List of Ghostbusters characters

The ''Ghostbusters'' franchise spans multiple films, animated series, novelizations, comic books, and video games. Beginning with the 1984 live-action film ''Ghostbusters'', directed by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the premise and storyline have inspired sequels, spinoffs, and reboots. These entries into the franchise include an ever-expanding list of both recurring and original characters.

''Ghostbusters'' (1984)

Human characters

Peter Venkman

Peter Venkman is a focal member of the Ghostbusters. He is portrayed by Bill Murray in all three movies, and is voiced in the animated series by Lorenzo Music and subsequently Dave Coulier who would later reprise his role in a cameo in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. Peter is one of three doctors of parapsychology on the team; he also holds a PhD in psychology. In the movies, although he is the leader, he is characterized by his blunt persona, laid-back approach to his profession, and his womanizing demeanor; of the three doctors in the Ghostbusters, he is the least committed to the academic and scientific side of their profession, and tends to regard his field, in the words of his employer in the first film, as "a dodge or hustle". In the first movie, he is shown to develop genuine concern and romantic feelings for the Ghostbusters' first client, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver).

Raymond Stantz

Raymond "Ray" Stantz, another member of the Ghostbusters, is played by Dan Aykroyd in all three movies. He was voiced by Frank Welker in the animated television series ''The Real Ghostbusters'' and he reprised his role in a cameo in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. He is one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team, and Peter's closest friend. Ray is considered the "heart" of the Ghostbusters by the other members of the team, and the second in command. He is an expert on paranormal history and metallurgy. Ray is characterized by his almost childlike enthusiasm towards his work, and his outspoken acceptance of paranormal activity.

Egon Spengler

Egon Spengler is the brains of the Ghostbusters – described in the original script as a "New Wave Mr. Spock" – and the creator of the Ghostbusters' equipment along with Raymond Stantz. Lacking much of a personality other than his focus on all things scientific, he is often shown as lacking social skills when dealing with people. Egon was portrayed by Harold Ramis in the films ''Ghostbusters'' and ''Ghostbusters II'', voiced by Maurice LaMarche in the animated television series ''The Real Ghostbusters'' and ''Extreme Ghostbusters'', and Ramis' likeness was used for the character in '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', with Bob Gunton and Ivan Reitman acting as stand-ins for the late Ramis. LaMarche was the only voice actor to remain for the entirety of both series. Before the original movie was released, ''American Cinematographer'' described Egon as "maniacal" based on reading the script. Ramis credited the part as launching his acting career, as up to that point he had been a director and writer, with a smaller acting role alongside Bill Murray in ''Stripes''.

In ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', Egon is revealed to have had a daughter, Callie, prior to 1984, whom he is estranged from. Egon came to believe that the apocalypse would come. His continued research came at the cost of his relationships with his fellow Ghostbusters, who disbelieved Egon's assertions. This culminated in Egon stealing Ecto-1 and a large amount of equipment and moving to Summerville, Oklahoma, where he learned of Shandor's secondary Gozerian temple and Gozer's impending return. Egon rigged a proton barrier to contain the ghosts within the Shandor Mines while capturing one of Gozer's minions to force Gozer into a trap he set up. The trap failed, and Egon hid the captured ghost within his house. Egon is killed by the other entity, his death ruled as a heart attack.

Callie moved to Summerville to take possession of Egon's house. Phoebe, Callie's daughter and Egon's granddaughter who shares a similar passion for science with her late grandfather, discovered the trap containing Gozer's minion, which is released the following day by Gary Grooberson, and Egon's spirit guided her to his underground workshop, where he helped her fix a damaged proton pack. He also helped Trevor fix the dilapidated Ecto-1, and guided Callie into realising that, far from being a deadbeat, Egon had always watched over her.

During the final battle with Gozer, Egon materialised as a ghost in order to aid Phoebe and his old Ghostbuster colleagues in trapping Gozer permanently. He reconciled with his friends and family before passing peacefully into the afterlife.

Winston Zeddemore

Winston Zeddemore is played by Ernie Hudson in all three movies and the 2009 video game, and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first three seasons of ''The Real Ghostbusters''. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons, and he reprised the role in a cameo on ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. Hudson reportedly auditioned to reprise the role of Winston for the animated series, but he was rejected in favor of Hall. Unlike the other members of the team, Winston is not a scientist with a background in the paranormal; the novelization says that he was in the Marines. He is hired when the Ghostbusters' business begins to pick up. Despite not sharing the educational credentials of his coworkers, Winston often serves as the everyman of the team, acting as a voice of reason and displaying more common sense than the others. In the 2009 video game, Winston claims to have spent time in the Egyptian exhibit of the museum while in graduate school working on his doctorate, suggesting experience in anthropology or a related science, and addressing himself as a doctor, indicates that he has his own PhD.

The post-credits scene in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' reveals that Winston's post-Ghostbusters career was highly lucrative as he built several businesses from the ground up. In his discussion with Janine Melnitz, though, he reveals that nothing fulfilled him like being with the original Ghostbusters, which is why he has secretly been financing Ray Stantz's occult business. He vows to expand the support to the new crew as they continue Egon's work.

Dana Barrett

Portrayed by Sigourney Weaver in the first and second movies, Dana Barrett was a cellist living at 550 Central Park West (55 Central Park West), a haunted apartment building which would become the gateway for the apocalyptic deity Gozer the Gozerian. Dana is singled out early for unwelcome paranormal attention by Gozer's minions, and seeks the help of the Ghostbusters after seeing their advertisement on television. She is possessed by the demon Zuul, Gatekeeper of Gozer, who, along with Keymaster Vinz Clortho, opens the interdimensional gate to summon Gozer to Earth in the first film. She promptly attracts the romantic attention of Peter, whose flippant behavior causes her to doubt her decision to seek aid from the Ghostbusters. In the sequel five years later, Dana is a divorced mother of an eight-month-old boy named Oscar; Peter is neither her former husband nor Oscar's father. Dana was then working as a restorationist for the fictitious Manhattan Museum of Art. It is here that she (and later Baby Oscar) come to the attention of the evil Prince Vigo the Carpathian, whose malevolent spirit inhabits his massive self portrait. When Dana and Baby Oscar become the target of Vigo's plot, the Ghostbusters re-enter her life to save her, Baby Oscar, and the world once again.

Dana was also a neighbor of Louis Tully at 550 Central Park West in the first movie. The two remained acquainted, then became friends. Louis and Janine Melnitz baby-sat Oscar (and themselves became a romantic item) during the second film. Dana appears in the mid-credits scene of '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021), in which she and Peter are revealed to be married and settled in Cortland, and play with the cards Peter used to discover his students' psychic potential. Peter is hooked up to the "shock" machine, in which Dana is having pleasure by tormenting her husband with it. Dana is the only character that didn't appear in ''The Real Ghostbusters'' and '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game''.

Janine Melnitz

Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters's secretary, is played by Annie Potts in both movies, and is voiced by Laura Summer and Kath Soucie in ''The Real Ghostbusters'' and Pat Musick in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. Janine has occasionally worn the Ghostbusters uniform and used ghost-catching equipment in the animated series. During the first film, and in both animated series, Janine often flirted with Egon but he remained oblivious. She dated Louis Tully in the sequel.

In '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', Janine contacted Callie Spengler to inform her of Egon's death and to arrange for Callie to collect Egon's belongings. She informed Callie that Egon had accrued a large amount of debt. In the post-credits scene, she and Winston discuss the latter's success.

Louis Tully

Louis Tully is a nerdy accountant as well as a tax attorney and a neighbor of Dana Barrett, played by Rick Moranis in ''Ghostbusters'' and ''Ghostbusters II'' and voiced by Rodger Bumpass in the ''Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters'' animated series. He is possessed by the demon Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster who, along with Zuul, opens the interdimensional gate to bring Gozer to Earth in the first film. In ''Ghostbusters II'', he is revealed to have graduated from night law school, in which he implies that it was an inadequate educational institution, and, in the novelization, revealed that it was called Famous Lawyer's School & Dry-Cleaning Emporium. Due to his limited trainings in laws, he mostly handles matters relating to taxes and probate. He represents the Ghostbusters at their trial in his first court case.

In the film's deleted scenes, revealed that he has a cousin, Sherman Tully (played by Eugene Levy), a dermatologist on staff at the Parkview Psychiatric Hospital. Louis then takes up permanent employment with the Ghostbusters when they reestablish their business. In addition, Louis seeks to become the fifth Ghostbuster. At one point, he borrows a Ghostbuster jumpsuit and proton pack to attempt to help defeat Vigo the Carpathian. After the release of ''Ghostbusters II'', Louis became a semi-regular character on ''Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters'' as the Ghostbusters' legal and financial advisor. ''Ghostbusters'', like many films on which Moranis has worked, had him improvising some of his lines.

Louis is a playable character in ''New Ghostbusters II'' for the NES. He appears as a non-playable character in '' Lego Dimensions'' voiced by Mick Wingert. In his side quest on the Ghostbusters Adventure World, he requires the player's help to get more guests for his party. Although Louis did not appear in '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', it is obvious that he was the "other guy" that Peter referred to who tried to be a fifth Ghostbuster. Louis is still employed by the Ghostbusters, but he left a note on his desk saying that he is "feeling sick, going home early", explaining his absence (due to Moranis declined of reprising his role for the game) and it is filled with piles of paperwork needing to be finished. His own Ghostbuster uniform (with his name on it) hangs behind it as well, implying that he may have officially been a member. Louis is also tasked to scout locations to expand the team's operations beyond New York City.

Though the character did not appear in the 2021 sequel ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife,'' old aura scans of Louis taken from when he was possessed by Vinz Clortho are in Egon's storm-cellar laboratory.

Lenny Clotch

Lenny Clotch is the mayor of New York City. He was played by David Margulies in the films ''Ghostbusters'' and ''Ghostbusters II'', and by Frank Welker in the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. Though skeptical of the Ghostbusters due to his Catholic background (in reality, Margulies was Jewish), Clotch is apparently open-minded on the paranormal and thus quietly and reluctantly supports them when facing supernatural crisis. By 1989, Clotch is running for governor, and is assisted by Jack Hardemeyer until Clotch fires him for misconduct. By 1991, in ''Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', he is succeeded by Jock Mulligan as mayor.

Walter Peck

Walter Peck is a cynical, bully, ambitious, narcissistic, coward, and over-zealous inspector for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for the third district in the greater New York area, played by William Atherton. Spurred on by "wild stories in the media," Peck is sent to "assess any possible environmental impact" by the Ghostbusters' operation, maybe even believed that exposing them as fraudsters would help his career. Peter Venkman instantly dislikes Peck and refuses him access to inspect the premises, especially the Containment Unit Storage Facility. This confrontation leads to Peck getting official inspection orders and eventually having the Containment Unit shut off. The result is catastrophic, unleashing all the entities that were trapped and providing the 'sign' that Terror Dog Keymaster of Gozer, Vinz Clortho (possessing Louis Tully) was waiting for. Peck again confronts the Ghostbusters and orders them arrested, refusing to take responsibility and blaming them for the explosion at the firehouse, exposing his cowardice. This provokes Egon Spengler's furious attempt to assault him and Venkman and Ray Stantz to call him "dickless" in retaliation. Venkman even nicknamed Peck as "Pecker" out of scorn.

As the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984 begins, the Ghostbusters are released from jail and brought to City Hall. There they square off against Peck, trying to convince the mayor that the city, even the entire world is in danger. Peck's belief that the Ghostbusters were drugging the city with hallucinogens is invalidated by the authorities and experts. Evidence supporting the Ghostbusters' innocence is brought forth, humiliating Peck. The mayor sides with the Ghostbusters and has a furious Peck removed from his office. With the mayor's support, the Ghostbusters gear up and head off with a police / military escort towards their fateful confrontation with Gozer the Gozerian. Peck also heads up to 550 Central Park West (55 Central Park West) and bears witness to Gozer manifesting in Its Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man Destructor form. He eventually gets engulfed in Mr. Stay-Puft's melted remains, much to his public embarrassment and displeasure.

Despite this, later, in ''Ghostbusters II'', people like Peck from nearly "every state, county, and city agency" in the city sued the Ghostbusters and put them out of business for five years. This caused them to loathe short-sighted, selfish bureaucrats, exemplified by their interactions with the mayor's assistant Jack Hardemeyer and Judge Stephen Wexler.

Walter Peck appears only once in ''The Real Ghostbusters'' animated series, in the episode "Big Trouble with Little Slimer," voiced by Robert Towers. Having been fired from the EPA, Peck has become a member of the government organization B.U.F.O. (The Bureau of Unidentified Flying Organisms). Dead set on revenge, Peck became determined to prove that the Ghostbusters were frauds and end their business. His first attempt involved making a false call to try an arrest the Ghostbusters on trespassing warrants, though it backfires on him when the compound actually was haunted by a ghost. His next attempt involved taking Slimer away from them. Not believing him to be a real ghost, Peck had Slimer classified as a U.F.O, and pressed charges against the Ghostbusters should they refuse to hand him over. Peck then placed Slimer in a cyclotron machine in an attempt to destroy him, and changed the codes to prevent Slimer being rescued, but it had disastrous consequences in long-term use, forcing the Ghostbusters to stop it. This ended up being the end of Peck's career at B.U.F.O.; Since he almost threatened everyone in the compound with his reckless and selfish actions, Peck and his partner Calahan had their contracts terminated, and were let go from the agency.

In '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', Peck – again played by Atherton – went on to lead the PCOC (Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission), an agency overseeing the Ghostbusters; they remain in mutual enmity; Venkman continues to refer to Peck as "Pecker", and for his part, Peck still firmly believes that the Ghostbusters are scam artists despite evidence to the contrary. His attempts to discredit them have become an obsession, by which he causes himself more trouble when caught in the fight between the Ghostbusters and the spirit of Ivo Shandor. By the end of the game he has been captured by Shandor and begs the Ghostbusters to free him from his captivity. The Ghostbusters' recruit does so, but simply by severing his bonds with a proton stream and letting Peck fall on the ground. As a result, he angrily leaves telling the Ghostbusters that they wouldn't be seeing the last of him, again blaming them.

Supernatural entities

Slimer

Slimer is a translucent green blob creature, with two skinny arms, no feet, and several chins. In the first movie, Slimer was voiced by director Reitman, while Frank Welker voiced the green ghost in ''The Real Ghostbusters''. In the 1989 sequel ''Ghostbusters II'', Robin Shelby performed Slimer and Reitman again voiced Slimer but most of the footage shot was not used. In the late 1990s cartoon ''Extreme Ghostbusters'', Slimer's voice was provided by Billy West. Troy Baker voices Slimer in the 2009 video game, though with the sound effects used in the first movie. Aykroyd reportedly referred to Slimer as "The Ghost of John Belushi".

In the script for ''Ghostbusters'', Slimer is never called by any name. He is described by Dr. Ray Stantz ( Dan Aykroyd) as an "Ugly Little Spud," just before he slimes Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray). In Ghostbusters terminology, Slimer is designated as a "Focused, Non-Terminal Repeating Phantasm or a Class 5 Full-Roaming Vapor" (Class 5 manifestations are fully developed entities that lacked human forms). The creature's original title was "The Onionhead Ghost", which the film crew dubbed him for the horrible odor he used to scare a couple in a scene cut from the original movie. Slimer's personality is one of tremendous gluttony, and he is referred to as a "disgusting blob". In the movies, he is not named and makes short appearances. In the cartoon, he is known as Slimer, is able to speak, and demonstrates a child's intelligence and intense loyalty to Peter and the Ghostbusters with the personality of a dog. His role in the series is explained in the episode "Citizen Ghost", which primarily consists of a flashback to the immediate aftermath of the movie, where Slimer returned to the firehouse as the Ghostbusters were the first people to show any interest in him, the team "adopting" him as a means of testing ghosts and an ally after he helped them defeat ectoplasmic manifestations of themselves that had manifested from their old uniforms after the uniforms were exposed to ghostly energies from the containment unit. In the Marvel UK comics of the ''Real Ghostbusters'', Slimer had his own half-page sketch, in which Slimer's past life was covered; he was originally called King Remils ("Slimer" spelled backwards), a greedy, obese monarch who had died of heart failure.

Slimer's popularity soared from the subsequent spin-off animated television series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. Slimer later starred in his own ''Slimer!'' cartoons when ''The Real Ghostbusters'' was extended to a one-hour format. ''SLIMER!'' was briefly published by NOW Comics, a defunct Chicago firm. Artists included Mitch O'Connell and Mark Braun. Writers included Larry Parr who also wrote for the animated series. Slimer also appeared as a representative of ''The Real Ghostbusters'' in the animated anti-drug television special ''Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue''. Slimer was also the mascot for the Hi-C flavor " Ecto Cooler", which came out shortly after ''The Real Ghostbusters'', and was colored green. Slimer remained on the box well after the ''Real Ghostbusters'' was cancelled; but in 1997 the drink was renamed "Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen", and Slimer was removed. Slimer also had a toothpaste named after him. A more monstrous and "evil-looking" incarnation of Slimer appears in the 2016 reboot, as voiced by Adam Ray: it appears in the ghost havoc scenes, as it ravages a hot dog cart, but, as the Ghostbusters near to investigate, he steals the Ecto-1 and starts joyriding with other ghosts (including a Lady Slimer) around Manhattan, but the Ghostbusters decide not to shoot him, as the car contains a nuclear reactor. Later, they actually do shoot at the car to use the reactor to reverse the effects of the ghost portal, with Slimer and Lady Slimer sharing a kiss before falling inside it.

Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man – mascot for the fictional Stay-Puft Marshmallows company – became the chosen Destructor form of Gozer (towering roughly 112.5" feet tall) after Dr. Ray Stantz "tried to think of the most harmless thing, something he loved from childhood and that could never, ever possibly destroy them." Stay-Puft also makes appearances in the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters'' (most times friendly due to not being possessed by Gozer any longer, other times a bit cranky), and returns as a boss – the resurrected Destructor avatar sans Gozer – in ''Ghostbusters: The Video Game''. Stay-Puft was inspired by Peter O'Boyle, a security guard at Columbia Pictures whom director Reitman met filming his previous movie, '' Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone''. According to Sam Delaney of ''The Guardian'', "Stay-Puft's familiar mascot combined elements of real life brand ambassadors Bibendum (aka the Michelin tire man) and the Pillsbury Dough Boy." The costume was created by Bill Bryan using miniatures, optical compositing and Bryan himself in a latex suit. In the 2021 film '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', Gozer creates Mini-Pufts as minions out of Stay-Puft Marshmallows as distractions.

Gozer the Gozerian

Gozer the Gozerian is an eldritch entity revered by the Hittite, Mesopotamian and Sumerian cultures who appears as the first film's main antagonist, known by many titles that include "The Destructor", "The Destroyer", "Volguus Zildrohar, Lord of The Sebouillia", "Scourge of the Glethestements" and "The Traveler." Its base form being of an androgynous woman, leading to it typically being identified as female, and possesses numerous abilities at its disposal - its coming preceded by increased paranormal activity and the disruption of natural forces. As briefly mentioned in the film and fully covered by the 2009 game sequel, Gozer had a following on Earth around 6000 BC before being banished by the Babylonian goddess Tiamat following a protracted conflict between their followers. Via its chief minions – Terror Dogs Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster, Gozer can enter into another reality and offers those witness to its arrival to choose an avatar form known as a Destructor before proceeding to destroy that plane of existence, as it did in one dimension, a Torb (electric eel-like creature) and in another, a Sloar (reptilian humanoid that produces venomous ectoplasmic substance that conduct psychomagnotheric energy).

In the 1920s, cult leader Ivo Shandor and his followers set up Gozer's coming to Earth while predicting years that a cross-dimensional rip would occur. It occurs years after Shandor's death as the "Manhattan Crossrip of 1984", when Zuul and Vinz Clortho opened the portal for their master to emerge from the rooftop temple of 550 Central Park West (55 Central Park West). Being confronted by the Ghostbusters upon arrival, Gozer uses Ray Stantz's accidental thought to assume its Destructor form of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man before being banished back to its realm when the Ghostbusters fired their crossed proton streams on the gateway. Prior to it being banished, Peter Venkman mockingly nicknamed Gozer "flat top", "chick", and "prehistoric bitch" after its first attack. Thirty-seven years later, in Summerville, Oklahoma, revealed that Winston Zeddemore himself referred Gozer as "muffin" out of his own scorn against it.

Gozer "reappears" in the 2009 game via the Gozerian Mandala-revived form of Mr. Stay Puft, but was easily defeated since lacking a portal to Gozer's domain made it comparatively weaker than its initial manifestation along with its fixed manifestation as Stay Puft within Earth preventing Gozer from assuming more effective avatar forms and the fact the Ghostbusters upgraded their arsenal since their first encounter. Stay-Puft's defeat convinces a disillusioned Ivo Shandor to alter his plans while forsaking his faith in Gozer.

Gozer returns in the 2021 film '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' as the main antagonist. In the film, Egon learned of Gozer's eventual return in 2021 and moved to Summerville, Oklahoma, where the selenium used to construct the '' Shandor building''—from the first film—was mined from, to prepare a series of traps to stop Gozer permanently. Egon lured the disembodied Gozer to his farm after capturing one of its minions and preventing ghosts from flooding into Summerville, but the gambit failed, and Egon hid the ghost trap holding the creature. Egon is then attacked by the other creature, causing him to suffer a fatal heart attack. When the creature inside the trap was freed, it returned to Shandor's mine. Vinz Clortho and Zuul picked new hosts and return to the Gozerian temple, and Gozer was brought back to Earth in a form similar to its previous, but includes skeletal protrusions and spikes, with energy surging throughout its body (due to Jason Reitman's desire to use prosthetic like ''Aliens'' film series' that starred Sigourney Weaver instead of a form-fitting costume like the first film's and of a different actress as the character physically, and with Gozer being a shape-shifter, explaining the differences in appearance). This time, Gozer do not assume a Destructor Form when facing the Ghostbusters. However, it animates Stay-Puft Marshmallows as Mini-Pufts as minions. Egon's grandchildren, Phoebe and Trevor, re-enact Egon's plan to lure Gozer to the farm by capturing Zuul in a ghost trap to rendered it incorporeal, though the trap once again fails and Zuul is released with Gozer's physical form restored. It is confronted once again by the original Ghostbusters, including the ghost of Egon, who help snare Gozer while Phoebe battles the entity and Trevor fires a proton beam to power the trap. Gozer and its minions are again defeated by the Ghostbusters, trapped inside ghost traps buried underneath the farm, and its threat is neutralized. However, after Gozer and its minions are deposited into the firehouse's ecto-containment unit, a warning light blinks.

In Ghostbusters terminology from West End Games' role-playing game, Gozer would be a Class 7 Metaspectre. Gozer never appeared in ''The Real Ghostbusters'' animated series or receive a classification, but is referenced by Ray as a "Primal God" in the episode, "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster". Gozer was also used as a benchmark for other potent entities encountered, such as Proteus, Nexxa, Murray The Mantis and Great Cthulhu. Gozer was originally played by Yugoslav actress/model Slavitza Jovan and its demonic voice was provided by Paddi Edwards in the 1984 film. In the 2021 film, Gozer was portrayed by Emma Portner and an uncredited Olivia Wilde while voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Terror Dogs: Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster

Zuul and Vinz Clortho are the primary servants and harbingers of Gozer the Gozerian, their true forms being bipedal demons before manifesting in the physical world as horned quadruped hounds. Though they looked similar, Vinz's primary horns are twice as long as Zuul's. A pair of fully corporeal possessors, Zuul and Vinz seek out a mortal male and female to inhabit and turn them into The Gatekeeper and The Keymaster, respectively, for a sexual rite to open a portal for their master to manifest through. In Ghostbusters terminology from West End Games' role-playing game, The Terror Dogs would each rank as a Class 7 Metaspectre. In addition to their ability to dematerialize and possess mortals, The Terror Dogs exhibit other supernatural powers such as summoning lesser entities, levitating, telekinesis and shape-changing (usually the physical form of those they possess into their own horrific forms).

Prior to the "Manhattan Crossrip of 1984", manifesting through twin gargoyles atop 550 Central Park West (55 Central Park West), Zuul and Vinz possess Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) to summon Gozer. They are forced to their dimension by the Ghostbusters. While not necessarily the origin of the word "Zuul," there is a similarity with the ancient Maya word for dog, "tzul".

Zuul's name was referred to by Patty Tolan in the remake of the original film ''Ghostbusters'' (2016) after hearing strange recordings, implying that the setting of this film is a parallel universe to the original film and its sequels', though this was never explored further onscreen.

Zuul and Vinz Clortho reappear in '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. In the film, in addition to being minions and emissaries of Gozer, they serve as sentinels to stand and keep watch the temples devoted to their master including the one in Shandor's mine at Summerville. Because of this, for 27 years, they have been clashing with Egon Spengler after he arrived to prevent Gozer from returning. Egon captured one of them in an attempt to trap Gozer, but his plan failed and he hid the ghost trap underneath the floor boards of his house prior to being attacked by the other creature and suffering a fatal heart attack. After Egon's estranged daughter, Callie, moves to Summerville to inherit his farm, her daughter Phoebe uncovers the trap and unintentionally freed the creature inside with help from Gary Grooberson, and it returns to the Shandorian mine. Vinz Clortho chooses to possess Gary, while Zuul possesses Callie, and the two unite in the Gozerian temple in the Shandor mines to summon Gozer. Phoebe and Trevor attempt to enact Egon's plan to trap Gozer by trapping Zuul inside a ghost trap with Gozer and Vinz pursuing them to the farm. But the trap fails a second time and Gozer frees Zuul, who possesses Lucky before she is trapped for good, alongside Vinz Clortho and Gozer, after the original Ghostbusters appear to aid, and Trevor fires a proton beam to power the trap.

The Grey Lady

Dr. Eleanor Twitty a.k.a. The Grey Lady or "The Library Ghost", portrayed by Ruth Hale Oliver, is a lady in grey and the first ghost encountered by the original three Ghostbusters (Ray, Egon, and Peter) while they are investigating paranormal activity at the New York Public Library. When they attempt to touch her, she transforms into a much larger and more frightening skeletal form and causes the trio to flee the library in terror. Though they do not catch her, they get a scan of her and use the information to construct their containment grid and ghost catching equipment, allowing the creation of their ghost-catching business. In Ghostbusters terminology from West End Games' role-playing game, The Grey Lady would be a Class 4 Free-Floating, Full-Torso, Vaporous Apparition, as she was human in appearance and later identified by the Ghostbusters.

She returns in the 2009 video game, where much of her history is revealed, and the Ghostbusters uncover the tragic story of her death. She was once Dr. Eleanor Twitty, the New York Public Library's head librarian in the 1920s, and overseer of its Special Collections of ancient artifacts, stone tablets, long-forgotten tomes, and rare books. She was murdered in 1924 by philologist and oil tycoon Edmund Hoover, The Collector, a disciple of Ivo Shandor who seduced her for the ''Gozerian Codex'' among other rare books in her care. She is memorialized by the library as a dedicated staffmember who died protecting its properties. However, since Twitty's death, other librarians sense her haunting presence, eventually frightened one staff, Alice Melvin (Alice Drummond), in 1984. In the video game, the Ghostbusters discover her reading the ''Codex'' in the library's secret catacombs where she died before capturing her. Due to the ease of the capture, they state that she must have wanted them to recover the ''Codex'' to aid them in defeating Hoover after he died and became the guardian of the mandala node Shandor built into the library.

Dream Ghost

According to Tobin's Spirit Guide, dream ghosts are Class 4 benign entities that only manifest in the presence of a sleeping individual. Ray encountered with such spirit in his sleep, who was portrayed by ''Playboy'' centerfold Kymberly Herrin. In omitted scenes, she was originally a ghost who haunts Fort Detmerring guardhouse. It is believed that when alive she was a sweetheart of a military officer who stationed there over a hundred years ago. In the IDW Publishing's ''Ghostbusters'' comic book series, she is referred to as Jenny Moran and a spectral girlfriend of Ray, who can pass as human (looks normal, tangible, and does not leave ectoplasmic residue on contact) and in charge of training the Ghostbusters trainees as a drill instructor.

Ivo Shandor

Ivo Shandor, a surgeon and an architect of some renown during the early 20th century, was born in Romania around 1855, and he moved to New York City from Bucharest in 1898. Shandor is the overall cause for the circumstances in the events of the original film's canons and appears as the "boss" of the 2009 video game. He is played by actors Brian Doyle-Murray and J.K. Simmons in the game and the 2021 film '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', respectively. He is also a relative of Wolf Van Shandor, a famous artist who made mythological artworks. As an architect, his structural styles include Federal, Art Deco, Occult, and Gozarian (Mesopotamia). Having extensive knowledge on the occult and science that rivals Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz, despite being insane with a god complex, Shandor deemed that humanity is beyond redemption after the First World War. He established a cult of Gozer worshippers with close to a thousand followers based on his American family's ancestral island home on the Hudson River where he mass produced ectoplasm. John Horace Tobin, author of several reference books, infiltrated Shandor's cult and published his findings on their methods and history as ''Tobin's Spirit Guide''.

Shandor used his connections to steel mogul and disciple Cornelius Wellesly to design 550 Central Park West (55 Central Park West) as a temple to summon Gozer through, using materials from a mining operation he established along with the town of Summerville, Oklahoma in 1927. Shandor also developed a mandala across the city, with the New York Public Library, the Museum of Natural History, and the Sedgewick Hotel (built by Shandor's misanthrope follower Godfrey McCallister Sedgewick) as key nodes protected by demonic spirits who were originally his three top disciples (Edmund Hoover, Cornelius Wellesly, and Evelyn Lewis). The fourth node is located on Shandor Island (before it sank) and is guarded by a captured Sloar, a demon that produces the black slime that powers the Mandala system and flows into a series of abandoned city subway tunnels, turning New York City into a hot spot for supernatural activity. His cult also had experimented with time travel, attempting to find artifacts from the future that would reveal the outcomes of their apocalyptic schemes, but managed to retrieve a disc ''Ghostbuster'' (1984) DVD from an unknown origin, implying that the Cult of Gozer had breached a universe where details of the Ghostbusters' world are fictitious, but unable to play it because DVD players do not exist yet. After Shandor apparently died in 1945 reputed from complications surrounding an experiment he was performing on himself, his body was believed to be buried in a cult-owned mausoleum in what is currently Central Park, his resting place desecrated like most other deceased New Yorkers'. Apparently having no living relatives, revealed to have a descendant in Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, Shandor's fortune and resources are managed by a foundation under his name.

Shandor's original scheme comes to fruition during the events of the first film in 1984, when the sufficient energy collected causes Gozer's minions, Zuul and Vinz Clortho, physically manifest in preparation for their master's coming. The Ghostbusters foil Gozer's entry and neutralize it. As revealed in the video game, Shandor is also indirectly responsible for the events of ''Ghostbusters II'', as the psychomagnotheric "mood" slime produced on his island was discovered by the malevolent spirit of Vigo the Carpathian underneath the Manhattan Museum of Art; he used Shandor's substance to strengthen himself and to pursue his own apocalyptic agendas after his cursed painting's arrival at the museum.

After decades of operating behind-the-scenes, Shandor finally makes an appearance in ''Ghostbusters: The Video Game'' as a main antagonist of the game. It is revealed that prior to his death he made pacts with the Gozerian pantheon, allowing his spirit to become a powerful deity in exchange for his services. By 1991, Shandor possesses the body of Mayor Jock Mulligan and makes Peck head of PCOC to hinder the Ghostbusters, while he uses his descendant – Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn – to invoke the nodes of his mandala and revive Gozer's Mr. Stay-Puft Destructor form. But Gozer was easily defeated by the Ghostbusters and failed to capture Ilyssa, the disillusioned Shandor forsaking the deity and decides to use the mandala on himself to become a god-like being self-titled the Architect (Class 7 Transformed Mortal Remnant). But he underestimates the Ghostbusters and is defeated after they cross their proton streams during the fight after following him into the ghost world.

The 2021 film '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' reveals that Shandor's preserved body was placed in a glass coffin within a Gozerian temple he built under the Shandor Mines, which doubles as a back-up portal for Gozer to manifest through in 2021. Egon learned of this and dies attempting to prevent Gozer's return. After Spengler loses his life to stop Gozer, he wills his home to his estranged daughter Callie and grandchildren Phoebe and Trevor. Guided by Egon's spirit, Phoebe and Trevor discover his old ghostbusting equipment and learn of Shandor's plan. Revived in his body once Gozer fully manifests, Shandor praises the deity and expresses his desire to rule by its side before being promptly ripped in half.

The ''Ghostbusters'' script lists the spelling of the surname as Sandor, which is pronounced "shandor" and in fact is spelled Šandor as a moderately common Croatian surname and very popular firstname in Hungary.

''Ghostbusters II'' (1989)

Human characters

Oscar Barrett

Oscar Barrett (played by William T. Deutschendorf and Hank J. Deutschendorf II) is Dana Barrett's baby boy, born 8 months prior to the beginning of ''Ghostbusters II''. He is nearly sacrificed to serve as a new earthly incarnation of Vigo the Carpathian, but is saved by the Ghostbusters.

There has been speculation as to who Oscar's father actually is. Sigourney Weaver – on the June 14, 1989 episode of "The Arsenio Hall Show" – recalled she thought the father was the Violinist from the Lincoln Center scene. Referred to by Venkman as "The Stiff," the Violinist is given the name "Andre Wallance" in the novelization of the 1984 movie, 'Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular.' On the 1999 Ghostbusters DVD commentary track, both Joe Medjuck and Ivan Reitman state that Oscar's father is the Violinist. In July 2016, Ivan Reitman changed his opinion to Oscar's father probably being Peter Venkman ( Bill Murray ). However, this is contradicted by Dana and Peter revealing in ''Ghostbusters II'' that they had long not been involved in a romantic relationship. According to Dana, her former husband, and Oscar's father, was a fellow orchestra employee and their relationship fell apart after he accepted a job offer for an orchestra in London.

Peter says to Oscar in their first scene together, "You know, I... I should have been your father. I mean, I could have been..."

Jack Hardemeyer

Jack Hardemeyer (played by Kurt Fuller), is Mayor Lenny Clotch's assistant. Like Walter Peck, he is skeptical of the Ghostbusters' operations and tries to discredit them. After overstepping his authority and having the Ghostbusters committed to a psychiatric hospital under the pretense of protecting the mayor's political interests, Hardemeyer is then fired for his misconduct. However, on Liberty Island, Hardemeyer is by the mayor's side again during him giving a Key to the City to the Ghostbusters, indicating that he got his job back. In a deleted scene, it is revealed that he was originally supposed to be killed off by the mood slime, but it changed because it is too gruesome for a family comedy film.

Janosz Poha

Dr. Janosz Poha (played by Peter MacNicol) is Dana Barrett's boss at the fictional Manhattan Museum of Art. He is somewhat nerdy and harbours a hopeless love interest in her. Janosz is later enslaved by Vigo the Carpathian to bring Dana's baby Oscar to serve as a new vessel for Vigo's evil spirit. However, Vigo's plan for reanimation is stopped by the Ghostbusters, who also manage to free Janosz from Vigo's spell.

Supernatural entities

Vigo the Carpathian

Vigo the Carpathian (full name: "Prince Vigo von Homburg Deutschendorf") (Wilhelm von Homburg) appears in the second film as the main antagonist. He was a sadistic, power-hungry 16th/17th century tyrant of Carpathia and the conquered country of Moldavia. He describes himself as the "Scourge of Carpathia" and "the Sorrow of Moldavia." His unfortunate subjects gave him other titles: Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the Torturer, Vigo the Despised and Vigo the Unholy. During his time, he was as despotic as other notorious tyrants in history like Attila and Genghis Khan, and according to Leon Zundinger's article in the occult text ''Magicians, Martyrs and Madmen'', that "Carpathia was in a constant state of turmoil" until he died. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray)—upon hearing all these unflattering titles—cynically commented, "Wasn't he also 'Vigo the Butch?

Born in 1505, Vigo was skilled in black magic, enabling him with an unnaturally long-life span. It came to an equally unnatural end when in the year 1610, he was "poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched, disemboweled, drawn and quartered." In spite of all that, as Ray Stantz ( Dan Aykroyd) notes about Vigo, "just before his head died, his last words were, 'Death is but a Door; Time is but a Window... I'll be back! Vigo was based on Vlad the Impaler (the inspiration for Dracula by Bram Stoker), and in part on Grigori Rasputin, who also survived several attempts on his life.

In addition to the dark arts, Vigo was also skilled in painting. This combination provided him with the means to remain within the mortal realm after death. Vigo's spirit possesses and remains within his life-size self-portrait, which inevitably arrives at the restoration department of the fictitious Manhattan Museum of Art in 1989. In Ghostbusters terminology from West End Games' role-playing game, Vigo would be a Class 4 Full-Torso Apparition, as he was human in appearance and identified easily. However as the events of ''Ghostbusters II'' progressed, Vigo drew strength from the negatively-charged rivers of psychomagnotheric "mood" slime (revealed later in '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game'' produced by the Gozarian cultists under Ivo Shandor) flowing beneath Manhattan. In doing so, his potency increased to the comparable levels of a Class 7 entity. With his newfound power, Vigo manipulates art gallery curator Dr. Janosz Poha into finding a child whose body he can permanently inhabit at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day, causing a supernatural crisis throughout the city that later labeled as the "Vigo Incident of '89". Janosz chooses Oscar, in return for being allowed to take Dana as his wife. His plan is foiled by the Ghostbusters' use of positive mood slime, disrupting his attempts to possess Oscar. Needing a host, Vigo briefly possesses Ray Stantz, but this allows Winston Zeddemore a better aim for firing his slime blower before Egon Spenglar and Peter Venkman with their neutrona wands and he is again trapped within his painting.

In the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters'', Vigo was mentioned in the sixth episode of season 5 "Partners in Slime", indicating that there was a version of the character in the animated ''Ghostbusters'' canon.

In ''Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', the portrait of Vigo is stored in the Ghostbusters' firehouse as one of the cursed artifacts they collect and filed. Though unable to again be a threat without access to Shandor's psychomagnotheric slime to draw strength from, Vigo can only taunt anybody who approaches him. He also makes cryptic predictions based on real-world history, as the game's release post-dates the time period of the game by nearly two decades, along with outcomes of the game's future events.

Vigo's full name is a combination of the stage name of Norbert Grupe (aka Wilhelm von Homburg), who played Vigo, and William and Henry Deutschendorf, the twins that played the baby Oscar. The menacing voice of Vigo was provided by Max von Sydow.

The Scoleri Brothers

Nunzio and Tony Scoleri were portrayed by puppeteers Tim Lawrence and Jim Fye, respectively, and co-created by Henry Mayo with collaborations with Lawrence, Thomas Enriquez, and Howie Weed. In the film, the brothers were convicted murderers sentenced to death by electric chair by the then-newly appointed Judge Stephen "The Hammer" Wexler at Ossining Correctional Facility in 1948. Forty-three years later, they return as electrified ghosts when Wexler was trying the Ghostbusters in court, exposing the judge's cowardice in the process. Nunzio also carries the trial's prosecutor to the hall; the prosecutor survived but was traumatized by her ordeal.

''Extreme Ghostbusters'' (1997)

Eduardo Rivera

Eduardo Rivera (voiced by Rino Romano) was first introduced as one of the next generation of Ghostbusters in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. He seemingly a lazy, sarcastic and somewhat clueless character, Eduardo nevertheless makes himself an integral part of the team by being determined and reliable. Eduardo, along with Garrett, resembles original Ghostbuster Peter Venkman in that, like Venkman, Eduardo is sarcastic, has a penchant for pursuing attractive women, and is generally unscientific and constantly spouts pop culture references. He also reads "J.N. Kline" young-adult horror novels. Eduardo has a long-running subplot dealing with a love/hate relationship between him and Kylie, although it is very much revealed "In Your Dreams" that he has intimate feelings and dreams about her. These feelings are further enforced in that he is usually the one to rescue Kylie from dangerous situations, and vice versa, in several episodes. He once said to Kylie herself that nothing was going to happen to her "while e'saround". In fact, in the episode "Darkness at Noon" he outright admitted to Kylie, who was possessed by a ghost at the time, that he felt an attraction of sorts when he saw her for the first time and even showed the intention of kissing her when Kylie asked him to. In "The Unseen" he takes the rap for Kylie's mistake, not wanting "the worst day of her life to get any worse". In "Rage", Eduardo reveals to have an older brother, Carlos "Carl" Rivera, an NYPD officer who is angry with Eduardo for not being a police officer like the rest of their family, and thinks the Ghostbuster are a scam, which is why Eduardo kept his job a secret. In the same episode it is also implied that his father is dead (or at least retired) as he and Carlos refer to him in the past tense during a heated argument. In "Fear Itself", it is revealed that Eduardo has a fear of death (specifically his own). He has a vicious rivalry with Slimer, but has ended up working with the ghost, and volunteered to save him in "Slimer's Sacrifice". He also has an on the surface rivalry with Garrett with the two often mocking each other and attempting to one up the other. In spite of this as the series goes on the two seem to have the closest thing to a friendship even though Garrett's enthusiastic personality completely contrasts Eduardo's cynical attitude. (The official website claimed he slacks off due to fear of failure.) Despite all his cynicism and slacking he demonstrates a reasonably high level of intelligence as in the episode "Eyes of a Dragon" he states how the proton aspect of light works to Kylie and later on how to defeat the ghost of that episode. Eduardo was also the one to smash a cursed orb, causing the eye-stealing ghost to disintegrate in the episode "The Unseen" and also continued the incantation that destroyed the demon of an alternate dimension in which he, Roland and Kylie were imprisoned in the episode "Casting the Runes". Eduardo has also exhibited bouts of jealousy whenever Kylie seemingly flirts with other men and in "Till Death Do Us Start" he showed signs of sheepish nervousness when asked if he and Kylie were together.

Kylie Griffin

Kylie Griffin (voiced by Tara Charendoff) was first introduced as one of the next generation of Ghostbusters in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. She is appointed by the group to carry the ghost trap on her back. She becomes involved with the Ghostbusters after enrolling in Egon Spengler's course at City College of New York. Kylie shares certain traits with Egon, such as knowledge of the supernatural. Both are eccentric and socially awkward and they both had encounters with supernatural beings from their childhood (Egon met the Boogeyman and Kylie's friend was taken by the Grundel). As part of ''Extreme Ghostbusters'', Kylie is featured in the video games ''Extreme Ghostbusters'' for the Game Boy Color, '' Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1'' for Game Boy Advance and '' Extreme Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Invasion'' for the PlayStation. She was also the basis of several action figures from Trendmasters. Kylie is widely regarded as the fan favorite of ''Extreme Ghostbusters''.

Kylie reappears as a supporting character in IDW Publishing's ''Ghostbusters'' comic. She first appears in issue 5 in 2012 as the manager of Ray Stantz's occult book shop. In November 2012, it was announced that Kylie would be made an official Ghostbuster in issues beginning in February 2013.

Roland Jackson

Roland Jackson (voiced by Alfonso Ribeiro) was first introduced as one of the next generation of Ghostbusters in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. He is the mechanic of the group. Roland is the most level-headed and mechanically-gifted of the new Ghostbusters, helping Egon repair and improve the Proton Packs and Ecto-1; his reason for joining Egon's class was seeing the Ecto-1 at an auto show. Roland approaches the paranormal from a practical point-of-view, and in the episode "Fear Itself" reveals that his only fear is the dangerous breakdown of his equipment. In "The Infernal Machine", he became disgruntled that his technological efforts were being taken for granted. Roland's strongest wish is to get into the Ivy League and become a doctor. He's a very staid, square personality, slow to anger, though he came close to striking one of the racists in "The True Face of the Monster"; it is implied he has had to deal with racist attitudes before. Roland has twice come under the mental control of villains, the Siren in "Sonic Youth" and Luko in "The Infernal Machine". "Grease" reveals Roland is the oldest in a lower-middle-class family and volunteers for the Little League and helps the homeless; in "Grundelesque" we meet his very mischievous younger brother whom Roland (at first) refuses to believe is a troublemaker. Like Winston, Roland is the only African American member of the team, yet he has a talent with machines like Ray.

Garrett Miller

Garrett Miller (voiced by Jason Marsden) was first introduced as one of the next generation of Ghostbusters in ''Extreme Ghostbusters''. Garrett is a lifelong wheelchair user, has a very 'jock'-like attitude and is a huge fan of extreme sports and attempting mad stunts. In the episode "Grease", it is revealed that Garrett was born with the inability to walk and studying to be a physical therapist, and throughout the series he only refers to his condition to mock it (and in "Be Careful What You Wish For", uses it as an excuse to dump some work on Eduardo). He is the most headstrong and enthusiastic of the new Ghostbusters, often claiming that he is in it only for the adrenaline rush; he was left bitterly disappointed in "Ghost Apocalyptic Future" to learn he was the only Ghostbuster ''not'' remembered in the future dystopia. While he studies to be a physical therapist to help other disabled people, his secret dream is to be an NBA star. In "Fear Itself", it is revealed that Garrett is claustrophobic (though he never admits it to anyone), and has a deep disdain towards the FBI ever since the incident where two agents arrested them under the belief they were causing the sabotages and released a gremlin they recently captured while they were on a plane. He has a rivalry with Eduardo, the two of them constantly bantering and trying to one-up each other. In "Deadliners", we find out Garrett wrote a (bad) horror story starring himself (the other Ghostbusters died on the first page, to their annoyance). Like Ray, Garrett is the most enthusiastic. Garrett is the only Ghostbuster in the history of the franchise never to be made as a toy (all other Ghostbusters received at least two toys, including Louis and Janine), presumably due to the implausibility of having the wheelchair as a separate assembling piece. Though a prototype figure was made. Bob Higgins has said that during a focus group of young children, the creators found Garrett was the most popular character: "when we asked... which of these characters would you want to be and they all wanted to be Garrett, they all wanted to be the guy that does the crazy things. They all wanted to be the guy that was the leader and they all kind of saw him as the leader of this group ven though he wasn't.

''Ghostbusters: Answer the Call'' (2016)

Human characters

Abby Yates

Dr. Abigail L. "Abby" Yates is portrayed by Melissa McCarthy in the 2016 film, and is the Ghostbusters' de facto leader.

In the novelization, she transferred to Erin's high school after moving from Indiana in her senior year. The two became fast friends due to their fascinations with the paranormal, and spent their college years at the University of Michigan researching ghosts. They collaborated on a book about their findings, but Erin backed out of a planned interview after her graduate advisor at Princeton panned the project. Undaunted, she moved to New York City to continue her research. Like Erin, her expertise is Particle Physics, but Abby fancies herself as a fearless parapsychologist, having an additional degree in the field.

In the film, she rereleases her book without Erin's consent, threatening her bid for tenure. When Erin demands to have the book taken down, Abby complies, in exchange for her participation at a ghost investigation with Holtzmann at the Aldridge Mansion Museum. She shares traits with Ray Stantz, for both sometimes get possessed, and they both have the same enthusiasm and talent for invention. Abby hires Kevin Beckman because she needs a muscle-strong person to carry heavy equipment. Unlike Erin and maybe Jillian, she do not find him attractive, revealed later that Abby likes huskier men.

Erin Gilbert

Dr. Erin Gilbert, Abby Yates' second-in-command, is played by Kristen Wiig in the 2016 film. She is introduced as an assistant particle physics professor at Columbia University, but her bid for tenure fails after her previous research into the paranormal with Abby comes to light. Having been repeatedly stalked by a ghost of a deceased neighbor when she was 8 years old, Erin later loses her belief in the supernatural after years of psychiatric therapy paid by her family but regains it after encountering Gertrude Aldridge's ghost.

She shares traits with Peter Venkman as both kept getting slimed and are also team leaders with a sense of humor and attraction to the opposite gender. Erin is attracted to Kevin Beckman, and she had tried to seduce him; her motive of hiring him as a receptionist is for her to look at.

In the novelization, she is depicted as having grown up near Battle Creek, Michigan; she met Abby in her senior year of high school and spent much of her time at the University of Michigan researching ghosts with Abby. She did postgraduate work at Princeton University and got her doctorate at MIT. In the extended version of the film, revealed that Erin was dating fellow Columbia University professor Phil Hudson (Justin Kirk), but their relationship ended after Erin got fired. Also, like Egon Spengler, Erin is prone to violent reactions when pushed too far temperamentally and has a powerful right cross when in altercations that would break one's nose.

Jillian Holtzmann

Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann is portrayed by Kate McKinnon in the 2016 film. An engineering physicist by training who just missed being admitted to CERN, she is introduced as Abby's research partner on the paranormal (taking over Erin Gilbert's position) and becomes the team's equipment designer, constructing their proton packs as well as a range of auxiliary weapons. Though she is a member of the LGBT as an openly crossdresser and implied to be a lesbian (as McKinnon is in real life), Holtzmann seems to be attracted to Kevin Beckman's charisma despite his stupidity, teasing that unbeknownst to herself a bisexual woman. She is hinted to have a romantic interest in Erin, as seen in an alternate ending scene where she claims that they are dating, as well as several other instances of flirting throughout the film. Her mentor is Dr. Rebecca Gorin (Sigourney Weaver), revealed later in IDW Comics's series ''Ghostbusters 101'' that she is a parallel universe counterpart of Dana Barrett.

In the novelization, it is revealed that several of her peers in school started calling her by her last name because "Jillian" sounded too feminine, and by the time of the film she almost never answers to her first name. She shares traits with Egon Spengler; both are highly intelligent, tend to do strange things, and eat junk food.

Director Paul Feig confirmed in an interview with The Daily Beast that Holtzmann was supposed to be a lesbian, or somewhere on the LGBT+ spectrum, but the studio refused to allow that detail into the movie and instead left the audience to more personally interpret her character. She was also observed by some viewers to depict autistic traits, or more specifically, someone with Asperger syndrome.

Patty Tolan

Patricia "Patty" Tolan is portrayed by Leslie Jones in the 2016 film. She works for the New York MTA as a subway booth attendant, and is the only member of Abby's team who does not have an advanced degree, but is working on her master's in history. She is however, a big fan of non-fiction and is a municipal historian with intense knowledge of New York's history. After contacting them to report a ghost sighting in one of the tunnels, she joins the team and borrows a hearse from her uncle Bill Jenkins's funeral home that is eventually converted into Ecto-1, a vehicle for personnel and equipment transport.

She shares traits with Winston Zeddemore (revealed later in IDW Comics's series ''Ghostbusters 101'' that her uncle is a parallel universe counterpart of him) as both believe in the supernatural without being scientists, and are African American.

Kevin Beckman

Kevin Beckman is the Ghostbusters' receptionist in the 2016 film, played by Chris Hemsworth. He serves as the male counterpart to Janine Melnitz from the first two films, a "fellow in distress" (a damsel in distress role thus in Dana Barrett's position), and an embodiment of the jock stereotype. In the film, the team is skeptical about hiring him since he is silly and a bit of a dullard. However, he gets the job because no one else applied, and he is seen as a nice, calm guy. Additionally, the girls desperately need his help on carrying heavy equipment due to him being a muscleman. Erin Gilbert nurses a crush on him, and even Jillian Holtzmann is apparently also attracted to him, with the former has tried to seduce him. Kevin sometimes provides jokes throughout the film. Later, he is inspired to be a fifth Ghostbuster. Kevin becomes possessed by the spirit of Rowan North, who uses him as a host and goes to the Mercado Hotel to activate the device to unleash the ghost army in New York City. The Ghostbusters arrive in the building to save him and Rowan discards him but the girls catch him when Kevin falls down to the floor. After repelling Rowan's invasion, Kevin is back in his job as the girls see him as a valuable worker in their business.

Rowan North

Doctor Rowan North appears in the 2016 film as the main antagonist, portrayed by Neil Casey. In the film, he is essentially a combination of Gozer the Gozerian and Ivo Shandor. Numerous diplomas on his wall indicate that he is a scientist, having earned a Bachelors and a Doctorate in Physics from Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively, making him a foil personality to Abby Yates, Erin Gilbert, and Jillian Holtzmann. However, due to his psychiatric disorder, Rowan is unable to find work in his field and works in the Mercado Hotel as a maintenance man.

Rowan is miserable with his life and blames everyone for him being scorned and mocked. An occultist with a god complex, Rowan plans revenge by unleashing a ghost army in New York City. He places ionizers (similar to the Ghostbusters' proton packs) he built all over Manhattan connected to the main machine in the Mercado Hotel, as a former site of paranormal history of violence that sat on the intersection of ley. He uses the ionizers to charge ley lines running through Manhattan, intending to activate a vortex between the mortal and ghostly dimensions. Rowan also used the book called "Ghost from Our Past", written by Gilbert and Yates, as foundation for his plans, developing his technology based on their research. When the Ghostbusters discovered his plans, he killed himself with his main machine. However, while reading Rowan's copy of her book, Gilbert discovers that Rowan planned to commit suicide all along so he could become a godlike ghost (Class 7 manifestation) powered by his machine's ionized psi energy. After briefly possessing Abby, Rowan possessed then Kevin Beckman as host to get to the Mercado and activate the portal machine, resulting in the unleashing of ghosts in New York. When the Ghostbusters arrived, Rowan discarded Kevin and took on a perverted, gigantic form of the caricature ghost from the Ghostbusters logo and went on a rampage. The women destroyed the vortex by firing their neutrona wands at Ecto-1's reactor, detonating a nuclear explosion inside it. Rowan was pulled into the Ghost World, but caught Abby, trying to kill her. Erin entered the dimension and saved her, while Rowan was banished in that dimension, ending his invasion.

Supernatural entities

Gertrude Aldridge

Gertrude Aldridge, portrayed by Bess Rous, was the first ghost seen by Erin, Abby and Holtzmann in the 2016 film, in a similar role to the Library Ghost in the 1984 film. Gertrude Aldridge was the psychotic eldest daughter of a wealthy New York City aristocrat who murdered her family's servants. To avoid scandals, rather than turn her to the police or have her committed, the Aldridges lock her away for life in their manor's basement, feeding her through a small slot on the door. This secret is eventually discovered by another family, the Mulgraves, after they found her father's journal and remains, and they later discovered that the basement is haunted after hearing Gertrude's wailing. The manor becomes the city's haunting attraction, and the house has turned into a museum. However, after its supernatural activity had diminished at some point, the Mulgraves and their employees then fake them to keep the manor opens.

In the present day, she haunts the Aldridge Mansion Museum when tour guide Garrett (Zach Woods) was about to head home. As soon as Garrett heard her banging on the basement door, he makes numerous attempts to escape before clinging on a collapsed stair for dear life. Gertrude later reveals herself from the green ectoplasm on the floor, with Garrett shrieking. Despite these attacks, Garrett manages to escape and informs his boss Ed Mulgrave Jr., who is well-aware of the manor's supernatural history, contacts Erin for help. While Abby and the group were inspecting the mansion, her spectral manifestation appears from the basement door, electrified by Rowan North's ionizer, and moving towards the group. When Erin tries to communicate with her, Gertrude suddenly transmogrifies and vomits ectoplasm on Erin, then escapes out of a wall and into the streets.

During Rowan's invasion of New York City, the team, calling themselves "Ghostbusters" encounter her again, alongside the Electrocuted Ghost found in the subway and Mayhem. She participates in the battle by picking Erin up off the ground and throwing her to a nearby pilgrim ghost. She later attempts to attack Erin again with "Sparky", but they end up getting knocked back by a proton shotgun blast.

Electrocuted Ghost

The Electrocuted Ghost (not to be confused with the Scoleri brothers of the 1989 film), also known as "Sparky", is the second ghost Erin, Abby and Holtzmann spotted at Seward Street Subway Station in Auburn, New York. It is heavily implied that he is the ghost of William Kemmler, the first inmate executed by electric chair at Auburn Prison in 1890. He is portrayed by Dave Allen. Shortly after Rowan North (Neil Casey) gave his train ticket to Patty Tolan, he disappeared onto the tracks, causing Patty to go tell him to get out. Instead of finding him, she finds a device on the tracks. The device then opens, revealing the Electrocuted Ghost, causing Patty to flee. Later, the team arrive with Patty and after inspecting the tracks for a bit, Sparky appears. The team decides to test their new proton lasers on him, but the first attempt did not have enough power to even reach the ghost. After being caught in the second attempt, a train later hits Sparky, nearly killing the group as well. Patty then states he will be the third scariest thing on the train.

The Ghostbusters encounter "Sparky" again, alongside Gertrude Aldridge and Mayhem during the Battle for New York. He joins Gertrude Aldridge in trying to attack Erin, but they get knocked back by a proton shotgun blast, which caused him to disintegrate.

Mayhem, the Gargoyle Demon

Mayhem, the Gargoyle Demon is a Class 5 supernatural entity that haunts Stonebrook Theatre. Its origins are unknown but likely it was not human based on its demonic appearance, claiming the theater as its territory, and it manifested after Rowan North planted his ionizer there. The creature plays the similar role to Slimer in the 1984 film as being the first spirit the Ghostbusters have caught during their public debut, even having the same color. Mayhem later escapes, during which it kills paranormal debunker, Dr. Martin Heiss (portrayed by Bill Murray), by throwing him through a window.

The Ghostbusters encounter Mayhem again, alongside Gertrude Aldridge and "Sparky" during the Battle for New York.

''Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021)

Human characters

Phoebe Spengler

Phoebe is portrayed by Mckenna Grace in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. Phoebe is the youngest grandchild of founding Ghostbusters member, Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), born in 2009. She is intelligent, resourceful, inquisitive, and in many ways takes after her grandfather, aspiring to be a scientist. She initially is a skeptic on the paranormal-like ghosts until the encounter with her ghostly grandfather. Trying to fit in with normal social cues, Phoebe attempts to connect with people, leading her to use a series of bad jokes. She also tells jokes to cope with her anxiety or to distract others. Like Egon, Phoebe is also a puzzle and chess hobbyist. In addition, she is skilled in locksport. As stated by her mother Callie, Phoebe is having difficulty relating to her father due to them having nothing in common. Due to the family's financial troubles and eviction, Phoebe travels with her mother and older brother Trevor to Summerville, Oklahoma to begin anew at the farmhouse left to them by the now deceased Egon. It is here that she discovers the farmhouse is being haunted and a hidden ghost trap belonged to her grandfather, and her family's connection to the original Ghostbusters team's legacy. Rather than being scared, Phoebe is curious of the house's poltergeist after knowing that the ghost is benign, leading her to discover that the entity is the grandfather she never acquainted. Fascinated with the Ghostbusters and their exploits and technology, she then restores their equipment after Egon leads her to his storm cellar laboratory, during which she alters one of his jumpsuits for her to wear, eager to become a Ghostbuster. In time, Phoebe becomes confident of herself when facing dangers. Being lonely, Phoebe befriends a boy who goes by the name Podcast, another outcast who believes in conspiracy theories, and bonds with her grandfather, despite his being a ghost. She eventually forms her own team and using Egon's lab as the new Ghostbusters' headquarters, with her being their de facto leader and field scientist, and comes face-to-face with Gozer, helping to trap the malevolent being. After Gozer's is defeated once more, Phoebe grieves over her grandfather after seeing his departure to the afterlife.

Trevor Spengler

Trevor is portrayed by Finn Wolfhard in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. Trevor is the eldest grandchild of founding Ghostbusters member, Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), born in 2006. A motorhead, he loves cars and is his family's mechanic, responsible for the maintenance of his mother's Subaru Outback. He finds and eventually repairs the Ghostbusters' customized Cadillac, ECTO-1 (with little of Egon's ghost's help in mending circuits). Unlike his sister, Trevor bears no resemblance to their maternal grandfather, embodies average teenage boy stereotype of obsessing with driving and girls, and stated by his mother that he takes after their father and they are close. At the same time, he adjusts to their new life in Summerville, Oklahoma, gets himself a job as a carhop at the drive-in diner, Spinners Roller Hop, to help his mother financially and to be close to the waitress Lucky Domingo. Trevor is a skeptic, and as supernatural phenomena begins to occur in Summerville, he becomes a reluctant third member of his sister's Ghostbusters team after Podcast, serving as the Ecto-1's driver.

Podcast

Podcast is portrayed by Logan Kim in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. Podcast is Phoebe's classmate in Summerville Middle School; he befriends Phoebe after seeing that, like him, she also needs a friend, and then he develops a crush on her. He is a paranormal believer and conspiracy theorist who made a series of vlogs detailing strange events and occasional restaurant reviews in Summerville, in which his forty-six episode is the most popular and attracts Ray Stantz as his first (and only) subscriber. Though not scientifically-minded like Phoebe, Podcast himself has high intellect and is skilled in critical and historical thinking, as well an able investigator. Podcast suspects that Egon Spengler was murdered and staged by his killers of him died from a heart attack. He keeps Egon's Aztec Death Whistle as a souvenir and his means against evil spirits (which is not effective when facing the gluttonous ghost Muncher, and the actual purpose of it is still in debate, ranging from intimidation tactics to ceremonial object for human sacrifice). After learning Phoebe's relation with one of the original Ghostbusters, he becomes a second member of Phoebe's own Ghostbusters team and field detective.

Lucky Domingo

Lucky Domingo is portrayed by Celeste O'Connor in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. Lucky is a classmate at Summerville High School who befriends Trevor soon after he moves to town. She also works at Spinners Roller Hop as a carhop and is the daughter of the town sheriff. Her family has been living in Summerville since her great-grandparents following town's establishment, implying that members of her family have worked for Ivo Shandor even if they having no involvements with his dubious activities. Hating her tedious life and seeking adventures, Lucky becomes a fourth member of Phoebe Spengler's Ghostbusters team after Trevor.

Callie Spengler

Callie (née Spengler) is portrayed by Carrie Coon in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. Born to Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) in 1982, Callie is divorced and unemployed, and her marriage ended in bad terms. She struggles to make ends meet and tries to save money, even personally giving her children haircuts, resulting of them have awful pompadours, and then her family evicted from their apartment due to delinquent rent payments. Having never acquainted with Egon, it is implied that Callie is abusing alcohol to cope with the painful memories of growing up fatherless. However, Callie is aware of him was a Ghostbuster but apparently she do not share his beliefs with the supernatural. Like her father, Callie also likes Chinese food, even shares his fondness with egg rolls. She receives news from Janine Melnitz that a farmhouse in Summerville, Oklahoma was left to her following the death of her father. She learns the truth about her father and realizes how wrong she was about him. When Egon appeared as a ghost, she finally reconciles and made peace with him before he departed.

Gary Grooberson

Gary Grooberson is portrayed by Paul Rudd in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. He is Phoebe and Podcast's science teacher and a seismologist, while also investigating mysterious local earthquakes that similar to detonations of nuclear weapons underground since 2010. Despite being a scientist, Phoebe initially stereotyped Grooberson as a moronic middle school football coach based on his unkempt appearance and seemingly laid-back attitude. Besides having expertise on seismology, Grooberson also has knowledge in world history and culture, indicated by his familiarity with cuneiform writings and Aztec objects. However, he wrongly claimed that an Aztec Death Whistle is for warding evil spirits. He is also a fan of the Ghostbusters and loves popular culture like cinemas and comic books. Needing income while staying in Summerville, he takes the job as a summer school teacher. However, because most of his students are delinquents and not interested in learning, he just let them see old violent movies in his classroom and get paid while focusing on his investigation except Phoebe and Podcast, whom he mentors in science and mystery solving, and he favors Phoebe because of her being scientifically gifted along with him being infatuated with her mother Callie. When Phoebe brings Gary a Ghost Trap she found in the Spengler farmhouse, he assumes it is a replica. When she asks a replica of what while she and the class watch 1988's '' Child's Play'' on TV, Gary informs her and Podcast of its purpose and origin. After discovering the device is real and thus realizing Phoebe's relation to Egon Spengler, Gary is supportive of Phoebe following her grandfather's footsteps as a Ghostbuster. After Gary and Callie begin dating, Phoebe initially feels uncomfortable, but she later accepts due to her liking Gary. Gary plays a news clip on YouTube, showing them footage of the Ghostbusters during what came to be known as the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984.

Sherman Domingo

Sherman Domingo is Summerville's sheriff and Lucky's father, and is portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine in ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. In the film, Domingo and his deputies take on both Walter Peck and Jack Hardemeyer's roles as short-sighted bureaucrats who are skeptical of the neophyte Ghostbusters' operations in Summerville. He and Deputy Medjuck (portrayed by Dan Aykroyd's daughter Stella) pursued and arrested the kids after they stopped the rampaging ghost Muncher for the damage incurred. His officers are fascinated with Egon Spengler's equipment after learning that the "dirt farmer" was an inventor, implying that they want to steal them. Spengler's granddaughter, Phoebe, dislikes Sherrif Domingo and his staff, and tempted to fire a proton stream at them after they confiscated the Ghostbusters' gears and called her grandfather a lunatic, like Egon's past reaction to Peck. Later, during an interdimensional crossrip event caused by the town's presumed-deceased founder Ivo Shandor, Domingo's daughter joins the neophyte Ghostbusters team to combat the returning Gozer, and, instead of maintaining orders, his department cowardly flees, allowing the neophyte Ghostbusters to retrieve their equipment from the evidence storage.

Supernatural entities

Muncher

Muncher, voiced by Josh Gad and creature designed by Brynn Metheney, is a new ghost described by the creators as a new generation of Slimer. In life, he was a miner working for Shandor Mining Company who couldn't get enough of the ore he was mining for. After his death, his ghost was conjured into the mortal world by a seance gone awry in the 1940s, in a selenium processing plant owned by his employer. Since then, he is trapped in the factory manager's office where the conjuring occurred. Like Slimer, Muncher is also a Class 5 manifestation and gluttonous spirit, and he is extremotrophic, specifically eats metals and ores, similarly to bacterium ''Halomonas titanicae''. In addition, because of the munching noise he makes while chewing, he is named Muncher by Phoebe and Podcast, after they found him in the plant, where he is eating pipes. After Podcast provoked Muncher with his ineffective death whistle, Phoebe is forced to fight the ghost with her proton pack to defend themselves. Following a failed attempt to capture him in the plant, Muncher flees into Summerville and heads to Shandor's mines, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake; the kids have no choice but to stop him, as they are the only people around with the Ghostbusters' means. Phoebe, Podcast and Trevor successfully capture Muncher, but release him later on when they return to Summerville Sherriff Department to retrieve the equipment Lucky's father seized from them. Muncher eats through the bars of the cell housing the Ghostbusters equipment and flees.

References

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