Why is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. going with a less popular version of Ghost Rider?
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have any major superhero in their cast prior to Season 4. They are adding Ghost Rider in the mix, but not the more well known version. They are using Robbie Reyes not Johnny Blaze and also featuring a burning car, not a bike.
I know Robbie Reyes is famous for his car but why to even pick him in first place? What was the reason for picking him over Johnny Blaze? Wouldn't Johnny Blaze have helped the show's popularity?
Best Answer
Per EW.com
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be introducing Ghost Rider in season 4 as part of a new shift in the Marvel Universe, according to executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.
As EW earlier revealed, True Detective star Gabriel Luna has been tapped to play Ghost Rider, a.k.a. Roberto “Robbie” Reyes. In the comics, Robbie is a high school student working at an auto body shop, who tries to make a better life for him and his brother Gabe, who is in a wheelchair, by entering a street race, only to be gunned down.
“With Doctor Strange coming out this year, the Marvel Universe is moving into new waters,” Whedon told EW after the show’s panel at Comic-Con on Friday. “We felt that this was obviously a great character that we’d love to have on our show that we feel fits with that shift.”
For the uninitiated, in the titular film and its sequel, Nicolas Cage portrayed the first Ghost Rider, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze. Reyes, on the other hand, drives a muscle car. “We decided to go with the Robbie Reyes version of the character because he’s a newer comic, and also it would be interesting to bring in someone with that background into our dynamic of the show,” Tancharoen said.
The All-New Ghost Rider comics reveal that Robbie is a different kind of Ghost Rider. Instead of being possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance, he’s taken over by a Satanic serial killer. The S.H.I.E.L.D. bosses, however, were shy to say whether they’ll go down that same path. “We’re staying true to his circumstance,” Tancharoen said. “But as always with any property that we use, we’re taking our liberties with it.”
“We’re pulling a little bit from different versions of the Ghost Rider,” Whedon added. “There’s an iconic image that we saw at Comic-Con of that skull on fire. Things are a little different with Robbie. There will be a little mixing and matching. We’re being true to the character, where he comes from, his little brother.”
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What version of Ghost Rider is in Agents of Shield?
Here's why Marvel's Agents of SHIELD season 4 picked Robbie Reyes to be the show's Ghost Rider, as opposed to the more popular Johnny Blaze. When adapting Ghost Rider, Agents of SHIELD picked Robbie Reyes, a relatively new version of the Marvel Comics anti-hero.Why did Ghost Rider leave Agents of Shield?
Ghost Rider's presence on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 had been necessary due to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s conflict with antagonist Eli Morrow, so the comic anti-hero didn't feel like he was taking over the narrative from existing characters during his arc.Does Ghost Rider appear in Agents of Shield?
Mallory Jansen and Lilli Birdsell are also introduced as recurring characters for the season. The episode begins the season's first "pod" of eight episodes, subtitled Ghost Rider.Top Ghost Rider Moments: Ghost Rider Breaks Out - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Images: Laura James, Laura James, Laura James, Diego Rodriguez