For its past few seasons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had to make some deep cuts to pull from the Marvel comics. That’s no slam against Deathlok; he’s just not familiar to those who don’t read the comics. But Season 4 of the ABC series will get its biggest name yet when Ghost Rider comes to the show.
You may recall that the rights for Ghost Rider reverted back to Marvel after Sony gave up on the character following the flop Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Rather than let the character lay dormant or try giving him another shot at the big screen, Marvel has opted to make him a major player on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and perhaps that will be a more hospitable locale for him rather than seeing if he can carry a film franchise. It certainly worked out well for The Punisher.
Additionally, Marvel announced that Gabriel Luna (“True Detective,” “Matador”) will play “Robbie Reyes the unstoppable Ghost Rider”. If the name Reyes sounds unfamiliar, that’s because in the movies, Johnny Blaze was Ghost Rider. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. appears to be pulling from the recent Marvel NOW! comics where Reyes, per Wikipedia, “drives a black classic muscle car reminiscent of a Dodge Charger instead of a motorcycle and lives in East Los Angeles.”
It should be interesting to see how Ghost Rider factors into the larger story of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and I’m eager to see this interpretation of the character just as soon as I catch up with season three.
Here’s the press release:
“Season 4 will unquestionably be the series’ biggest, most ambitious story yet, and it all begins with the introduction of one of our greatest legacy characters in Ghost Rider,” said Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb. “When the Spirit of Vengeance rides into S.H.I.E.L.D., it’ll change everything.”
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is executive produced and co-created by Joss Whedon ("Marvel's The Avengers," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, ("Dollhouse," "Dr.Horrible's Sing-Along Blog”). Jeffrey Bell ("Angel," "Alias") and Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” “Marvel’s Daredevil”) also serve as Executive Producers. "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." returns Tuesday, September 20 in its new timeslot, 10:00 PM ETon ABC. For more information on the series and the other exciting Marvel Television stay tuned to Marvel.com, plus follow @AgentsofSHIELD on Twitter and like "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on Facebook for all the latest news and updates.
