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Ghost Rider’s powers have always been a bit ill-defined, with new ones being added or removed at the whims of the writers. However, probably his most iconic and enduring power (aside from riding a wicked motorcycle) has been his Penance Stare. For decades, it was assumed that it always reflected the weight of a person’s sins back at them, but now Marvel has given it a new wrinkle that, surprisingly brings him in line with everyone’s favorite Naruto villain, Itachi Uchiha.

In Spirits of Vengeance #6, Ghost Rider uses his Penance Stare. This in itself isn’t unusual, but this time he uses it on Linda Littletrees, the character’s occasional love interest. Instead of using the Stare to make her live out her worst moments or confront the total weight of her sins, Ghost Rider uses it to extend time, allowing the pair a lifetime to say goodbye in the moment it took for her to die.

This subtle shift in how the Penance Stare works – making it a pocket dimension that Ghost Rider can control – brings the Marvel character in line with Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke’s older brother in the Naruto anime and manga. Itachi used his Tsukuyomi to place victims in an illusion where he could torture them for years while only a few seconds passed in the real world. He famously used this ability against Kakashi early in the anime’s run, stabbing him hundreds of times in a second.

While it isn’t clear if Marvel’s writers were directly inspired by Naruto when reimagining Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare, the change does give him the same terrifying power as Itachi Uchiha, and that is just a fun bit of trivia to keep in our back pockets for a slow moment in a conversation.

"In the ninja world, those who don't follow rules are trash." as Obita Uchiha once said. And while we can't say these are rules, they are the king things you'll want to read next about Naruto: 

• How to watch Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden in order
• Want to visit the Ninja World? You can in 2026, as Naruto is getting the theme park treatment
• The 10 best Naruto arcs, ranked best to worst 
• 25 years later, Naruto's portrayal of a world tackling the sins of its past remains frustratingly relevant