When it comes to creators of animated superhero shows, few names resonate as strongly as John Semper. The realm of superheroes is ever-evolving. It is spread across multiple forms of media and holds a special place in the hearts of millions. The animated shows and movies tend to hold a special place within the fandom.

Renowned for creating the infamous Spider-Man: The Animated Series back in the 90s, Semper is held in great regard.  After the success of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, the filmmaker wanted to make a Ghost Rider show.

John Semper (via johnsemperjr on Instagram)
Being an established showrunner, one would expect Semper to get things his way with the higher-ups. But this wasn’t always the case. An interruption from former Marvel chairman Avi Arad, completely shut down the Ghost Rider show.

John Semper’s Ghost Rider Shut Down: Concern For Children’s Safety?

A still from Spider-Man: The Animated Series
There was an assumption within the industry regarding why John Semper didn’t see through with the Ghost Rider show. However, this was not necessarily true. The face of censorship has changed drastically in the present day. In the 90s, a lot had to do with the Standards and Practices framework.

The superhero shows always involve the possibility that some kid might harm themselves trying to imitate their favorite character. Hence, it was fairly common for these shows to get S&P notes, through which the importance of children’s safety about what is being shown on screen was reinforced.

Ernie Altbacker pointed this out in an interview with CBR. Altbacker worked alongside Semper on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He told the news outlet:

“The word was that you (Semper) tried to do the very first thing with Ghost Rider, and Ghost Rider was shot down because the note was, “This might be imitable. Some kid might pour lighter fluid on himself and go down with his Big Wheel on fire.””

However, Semper was quick to correct his colleague. What he revealed is a different story altogether.

Avi Arad’s Involvement In Ghost Rider Shut Down

Avi Arad | Source: ScreenSlam interview on YouTube
Semper revealed to CBR that Avi Arad working with the rival network on a Ghost Rider storyline is what caused him to scratch his ready-to-go plan for the show. He said:

“We were going to do a Ghost Rider story, we had it outlined, and then the network found out Avi Arad was shopping around a Ghost Rider series to the UPN network. They said there was no way they were going to let an episode of Spider-Man serve as a pilot for a cartoon that’s going to end up on a rival network, so you cannot do this Ghost Rider story. I got really pissed because it was a good story, we had already figured it out, and then I had to throw it out. That’s the truth behind that story.”

Strange how things work out in the grand scheme of things. The history of cinema and entertainment is interwoven with threads unknown. One thing can be said for certain though, John Semper’s Ghost Rider would have been an enthralling experience.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series is available for streaming on Disney+.