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Caretaker (comics)
Encyclopedia
Caretaker is a fictional Marvel Comics
character. There have been two incarnations of the character, The first version appeared in Ghost Rider
vol. 2 #28 in the Rise of the Midnight Sons
storyline. After this version died his granddaughter assumed the role. She debuted in Ghost Rider
vol. 3 #26.
, New York.
The cemetery has been the site of much magical evil, partly due to an ancient race of evil beings trapped beneath it.
Caretaker has his own system of secret tunnels leading throughout the place, many that go in visual range of the bodies. Well before becoming involved in the lives of both Ghost Riders, Caretaker meets and befriends Doctor Strange
.
Ghost Rider, very weak from an attack on his human host, Daniel Ketch, was being pursued by Lt. Badalino through the cemetery. Caretaker knocked out the police officer with his shovel. With the assistance of Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is able to escape capture. At a later time, Caretaker informs Daniel that he need not wait until innocent blood had been spilled before transforming into Ghost Rider.
Caretaker later works with Seer, a younger, 'rookie' member of his race, who sometimes fails to listen to orders.
returns from a seeming death, the result is a mist seeping from the cemetery. Where it touches, death literally follows. A group of Midnight Sons associates gather, including Hannibal King
, Victoria Montesi
and the two Ghost Riders. They enter the cemetery in an attempt to save lives but are quickly overwhelmed. They rescue the reporter Linda Wei but all seems lost. Caretaker appears and saves their lives by leading them through one of his secret passages but even then they are almost overwhelmed. Later, well outside the cemetery, he declares he will take those involved with the 'Medallion of Power', Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze and Vengeance, well away from the city. If the forces of Lilith get the Medallion as a whole, they would be unstoppable. The heroes resist leaving, even to the point of Blaze drawing his gun on Caretaker. This is enough to convince him, though he still believes the group is being foolish.
Caretaker was badly wounded and dying because of an assault on his home led by Daniel Ketch – a former Ghost Rider now servant of the rogue angel, Zadkiel
. Caretaker managed to defeat three of Ketch's allies, Doghead, The Orb
, and Death Ninja, before the vampire known as Blackout struck the fatal blow. Ketch began to destroy the contents of Caretaker's home as Blackout confronted Blaze. Caretaker, in the meantime, told Sara she was about to enter a life that he never meant for her to have. She desperately wanted to get him to a hospital, but Caretaker knew his time on Earth was done, so he urged her to get to the tunnels under his house and save what she could before Danny destroyed it all. Distraught over losing the family she never knew she had, Sara did as she was told and found a library of books within the tunnels. One touch was all it took, and the knowledge contained within the books flooded Sara's mind. She became the new Caretaker, librarian and guardian to everything dealing with the Spirits of Vengeance.
Sara and Molek had a heart-to-heart talk before the final battle, and he told her she was an amazing woman to take everything in stride even though her burden was thrust upon her so suddenly. Sara and Molek seemed to have a connection, and she stood at his side when Ketch and the Black Host arrived, but when the dust settled, Sara was one of the only survivors of the conflict. Ketch had successfully drained the other Ghost Riders of their powers, and Zadkiel had won his war with Heaven. Afterwards, Blaze and Ketch went their separate ways, leaving Sara alone. She journeyed back home to her convent in Kansas, but she walked into a horrific scene. It appeared as if all the nuns inside were brutally slaughtered by an unknown assailant. Mother Superior, head of the convent, was left barely breathing and she explained what had happened in Sara's absence. After Sara buried the bodies, she decided to avenge her fallen sisters and seek out their murderer – The Deacon.
However, she was visited by Spirits of Vengeance from the future who gave her hope by informing her the war with Zadkiel wasn't truly over. Sara sought out Johnny Blaze, and found him in battle with a demon called the Skin-Bender. At first, she didn't recognize him, claiming the Ghost Rider was free of Blaze's presence, but that was not the case. Blaze wanted no part in a rematch with Zadkiel until Sara reminded him the souls of his children reside in Heaven. Fearing what Zadkiel might do to them, Blaze rode away with Sara, ready to dish out vengeance.
and Scarecrow
isolated Sara with the Son of Satan. The Antichrist quickly turned on Sara, and with aid from Master Pandemonium
, knocked her unconscious. Bound and helpless, Sara was at the mercy of her captors, but what came next was even a surprise to her. The Antichrist showed her what she truly was – a gateway to Heaven. Her power was revealed, and as he laughed that Blaze and Ketch had the key under their noses the whole time without knowing it, the Antichrist led an army of demons into Heaven through Sara. The power within her grew to such an extent, Sara teleported to the site of another gateway guarded by the Gun Nuns. She was too late to help them as the Deacon slaughtered most of them as he did her sisters, but she was on time to avenge their deaths. Sara fought Deacon and left him paralyzed from the neck down. Despite his expecting her to slay him as he would have done her, Sara refused, instead choosing to pray to God, as she told him her late sisters had taught her to do. Sara reunited with Blaze and Ketch after they defeated Zadkiel and God condemned the renegade angel to Hell for all eternity, and the three of them rode off in search of new adventures.
Caretaker also rides an "ancient motorcycle," which possibly refers to its being an older 1960s-era model.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character. There have been two incarnations of the character, The first version appeared in Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
vol. 2 #28 in the Rise of the Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
storyline. After this version died his granddaughter assumed the role. She debuted in Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
vol. 3 #26.
Caretaker (Original)
Caretaker is a member of The Blood, a mystical organization dedicated to fighting evil. Caretaker himself is the guardian of the family line associated with the ancient Medallion of Power. He watches over the Salem Fields Cemetery in Cypress Hills, BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York.
The cemetery has been the site of much magical evil, partly due to an ancient race of evil beings trapped beneath it.
Caretaker has his own system of secret tunnels leading throughout the place, many that go in visual range of the bodies. Well before becoming involved in the lives of both Ghost Riders, Caretaker meets and befriends Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
.
Ghost Rider, very weak from an attack on his human host, Daniel Ketch, was being pursued by Lt. Badalino through the cemetery. Caretaker knocked out the police officer with his shovel. With the assistance of Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is able to escape capture. At a later time, Caretaker informs Daniel that he need not wait until innocent blood had been spilled before transforming into Ghost Rider.
Caretaker later works with Seer, a younger, 'rookie' member of his race, who sometimes fails to listen to orders.
Siege of Darkness
In one incident, when LilithLilith (Marvel Comics)
Lilith is the name of two fictional American comic book characters owned by Marvel Comics. Both characters exist in the Marvel Universe.The first of these two to appear was Lilith, the daughter of Dracula. Like her father, she is also a vampire, although her powers and weaknesses differ from most...
returns from a seeming death, the result is a mist seeping from the cemetery. Where it touches, death literally follows. A group of Midnight Sons associates gather, including Hannibal King
Hannibal King
Hannibal King is a fictional character, a supernatural detective appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the 1970s comic book The Tomb of Dracula.-Fictional character biography:...
, Victoria Montesi
Victoria Montesi
Victoria Montesi is a fictional Italian-American doctor and occult investigator in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared on the pages of the comic book, The Darkhold #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
and the two Ghost Riders. They enter the cemetery in an attempt to save lives but are quickly overwhelmed. They rescue the reporter Linda Wei but all seems lost. Caretaker appears and saves their lives by leading them through one of his secret passages but even then they are almost overwhelmed. Later, well outside the cemetery, he declares he will take those involved with the 'Medallion of Power', Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze and Vengeance, well away from the city. If the forces of Lilith get the Medallion as a whole, they would be unstoppable. The heroes resist leaving, even to the point of Blaze drawing his gun on Caretaker. This is enough to convince him, though he still believes the group is being foolish.
Death
The Lilin would be the least of Caretaker's problems as a new threat would arise in the form of a traitorous angel seeking to overthrow God and claim Heaven for himself - Zadkiel. To accomplish his goal, Zadkiel had to enlist earthly subordinates to eliminate any who would threaten his mission. In a bitter act of betrayal, Zadkiel coerced Daniel Ketch to confront and destroy his former Caretaker. Ketch didn't face his mentor alone, however. He had help in the form of some of his old enemies: Blackout, Doghead and Death Ninja plus the Orb had returned from obscurity. Caretaker wasn't about to go down without a fight, but the numbers were against him. Eventually, he did go down, Blackout striking the fatal blow, but before he left this world, he met his granddaughter, Sara, and told her she was to replace him. For his loyal service on Earth, Caretaker's soul went to Heaven, but a Heaven ruled by Zadkiel meant his soul was torn to pieces and scattered to the winds on arrival. However, Zadkiel is ultimately banished to Hell, and his actions against Paradise were presumably undone by God, thus possibly indicating that Caretaker's soul was ultimately restored.Sister Sara
Believing God sent her a disturbing vision of a grandfather she never knew, Sister Sara left her convent in Kansas to journey through unfamiliar territory to get to Tennessee to offer her help. Sara, alone and naïve, asked a trucker for a ride, but once they arrived Sister Sara had no money to pay the driver for the trip. The trucker wanted to negotiate some form of payment, but he soon found out one of the Lord's flock was not a meek little lamb. Sara knocked the trucker's head through his window and ran from the truck. As fate would have it, Johnny Blaze was on his way to Tennessee too. First he was unwilling to help, but an angry and injured truck driver convinced Johnny to give Sister Sara a lift. The two of them wound up at the seemingly insignificant shack of Sara’s grandfather, Caretaker.Caretaker was badly wounded and dying because of an assault on his home led by Daniel Ketch – a former Ghost Rider now servant of the rogue angel, Zadkiel
Zadkiel (comics)
Zadkiel is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He was a former Archangel in the service of Heaven and an enemy of the Ghost Rider.-Fictional character biography:...
. Caretaker managed to defeat three of Ketch's allies, Doghead, The Orb
Orb (comics)
The Orb is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an adversary of Ghost Rider. Created by writer Len Wein, penciller Ross Andru, and inker Don Perlin, he first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #15 ....
, and Death Ninja, before the vampire known as Blackout struck the fatal blow. Ketch began to destroy the contents of Caretaker's home as Blackout confronted Blaze. Caretaker, in the meantime, told Sara she was about to enter a life that he never meant for her to have. She desperately wanted to get him to a hospital, but Caretaker knew his time on Earth was done, so he urged her to get to the tunnels under his house and save what she could before Danny destroyed it all. Distraught over losing the family she never knew she had, Sara did as she was told and found a library of books within the tunnels. One touch was all it took, and the knowledge contained within the books flooded Sara's mind. She became the new Caretaker, librarian and guardian to everything dealing with the Spirits of Vengeance.
Last Stand of The Spirits of Vengeance
Blaze found his half-brother, Ketch, who fled to Tibet, and Sara insisted on tagging along now that she was ready to embrace her new role in life. Blaze agreed because Sara had the answers he was looking for, and the two chased Daniel down. In Tibet, Blaze and Sara arrived too late to save a Ghost Rider named Nima from being killed at the hands of Ketch, but Blaze had the chance to confront his family only to wind up on the losing end of the battle. Blaze sank into a depression despite Sara's best efforts to snap him out of it, and even the arrival of two more Ghost Riders, Molek and Bai Gu Jing, didn't help at all. The group eventually journeyed to Japan to seek another of their kind, but all they found was a frightened man stripped of his powers by Daniel Ketch. Yoshio Kannabe, now a former Spirit of Vengeance, would be no use to them. However, Molek knew of a place in the Congo where two more Ghost Riders were waiting. Baron Skullfire and his lover, Marinette Bwa Chech, were ready to join Sara and her allies in the war against Zadkiel.Sara and Molek had a heart-to-heart talk before the final battle, and he told her she was an amazing woman to take everything in stride even though her burden was thrust upon her so suddenly. Sara and Molek seemed to have a connection, and she stood at his side when Ketch and the Black Host arrived, but when the dust settled, Sara was one of the only survivors of the conflict. Ketch had successfully drained the other Ghost Riders of their powers, and Zadkiel had won his war with Heaven. Afterwards, Blaze and Ketch went their separate ways, leaving Sara alone. She journeyed back home to her convent in Kansas, but she walked into a horrific scene. It appeared as if all the nuns inside were brutally slaughtered by an unknown assailant. Mother Superior, head of the convent, was left barely breathing and she explained what had happened in Sara's absence. After Sara buried the bodies, she decided to avenge her fallen sisters and seek out their murderer – The Deacon.
However, she was visited by Spirits of Vengeance from the future who gave her hope by informing her the war with Zadkiel wasn't truly over. Sara sought out Johnny Blaze, and found him in battle with a demon called the Skin-Bender. At first, she didn't recognize him, claiming the Ghost Rider was free of Blaze's presence, but that was not the case. Blaze wanted no part in a rematch with Zadkiel until Sara reminded him the souls of his children reside in Heaven. Fearing what Zadkiel might do to them, Blaze rode away with Sara, ready to dish out vengeance.
Heaven's On Fire
They traveled all over the country to find a way to get to Zadkiel, but it wasn't until a pair of his minions told them about the Antichrist, Kid Blackheart, that Sara and Blaze knew what to look for. They tracked the Antichrist down to New York, but he was already in the company of Hellstorm and Jaine Cutter who had rescued him from certain death. Ketch also showed up with a story how he sold his soul for the keys to Heaven. The only catch was the group had to keep the Antichrist safe. Blaze and Ketch split off from the rest of the group, leaving Sara with the others, but an attack from MadcapMadcap (comics)
Madcap is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Captain America #307 . He has clashed with Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Nomad, the Power Pack, Quasar and She-Hulk.-Fictional character biography:...
and Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Marvel Comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Captain America, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #51....
isolated Sara with the Son of Satan. The Antichrist quickly turned on Sara, and with aid from Master Pandemonium
Master Pandemonium
Master Pandemonium is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Martin Preston was born in Rutland, Vermont. He was originally an actor who lost an arm in a car crash, and made a pact with Mephisto to regain his limb. Mephisto instead took the man's other three limbs,...
, knocked her unconscious. Bound and helpless, Sara was at the mercy of her captors, but what came next was even a surprise to her. The Antichrist showed her what she truly was – a gateway to Heaven. Her power was revealed, and as he laughed that Blaze and Ketch had the key under their noses the whole time without knowing it, the Antichrist led an army of demons into Heaven through Sara. The power within her grew to such an extent, Sara teleported to the site of another gateway guarded by the Gun Nuns. She was too late to help them as the Deacon slaughtered most of them as he did her sisters, but she was on time to avenge their deaths. Sara fought Deacon and left him paralyzed from the neck down. Despite his expecting her to slay him as he would have done her, Sara refused, instead choosing to pray to God, as she told him her late sisters had taught her to do. Sara reunited with Blaze and Ketch after they defeated Zadkiel and God condemned the renegade angel to Hell for all eternity, and the three of them rode off in search of new adventures.
Powers and abilities
Caretaker is part of the ancient race called 'the Blood'. He is seemingly immune or resistant to aging and conventional disease. He possesses a degree of superhuman strength and is a skillful fighter, mainly using his shovel. When needed, he has shown he can overpower Ghost Rider and Vengeance (a similarly powered being) at once. He can break the connection users have with the Medallion of Power; he can turn Ghost Rider back to Daniel Ketch at will.Caretaker also rides an "ancient motorcycle," which possibly refers to its being an older 1960s-era model.
Film
- Sam ElliottSam ElliottSamuel Pack "Sam" Elliott is an American actor. His rangy physique, thick horseshoe moustache, and deep, resonant voice match the iconic image of a cowboy or rancher, and he has often been cast in such roles.-Early life:Sam Elliott was born in Sacramento, California, to a physical training...
portrayed the Caretaker in the 2007 film based on Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
. This version of the character, however, was not a member of the Blood, of which there is no mention in the movie, but in fact was Johnny BlazeGhost Rider (Johnny Blaze)Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
's predecessor to the Ghost Rider title, having been subjected to the same curse 150 years before. In the film, the Caretaker turns out to be Carter Slade, another character owned by Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
that was originally named Ghost Rider, but later changed to Phantom RiderPhantom RiderThe Phantom Rider is the name of several fictional characters, Old West heroic gunfighters appearing in comic books in the Marvel Comics universe...
to make way for the new version. But Sam Elliot's depiction of this character is more along the lines of the Caretaker, in terms of emotion, or lack thereof. At one point, he even transforms into a Ghost Rider-style version of Carter Slade, complete with a flaming skull, nearly-charred clothes and a mystical horse on fire, as the Phantom Rider.
- Although a sequelGhost Rider: Spirit of VengeanceGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is an upcoming 3D superhero film based on the Marvel Comics antihero Ghost Rider, scheduled to be released in theaters on February 17, 2012. The film is a loose sequel to the 2007 film Ghost Rider. It will be directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Nicolas...
to Ghost Rider is currently in production, there has been no confirmation that Sam Elliott will reprise the role.
Video games
- Caretaker appears in the Ghost RiderGhost Rider (video game)Ghost Rider is a third-person game based around the movie of the same name. The game's storyline is a sequel to the movie, and was penned by Marvel writers Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. Players can play as Ghost Rider both on foot, or on the Hellcycle. The villains are both from the movie and...
video game voiced by Fred TatascioreFred TatascioreFrederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...
.