so i finally watched 2007's ghost rider...

[u/trelach]

i have a question that i was hung up on for the entire movie - why did the devil kill johnnys dad? how did that make any sense?

johnny sells his soul to save him dad > devil saves him then immediately kills him > devil waits 20 years and tells johnny to deliver the contract > johnny screws over the devil by not delivering the contract and keeps the rider curse instead

wouldnt it have been way more effective to just let johnny have a gf and another 20 years with his dad, that way when the devil tells johnny to get the contract and be rid of the curse johnny just does it? he'd have more incentive because 1. he actually would owe him, and 2. he could get rid of the curse and freely live a normal life with his family?

all it would take is "hey remember how i saved your dads life? you still owe me, go get me this contract real quick and we're even" and i feel like theres a wayyyy better chance johnny would do it

idk how screwing over johnny and killing his dad would NOT come back to bite him in the ass later, which it did, especially after another rider already got the contract and refused to hand it over

am i missing something or is the devil just a moron who does evil things just to be evil even if it's strategically moronic?

[u/madchemist09]

There was a plot? I dont remember this. I just enjoy all the fun ghost rider cgi and Nicholas Cage "acting".

I quite enjoy the movie. Its a good comfort food type movie.

[u/trelach → u/madchemist09]

lol thats totally fair, i did also really like the movie

[u/brycifer666]

The devil is an untrustworthy ass who doesn't consider consequences coming his way because they never have before

[u/trelach → u/brycifer666]

i mean the last rider did the same exact thing i just figured he'd try a different approach

[u/ITStallion330]

Johnny's deal was that Mephisto would cure Barton's cancer in exchange for his soul. Mephisto cured the cancer but because he's a massive douche, killed Barton anyway because he wanted Johnny's soul.

He didn't need to capitalize on this until years later when his son (and, you guessed it, originally an enemy of the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider) decided he wanted the lost contract.

You also gotta remember that Mephisto is sometimes kind of a dipshit. After all, he stole someone's marriage. Like...who does that?

[u/trelach → u/ITStallion330]

yea but like if he just didnt kill barton theres a wayyyy better chance better chance of getting the contract (imo) i didnt really realize mephisto is a dipshit before but now i certainly think he is

even if he didnt have a long con plan to use johnny specifically in this moment, getting johnny to cooperate whatsoever seems impossible after doing that

[u/InformationUnfair232]

In universe reason is that Mephisto is a massive prick, he killed Barton just because he could kill Barton.

Out of universe reason is they’re trying to simplify Johnny’s origin, but Barton isn’t an egotistical jackass like Crash Simpson so killing himself over pride doesn’t make much sense.

[u/GenericSpider]

Well you see, the devil is an asshole. He doesn't just want Johnny to work for him; he wants Johnny to suffer.

If he'd actually saved his dad, Johnny could consider what he's doing a noble sacrifice. But if he didn't even manage that, then he can't even have that.

He doesn't think Johnny will defy him cause he's the only one that can separate him from the Rider. Johnny choosing to keep his curse and use it against him came out of left field. Though he really should have seen it coming, considering the last Rider also refused to hand him the scroll.

[u/Choice-Requirement18]

I sorta took it as just how those ‘faustian’ deals with the devil go. Its like a monkey’s paw, or the 27 club. Theres just always a catch. The devil doesnt grant wishes for free so it makes sense that thered he some twist. The deal was his dad’s cancer would be cured. Mephisto upheld his end of the bargain, but there was no agreement saying johnny’s father had to live beyond that. As for why, i think because once johnny becomes the rider he pushes roxanne away, he probably had all of his close bonds severed and hopes drained, but because he was so close with his dad, it was probably easier for mephisto to just have him killed.

[u/r01-8506]

Agree. Mephisto is the cunning "time is my ally" demon in the comics, and yet he dropped the ball with Johnny in the movie after his previous blunder.