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
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.