Obligatory disclaimer: real life sucks. With it out of the
way, let’s go forth into the alternate universe of media, and-
Yeah, things are not much better there: Marvel’s ‘Ghost
Rider’ TV series got cancelled. This is not too different from Marvel’s ‘Most
Wanted’ TV series, which also got cancelled, and ditto for Marvel’s ‘InHumans’,
(though the latter did get to feature a single 8-episode season), but still –
it sucks. Gabriel Luna did a very good job as the Ghost Rider back in AoS, though
yes, given that it was AoS, odds are that the Ghost Rider’s plot line got
tangled, rebooted, restructured and so on several times before the character
appeared on TV. It was not a bad plot line, Robbie and Daisy (Chloe Bennett, in
case anyone has forgotten), had a moment together at the end of S4, and this
was it. In the second half of AoS’ S5 the titular characters had to deal with a
‘fear dimension’ – Ghost Rider no show, we got Deathlok instead. (Just what
kind of a contract Disney/MCU/AoS has had with its actor? Deathlok was very
important in S1, but from S2 onwards he appeared more and more rarely on the
show; he had not appeared in AoS’ S6 at all, and there is no indication that he
will appear in S7). AoS’ S6 had some distinct references to Ghost Rider
regarding the entire Izel storyline, but no Ghost Rider per se. True, I have
not figured out the references back in S6, this one’s on me, but still – no ‘true’
Ghost Rider, and this brings us to the cancelled show.
Sadly, we do not know much about it; it was supposed to be a
separate TV show from AoS, with Robbie (and his brother Gabe, maybe?) living
their life alongside the U.S.-Mexican border, doing their thing, whatever it
is, and – that’s it. That is all the information that has become known, really.
It is not enough to make speculations about, but apparently it was enough for
the show to break-up in the preliminary stage over creative differences, the
end. Sad.
And on the other hand, this has made someone in the Marvel comics feel rather stupid, I reckon.
Lately, the current ‘Avengers’ incarnation, it has become increasingly ‘all
about Robbie’, as he gets to race the other main Ghost Rider of Marvel, Johnny
Blaze, in Hell, (while the rest of the Avengers are dealing Frank Castle, the
Cosmic Rider). The first 12 issues of ‘Avengers’ or so were mostly about the
Avengers, with Robbie being the new kid on the block, (and being in early
stages of a relationship with Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, yay). However,
from the ‘vampire civil war’ arc this series became increasingly about Robbie,
until we currently have him racing Johnny Blaze in Hell on one hand, and on the
other, we got the beginnings of a ‘Strikeforce’ comic arc, which is centered
around Blade instead. Not that I got anything against Blade – the man is going
to return to the movie screens…but this is not fully the point.
What is the point?
It unfolds as follows. To wit, Marvel Comics do not really know what to do with
the Avengers as a cohesive unit of comic characters anymore. They were
initially going for some sort of a Stone Age Avengers’ adventures, but that got
replaced first by the Ghost Rider, as Robbie Reyes’ TV series were going to be
his big moment in the spotlight, but now that that isn’t happening, the focus
is shifting instead to Blade and the Hellstrom siblings, who are still on to
being parts in the new MCU. More powers to them, I suppose, but still, poor Robbie.
He is out of the AoS, (even though the upcoming S7 is the end for them as well,
but still), and now he is not going to get his own TV show either. Ah well, I
guess now that Lance Hunter and Bobbi Morse from Marvel’s ‘Most Wanted’ are
going to get some company…
…This is it for now – see you all soon!
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