‘Agents Of SHIELD’ Ghost Rider Teasers And Other Comic-Con Bombshells

Marvel holds a big presence at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, as has been the case in past years, and one big Marvel draw for fans of the comic book giant’s live-action adaptations is the Agents of SHIELD television series. The Comic-Con event played host to a panel made up of the series cast and crew, but even before SDCC opened up to fans, an Agents of SHIELD trolley car taunted area fans with the idea that the series would be introducing Ghost Rider when Season 4 picks up. Now, that theory has been confirmed, but Ghost Rider’s induction into the Season 4 storyline is just one of several Agents of SHIELD treasures revealed to SDCC audiences.

The Not So Subtle Ghost Rider Confirmation Wows Panel Audiences

The suspicions that Ghost Rider will join the Agents of SHIELD line-up in Season 4 was confirmed by what E! News describes as the show’s logo burning away to reveal the Ghost Rider logo in a fiery display. The resulting effect was a burning skull with the “Vengeance comes this fall” tagline emblazoned beneath it, exciting SDCC fans with the confirmation that yet another mythic Marvel character would be livening up Agents of SHIELD Season 4.

Gabriel Luna (Freeheld, Matador) has been cast to play Robbie Reyes, the unassuming alter ego of Ghost Rider.

“Season 4 will unquestionably be the series’ biggest, most ambitious story yet, and it all begins with the introduction of one of our greatest legacy characters in Ghost Rider,” Jeph Loeb, executive producer of Agents of SHIELD and head of Marvel Television, said in a statement. “When the Spirit of Vengeance rides into SHIELD, it’ll change everything.”

While Ghost Rider has never been adapted for television previously, a somewhat altered version of the Marvel character was adapted for the big screen. Nicholas Cage played the character in 2007’s Ghost Rider and the 2011 follow-up film, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

More Agents Of SHIELD Teasers Excite Fans For Season 4

The revelation that Marvel would be unleashing Ghost Rider on viewers in September wasn’t the only revealing teaser to be unveiled at SDCC, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Agents of SHIELD Comic Con panel had much to share with fans, making real the promise made by Loeb that Season 4 would be the show’s most ambitious installment to date.

One major moment came when another Agents of SHIELD executive producer, Jeff Bell, raised a toast to Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Hunter (Nick Blood), who were written out of the series in anticipation of Marvel’s Most Wanted. That spin-off never materialized, however, with ABC declining to pursue the project past the pilot. Now, with Palicki and Blood free, Bell hinted that the door may be re-opened for the characters to return.

Bell wasn’t alone with his suggestion of a return for Bobbi and Hunter. Agents of SHIELD creator Joss Whedon also seemed to be on board with the idea, though he was somewhat more enigmatic about the idea.

“It’s definitely classified but keep watching,” said Whedon.

SDCC panel audiences were also given a rare treat, as Joss Whedon was on hand to introduce an unseen screen test for Agents of SHIELD star Chloe Bennet, who plays Daisy “Skye” Johnson. The scene was filmed to test Chloe’s chemistry with Brett Dalton (Grant Ward on the series), before the actress was ever cast in the Agents of SHIELD lead.

Speaking of chemistry, Agents of SHIELD fans all wanted to know if they could expect a new love interest for Bennet in Season 4, an idea which seemed to appeal to the show’s producers.

“We’re trying to cast that but nobody seems to want the job because it has an extermination date,” actor Clark Gregg joked.

“She’s going to get laid,” promised Agents of SHIELD executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen.

The Season 4 premiere of Agents of SHIELD is set to air on September 20 on ABC.

[Image via ABC]