Ghost, The New Villian Of The MCU

In ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Marvel’s smallest heroes will unite against an unpredictable new threat: Ghost, who seems to have mysterious ties to the Quantum Realm. Trailers have given a sense of just how formidable Ghost is, showing her literally punching Ant-Man through a wall.
Marvel Studios has often been criticized for a “villain problem,” with the studio’s baddies typically feeling underdeveloped. This year’s first two Marvel movies have helped smash that reputation, with Josh Brolin’s Thanos and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger both among the MCU’s best villains to date. Will Ghost join them in the top tier of supervillains?
Marvel is being coy about Ghost, revealing as little as possible about the character. Even trailers have shown only brief glimpses of the dangerous woman. That likely means the studio has something to hide, some twist that they don’t want to tease – perhaps something similar to the reveal of Vulture’s family in Spider-Man: Homecoming. While it’s pretty much impossible to guess the twist right now, let’s take a look at what we do know.
Who Is Ghost?
The comic book version of the Ghost was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton in 1987. He was originally envisioned as a corporate saboteur. Ghost became one of Iron Man’s deadliest enemies, attempting to take down Stark Industries. Little is known about Ghost’s origin. He claims to have been an IT technician who invented phasing technology in order to prevent computer chips overheating. A victim of corporate greed, Ghost became convinced that the entire capitalist system needs to be overthrown. He once said, “If corporations are people, I am a murderer!” Ghost is ruthless and brutal, and doesn’t care about collateral damage.
The MCU version is clearly very different. For one thing, the character is a woman, played by Hannah John-Kamen. Marvel has done their best to keep the character under wraps, and we’ve only had hints of her powers, her motives, and her connection to the film’s plot.
What Are Ghost’s Powers?
In the comics, Ghost can turn both invisible and intangible, making him one of the most difficult villains to beat. Iron Man often defeated him by exposing Ghost to particle technology that caused the suit to malfunction.
In the MCU, Ghost seems to be even more powerful. It looks as though the MCU version of Ghost can actually manipulate her density at will. (As could Vision.) As a result, not only can she turn intangible, she can also choose to become super-dense, and thus super-strong. That would explain why Ghost was able to smash Scott Lang through a wall in one trailer. It’s yet unknown whether or not she can also turn invisible.
How Did Ghost Get Her Powers?
It looks as though the MCU’s version of Ghost is tied to the Quantum Realm, another plane of reality previously glimpsed in both Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP will see Hank Pym open up the Quantum Realm in order to rescue his wife, who’s been trapped there for decades. It seems that Ghost will strike then, stealing Pym’s technology.
Trailers have teased that the MCU version of Ghost isn’t powered by a suit. Rather, she seems to actually be out of dimensional phase. Thus she transports some of her mass onto another plane of reality, making herself intangible, or else draws matter from another level of reality in order to become super-dense.
What Is Ghost’s Goal?
Right now, Ghost’s ultimate aim is cloaked in mystery. The only clue we’d have so far is a throwaway comment on one trailer, courtesy of Michael Peña’s character Luis: “Now she wants to take over the world, or whatever.” Whatever the reason for Ghost’s interest in Pym’s technology, she could be a threat to the entire planet.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP opens on July 6.