Entering its fourth season, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD has evolved from what started out as a relatively light series with cool gadgets and fairly cool action scenes to something much darker in tone that if it wasn’t for the fact they’re on network TV, it may be best suited for Netflix. With that said, enter Ghost Rider. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Full disclosure here, I’ve never been a big Ghost Rider fan. I accepted the first film with Nicholas Cage and dreaded the second. Now we have a new version for the MCU that was introduced in Tuesday night’s episode called “The Ghost”. A lot has changed since season three ended. The team as we know it is no more with Coulson out as Director. May, Fitz and Simmons are all that remain from the original team and have gone their separate ways from Coulson. As for Daisy, to this point she has eluded Coulson and Mack and seems to be on her own mission as a vigilante of sorts. This is how she encounters the Rider. In a lot of ways both Daisy and Robbie Reyes aka Ghost Rider are after the same things, a vengeful quest to right some wrongs. How all this will play out throughout the season we’ll have to wait and see.
I like the pairing of Coulson and Mack. They seem to be an odd couple and yet they compliment each other quite well. Eventually, the team will be reunited at some point during the season. As with seasons past, SHIELD either mirrors or extends story arcs from its cinematic universe or it foreshadows something greater to come. By introducing the InHumans last season, Ghost Rider at the start of this season and the writers hinting at the role of magic, we see the groundwork that we help pave the way for Doctor Strange which hits theaters later this Fall.
One thing of note, the move to 10 p.m. will give SHIELD the opportunity to increase its edgier theme that they seem to be embracing. It was pretty clear from Tuesday’s premiere that there will indeed be an increase in both violence and sexuality to attract more viewers and become more like their Netflix counterparts.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
