BY MATT TUCK
Marvel is prepping its audience for their supernatural Avengers, the Midnight Sons, and the the new RPG announcement has created a hot market for the team’s first appearances.
Last week was a big one for Marvel fans. Marvel Studios finally released a No Way Home trailer, and it looks like Werewolf by Night is getting his own Halloween Special in 2022. To top it off, there is a Marvel-based role-playing game, Midnight Suns, on the way that is sending collectors scrambling for Ghost Rider #28 & #31.
There’s more happening with the Midnight Son/Suns than just the RPG, and the signs are all around.
WHO ARE THE MIDNIGHT SONS?
Since the Midnight Sons came together in the early 1990s, they have been a fan-favorite superteam. The core members were an all-star lineup of supernatural superheroes: Ghost Rider Danny Ketch, Doctor Strange, Morbius, Blade, and Johnny Blaze. They were joined by the Nightstalkers, Blade’s group of mystic vampire hunters to form The Nine. Over the years, the Sons have changed the lineup with occasional members Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Brother Voodoo, Moon Knight, Elsa Bloodstone, Daimon Hellstrom and many others.
In the initial storyline, “Rise of the Midnight Sons,” the group was brought together to fight Lilith, Mother of All Demons, which is not to be confused with Dracula’s daughter of the same name. What helped the team immediately gain a following was the impressive ‘90s artwork from Andy Kubert. Characters like Ghost Rider and Morbius never looked as good as they did during the “Rise of the Midnight Sons” crossover, and it is a major part of their fandom.
RISE OF THE SONS/SUNS
Well before Marvel announced the Midnight Suns RPG, there was speculation that the team was being assembled for the MCU.
First and foremost, there is Doctor Strange, who introduced the MCU to the mystic side of Marvel. After Multiverse of Madness was made official, the studio confirmed plans for a Blade reboot with Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. Although short lived, there was the Helstrom streaming show on Hulu, and Moon Knight on Disney+ is currently being filmed.
It doesn’t end there. WandaVision established the Darkhold, which is frequently connected to the Midnight Sons and virtually everything supernatural in Marvel. Then there is the Sony-verse of characters being incorporated into the MCU, and it just so happens that Morbius is getting his live-action solo adventure in the near future.
On top of all that are the persistent rumors of other prominent Midnight Sons. The most popular of which is Ghost Rider. Agents of SHIELD introduced the Robbie Reyes version of the character, and there is ample speculation and theories that Marvel is looking to replace Reyes with Danny Ketch, Johnny Blaze, or perhaps both. There was even a Hulu Ghost Rider series in development before Marvel Studios pulled the plug on many shows on the streaming service. That leads to speculation that the traditional motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider is on his way to the MCU.
Don’t give up on Robbie just yet. The Midnight Suns game trailer clearly features the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider, so there is a possibility that he will return to the MCU. That could mean that all three Riders will appear on screen together.
There’s also Man-Thing, who was featured on the Grandmaster’s tower of champions in Thor: Ragnarok and mentioned in Agents of SHIELD. Then there are whispers of Elsa Bloodstone, and that’s not to mention Werewolf by Night debuting in next year’s Halloween Special or turning up in Moon Knight. Loki even confirmed that vampires exist in the MCU. For that matter, the Marvel Zombies are set to appear in What If…?. No doubt about it, Marvel is loading up for a huge venture into the supernatural corners of the Multiverse.
Between Multiverse of Madness, Moon Knight, Blade, and possibly the Halloween Special, the occult will be firmly embedded with mainstream audiences, and that will lay the foundation for an Avengers-style crossover movie or Disney+ show for the Midnight Suns (sorry, purists, but the name will definitely be the Suns and not the Sons).
THE KEYS
The market for Midnight Sons has been heating up for years thanks to the supernatural characters being added to the MCU. With the new game bearing the name, it amplifies the speculation that Marvel’s ever-so-’90s team is inbound. Here’s the latest market data to help you in your investment adventures.
GHOST RIDER #28
The team made a cameo appearance for a quick group portrait to kick off the “Rise of the Midnight Sons” crossover in 1992. Now that the video game has stirred the market, prices are approaching their mid-May values when two copies sold for $500 each.
While no records have been broken so far, the fair market values are creeping back into the $400 territory. The most recent sale was for $397 on August 25. While there have been occasional $400 sales, June and July saw many 9.8s falling below $300. That makes the latest sale an indication that prices could be getting back to the $450 range in the coming months.
GHOST RIDER #31
Fittinginly, the sixth and final chapter of “Rise of the Midnight Sons” saw the group officially christened as the Nine, aka the Midnight Sons. Since this is not their first group appearance, it has been relegated to consolation prize status, but that doesn’t mean the values are not heating up. The graded 9.8 sold for a record $170 on August 8 followed by $118 on August 15.
While others aim for Ghost Rider #28, the astute collector is playing the long-term game. Most speculators see this as simply the first time the team is dubbed the Nine/Midnight Sons, but there is more to this issue. Here you have the first appearance of the aforementioned Lilith, Mother of Monsters. Considering Marvel’s penchant for adapting the more obscure characters to the MCU, she could be in line for a live-action makeover. With so many Midnight Sons characters being brought to the MCU, it is not a stretch to suggest Lilith would be on the list of possible villains.
MIDNIGHTS’ BRIGHT FUTURE
Whether they are the Sons or the Suns, Marvel looks to have big plans for the Midnights. As the studio takes a breather from the Avengers, at least for now, there are several teams Marvel is lining up to fill the void from the Fantastic Four to the X-Men. While those supergroups are destined for movie screens, a Midnights Suns’ team up could be highly successful as a Disney+ series that finally introduces either the Danny Ketch or Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider. As more information comes to light, it will make for an even hotter market for many key issues.
Matt Tuck is the author of the novel, Lost Bones of the Dead. He is a professional writer, avid comic collector, former teacher, and an international man of mystery. You can follow him on his Facebook page, The Comic Blog.