Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider may have a nemesis in Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie

After capturing readers' hearts in the popular hockey romance series Heated Rivalry, Connor Storrie may be poised to ignite a new rivalry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Storrie has entered discussions with Marvel Studios to join Shawn Levy's Ghost Rider as the film's antagonist. However, Marvel has not disclosed the specific villain Storrie may portray.

If the talks materialize, Storrie will join actor Ryan Gosling for the New York production of Ghost Rider, which commences filming next year.

Marvel's penchant for secrecy—so stringent that it kept Sadie Sink's role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day hidden until after the film's release—is being raised as an interesting point in The Hollywood Reporter's story about Storrie. The outlet questions whether we are aware of the Ghost Rider role Gosling is set to play. It is speculated that the most probable choice would be Johnny Blaze, a character co-created by Gary Friedrich, Mike Ploog, and Roy Thomas in 1972 and inspired by Evel Knievel.

Nicolas Cage portrayed Blaze in 2007's Ghost Rider and its 2011 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, where he ignited flames to make a young Danny Ketch (played by Fergus Riordan) smile.

In the comics, Ketch assumed the mantle of Ghost Rider during the 1990s, replacing Blaze. Ghost Rider boasts a roster of malevolent adversaries that Storrie could embody. Initially, Blackheart, the demon son of Mephisto, was considered. Blackheart appeared as a demon in both the 2007 film and the subsequent Ironheart episode, portrayed by Peter Fonda and Sacha Baron Cohen, respectively.

Nightmare, the ruler of the Dream Dimension, also serves as an adversary for Ghost Rider. Storrie was rumored to potentially portray this character; however, this is unlikely.

Another intriguing possibility for Storrie would be playing Jack O'Lantern, a character with a pumpkin-shaped head. However, the excitement surrounding Storrie's potential role would likely lean towards him assuming the persona of Vengeance, a character known for his spiked mohawk and flaming skull.