Robbie Reyes is a high-school student working as a mechanic at an auto body shop who lives with his developmentally disabledbrother Gabe and seeks to get away from the dangerous, gang-riddled streets of East Los Angeles. To that end, he enters a street race, hoping to use the prize money to move themselves away. When mercenaries gun him down while trying to retrieve pills that caused the transformation of Calvin Zabo into the supervillain Mr. Hyde, which had been left in the trunk unbeknownst to Robbie, the teen is revived as a demonic being with a flaming, helmet-like head. He drives off in the car, now similarly ablaze.[3] Later, the spirit bound to the car introduces itself to Robbie as the ghost of a man named Eli Morrow, who says he had been killed by gang members. Eli offers to help Robbie clean up his neighborhood in exchange for Robbie helping him avenge his death.[4]Robbie becomes a local hero whose fame catches the attention of Johnny Blaze, who travels to Los Angeles to confront the new Rider. Eli is later revealed as Robbie's estranged uncle, a Satanic serial killer who kidnapped and murdered at least 37 people in rituals before being fatally shot by police in 1999. A possessed Robbie later encounters Johnny Blaze who uses the Penance Stare on Eli's spirit.[5]
Eli was also the one who pushed Robbie's mother down the stairs while she was pregnant with Gabe, causing Gabe's disabilities.[6]
In addition to confronting Mr. Hyde and his criminal underworld, Robbie and Eli fight for dominance over Robbie's body. Robbie eventually permanently bonds with Eli and agrees to sate Eli's thirst for murder, but only by killing people with evil souls.[7]
He appears in The Unbelievable Gwenpool along with Hawkeye, both working to stop a ceremony being held by dwarves using a mystical space rock. Gwenpool appeared in his trunk's portal via her friend Sarah "The Terrible Eye" and the police arrived, prompting them all to flee. He had claimed the gem with Gwen's ghost friend Cecil inside and left it in his car, where his possessing spirit was apparently attempting to turn Cecil on Gwen. When that fails he shrugs it off and decides to just go back to corrupting Robbie.[8]
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