ABC's superhero series "Agents of SHIELD" is all set to premiere this month and fans are eagerly waiting to witness the latest addition to the show - Ghost Rider. It seems that after dealing with the subjects of science fiction, spy action and government conspiracies, the latest season of "SHIELD" will emphasise on the supernatural elements.
Fans have been aware of Ghost Rider's debut in the upcoming season for quite some time. ABC has announced that the character will have a prominent role in Season 4 and will appear in almost all the episodes of the series.
Ghost Rider is one of the most iconic superheroes from Marvel Comics, but there has been mixed reactions to his debut on "SHIELD." While some fans are excited to see him become an important part of the show, others have expressed their concerns saying that it might not be a good idea.
In the original comic books, Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in Marvel Comics. The first person who donned the costume of Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, who has been portrayed by Nicolas Cage on the big screen ("Ghost Rider," 2007, and "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, 2012).
The "SHIELD" version of Ghost Rider will be portrayed by Gabriel Luna. However, he won't play the role of Johnny Blaze, but will portray Robbie Reyes; the fourth Ghost Rider.
Even though most of the characters in "SHIELD" are based on the Marvel Comics characters of same name or groups, including "Quake," "SHIELD," "HYDRA" and "Inhumans," there is no doubt that Ghost Rider belongs to the big league and is one of the prominent characters in Marvel Universe. He has been affiliated with other iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America and the Punisher.
Hence, several fans have stated that the character should have got a movie of its own and eventually included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They have expressed concern that "SHIELD" won't be able to do justice to Ghost Rider and it will end up as one of the insignificant side characters.
Nevertheless, it is too early to say whether the show will be able to do justice to the character or not. It will be found out only once "Agents of SHIELD" Season 4 goes on air on Sept. 20 on ABC.
