In the first half of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s fourth season, Ghost Rider took centre stage in a big way. However, much to the chagrin of some fans, it was the Robbie Reyes version of the character who was given the spotlight, and while his role in the Marvel series was enjoyed by most, many would still have preferred to see Johnny Blaze as the Spirit of Vengeance.
The original Ghost Rider was last seen in two unsuccessful movies from Sony Pictures (where he was played by Nic Cage), and it was thanks to those that Marvel actually regained the rights to the fiery superhero. Johnny did, however, make a surprise appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during a flashback showing how Robbie got his powers but is he ever going to return?
[zergpaid]Well, despite the fact that fans have been theorizing he might show up on the big screen or in a Netflix series, comments from producer Jeff Bell point to Robbie being THE Ghost Rider now that the mantle has been passed to him.
“There is a tradition within the comics that there’s been many Ghost Riders and our take on that was they’re not simultaneously a tribe of Ghost Riders but that it’s passed. The Spirit of Vengeance is passed from person to person. In that respect, at least our intention was that the Spirit of Vengeance was passed from one person to another, and who passed that on, there are suggestions within the storytelling … That’s as far as we’re going to take that part.”
With the show putting Robbie on the shelf for the time being, what’s next for the character remains to be seen, but if he were to get his own spinoff, Johnny showing up there would make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, delving into the Ghost Rider mythology isn’t something Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will likely ever have time for, so how Marvel will handle the fan-favorite character from here is hard to say.
What do you think, though? How should the company proceed with Ghost Rider going forward? Sound off in the usual place and let us know!
