? takes place in the countless universes that run parallel to the MCU's Earth-616, but it is still a part of the MCU franchise in general. And audiences are hoping that this is the beginning of the character's introduction into the wider MCU as a whole.

If you're reading this and thinking "But wait?! A version of Ghost Rider appeared in Agents of SHIELD!" then you'd be right. However, the ABC TV series has since been retconned out of canon since it wasn't produced directly by Marvel Studios. And while Marvel could always acknowledge the show throughout the Multiverse Saga, it has yet to do so - which makes the What If...? Samurai Ghost Rider the first version of the character to appear in an MCU project.

Fans have long been expecting Ghost Rider to make his MCU debut in the coming years, with a number of insiders claiming that he will first appear in the franchise in either a standalone project or a Midnight Sons movie. Ryan Gosling has shown interest in playing the character in recent years, too, with fans hoping that the Barbie star might join the franchise in the near-future.

Regardless of who brings the Spirit of Vengeance to the screen, there is no doubt about it that it needs to happen at some point soon. The character is arguably one of the most famous Marvel Comics heroes to never appear in the live-action arm of the MCU franchise (or have an appearance confirmed for the future), so to see him make an unexpected cameo in What If...? was definitely a pleasant surprise. Hopefully it's just the beginning of Ghost Rider's days with the MCU.