RANTERRANTER
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human variant (the Blood), magic user
Occupation: Agent of Zarathos
Group Membership: The Blood, the Fallen
Affiliations: Zarathos; formerly the Spirits of Vengeance
Enemies: The Blood; Midnight Sons (Blade, John Blaze, Frank Drake, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale, Hannibal King, Morbius, Vengeance); Patriarch (unwittingly)
Known Relatives: Possibly the Blood
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Currently unknown; formerly the catacombs below Cypress Hills Cemetery; the ruins of a former Tibetan monastery; an unnamed dimension
First Appearance: (Shadows) Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#17 (December, 1993), (seen) Nightstalkers#15 (January, 1994), (named) Ghost Rider III#45 (January, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Ranter could fly and project
bursts of energy from his hands. His abilities may have been
amplified by Zarathos.
He is presumably immune to the effects of aging and conventional
disease.
History: BTS-Long ago, Ranter was one of
the Blood, who fought against the evil of Zarathos. He may even
date back as far as 20, 000 BC.
At some point, Ranter turned from the Blood, and became one of
the Fallen, who instead worshipped and served Zarathos.
The Fallen were banished to an unnamed dimension in the distant
past, and Ranter presumably was among them.
(Midnight Sons Unlimited#4 (fb) - BTS) - Centuries, or perhaps millennia ago, the Fallen assaulted a South American tribe (Incan? Aztec? Mayan?).
BTS - The Fallen
regained access to Earth via the machinations of their own
sorcerous ally, Salomé.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#17) - Several of the Fallen, including Ranter, appeared in Cypress Hill Cemetery, rescuing Zarathos from defeat at the hands of the Midnight Sons.
(Nightstalkers#15) - Zarathos and the Fallen attacked the Midnight Sons briefly, then abducted Caretaker and invaded and took over Caretaker's former base below the cemetery. The Nightstalkers (Blade, Frank Drake, and Hannibal King) followed them, but Drake was trapped and the others for forced to temporarily flee.
(Ghost Rider III#45 - BTS) - Ranter was sent to convert Patriarch to the Fallen or, failing that, to slay him. Ranter attacked Patriarch, but at the same time, Ghost Rider, Vengeance, and Seer showed up, hoping to form an alliance with Patriarch as well. The two spirits of vengeance attacked Ranter, and Ghost Rider punched a hole in his chest. Ranter told them they had no chance against Zarathos and then fled into the air, leaking energy behind him.
Ranter was not seen to actually die, but he was conspicuously absent from the remainder of the Fallen's gatherings and activities.
Comments: Created by Howard Mackie and...it's hard to tell...everyone who wrote and drew the "Siege of Darkness" had a part, I guess.
CLARIFICATIONS: None
Appearances:
Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#17 (December, 1993) - Howard Mackie (writer), Henry Martinez (pencils), Bud La Rosa (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Nightstalkers#15 (January, 1994) - Steve Grant (writer), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Chris Cooper (editor)
Ghost Rider III#45 (January, 1994) - Howard Mackie (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Midnight Sons Unlimited#4 (January, 1994) - D.G. Chichester (writer), John Hixson & John Bridges (pencils), Bill Anderson, Rich Rankin & Scott Koblish (inks), Evan Skolnick (editor)
Last updated: 08/01/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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