The mystery of Ghost Rider has been building throughout this season. This week, answers are revealed as we find out how Robbie Reyes was transformed. If that wasn't enough, Jeffrey Mace puts some plans into action, and more secrets from the Darkhold are unleashed.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 6 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, "The Good Samaritan," will be discussed below.

The Director Sends Simmons Somewhere

Last time, Simmons managed to outmaneuver Director Jeffrey Mace and got out of having to take mandatory lie detector tests. He knows she was hiding something, and it almost seems like he could be getting back at her by sending her away on a top secret mission. He wouldn't tell her what it was about or where she was going except she had to leave right away. Mace said it was for the good of the U.S. government and her expertise on Inhumans was needed. What made it worse was being required to wear a hood over her head.

The real reason for her going on this mission could have something to do with the secret deal Mace had to make with the evil Senator Nadeer.

Gabe finds out Robbie's Story

Gabe, Robbie Reyes' brother, hasn't seen him in a few days. Daisy shows up and brings him to Robbie on board the Zephyr One. When the Director arrives, the three have to hide in an Inhuman containment unit. Robbie comes clean about the day things changed. Robbie borrowed Uncle Eli's car in order to street race for money. He convinces Gabe to go with him. On their way, members of a street gang shoot them, and the car flips. Robbie was thrown from the car. Gabe couldn't move and thought his brother was dead. A good samaritan arrived on a motorcycle and pulled Gabe from the car. He then bent over Robbie to check on him, and Gabe saw his brother move.

Robbie explains it wasn't a good samaritan. It was the devil. When Robbie was thrown from the car and flying through the air, he begged God, the universe, and anyone that would listen to save his brother. When he landed, he did die. The devil came to him in a leather jacket with a flaming skull and asked Robbie if he wanted to hurt those that harmed his brother.

Ghost Rider vs Jeffrey Mace

Mace wants Daisy in custody and Robbie to to be held responsible for killing a prison inmate. Coulson tries explaining that they need them to stop Lucy Bauer in her ghostly form. Robbie is only interested in finding his uncle who was taken by Lucy. Fitz explains the containment unit will hold him since it's designed to lock up Inhumans. Robbie transforms and punches his way out. Mace steps up to take him on with his Inhuman strength. He's no match, and Robbie starts beating on the Director. Finally, Gabe yells out and manages to get Ghost Rider to stop.

Mace later agrees to let Robbie help them, but wants him to pay for his crimes.

Uncle Eli's Role in Everything Revealed

Through flashbacks, we find out Lucy's husband, Joe, became obsessed with the Darkhold book. He used it to further their experiments in creating matter. It turns out that Joe hired the thugs that shot Robbie and Gabe, with Eli as the intended target. Eli wanted the book from Joe. Eli turned the others into ghosts and beat Joe into a coma when trying to get the location of the Darkhold. He claimed he wanted to destroy the evil book but really wanted the power of a god for himself.

Coulson, Fitz, and Robbie Disappear

With Eli's true intentions revealed, he uses the power from the experiment on himself. Coulson tries stopping him by unplugging several components. A wave of energy is released, and Eli now had the power to create matter (or Zero Matter). Coulson was nowhere to be seen. The wave also hit Fitz in a control room and Robbie running down a hallway. It's not clear what happened to the three.

Our Thoughts

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There were a lot of answers on how this version of Robbie Reyes compares to the comic version. We've been wondering why the decision was made to have Uncle Eli innocent instead of the evil entity possessing his nephew. The big moment was the revelation of the good samaritan. All signs point to it being Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider. Last week, we saw a poster for Quentin Carnival where the Darkhold book was found. The carnival is where Blaze worked as a motorcycle stunt driver in the comics.

Robbie referred to the good samaritan as the devil. He had the appearance of Ghost Rider, but the design of his skull was different from Robbie's version. It doesn't make sense for Johhny Blaze to be able to pass on the power to another as this isn't something done in the comics. With his name not mentioned, all these clues could just be Easter eggs for fans.

The inclusion of Dark Matter and tie-in to Marvel's Agent Carter were nice touches. This was a big plot point of that show's second season. The Darkforce or Zero Matter was discovered in the 1940s when Isodyne conducted an atomic bomb test. A portal was opened and everything around was sucked in. It's possible Coulson, Fitz, and Robbie ended up in the Darkforce Dimension and will have to find a way back. This won't be too much of a shock for Coulson and Fitz since they visited the planet Maveth last season after going through a portal.

"It doesn't make sense for Johnny Blaze to be able to pass on the power to another as this isn't something done in the comics."

But this isn't the comics, so what doesn't or doesn't "make sense" for the TV show can't really be judged by that standard. From an objective viewpoint, if the Ghost Rider is a curse then there is a good deal of precedent in mythology/folklore/fairy tales/etc. for a cursed individual to be able to free him/herself if they can find another person willing to take on the burden of the curse of their own free will (or if they can trick someone else unto accepting it).

That said, I'm still leaning towards the Ghost Rider not actually being a supernatural being in the strictest sense (i.e., gods, demons, heaven, hell). He'll probably turn out to be some kind of extradimensional entity who was released into our world from the Dark Force dimension by the original experiment with the Darkhold.

All in all, this show has really been on a roll this season. Diego Luna is killing it as Robbie, and I think Chloe Bennet is doing some of her best work on the show. And I'm enjoying the addition of Mace as Director and Coulson back in the field. Since I doubt mace is here for the long haul, however, it'll be interesting to see who takes the big chair after he's gone.

With Josef and Lucy having found the Darkhold in the family home of the guy who killed the last person who had it, which was full of Johnny Blaze easter eggs, and the book having been brought back there before Eli got to him despite Josefs obsession with him lets me assume this is Blaze and he had a reason to be in town. Then again supposedly the guys on the show went through all the previous Ghost Rider designs, so maybe this was Ketch, who got his powers from Blaze the same way Robbie got them now.

Also they can really start making T-Shirts for the "I was dead and got better"-Club now given the rate at which their numbers are growing.

This show has been really impressing me this season, and this episode was a great example to show people just how powerful a Ghost Rider can be. Love the fear he's spreading mwahaha

I absolutely think it was Ketch that gave Robbie his powers. That bike screamed Ketch (even if you could only see a few parts)

Dang, I loved this episode! What a great twist on the GR origin. I'm pretty sure it'll be Blaze but we'll see.

I'm enjoying AoS way more than Flash this season.

Really thought the origin story was great. Hope this means we'll see some the other Ghost Rider (whether it's Blaze or not) and possibly Mephisto soon.

Fantastic episode. The effects were especially great with the flashback origin story. Agents of SHIELD continues to out do itself every season.

Loved the episode,not sure how I feel about Robbie's origins though...

This is defiantly better than anything DC is currently putting on Television. Although Gotham is having a nice story arc with Mad Hatter right now :)

Director Jeffrey Mace is defiantly become more of a dick in the series and that fight he had with Ghost Rider makes me wonder the extend of his abilities. Also his involvement with the woman from the media.

It was a nice swerve they did setting Uncle Eli up as the villain behind the scenes of everything. Where see what he does from here.

All other characters Daisy, Mac, May, Coulson play there roles excellently as well. This show leaves so much intrigue at the end. I love it

Does anyone have any theories where they sent Simmons?

Also think were see Bobbi and Hunter return? Maybe mid-season or towards the end.

Also idk about you guys. But I would love to see a Nick Cage cameo lol

Robbie referred to the good samaritan as the devil. He had the appearance of Ghost Rider, but the design of his skull was different from Robbie's version. It doesn't make sense for Johhny Blaze to be able to pass on the power to another as this isn't something done in the comics. With his name not mentioned, all these clues could just be Easter eggs for fans.

Clark Gregg already confirmed on twitter that it was Johnny Blaze.....or at least, he confirmed it was the "original ghost rider" which most people agree is Johnny Blaze.

Behold! Ala evidence!

Something with Watchdogs. Their leader is senator and she threatened to release video of Ghost Rider if Shield'd not do some favour to her.

@rubear said:

I would assume it's about the Senators brother and trying to free him from his cocoon. It is something that wouldn't necessarily equal an admission of the senator to work with the watchdogs and something Mace would agree to, because its not harming inhumans directly. My prediction is she suceeds by using the inhuman cure from Absorbing Mans blood and unwittingly gives it to the Watchdogs. Another prediction is the fact that Fitz and Simmons are both currently separated from the team will lead to May giving the Darkhold to Radcliff to try to bring them back, which couldn't possibly go wrong.