Castle Doom, Latveria

Inside the dark castle, Victor von Doom walks to and fro inside his lab. As he walks around, working on some mysterious experiment, his guest, Symbiote Supreme, floats in the center of the room with his legs crossed.

Dr. Doom: Tell me, sorcerer, have you ever heard the stories of the Ghost and the Giant?

Symbiote Supreme: I can't say that I have.

Dr. Doom: The story starts with a widow in England many, many centuries ago...

Long Ago, England

A woman sits in an alleyway. In her arms, she cradled a bleeding man as he slowly dies. She rocks back and forth, holding his head against hers. The blood covering his body stains her clothes and her her skin drips with his blood as she cries.

Woman: Please...Please, God!! Give me vengeance!

Unbeknownst to her, when she eventually cried herself to sleep, an angel came down from the heavens and placed his hands on her pregnant womb. Her stomach looked like that of a firefly as the baby's heart beats.

Two Months Later

The woman gives birth to her son, but finds herself wishing that her husband could have been there to share in the moment. As she holds the child to her chest, she notices a mark on her child's forehead. A cross starting at his scalp and ending just above his eyebrows. A bright light flashes as she looks at him and the angel who ensured her baby's survival lands next to her.

Angel: Be not afraid, young one. You have given life to a champion of Heaven. You prayed to God for vengeance and you have received it.

The angel places his hand on the baby's marking, which glows as the baby ignites and turns into a fiery skeleton. The woman looks down in fear. She sees the baby continue to sleep as if nothing had happened. Her son's breath continues to hit her body.

Angel: Your son's soul has been intertwined with that of Zarathos, the Spirit of Vengeance. When your son becomes an adult, he will become the Ghost Rider. Once he turns, he can never turn back. Do not think of this as a curse. He will punish the guilty as a champion of Heaven. Raise him as if he were the same as any other child. Teach him right from wrong and to obey the will of God. Cherish your time with him and enjoy raising your son. He will become a great champion for generations to come.

18 Years Later

The boy is now an adult. His mother prepared him to be a great warrior, ensuring that he was taught by the best priests and knights around. He could feel a voice telling him to go to their town's church. He met with the priests and deacons, telling them that Zarathos is awake. They sprinkle him in holy water and pray around him as the transformation occurs.

The marking glows as his skin turns to fire. His flesh burns off the bone as several more markings are carved into his skull by the fire of the spirit that grants him power. His eyes turn to balls of fire as his eye sockets become hallow and void. The armor he's wearing blackens slightly from the ash of what was once his skin and hair. The markings on the armor are now outlined in fire as stands with his head bowed down from where he was kneeling on one knee.

Priest: How do you feel?

Ghost Rider:...Hungry...

Castle Doom

Dr. Doom: It was a good thing he had turned. Times were about to get rougher for him. For most of Europe actually.

Symbiote Supreme: Why is that?

Dr. Doom: Vikings. They landed and attacked his hometown. They were not alone though. The Norsemen were led by Thorne, the Giant son of Surtur's daughter and an Asgardian. They say he could thwart armies single-handedly. Some legends claim that there was a duel between the Norse and the Greek where Hercules had challenged Thorn to combat. They say that Thorne threw Hercules around like an old puppet. You see, Surtur is of Giant descent. His daughter, who was half Giant, fell in love with an Asgardian warrior named Throx. Together, they made a powerful creature named Thorne...

Long Ago, England

Thorne marches with the Norsemen and runs out to meet the Ghost Rider and the Englishmen in battle. Swords, axes, and shields clang together in an orchestra of chaos. In the midst of it all, the Rider and the Giant face one another.

Rider blasts through the battlefield on his Hellhorse, uppercutting Thorne with a flaming flail. The large being reels from the punch, yet smiles.

(A/N: This is the Hellhorse.)

Thorne: Finally! A real fight!

Rider makes his way back and attempts to hit Thorne with his fiery weapon, but the Asgardian Giant catches it and throws Ghost Rider off his Hellhorse.

Thorne: I pray you are a better fighter than Hercules. That was pathetic.

Ghost Rider: Go to HELL!!!

Fire erupts from the skeletal knight's helmet. Thorne punches the ground and rips a chunk of the earth up and uses it as a shield. While Rider's fire pushes against his makeshift shield, Thorn looks around for something to counter with. The dirt shield begins to crumble beneath the hellfire when the Asgardian spots the shield of a fallen warrior. He stomps on the edge of it, causing it to spin into the air. He throws the dirt mound at Ghost Rider while moving quickly to catch the shield. As the mound disintegrates, Thorne spins and slings the shield at the Rider's head. The shield slams against the helmet and cracks it. Rider notices the damage and smirks.

Ghost Rider: An equal at last.

Thorne: You didn't expect this to be easy, did you?

Rider runs at Thorne and punches him in the gut and chest, his shots hurting the Asgardian Giant. He manages to land a right cross to Thorn's face, but is met with a bell clap in return. Ghost Rider feels his skull begin to squish like an insect between the grandson of Surtur's hands. He shakes off his laps of confusion only to be punched in the skull with an enormous fist. Rider flies back into a nearby boulder, but smiles and stands up.

Thorne: Strange. Most would've fallen to that.

Ghost Rider: I'm a bit different.

He lunges at Thorne and the two continue to battle. Rider is faster and more agile, but Thorne is stronger and is able to toss and throw the Ghost Rider around. Rider hits the 8' Thorne with a series of punches, then jumps onto his back, wrapping his arms around the large being's neck in an attempt to strangle him. Beneath his arms, he can feel Thorne laughing.

Thorne: Good attempt...

He then jumps in the air and flops onto his back, flattening the Rider beneath him. As Thorne scrambles to his feet, Ghost Rider is stuck on his back, forced to watch as Thorne jumps up and drives an elbow into his gut.

Thorne: Futile nonetheless.

He scrapes Ghost Rider off of the ground, hoists him up in his arms, hits him with a quick bear hug, turns through the air, and slams Rider into another crater. He scrapes him back up and repeats the process two more times. He goes for a fourth one when he stops as he sees Rider's fire has died out. Thorne fell for the trap though and the moment of weakness allows Rider to reignite his flames and look at Thorne.

Ghost Rider: Look into my eyes!!

Thorne: NO!!

With a thunderous headbutt, Thorne is able to stop the penance stare from burning his soul. It still did a sufficient amount of damage to cause Thorne to stagger. He wobbles around, giving Ghost Rider time to call the Hellhorse. With a whistle, he summons the demonic creature back to the battle and over to him. He jumps onto its back as it runs. Ghost Rider stands up as it approaches Thorne, then jumps into the sky. The armored skeleton clasps his hands together and hits the stunned Asgardian on the top of his skull. The large Asgardian lurches forward, allowing Ghost Rider to punch him in the face with a left hook and deliver several body shots.

He retrieves is sword and goes to stab the Asgardian, but the Giant regained his composure before the blade could pierce his flesh. He catches Ghost Rider's wrists, then slings him to the side. Rider lands on his feet and runs back at the Giant. The Asgardian gave himself just enough time to retrieve his war hammer.

He swings at the Spirit of Vengeance, but the Rider is just too fast. He doesn't hit the Rider; however, it does hit the sword out of his hand. Ghost Rider grabs his infamous chain and wraps it around the war hammer. It lands in the ground, knocking dirt into the air. Rider readies the chain and throws it at the Asgardian. The fiery chain flies at the Asgardian in a flash. In response, Thorne cocks his arm back, then throws a punch straight at the chain.

Castle Doom

Dr. Doom: They could never defeat one another. Each of their fights ended when one of their forces retreated. They fought from the first invasion of England until the last one. Nearly 300 years they fought each other. What began as distain became mutual respect. They started looking forward to their next battle. Legend says they became allies after the Viking raids ended.

Symbiote Supreme: How intriguing.

Dr. Doom: Texts from the Crusades reference a Ghost Rider fighting for the church that has a description that matches the one that fought Thorn. They say he left when he saw the other Templars' unholy behavior and ran far away. Around that same time, Native Americans claimed to have seen a fiery skull in metal clothes. Witnesses from across the world reported a large man and a skeleton fighting side-by-side throughout history.

Symbiote Supreme: Is there a point to this story, Doom?

Dr. Doom: The Rider still lives.

Symbiote Supreme: I was under the impression Blaze, Ketch, and Reyes are the only Ghost Riders.

Dr. Doom: That's because no one can find him. Some time after Korea, he disappeared. People claim he's just a myth, an old folktale told during wartime. But he's real, sorcerer. I've seen him. I found him.

Symbiote Supreme: And what do you plan to do with this information?

Dr. Doom: After our first visit where you revealed HYDRA's plans for controlling the world and a need for new Avengers, I decided if we are going to stand a chance, we will need miracles. Tell me, sorcerer, what is more miraculous than a thirteen-hundred-year-old warrior? Allow me to enlighten you. The only thing more miraculous than that is a thirteen-hundred-year-old warrior with a key to the Asgardian rainbow bridge, the Bifrost.

Symbiote Supreme: You are planning to convince him to join you?

Dr. Doom: He would never trust me. My soul is stained with sin and he can smell that from miles away. I'd never survive an encounter with him. I'm sending you and my son.

Symbiote Supreme: Your son?

Dr. Doom: Yes. I did what Richards could only dream of doing. I created him using the DNA of two of Earth's champions.

Symbiote Supreme: I'm sure your ego forced you to count yourself as one of them.

Dr. Doom: It is not ego, it is fact. No one on Earth possesses the abilities I do.

Symbiote Supreme: Who is the other one?

Dr. Doom: Tony Masters aka the Taskmaster.

Symbiote Supreme: An odd combination.

Dr. Doom: He has proven to have the shared intellect of Masters and myself and to have his photographic reflexes.

Symbiote Supreme: Proven? How old is he?

Dr. Doom: Young. Early twenties.

Symbiote Supreme: You don't know.

Dr. Doom: I know. He'd rather not share it.

Symbiote Supreme: Does he have a name?

Dr. Doom: Of course. He was born without fear of any challenge or being. He adopted the name Dreadnaught.

The two make their way over to a courtyard filled with shattered Doom Bots. The sound of metal on metal can be heard as they get nearer. Once they round a corner, they see Dreadnaught fighting a large Doom Bot that's about the size of the Thing. He jumps up and swings his sword upward, decapitating the Doom Bot.

Dr. Doom: Dreadnaught, this is the Symbiote Supreme. He will ensure your success on your mission.

Dreadnaught: When and where?

Dr. Doom: Tomorrow night. You're heading to a remote part of Texas. Then, if you can convince the Rider to help you, you will enter Asgard and speak to Odin and Thorne.

Dreadnaught: I've never fought an Asgardian.

Symbiote Supreme: If all goes well, you can continue that streak.

Dreadnaught: The fairytales scare you?

Symbiote Supreme: Hardly, but we are not going to declare a war on a race of people that were once gods. Especially when we're trying to fight one here.

Dreadnaught: We won't have another war to fight. Do you have the Rider's coordinates?

Symbiote Supreme: They will not be necessary. Doom has told me where we can find him. I will take us both there tomorrow.

Dreadnaught: Good. Do you think he will join us?

Dr. Doom: He would never turn down a fight. Ghost Rider and Thorne live to fight.