Though quite a few of our favorite Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters are in different places this season (both physically and mentally), the cast made it clear at NYCC this past weekend that they’re all struggling with something.

Season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has already proven to be much different from the three seasons that have come before. It’s darker, moodier, and, so far, has nothing to do with HYDRA. But one of the biggest differences between this season and past seasons is how much its characters are struggling.

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Yes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters have had their fair share of struggles in the past. That’s just how storytelling goes. But never have so many characters struggled individually at one time. Not only that, but their struggles are of an internal nature rather than due to external forces.

We sat down with Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), Chloe Bennet (Daisy Johnson), and Gabriel Luna (Robbie Reyes) at NYCC 2016 to discuss their characters’ struggles and how they’ll affect the trajectory of the season (and of their characters’ paths).

Robbie is burdened with the Ghost Rider’s agenda

Robbie Reye’s main struggle this season is between the man he wants to be and the thing he becomes when the Ghost Rider takes over. One of the most difficult parts about that is the fact that every time the Ghost Rider rises, somebody dies. “Taking lives is part of that story,” Luna explained. “It’s a part of the character that I felt that I had to really be conscious of at all times and find that code, find that line, [and figure out] how does he approach that.”

After all, Robbie didn’t ask to be taken over. While talking about whatever deal Robbie made, Luna noted that the Ghost Rider is “something that was thrust upon him. He didn’t etch that code into his [being].” But, while Robbie may not have intended to become a figure of vengeance, he still has to deal with the consequences. Unlike other Ghost Rider incarnations, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Robbie Reyes doesn’t black out when he goes full-on flaming skull. “He remembers all of it… He feels the guilt,” the actor pointed out.

Luna doesn’t make any excuses for his character or his character’s actions, however, stating “[If] you do a deal with the devil, you take what comes.” The Ghost Rider (and the persona) is just something that he has to deal with. “It’s his shadow. It’s going to always be there,” lamented Luna. “You can’t shake your shadow… You just have to accept it as part of your soul.”

Luckily, through all of the darkness and heaviness that comes along with being the Ghost Rider, there is a glimmer of hope for Robbie’s character. The way Gabriel Luna sees it, “[Robbie’s relationship with his brother is] what saves Robbie from completely being swallowed up by the darkness… It’s his love for his brother that actually breaks the connection and pulls him away from this demon.”

Not only that, but his relationship with his brother really sets the stakes for his character. Gabriel means the world to Robbie and it’s through that relationship that we see just exactly what he has to lose and how much he struggles to keep him safe.

Daisy is buckling under the weight of her emotions

Like Robbie, Daisy is struggling with her inner demons. The only difference is that they’re a result of all of these unfortunate events in her past piling up. How did Chloe Bennet put it? Ah yes: “My mom tried to kill me, I tried to kill my dad, my dad killed my mom, we had to brainwash my dad, my two boyfriends died, one [that] died was a Nazi, and the other died saving me from the Nazi/squid-thing.” No wonder Daisy’s a bit broken at this point.

In order to save herself from the worst emotional pain imaginable, she’s isolated herself from the people she loves. Bennet explained that, by fleeing, Daisy is really avoiding everyone she cares about right now because she cares for them too deeply and it’s just too painful for her to be around them. After all, so many people she’s loved have died or been ripped from her. Not only that, but she has had a hand in hurting her loved ones in the past.

Daisy’s recent interactions with Robbie Reyes and the Ghost rider really reflect just how much pain she’s in. According to Bennet, Daisy almost doesn’t care about [anything] at this point. When she’s pinned under a flaming shelf in her first fight with Ghost Rider (which Bennet was quick to note that it was real, by the way) and she’s begging for him to end her, that’s an indication of how much pain she’s in.

Yet, it’s also her interactions with the Ghost Rider that make Daisy really think about what she’s doing. “Ghost Rider is holding a mirror to her,” Bennet explained. They’re both on their own, fighting people at night, and “wearing really nice outfits for homeless people.” To a point, both Daisy and the Ghost rider both seem like they’re doing the same things. Bennet sees Daisy questioning their similarities, pondering “Are we the same? Is what I’m doing or vengeance or for penance?” It could be her newfound connection to Robbie Reyes and the Ghost Rider that start turning Daisy around a bit.

But, while Ghost Rider evokes a bit of change from Daisy, Bennet believes that it’s ultimately up to Daisy to dig herself out of her hole. “This is a rough time for her, but one of her strongest traits is her resilience,” the actress said, optimistically. As a fan of season 1 Skye’s exuberance and optimism, Bennet is holding out hope that a happier and more level-headed Daisy will emerge eventually. “I’m so trusting in her to be able to get to that point again and I know she will.”

That being said, Daisy’s forgiveness of herself won’t be in an instant. It might happen slowly over the course of the season. Not only that, but it’ll most likely take the pain of a loved one to shake her out of her funk. “The only way [she] can get through this is to forgive [herself] for other people,” explained Bennet. “Everything [for her] is about other people.” The actress went on to say that Daisy is “so empathetic towards people and she’s so caring towards other people that I think she’ll probably have to [forgive herself] to help someone else. She’s gonna have to do it for herself, maybe for Coulson… He’s hurting because Daisy’s not there.”

Coulson is having control issues

Coulson is dealing with a lot of changes this season, both personally and professionally. To say that Coulson is struggling on this season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be an understatement.

When it comes to his personal life, Coulson is really grasping at what’s left of his team. After all, Daisy, Coulson’s pseudo-daughter, is hurting to the point where she’s gone rogue and won’t talk to him. One of his struggles at the moment is reconnecting with her and bringing her home. “The most important thing in his heart right now is getting [Daisy] out of danger,” Clark Gregg stated matter-of-factly.

However, Gregg acknowledged the fact that bringing Daisy back into the fold could be just as dangerous. He sees Coulson as being very torn between the Team Tony and Team Cap arguments about registration, wondering “Who’s registering them? Who’s keeping that information?” Gregg thinks Coulson is less than enthusiastic about Quake being registered by this new S.H.I.E.L.D. just because of his past experience with government agencies. Plus, in Gregg’s words, “It’s like asking how would you feel about registering your daughter?” It’s just not a good situation for Coulson to be in.

Speaking of Coulson’s wariness, Gregg described him as being skeptical about the new director because he’s like a “Madison avenue putz” (but with more knowledge). He doesn’t like that the director likes to solve problems by committee and form focus groups. Coulson is really not into that. In Gregg’s opinion, the trust between Coulson and Director Mace isn’t great and it’ll probably get worse.

One of the reasons for that could be the fact that Coulson is trying to readjust to being just an agent. Sure, he used to follow orders no problem in the pre-Winter Soldier days, but he seems to be wrestling with going back to following orders after making them for so long. “While it’s nice to not be the head that wears the crown,” Gregg mused, “I think he’s finding it difficult [to be] following orders from somebody who doesn’t know nearly as much about S.H.I.E.L.D. as he does.”

With so many things on his plate, it’s no wonder that Coulson is having a tough time. We’ll just have to keep watching this season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to see how he, Daisy, and Robbie Reyes overcome (or succumb to) their struggles.

Whose struggles will you be following closest on this season of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’?



Related: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The 5 best NYCC panel tidbits