Ghost Rider Live Action

So with my last post being about the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows and with me currently, re-watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, I thought I would talk a little about the Ghost Rider's that have been portrayed in either movies or t.v.. The most recent incarnation of Ghost Rider was Robbie Reyes on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it is my favorite incarnation so far.

To be fair, I have tried to give the Ghost Rider movies, starring Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze, their fair shake, but they are almost cringe-worthy in the way that Punisher Warzone is cringe-worthy.

This was the transformation of Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance. It is a pretty silly transformation. One reason could be the technology at the time, but that reason basically goes out the window when you look at the movies that were released the same year such as Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. The CGI work in the movie can be blamed on budget, but it does not make up for the silliness of the transformation overall.


Meanwhile, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. the transformation looked like Robbie was in pain and he was constantly struggling to contain the spirit. The Robbie Reyes character as a whole has a really compelling backstory and character build. It is amazing that the television show had such a better looking transformation than a big budget movie.

Most of my dislike for the Ghost Rider movies comes from the absurdity of the Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance as Ghost Rider, the first movie, was an okay movie. Nicholas Cage actually portrayed an okay Johnny Blaze in that movie. The movie was on par with most of the non-Marvel Cinematic Universe movies released in that time period. This may not seem like a ringing endorsement, but those movies are somewhat enjoyable.

If you are a Ghost Rider fan and have not seen this incarnation you definitely need to check out Season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he is part of the entire first arc. Once you watch that arc, make sure you continue because while Ghost Rider is a great start of the season, it only gets better from there.

If you have seen both live action Ghost Riders, let me know which you prefer!

Marvel Cinematic Universe TV Shows

Photo From tvtropes.com

As a kid I remember watching Marvel cartoons on TV often. Looking back on it I don't think they were on nearly as much as I remember but still. We were lucky enough to have Iron Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic Four and an Incredible Hulk cartoon. This does not even take into account, Spider-Man Unlimited or X-Men: Evolution. Both pretty good cartoons in their own rights.

Now however, we live in time where our larger than life superheroes are actually larger than life because we can watch them on the big screen. The cartoons were my entrance into the comic and superhero world, however the movies were the evolution of my fandom. Seeing Iron Man on the big screen re-ignited all of my childhood imaginations. What's cooler than a superhero that has a suit of armor for every situation? If he needs to go into space, he has a suit for that. He needs to go into a volcano, he has a suit for that. You know it and he either has a suit for it or he can create one. 

However, I digress from the point of this. Marvel still produces cartoons, but now they produce live action TV shows as well. We live in a time were just in the Marvel Cinematic Universe there are multiple live action shows.  Within this universe there is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, The Punisher, Runways and the soon-to-be released shows of Cloak and Dagger and The New Warriors. This is on top of the feature film entries in this shared universe. 

With all of these shows available, it can be extremely hard to pick a favorite. I happen to like all of the entries to varying levels. My two favorites are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Daredevil. However, that is to take nothing away from the more polarizing shows like Agent Carter and Iron Fist. They both had positives they brought to universe. 

This is a day late and maybe a dollar short, but as a comic book fan, I am grateful for all of the comic related entertainment available and especially the TV shows which I never dreamed a network would take a chance on.

Let me know what you're favorites are or were. If you want to talk about the 90's cartoons, please leave a comment and we can discuss them. They're amazing!