MCU: 5 Ways ‘Agents Of SHIELD: Ghost Rider’ Could Cross Over With The Netflix Marvel Universe

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was introduced with Iron Man in 2008, the world inspired by Marvel Comics has grown to include 13 films, four successful seasons of Netflix original series, and a pair of shows on ABC. Marvel’s Agent Carter was cancelled after just two seasons and 18 episodes, while Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recently began its fourth season with the introduction of Ghost Rider to the MCU.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t doing great in the ratings, according to TV By The Numbers, but it is doing well in its time slot at 10 p.m. EST for ABC on Tuesday nights. While Phil Coulson (and a few other minor characters) have appeared in the films as well as S.H.I.E.L.D., they rarely even mention anyone from The Avengers franchise by name. While their show definitely feels the impact of the major motion pictures, the same can’t really be said about the reverse.

One thing that fans love about the series on Netflix is the way the different shows intertwine and clearly exist in the same universe. Daredevil and Jessica Jones both take place in Hell’s Kitchen, so there are characters that exist in both worlds. Jessica Jones gave an introduction to the Luke Cage character, which spawned a series of its own as part of the build-up to The Defenders. Since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be the most forgettable part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they need to take advantage of the huge popularity of the Marvel series on Netflix.

While many fans would love to see a new series titled Marvel’s Ghost Rider show up in their Netflix queue, the planned productions of Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher — not to mention follow-up seasons to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage — give little breathing room for another new Marvel series. Instead, what follows is five ways that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could take advantage of the MCU series on Netflix and create crossover episodes featuring The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Foggy, Jeri Hogarth and even Iron Fist.

Quake and Ghost Rider visit New York

In the most recent episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daisy/Quake was forced to part ways with Robbie/Ghost Rider after being threatened by Robbie’s little brother, Gabe. There are 19 episodes remaining in the season, however, so there’s no reason to think that Quake and Ghost Rider are finished with each other. With SHIELD interested in finding both of them, it isn’t hard to imagine them fleeing Los Angeles and going to New York City, where all of the major Marvel “incidents” have been taking place. While hiding out from SHIELD — whether the arc lasted a single episode or spanned several — they could easily run into anyone from any of the Netflix series, giving MCU fans an extra reason to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Enlisting the help of Alias Investigations

It seems entirely reasonable that Agent Coulson and Director Mace could exhaust all of SHIELD’s regular resources while trying to track down Daisy and/or Robbie in the fourth season of S.H.I.E.L.D. Whether Quake or Ghost Rider ever try to hide out anywhere near Hell’s Kitchen, it certainly wouldn’t be long before an organization like SHIELD learns about a woman from New York with superhuman strength that killed a man who apparently had mind control powers. Bringing Jessica in for a show or two — and the promise of a showdown between Jones and Quake — would make Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a must-see for fans of Marvel Comics and the MCU.

Nelson and Murdock Law Office

In the most recent episode of S.H.I.E.L.D., the organization was re-introduced to the American public. It seems entirely possible, then, that one or more of SHIELD’s agents publicly gets in trouble with the law. And when a “gifted” employee of the federal government comes under fire, who better to handle the delicate situation than a lawyer with some special skills of his own? Whether Daisy comes back into the fold or Yo-Yo’s recent outing makes national headlines, it would almost certainly provide a boost in ratings if they were represented by Matt and Foggy.

Of course, the ending to the second season of Marvel’s Daredevil makes that a little difficult, since the Nelson and Murdock practice seems to be no more and Foggy apparently took a job with Jeri Hogarth’s firm. If bringing in Daredevil for some legal advice seems like too big of a move for ABC, then they could simply get legal advice from Franklin Nelson and/or Jeri Hogarth, allowing the tie-in to reach the shared world of both Daredevil and Jessica Jones.

The Punisher vs. Ghost Rider

The Marvel characters Punisher and Ghost Rider both have multiple major motion pictures, none of which are a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now that both men have been introduced to the MCU without any direct relationships to specific agencies, a one-on-one battle between the two could be of epic proportions. The set-up to the battle — which will obviously end before either character dies — isn’t all that important. If ABC advertises Jon Bernthal vs. Gabriel Luna on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the buzz it would create would make the episode ready for sweeps week.

Teasing Iron Fist or The Defenders

Rather than going back to reprise the characters and stories that already exist within the Netflix/Marvel Universe, perhaps Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could help introduce fans to an upcoming Netflix series — enough to whet the appetites of die-hard MCU fans. The first three seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended in May, and there’s no reason to think Season 4 won’t follow suit. With Marvel’s Iron Fist set to debut via Netflix on March 17, 2017, it would be easy to bring in Finn Jones for an episode to tease his role as Danny Rand/Iron Fist.

Or maybe Colleen Wing stops by to help train some of the new SHIELD recruits. Or, as the fourth season comes to a close, it doesn’t seem impossible for SHIELD to investigate rumblings they’ve heard about a group from New York called The Defenders — and maybe a rogue character calling himself The Punisher — teasing the other two Netflix series already scheduled for 2017.

Where To Watch

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesday evenings on ABC at 10/9c. Past episodes from Season 4 can be streamed on-demand with Hulu or ABC. The first three seasons can be streamed on-demand via Netflix.

Several series based on Marvel Comics can also be streamed on-demand via Netflix, including two seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil, and the first seasons of Marvel’s Jessica Jones and Marvel’s Luke Cage. In 2017, three new series will be introduced to Netflix subscribers, including Marvel’s Iron Fist, Marvel’s The Defenders, and Marvel’s The Punisher.

[Featured Image by ABC/Marvel]