Get a Closer Look at That Blazing ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Cameo!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. definitely got Ghost Rider fans hot and bothered with news that the Spirit of Vengeance would blaze through Season 4, albeit as the more modern, four-wheeling Robbie Reyes version. Tonight’s “The Good Samaritan” revealed Reyes’ MCU origin, however, with a surprising cameo from one of the Rider’s previous hosts!

You’re warned of full spoilers for Tuesday’s latest Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 outing, but where last week seemed overwhelmingly to hint at the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider’s involvement in securing the mysterious “Darkhold,” tonight’s “The Good Samaritan” went far further than mere suggestion. Forced to finally explain his fiery alter-ego to his brother Gabe, Robbie Reyes recounted the night the two were attacked by gang members out on the road, causing the ‘69 Charger to flip and violently injure them both.

From Gabe’s perspective, a mysterious “Good Samaritan” rolled up on his motorcycle, pulling an injured Gabe from the car, and reviving a motionless Robbie, before heading off into the night.

That said, Robbie recounts the story a bit differently, as in the process of being launched from the car mid-spin, Robbie called out to “God, the universe, anyone who would listen” to spare his brother’s life, before fatally hitting the pavement. In the darkness, Robbie heard a voice offering him a second chance as well as vengeance for both his brother’s condition and his own death; something he eagerly accepted. That’s when a certain fiery visitor arrived:

I was alive again. And you’re right … there was someone there when I came to. But it wasn’t a Good Samaritan. It was the Devil.

That’s right, Johnny Blaze! Or at least, we presume as much from the motorcycle, leather jacket and flaming skull, but Gabe only explained “whatever was inside of him, he passed into me.” We never saw what became of the “Good Samaritan” or any potential human form underneath, but given the Johnny Blaze easter eggs from last week, we’d presume the figures were intended to be one and the same.

It’s plausible Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. refrained from identifying the figure as Johnny Blaze to create some wiggle room with a future Ghost Rider project, but it would seem that at least for now, this marks the MCU’s take on the character. For what it’s worth, Blaze had no role in Robbie Reyes’ comic origins as the Ghost Rider, though the two did cross paths a number of times.

You can read our full review of “The Good Samaritan” while we wait for further details on tonight’s fiery cameo, but what do we make of a more traditional Ghost Rider dropping by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

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