How can you watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 episode 1 online, legally… for free? You can’t. Broadcast networks don’t make it easy for cord cutters without a TV. Feel free to watch live or on-demand straight from the ABC website, but you will need a cable subscription login.
Hulu Plus is also an option, but ABC only allows episodes on a rolling-five basis. Sling TV is also an option to watch ABC, but only in certain metropolitan regions. Check if it's available near you here. There’s also the option to purchase each episode from Amazon or iTunes.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 should start with a bang. The premiere, titled “The Ghost,” will introduce Ghost Rider to the MCU. In an extended trailer released yesterday, S.H.I.E.L.D. is notified that a man is burning people in Los Angeles. At the same time, Agent May learns new S.H.I.E.L.D. director as ordered a shoot and kill for Daisy, who is going on a vigilante rampage as Quake.
The Season 3 finale really put a dent in Coulson’s stint as S.H.I.E.L.D. director. With Daisy on the run, the fallout of Hive, and the Sokovia Accords following the events of Captain America: Civil War, S.H.I.E.L.D. as we know it is no longer. Daisy, once the most important member of the Secret Warriors, is grieving after the loss of Lincoln. She’s hiding out because of the new registration laws and has her own vigilante agenda to deal with the substantial losses she endured last season.
We have yet to meet Ghost Rider, but he’s most certainly not like any enhanced person S.H.I.E.L.D. has seen before. It may take awhile for the team to help Robbie Reyes rein in his abilities, but Ghost Rider’s most likely here for the long haul. Season 4 is expected to go deep into his arc, which includes his little brother, Gabe. If he had won the street race (where he eventually became Ghost Rider), he was going to use the prize money to move his disabled brother out of L.A. Robbie’s relationship with his black muscle car is telekinetic. In Ghost Rider form, Robbie can teleport to or become one with his car. Ghost Rider can remotely control his car, and his trunk is a portal that can teleport people anywhere. When Ghost Rider’s in his fiery form, his supernatural powers render bullets and knives uneffective, making him nearly indestructible.
From what Agent May said in the extended trailer, Coulson’s team isn’t on the same page as the new S.H.I.E.L.D. director. Out of fear for Quake’s life, May called Coulson and Mack back to the bunker to give them a head start to go find her themselves. Not to mention, the new director took Mack and Coulson off Daisy’s case. S.H.I.E.L.D. itself is no longer in the shadows because HYDRA has been completely eradicated. The world still thinks Coulson is dead.
According to the premiere episode description, Agent Simmons and the new director have a close working relationship, which could fracture the team and her now serious relationship with Fitz. "With Simmons’ new promotion as Special Advisor to the Director in Science and Technology, Fitz, as well as her former team members, finds it hard to confide in or trust her since she’s now the Director’s confidant,” the synopsis reads.
Dr. Radcliffe may also cause some problems in the lab with his new AI tech. He created a Life Model Decoy, which we saw in the final moments of Season 3, called AIDA. If you're familiar with LMD’s in the Marvel Universe, you know they usually do more harm than good.
It’s unclear if there’s even a place on Coulson’s team for Quake or Ghost Rider at the moment considering they are both thought to be armed and dangerous by the public and the danger of the Sokovia Accords. Do you think Season 4 will see Daisy back working with S.H.I.E.L.D. evenutally? Let us know in the comments below!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 premieres Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
