DOGHEADDOGHEAD
Real Name: Francisco "Chio" Fuentes; Chupi Chulito
Identity/Class: Magically-mutated merged human/canine
Occupation: Spirit of Vengeance;
presumably a former employee at Pedro's Bodega
Group Membership: Spirits of Vengeance (Pao Fu/Lian Goh, Verminus Rex, Wallow/Max Pressman)
Affiliations: Blackheart, Death Ninja, Dan Ketch, Orb, Zadkiel
formerly Blackheart (saved Chio and Chupa from death by merging them as Doghead), Ghost Rider/Noble Kale, Mr. and Mrs. Lun (owners or managers of Pedro's Bodega), Vengeance (Michael Badilino);
indirectly Black Rose (Roxanne Simpson)
Enemies: Black Rose (Roxanne Simpson), Blackheart, Caretaker (of the Blood; Sara's grandfather), Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale, Gilda, New York Police Department;
inadvertently the driver of the bus that struck Chio and Chupi
Known Relatives: Unidentified family members in Ecuador
Aliases: Chio Chulindo (see comments);
"Ungodly beast" (from Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale);
see comments
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Blackheart's Hell realm (likely associated with Mephisto's Hell realm);
formerly Norwood, the Bronx, New York
First Appearance: Ghost Rider III#89 (October, 1997)
Powers/Abilities: A magical construct/hybrid, Doghead possessed superhuman strength (perhaps lifting 10-25 tons) and superhuman durability comparable with the Noble Kale/Dan Ketch Ghost Rider, magically recovering from otherwise devastating injuries in short order.
His sharp claws and teeth served as weapons, and he almost certainly had superhuman speed, agility and olfactory senses, as well as night vision enhanced by a tapetum lucidum that reflected light.
Originally maintaining his benevolent outlook and resisting Blackheart's temptation, Doghead could be manipulated via threats to his still living family. Eventually he appeared to succumb to his demonic influences.
Chio was at minimum socially awkward, only really comfortable around his dog.
Chupi was a friendly and gentle dog.
Height:
Unrevealed (perhaps 6'); (Francisco) unrevealed (perhaps 5'8" to 6');
(Chupi) unrevealed (perhaps 2'6" at the shoulder; perhaps 5' from nose
to tail)
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 230 lbs.); (Francisco) unrevealed (perhaps 180-220 lbs.); (Chupi) unrevealed (perhaps 75-90 lbs.)
Eyes: Solid red (at least sometimes solid white); (Francisco) blue; (Chupi) presumably green
Hair: Brown; (Francisco) black; (Chupi) brown
History:
(Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS / Ghost Rider III#93 (fb) - BTS) - Francisco ("Chio") emigrated from Ecuador to America for a better life, but he did not register or become a citizen.
He worked relatively long hours for relatively little pay.
(Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably employed at Pedro's Bodega, Francisco ("Chio," and his dog, Chupi) were mutually known by name with Dan Ketch.
(Ghost
Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Chio asked Chupi to get him a soda from the
fridge, and when Chupi looked at the kitchen, Francisco concluded that
Chupi knew what he wanted.
(Ghost Rider III#89) - Seated outside Pedro's Bodega with Chupi, Chio greeted Dan Ketch as he walked by and bragged about how smart Chupi was.
At the end of the day, as Mr. and Mrs. Lun locked up, Mrs. Lun invited
Chio to come to their house for dinner and to watch videos the next
night, and she told him that she worried because he spent too much time
alone. Chio assured her that he was not alone as he had his dog, and
Mr. Lun told him to leave the dog at home, despite Chio's insistence
that Chupi would not eat his cat. 
Later, back at his apartment, Chio told Chupi that he was not good at being around people as he fed him and then took him out for a walk. Walking in a park area without a leash on Chupi, Chio happened upon the crack addict Gilda who had just murdered her boyfriend Frank with a bottle after he had taken their last rock.
As Chio stood there shocked, Gilda initially tried to deny what she had done and then instead blamed the dog for killing her boyfriend. She then screamed for help, drawing the police, and she then told them the dog had killed her man.
An illegal immigrant, Chio fled with Chupi, ultimately running in front of bus that struck and fatally injured them both.
Seeking an army of Spirits of Vengeance to oppose Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale and with which to conquer his father, Mephisto, the demon Blackheart then appeared above the two, feigning sympathy with their plight and offering them a chance to live outside the world's petty rules and become master of his own destiny.
Accepting this, Chio took Blackheart's hand, and he and Chupi were magically merged into the magical being Doghead.
Presumably
disoriented and certainly upset at having been killed, Doghead tore
through the windshield of the bus and assaulted the driver before
realizing what he had done was wrong and realizing that he never wanted
to hurt anybody. 
Doghead let the driver go, despite Blackheart's goading him.
When police then fired on Doghead, causing him to yelp fearfully, Blackheart teleported Doghead away to his realm, promising him that he would soon taste the joys that only came from the gush of hot blood down your throat.
(Ghost Rider III#89 - BTS) - Back in Blackheart's realm, considering Doghead and his other creations including Pao Fu and Wallow, Blackheart noted with pride how he had reshaped pitiful humans into things of actual worth and beauty, better and more rapidly than his father could have done.
Black Rose expressed disgust for these creations, and she insisted to the contrary when Blackheart asked if she was jealous or if she saw something in them that she did not see in herself.
When Blackheart's agent Skritch noted that he did not understand what Blackheart was getting at with all of these creatures, Blackheart noted tht he would outdo his dead father's deeds, and that he would rule not just Hell, but Earth and the other dark realms as well.
(Ghost Rider III#90) - At the Gateway region of Blackheart's realm, Blackheart met with his assembled Spirits of Vengeance: Doghead, Pao Fu, Verminus Rex, and Wallow.
Blackheart instructed them to bring him the soul of Ghost Rider, after which he would take the soul of the world.
In Reservoir Oval Park, Doghead ambushed Gilda, demanding to know why she would blame a poor dog and his master for a murder she did and asking if her heart was so shriveled from crack.
Gilda punched Doghead
and fled, and Dan Ketch had heard her screams for help. Doghead
caught up to and tackled her, noting that he had to taste the blood of
vengeance so that he could become vengeance. 
However, as Doghead questioned whether he really needed to do this, Ghost Rider showed up and struck Doghead with his motorcycle, knocking him back as he denounced him for intending to feast on an innocent.
Doghead clarified that he was not going to eat her but just kill, and that she was not an innocent as she was the one who had killed him; seeing the brand of vengeance symbol on Doghead's collar, Ghost Rider nonethless concluded that he was just another angry ghost.
Insisting that he was a Spirit of Vengeance, Doghead smashed Ghost
Rider away and then -- catching Ghost Rider's chain in his bare hand --
asked Ghost Rider if he was the only one appropriate to judge the
guilty, why were other Spirits of Vengeance created. 
As Wallow appeared and assaulted Gilda, Ghost Rider pulled on his chain, hurling Doghead through the air. When Verminus Rex engaged Ghost Rider, Doghead leapt atop Ghost Rider's cycle but was frustrated when it would not allow him to drive it.
Pao Fu subsequently tore out Ghost Rider's heart.
(Ghost Rider III#91) - In Blackheart's realm, Blackheart summoned Doghead -- holding Gilda by a leash on her collar -- and the other Spirits of Vengeance to his realm alongside the fallen Ghost Rider.
Speaking to Noble Kale, Blackheart introduced his Spirits of Vengeance and offered him new life and his original body if he trained them, as well as offering him a wife in Pao Fu.
The various Spirits told Noble what Blackheart had given them, with Doghead noting relevance and vengeance.
Noble ultimately accepted on the added condition that he wanted Blacheart's agent Black Rose (whom he realized to contain the spirit of Roxanne Blaze) in addition to Pao Fu.
Confused, Doghead watched as Noble was reborn, replying, "Awroof?"
(Ghost
Rider III#92) - Doghead sat at a dinner table with Blackheart, Black
Rose, Noble Kale, and the other Spirits of Vengeance, chowing down on
his food in a bowl. 
Doghead remained silent as Noble agreed to lead and train the other Spirits of Vengeance.
(Ghost Rider III#93) - As the Spirits of Vengeance prepared for the marriage of Ghost Rider/Noble Kale to Pao Fu and Black Rose, Doghead thought about Gilda, the woman who had caused his death and was now cursed to an eternity of torment.
He considered that he should be happy and that she had gotten what she deserved, but he questioned who was he to judge and condemn someone thusly.
Doghead futher wondered if he should not have just ended her life quickly...and if he perhaps still could.
He was further saddened that he had too many choices and that he hated
them all, as none of them included mercy, but that they should...
(Ghost Rider III#93 (fb) - BTS) - Via threatening to kill his family in Ecuador if he did not win, Blackheart convinced Doghead to fight in a challenge amongst the Spirits of Vengeance.
(Ghost Rider III#93) - Doghead was present at the wedding ceremony, and when Noble Kale opposed Blackheart's will, Blackheart challenged Doghead and the others to use a sword made with a rib from Zarathos to end the others, as there could only be one true Spirit of Vengeance.
Punching Noble out of the way, Doghead grabbed the sword, noted Blackheart's leverage over him, and suggested that there should be no hard feelings.
Kicking Doghead in the cajones, Ghost Rider agreed that there were none whatsoever.
(Ghost Rider III#93 - BTS) - Ultimately, Noble -- aided by Vengeance, Naomi Kale, and Dan Ketch -- seemingly slew Blackheart and was pronounced the new king of his realm.
(Ghost
Rider Finale/2) - Doghead was present as Noble Kale granted everyone in
Blackheart's realm freedom under the condition that they did no more
evil. 
Doghead remained silent when the angel Uriel showed up, challenged this policy, and was driven off, as well as when Noble departed and left Vengeance in charge.
(Ghost Rider VI#26 (fb) - BTS) - Doghead was recruited/employed by Dan Ketch, in the service of the angel Zadkiel, alongside the semi-Lilin Blackheart, Death Ninja, and the mercenary, literally eyeball-headed Orb.
(Ghost Rider VI#26) - As Ketch's agents approached the home of the former Blood member Caretaker's home in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains, Dan told Doghead to take point.
As Doghead approached the
front door, however, Caretaker kicked open the door and shot Doghead
with Johnny Blaze's former hellfire shotgun, apparently slaying
Doghead. 
Comments: Created by Ivan Velez Jr., Javier Saltares, and Andrew Pepoy.
In his original apppearance, Doghead's human component was only named as Chio.
In the All-New Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe A to Z #10 (2006) entry on the Spirits of
Vengeance, he was identifiied as Chio Chulindo. In the Official
Handbook A to Z hardcover#11's Spirits of Vengeance entry, he was
identified as Francisco "Chio" Fuentes.
Doghead was a nice guy who resisted demonic influences after his transformation. However, he could be manipulated via threats to his family, and he appeared have eventually succumbed to his demonic nature by the time of his appearance in Ghost Rider VI#26.
My longstanding notes listed him as being called "Dogface" at some
point. I had it in there from the original storyline in GR III, before
the Jason Aaron stories. However, in reviewing the stories, I did not
see such a reference, nor is it noted in the Ghost Rider Index entries.
With faulty memory from nearly 25 years ago (as of 2022), I am thinking
that I initially just thought the character was called Dogface because
that seemed a more natural name than Doghead and that my mind played
tricks on me into not seeing any differently (it happened to me in
thinking Motormouth was name Harley Davidson and not Harley Davis).
Eventually someone corrected me that the name was Doghead and not
Dogface, but I still was sure he had been called Dogface, so I kept it
as an alias for him...
Can anyone confirm him
being named Dogface anywhere, or is it just my misremembering/confusion
as detailed above?
Doghead was a cool-looking character. His precursor, teh dog Chupi, was
not drawn well...he looked like some sort of vampire-monster.
In
all fairness, the internet was just getting started around the time of
these stories, and so it wasn't the easiest thing to find reference
images...unless you had something in an encyclopedia or a dog magazine.
Ghost Rider: Dan Ketch#1 does not contain any new infrormation on Doghead, but I thought the front-on face shot from the flashback in that issue was worth including.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Doghead should be distinguished from:
 (Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS / Ghost Rider III#93 (fb) - BTS) - Francisco ("Chio")
emigrated from Ecuador to America for a better life, but he did not
register or become a citizen. He worked relatively long hours for
relatively little pay.(Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably employed at Pedro's Bodega, Francisco ("Chio," and his dog, Chupi) were mutually known by name with Dan Ketch. (Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Chio asked Chupi to get him a soda from the fridge, and when Chupi looked at the kitchen, Francisco concluded that Chupi knew what he wanted. (Ghost
Rider III#89) - Seated outside Pedro's Bodega with Chupi, Chio greeted
Dan Ketch as he walked by and bragged about ho At the end of the day, as Mr. and Mrs. Lun locked up, Mrs. Lun invited Chio to come to their house for dinner and to watch videos the next night, and she told him that she worried because he spent too much time alone. Chio assured her that he was not alone as he had his dog, and Mr. Lun told him to leave the dog at home, despite Chio's insistence that Chupi would not eat his cat. Later, back at his apartment, Chio told Chupi that he was not good at being around people as he fed him and then took him out for a walk. Walking in a park area without a leash on Chupi, Chio happened upon the crack addict Gilda who had just murdered her boyfriend Frank with a bottle after he had taken their last rock. As Chio stood there shocked, Gilda initially tried to deny what she had done and then instead blamed the dog for killing her boyfriend. She then screamed for help, drawing the police, and she then told them the dog had killed her man. An illegal immigrant, Chio fled with Chupi, ultimately running in front of bus that struck and fatally injured them both. Seeking an army of Spirits of Vengeance to oppose Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale and with which to conquer his father, Mephisto, the demon Blackheart then appeared above the two, feigning sympathy with their plight and offering them a chance to live outside the world's petty rules and become master of his own destiny. Accepting this, Chio took Blackheart's hand, and he and Chupi were magically merged into the magical being Doghead. --Ghost Rider III#89 |
   A Pit Bull, Chupi was the beloved pet of Francisco "Chio" Fuentes.(Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably employed at Pedro's Bodega, Francisco ("Chio," and his dog, Chupi) were mutually known by name with Dan Ketch. (Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - Chio asked Chupi to get him a soda from the fridge, and when Chupi looked at the kitchen, Francisco concluded that Chupi knew what he wanted. (Ghost Rider III#89) - Seated outside Pedro's Bodega with Chupi, Chio greeted Dan Ketch as he walked by, and Chio bragged about how smart Chupi was. Later, back at his apartment, Chio told Chupi that he was not good at being around people as he fed him and then took him out for a walk. Walking in a park area without a leash on Chupi, Chio happened upon the crack addict Gilda who had just murdered her boyfriend, Frank, with a bottle after he had taken their last rock. As Chio stood there shocked, Gilda initially tried to deny what she had done and then instead blamed the dog for killing her boyfriend. Gilda then screamed for help, drawing the police, and she then told them the dog had killed her man. An illegal immigrant, Chio fled with Chupi, ultimately running in front of bus that struck and fatally injured them both. Seeking an army of Spirits of Vengeance to oppose Ghost Rider/Dan Ketch/Noble Kale and with which to conquer his father, Mephisto, the demon Blackheart then appeared above the two, feigning sympathy with their plight and offering them a chance to live outside the world's petty rules and become master of his own destiny. Accepting this, Chio took Blackheart's hand, and he and Chupi were magically merged into the magical being Doghead. --Ghost Rider III#89 |
Appearances:
Ghost Rider III#89-91
(October-December, 1997) - Ivan Velez Jr. (writer), Javier Saltares
(penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Ghost Rider III#92-93
(January-February, 1998) - Ivan Velez Jr. (writer), Javier Saltares
(penciler), Mark Texiera (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe A to Z#10: Spirits of Vengeance entry
(October, 2006) - Jeff Christian (head writer/coordinator), Michael
Hoskin, Sean McQuaid, Stuart Vandal, Mark O'English, Anthony Flamini.
Chad Anderson, Eric J. Moreels, Mike Fichera, Ronald Byrd, Al
Sjoerdsma, Rich Green & Madison Carter (writers), Michael Short
(assistant editor), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Ghost Rider Finale/2 (aka "#94"; March, 2007) - Ivan
Velez Jr. (writer), Javier Saltares
(penciler/inker), Mark Texiera & Klaus Jansen (inkers), Tom
Brevoort (editor from original series); Michael Short (assistant
editor), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (associate editors),
Jeff Youngquist (senior editor, special projects)
Ghost Rider VI#26 (October, 2008) - Jason Aaron (writer), Tan Eng Huat (artist), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Ghost
Rider: Dan Ketch#1 (December, 2008) - Simon Spurrier (writer), Javier
Saltares (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#11:
Stranger (January, 2010) - Ronald Byrd (writer), Jeff Christiansen,
Stuart Vandal, & Sean McQuaid (head writers/coordinators), Mike
Fichera, Madison Carter, Markus Raymond, & Mike O'Sullivan
(coordination assistants), Ronald Byrd, Michael Hoskin, Mike Fichera,
Mike O'Sullivan, Madison Carter, Eric J. Moreels, Rob London, David
Wiltfong, Jacob Rougemont, Gabriel Shechter, Markus Raymond, Chris
Biggs, Rich Green, Kevin Garcia, Jeph York & Mark O'English, Brian
Overton (copy editor), John Denning & Alex Starbuck (assistant
editors), Mark D. Beazley (editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist
&
Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
First posted: 10/22/2022
Last updated: 10/22/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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w smart Chupi was.