Marvel

As “Agents of SHIELD” gets closer and closer to its September 20 season premiere, ABC has been hyping the arrival of Ghost Rider, whose addition to the series was first announced at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Entertainment Weekly released the first picture of Gabriel Luna as he will look playing the Spirit of Vengeance when his head is not a flaming skull.

For most people who haven’t read the Marvel comics, Ghost Rider is best known from Nicolas Cage‘s portrayal of him in the 2007 film adaptation of the series and its 2012 sequel, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.”

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But Luna’s Ghost Rider isn’t the same as Cage’s. That’s because in 2014, Ghost Rider was included as part of an ongoing initiative by Marvel to add more women and people of color to its roster of superheroes. In the years prior, we saw Miles Morales become Spider-Man, Sam Wilson take over as Captain America, and Miss America get reimagined as America Chavez.

So it was that Robbie Reyes, a Chicano teen from East L.A., became the new Ghost Rider. Instead of riding a motorcycle like the original Rider, Reyes drives around in a Dodge Charger. One night, while in a street race trying to win enough cash to move his mentally disabled brother to a better neighborhood, Reyes is gunned down by a gang looking for drugs that had been stashed away in his car — unbeknownst to Reyes.

Instead of dying, Reyes is possessed by a spirit named Eli, who claims to be a Spirit of Vengeance that will help him get back at the drug dealers. Reyes agrees and is transformed into Ghost Rider.

It turns out that the drugs were meant for the gang’s leader, who used them to turn into a massive beast named Mr. Hyde. With Eli’s help, Reyes slays Mr. Hyde and his gang, and becomes known as a dark protector of the barrio. Thing is, Reyes really isn’t interested in striking down the wicked as a full-time job, and instead uses the Ghost Rider powers to become the top street racer in L.A. Eli, furious with this new path, begins to take over Reyes’ body and go on a rampage.

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Fortunately, Reyes gets help from the original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze. Together, the two realize that Eli isn’t a Spirit of Vengeance, but actually a Satanic serial killer who tricked Reyes so he could take over his body and return to the living world. With Blaze’s help, Reyes manages to subdue Eli. Unfortunately, he will never be free of the evil spirit, so he makes a deal with him.

“Find me the worst scum on the planet,” Reyes says. “Find me the foulest, darkest degenerate souls to walk the Earth… People like you, Eli Morrow… And I’ll gladly destroy them. But I will kill no one else.”

According to Joss Whedon, “Agents of SHIELD” will put its own spin on how Robbie Reyes became the new Ghost Rider, but will take the comic book’s emphasis on Robbie’s relationship with his brother and make it a major part of the new season. “”We are staying true to the comics in the places where we feel like it’s really important,” he told EW. “We love the character’s family dynamic and the East L.A. kid in him.”

Season 4 of “Agents of SHIELD” premieres Sept. 20 on ABC.

All 30 Stan Lee Marvel Movie Cameos Ranked (Videos)

Every time a new Marvel movie comes out, the one thing hardcore fans can count on is a special cameo from comic book legend Stan Lee. Some have been fun surprises, while others have been underwhelming. With his next expected appearance in "X-Men Apocalypse" bringing the cameo count to 25, we're ranking all his guest roles thus far.
30.) "Spider-Man 2" (2004)
The bottom of this list consists of Lee's "blink and you'll miss it" cameos, but during the first fight between Spidey and Doc Ock, Lee sees enough screen time to pull a women out of harm's way.
29.) "Spider-Man" (2002)
Same here. Lee gets a freeze-frame shot during one of the big fight scenes in the Sam Raimi original. This was before Stan Lee cameos became a major part of the Marvel moviegoing experience, explaining why so little thought was put into them.
28.) Iron Man 3 (2013)
You can catch Lee for a split second as a beauty pageant judge in this film. Compared to some of the other recent Lee cameos, this one is extremely forgettable.
27.) "X-Men The Last Stand" (2006)
Lee appears in a flashback scene where Jean Grey demonstrates her powers. Another one of the more forgettable cameos, this one at least gives fans time to register who they're looking at.
26.) "X-Men" (2000)
This was the first Marvel feature film to include Stan Lee, and as such was purely an easter egg for eagle-eyed fans. Lee can be seen for several seconds, but he's not the focus of the shot as he is in later films.
25.) "Daredevil" (2003)
Here's where the cameos start getting good. Lee gets saved from walking into traffic by a young Matthew Murdock, marking the first time Lee is used as part of a gag in a Marvel film.
24.) "Iron Man 2" (2010)
This is another fleeting clip, but it ranks higher for portraying Lee as Larry King, complete with glasses and suspenders.
23.) "Fantastic Four" (2005)
The first film in which Lee talks with one of his creations portrays him this time as a mailman who extends Reed Richards a friendly greeting. Beyond that, there's nothing too special about this appearance, but it demonstrates the pivot toward increased focus on these cameos.
22.) "Doctor Strange" (2016)
This quick cameo sees Lee reading Aldus Huxley's "The Doors of Perception" and otherwise remaining completely oblivious to the otherworldly goings-on just outside his bus window.
21.) "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016)
Lee appears with his wife, Joan Lee, pop up in "Apocalypse" as a couple watching as the world's nuclear weapons are launched -- although luckily, they're being rendered useless in space. It was Joan's final appearance on film before her death in 2017.
20.) "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
Some films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe use Lee as the punchline for a gag scene. Here, Lee cameos as a military official at a White House press event that Cap no-shows.
19.) "Thor" (2011)
Here's another gag scene in which Lee uses a truck to try to uproot Thor's hammer from the crater in which it's stuck.
18.) "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
Lee plays a security guard at a museum where Cap's suit is on display. Unfortunately for Stan's job security, Steve Rogers needs it back.
17.) "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)
Lee returns to New York to join in the neighborhood lecturing the Web-Slinger about a slightly botched attempt at heroism.
16.) "Ant-Man" (2015)
During Luis' madcap story, Lee appears as a bartender. Hearing Michael Pena's voice come out of Lee's mouth is a great surprise gag.
15.) "Iron Man" (2008)
By the time "Iron Man" was released, Marvel knew its fans were on the lookout for the Stan cameo, so they put him in a smoking jacket, flanked him with some beautiful women and had him appear as Hugh Hefner.
14.) "The Avengers" (2012)
This is a bit of a cheat. The actual Lee cameo used was another quick shot that would have ranked low on this list, but the deleted cameo is too funny to exclude. As Cap struggles to adjust to life in the 21st century, Lee shows up to call him out on his obliviousness.
13.) "Thor: The Dark World" (2013)
Poor Dr. Selvig. After getting his brain scrambled by the Mind Stone in "The Avengers," he's left in a mental ward where he uses Stan Lee's shoe to deliver a lecture about the convergence theory before an ambivalent audience.
12.) "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)
It's already surreal to see Rocket Raccoon in a blockbuster. It's even weirder to hear him voiced by an A-List actor like Bradley Cooper. But nothing is as weird as seeing Rocket ask Stan Lee from afar, "Where's your wife, you old codger?"
11.) "Deadpool" (2016)
The raunchiest Marvel film deserves the raunchiest Stan Lee cameo. If you think it's weird to see him guest star as a strip club DJ, remember that this is the guy who created "Stripperella."
10.) "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007)
In a rare cameo as himself, Stan Lee tries and fails to get into a wedding guarded by a skeptical bouncer.
9.) "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014)
During Gwen and Peter's graduation, Lee spots Peter swapping his Spider-Man costume for a cap and gown. "I think I know that guy," he exclaims.
8.) "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
The movie's greatest strength is its balance of comedy and drama. At the film's close, Tony and Rhodey have an emotional moment together when Lee arrives to lighten the mood as a mailman looking for "Tony Stank."
7.) "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
Quentin Tarantino has been known to subject himself to some gruesome fates in his own films. Here Stan Lee gets a tough break as a poor sucker who accidentally gets gamma radiation poisoning from a contaminated soda.
6.) "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012)
While the first two "Spider-Man" films saw Lee scrambling to get out of danger, the Andrew Garfield reboot made him completely oblivious to it.
5.) "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)
Stan Lee follows his post "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" cosmic cameo and shows up as a barber on the planet Sakaar, looking to cut Thor's hair. Lee says, "And don't you move, my hands aren't as steady as they used to be!"
4.) "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017)
Seemingly confirming something Marvel fans have suspected for some time, Stan appears with the Watchers, the group of all-seeing cosmic beings who observe intelligent life in the universe. Fans have figured Lee shows up in every movie because he's a Watcher himself.
3.) "Hulk" (2003)
This cameo isn't a gag, but it is the best easter egg in any Marvel movie. The fellow security guard to whom Lee is talking is none other than original TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno.
2.) "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
Stan the Man's cameos may never get funnier than this. As Lee demonstrates, Asgardian ale packs more punch than Thor's hammer.
1.) "Spider-Man 3" (2007)
Our list began with a "Spiderman" film, so it's fitting that it ends with one. "Spiderman 3" may have polarized Marvel fans, but this Stan Lee cameo in which he smiles at Peter Parker is a heartwarming meeting between a comic book icon and his creator.

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TheWrap looks back at the comics legend’s sometimes forgettable — other times hilarious — onscreen appearances

Every time a new Marvel movie comes out, the one thing hardcore fans can count on is a special cameo from comic book legend Stan Lee. Some have been fun surprises, while others have been underwhelming. With his next expected appearance in "X-Men Apocalypse" bringing the cameo count to 25, we're ranking all his guest roles thus far.

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