Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. made quite an impression during its seven-season run on ABC. The show received praise for a number of elements, including its cast, story arcs and visual effects. The series was also lauded for the various Marvel characters it introduced, one of which was the Robbie Reyes incarnation of Ghost Rider. The antihero was played perfectly by Gabriel Luna, which made it all the more disappointing when the character’s solo series was scrapped. Now, the star is sharing thoughts on whether he’d still be game to return to the role.
The Last of Us actor first appeared as the Spirit of Vengeance during the fourth season, which marked a bit of a tonal shift for the superhero series. After being at the center of the season’s first arc, the character disappeared but would eventually appear one last time in the season finale. Gabriel Luna recently reflected on his casting and his time on the show, among others and, during the discussion, he shared some honest thoughts on whether he’d reprise the role at some point in the future:
I try to stay in the moment. This is interesting, in talking to you, it's the first time I've done some recollection of the experience. You never say no. You always say that it comes down to the story. If it's a great story and it makes sense and if I still feel the way I felt when I was reading for Jed and Moe that first day with Sarah Finn, it was a few years back, if I still feel it's just like breathing, that's what I felt with the character previously, then absolutely.
Based on his comments to ComicBook.com, it sounds like the actor would be interested in playing Robbie Reyes again. One can, however, understand the conditions he would have regarding such a return. Though playing the character again would certainly be exciting for him, he’d likely want to take the supernatural defender to new places.
Gabriel Luna first spoke on the possibility of a Ghost Rider spinoff back in 2016 and, in May 2019, he and Hulu confirmed that the show was officially in development. It was revealed, however, that the series would have no ties to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aside from the lead character himself. Unfortunately, by September of that same year, it was reported that the streamer was no longer moving forward with the project, resulting in a disappointed reaction from Luna. A few months after that news broke, the actor attributed the development to the corporate changes that were occurring at Marvel Television at the time.
With Marvel Studios now overseeing work on all of the company’s small-screen productions, any revived project would theoretically be overseen by Kevin Feige and co. and exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper. The studio has not given any indication as to whether it has plans for any incarnation of Ghost Rider. But considering that the company is aiming to bring Blade and other supernatural characters into the franchise, the rider could arrive sooner rather than later.
Whether or not Gabriel Luna will be the one sporting the flaming skull remains to be seen. Still, it seems the actor is, at the very least, content with being a fan of all things Marvel. And who knows, maybe he will get another shot at the character down the road.
All seven seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are available to stream on Netflix.
