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During their San Diego Comic-Con panel this year, ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ announced that they would be bringing the legendary Ghost Rider to their fourth season. However, True Believers were surprised to hear that neither Johnny Blaze nor Danny Ketch would be mixing it up with Agent Phil Coulson and his team. Instead, we’ll be seeing Robbie Reyes and his souped-up Hell Charger roar onto ABC this fall. So why did the showrunners go for the latest hero to take up the mantle rather than the more recognizable versions of the character? The head of Marvel Television gave us a little insight.

While speaking to ComicBook.com about the Spirit of Vengeance, Jeph Loeb revealed the reasons why they decided to introduce Gabriel Luna as Robbie Reyes in the next season of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ as opposed to Blaze or Ketch. Apparently it boiled down to a cool new location and an interesting family dynamic:

“We picked Robbie, actually, because our show, at the end of day, is always about family and the fact that Robbie’s relationship with Gabe [Robbie’s developmentally disabled brother] is so much a part of his character. And the world of east LA, which is not a place that we’ve ever gone to in the Marvel Universe, was just a really exciting way.”

Though Gabe definitely plays an important part in Robbie’s life, their uncle Eli Morrow was also integral to him becoming Ghost Rider. It was Eli who supernaturally inhabited a 1969 Dodge Charger and then possessed his nephew in order to feed his lust for vengeance. It’s currently uncertain just how much of this origin will carry over from the page to the screen, but either way, it will be a family affair indeed. 

What do you think about the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider appearing on ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’? Are you disappointed that they opted not to go with the classic version of the character? Or do you think that this is a much needed pallet cleanser after Nic Cage’s insufferable interpretation of the Spirit of Vengeance? Sound off in the comments.

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ starring Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Henry Simmons returns to ABC on September 20, 2016 at 10:00pm.

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