When the Avengers weren’t around to stop a supernatural threat in the Marvel Universe, it was up to Ghost Rider to bring the Midnight Sons together.
The Midnight Sons are in many ways the Avengers of the dark superhero world, consisting of heroes who are in some ways connected to or birthed from dark magic and monsters. They were initially united, however, thanks to the efforts of two Ghost Riders — Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch — in the “Rise of the Midnight Sons” event.
However, far after the event, the Midnight Sons proved popular enough to not only continue but expand like never before. So who were the Midnight Sons, why did Ghost Rider bring them together, and what happened to them after they were first brought together?
During “Rise of the Midnight Sons”, the Mother of Demons Lilith began to stir from her ancient slumber. Lilith’s spawn, the Lilin, resided on Earth, but their bloodline had thinned over the years through breeding with humanity. Lilith intended on opening up a vortex to Hell to bring a new army into the world. Daniel Ketch, the current Ghost Rider, had nightmares dealing with Lilith and her rise, so he turned to the former Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, for help. While the two formed the team known as the Spirits of Vengeance, their power paled in comparison to the force Lilith had amassed. However, they were not the only ones aware of Lilith’s rise. Doctor Strange had also learned of Lilith’s uprising, but he soon realized he was, ironically, too powerful to fight Lilith. If he fought her, the vortex to Hell would be opened. Ergo, he decided the solution would be to find nine warriors who, when combined, could combat Lilith: the Midnight Sons.
As the Lilin began to formulate their forces, the Midnight Sons gathered. While The Spirits of Vengeance took on the first battles against the Lilin, Doctor Strange helped guide them to their new partners. First, they recruited Morbius, the Living Vampire, whose vampiric curse had been worsened thanks to the Lilin. Then, they recruited Victoria Montesi, Louise Hastings, and Sam Buchanan — the Darkholder Redeemers — and brought them into the fold. Finally, they recruited Blade and the Nightstalkers (Hannibal King and Frank Drake) into the team after the three of them initially fought against the Spirits of Vengeance. With the team united, the Midnight Sons confronted Lilith and her Lilin forces. Ultimately, Ghost Rider managed to invert Lilith’s dimensional vortexes back onto Lilith, resulting in her defeat.