A Cancelled Marvel Series Was Supposed To Start A Huge Crossover
This canceled Marvel show was supposed to tie into others. Here's the Marvel Universe that never was.
This article is more than 2 years old
Marvel Studios finally has the dice rolling for the television world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with successful shows like Loki, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and What If…? They have set the stage for a whole new lineup of shows which includes ambitious titles like Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, etc, which are all set to connect via one overarching storyline, with the heroes in each show destined to cross paths sooner or later. But as it turns out, this is not the first time that Marvel has planned a mega-crossover. They had similar, if not bigger, plans for the scrapped Ghost Rider series on Hulu.
Actor Gabriel Luna made his debut as Robbie Reyes, a.k.a Ghost Rider in the fourth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. A recurring character in the season, Reyes played a significant role in its plotline by helping Coulson and his team safely secure the Darkhold. This was Reyes’ live-action debut in the Marvel Universe, post which he was supposed to have his own series on Hulu.
The announcement was made, including the confirmation that Gabriel Luna was set to reprise his character. But just days after the pre-production began, Deadline shared that while the series Helstrom, which was also greenlit at the time, would premiere on Hulu, the streamer had reached “a creative impasse” when it came to the Ghost Rider series. And as the issues could not be resolved, the decision to scrap the show was taken. But apparently, the plans for the show had extended beyond the pre-production. Recently, during a chat with ComicBook.com, Gabriel Luna shared that the show’s layout was sketched out to crossover with other shows, like Helstrom, on Hulu and create its own little Marvel universe on the streamer.
Luna revealed that one of his own pitched crossover storylines would have pitted Robbie against a classic Ghost Rider villain. Lilith, Marvel’s Mother of Demons, “would have been the main villain of the entire crossover.” This crossover event would have connected the Ghost Rider series, Helstrom, and two more Marvel shows, creating a “very Defenders-esque” world on Hulu. But as it turned out, Hulu canceled the show before it could even begin production and Helstrom met a similar fate after just one season on the streamer. According to Luna, not only was it unfortunate for all the plans Marvel had for the character, but also a missed opportunity in terms of reflecting inclusivity and representation.
“There was a great opportunity missed for a character that was truly beloved and, for a Mexican-American superhero to be prominently displayed, ‘American’ being the operative word. I’m always trying to tell people that the goal is, of course, to have ourselves represented on screen, but beyond that, the ultimate goal, the next step is to have others who don’t look like us see themselves in us and that’s what I was hoping to achieve at that show and I think we were there,” Luna explained about the canceled Ghost Rider series on Hulu.
While Hulu went ahead and brought the ax down on the much-hyped Ghost Rider series, it has been rumored that Marvel Studios is developing a new project on the iconic character. Though it is still unclear whether he will be getting a series or a film, a few have reported the possible ways through which the character will make his MCU entry. Earlier this year, That Hashtag Show reported that Ghost Rider will be appearing in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Of course, there have been no official announcements yet, but Marvel has a penchant for surprising MCU debuts. So, you better keep your eyes peeled for a particularly fiery Spirit of Vengeance to make his long-rumored appearance in any of the upcoming Marvel projects.
