One of the biggest surprises to come out of this year’s Comic-Con (despite it being rumoured for weeks beforehand) was the announcement that Ghost Rider is coming to the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, rather than the classic Johnny Blaze version – played by Nicolas Cage in two movies – it will be Robbie Reyes who races into battle.
The comic book version of the character is transformed into Ghost Rider after being gunned down and possessed by his haunted car. Mr. Hyde – played by Kyle MacLachlan in earlier seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – was also tied into this story, but does that mean we’ll see him return in some form as well? It doesn’t sound likely (especially when you take into account what happened to him when he last appeared in the series), but Executive Producer Jed Whedon had this to say about the fiery hero’s new origin story in a recent interview:
“We can’t say much about what we’re going to do with [Robbie Reyes’] origin, but we are doing our own spin on it. We don’t want people who have read the comics to know exactly what’s coming.”
It definitely sounds like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be making a few changes to Ghost Rider’s origin then, something which makes sense for a number of reasons. For starters, his comic book roots are a little convoluted, and it honestly wouldn’t be that surprising if the show finds a way to tie his powers into the Inhumans who have so heavily factored into recent storylines.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return to ABC on Tuesday, September 20th.
