| “ | I collect spores, molds, and fungus. | „ |
| ~ Egon Spengler |
Dr. Egon Spengler is the overarching protagonist of the Ghostbusters franchise.
He was portrayed by the late Harold Ramis. Ramis' likeness was used in Ghostbusters: Afterlife while Bob Gunton and the late Ivan Reitman served as body-doubles. In The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters, he was voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
History[]
Egon is a former professor of paranormal studies at the Columbia University. Upon his termination, Egon founded Ghostbusters, Inc. along with Doctors Ray Stantz and Peter Venkman. He is considered the brain behind the Ghostbusters and has designed and built nearly all of their equipment, including the Proton Pack and the Storage facility. Typically, Ray is the only other member of the Ghostbusters who has no trouble understanding Egon's technical jargon.
Biography[]
Ghostbusters[]
Egon was very interested in paranormal phenomenon, even while working with both Ray Stantz and Peter Venkman at the University. He and Ray Stantz studied paranormal literature in their spare time and were interested in theories of reincarnation.
Egon was usually the first to interview case subjects, adding to their mantra, "we're ready to believe you." Examples were Dana Barrett from her Zuul encounter and her carriage phenomenon with Oscar. Even people Peter called "schizo" always went to either Egon or Ray to describe their paranormal experiences, no matter how far fetched their stories were. For his part, Venkman once took back everything negative he said about him, rewarding the fellow scientist with his favorite candy bar (a Crunch bar).
Egon also developed the technology behind the P.K.E. Meter, the Proton Pack, the Trap, and the storage facility, he was also aware of the danger of crossing the streams. He spent a lot of time focusing on the stability of the storage facility, and was concerned about the possibilities of a P.K.E. surge of dangerous proportions. Egon was particularly critical of Walter Peck's actions and his attitude that the Ghostbusters were responsible for the explosion of the containment unit that occurred when Peck ordered a municipal worker to shut the unit down. After their encounter with Stay Puft, Egon suggested an atypical solution when he recommended blasting Gozer's dimensional portal while crossing the proton streams to reverse the particle flow and send Gozer back to her/its dimension.
Egon once tried to drill a hole in his own head, (A process known as trepanation.) which "would have worked" if Venkman hadn't stopped him.
Ghostbusters II[]
Due to the large amount of collateral damage the city of New York suffered from the battle with Gozer, the Ghostbusters were sued by nearly every county and city agency in New York. Additionally a judicial restraining order was enacted which barred the Ghostbusters from performing services as paranormal investigators and eliminators, effectively putting them out of business. Five years after the events of the first film Egon was working at the Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research and was conducting experiments on human emotions.
A negative test involved keeping a couple with marriage problems locked in a room for hours and gradually raising the temperature. A positive test involved a girl in a room with dozens of stuffed animals and a puppy. He was the first person Dana Barrett contacted when her baby carriage took off by itself. Egon recommended bringing in Ray, and they both performed a physical exam on Dana's son Oscar. Egon, along with Peter and Ray were later arrested after digging a large hole under 1st avenue as part of their paranormal investigations to help Dana. During the course of their trial they were found guilty of willful destruction of public property, fraud, violating their judicial restraining order, and malicious mischief by judge Stephen Wexler (whom Egon said was known as "The Hammer")
While angrily insulting the trio judge Wexler inadvertently released the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers; two murderers he sentenced to death by the electric chair. During the chaos judge Wexler dismisses the charges against the Ghostbusters, and rescinds the judicial restraining order allowing Egon, Ray, and Peter to capture the ghosts, effectively putting the Ghostbusters back in business. Egon had a dry sense of humor, of which he used on Peter to bewilder him, and smirked at his friend's cluelessness on what the word "epididymis" was. Egon primarily worked with Ray, both of whom were still living at the Firehouse, conducting research on the pink slime. Still very scientifically minded, Egon seems to have loosened up a little bit, letting his sense of humor show and even giving Dana a smile and Peter (who was carried away with photographing Vigo's portrait), a knowing smile.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]
Ego appears alive at the beginning of the film before being killed and in the climax as a ghost to stop Gozer and save his family.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]
Ego does not appear in Frozen Empire (due to him now being long dead) but he is mentioned a few times though out the film and is seen in photos and videos.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game[]
Egon becomes significantly more 'hands-on' during the course of the video game. He and Ray instruct the Rookie in the use of the Proton Pack and its eventual PCS (Paranormal Countermeasure System) upgrades. Over the course of the game, it becomes evident that he was somewhat traumatized by their exhausting trek up the stairs of 55 Central Park West. While in the alternate dimension of the library, Egon is heard to groan, "Oh no," and when Ray asks if he saw something scary, Egon replies, "Stairs, lots of stairs."
Egon still collects spores, molds, and fungus. When the Ghostbusters return to the Sedgewick Hotel, Ray reveals Egon was once a licensed coroner in the past. He still has a minor interest in it as a hobby.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime[]
Egon discovered the supernatural activity, caused by the Relic of Nilhe, had a predictable migratory progression southeast from its point of origin. According to his analysis, Egon believed it was headed to the Sedgewick Hotel. However, with the team exhausted, Egon suggested it was time for the junior team to take on their first solo mission. Some time later, with testimony from Janosz Poha, Egon allowed the junior team to follow a preemptive strategy and go after other shards of the Relic.
Animated Series[]
He appears in the cartoon with a blonde yellow hair color and red glasses. Much like his movie counterpart he is the egghead of the group. One noted difference between him and the movie version is in later seasons when he plays more of a leadership role than he did in the two films.
Personality[]
Egon is bookish and socially awkward. In his spare time, he collects spores, molds, and fungus. He doesn't articulate his emotions well and has described himself as "always serious." His childhood may have been normal in many regards, but one strange fact is that he didn't play with toys. Egon said that his parents did not believe in toys. He was given part of a Slinky once, but he straightened it. And once, in Ghostbusters II, Egon flatly informed Mayor Lenny's porter that the Proton Pack was not a toy. Despite Janine Melnitz' subtle hints that she was attracted to him, he seemed to ignore her romantic advances, kept quiet, and their relationship remained platonic.
Egon doesn't handle stressful situations well, as evidenced by his statement that he was "...terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought," when facing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Egon is not without a sense of humor and has been known to be sly. Such as after the Ghostbuster's first case, when he holds up his fingers to show the amount of the bill to the Sedgewick Hotel, and during the court trial in 1989, when he chimes in from "Doe, Ray, Egon!" and then grins mischievously.
Occasionally Egon is given to understatement; he initially only states that crossing the streams would be "bad".
Egon has a very dry sense of humor, once jokingly stating that most women would be "more interested in his epididymis," rather than his intellect. He is not immune to anger, as under duress he has been shown to swear twice in the first movie. He even lunged at Walter Peck in anger when Peck ordered them arrested for the disruption regarding the shutdown of the containment grid, despite the fact Peck himself was entirely responsible. He will also on occasion smirk and give a wisecrack; such as during their encounter with the Opera Diva ghost in the Ghostbusters: The Video Game Egon says "The fat lady's singing!" And while exploring Central Park's Cult Cemetery, Peter says "This isn't the Central Park I'm used to." to which Egon replies, "You still have your wallet?" Generally speaking though, Egon remains largely pragmatic and straight-to-the-point when it comes to his demeanor. Even though he has a tight and awkward personality, he is still the brains of the team.
Egon puts few restraints on the scope of his paranormal research. This is evident in Ghostbusters II, as he conducts experiments in his lab in which he deliberately incites couples to argue. When the mood slime is being tested, Egon sleeps with it in order to check its response to nurturing behavior. Science tends to take precedence over people's well being, as Egon is rather detached in his instructions regarding psychological experiments with couples and children in the second movie.
Quotes[]
| “ | I looked at the trap Ray. | „ |
| ~ Egon Spengler |
| “ | Egon! | „ |
| ~ Egon Spengler harmonizing the sounds of the proton pack |
| “ | I think there more interested in my epididymis | „ |
| ~ Egon to Peter about his relationship appeal to other people |
| “ | is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9? | „ |
| ~ Egon about Virgo’s slime sample |
| “ | you’re nothing but an unstable short chain molecule! | „ |
| ~ Egon provoking the collected ooze |
| “ | Egon:there’s something very important I forgot to tell ya. Peter: what? |
„ |
| ~ Egon giving precaution towards their proton-guns |
| “ | Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. | „ |
| ~ Egon reasons with Peter why they shouldn’t cross the streams |
| “ | We like to get a sample of your brain tissue. | „ |
| ~ Egon to Louis’s Tulley after Gozer’s defeat |
| “ | Try to understand this is a laser-high voltage containment system, simply turning it off would be like dropping a bomb into the city | „ |
| ~ Egon warning Peck why he should’t condemn the Ghost capture system |
| “ | Sorry Veckman, I’m terified beyond the capacity for rational thought | „ |
| ~ Egon witnessing the arrival of”The Traveller” |
| “ | I don’t think they made Nike’s for her size ray | „ |
| ~ Egon while on top of the piloted Statue of Liberty |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The character of Egon Spengler was named after Oswald Spengler and a classmate of Harold Ramis' at Senn High School named Egon Donsbach who was a Hungarian refugee.
- Before Harold Ramis was cast to play Egon in the original film, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and John Lithgow were considered for the role.
- In the first movie novelization, Egon spent his childhood in the quiet suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio.
- In Ghostbuster’s afterlife, his new actor was credited as “The Ghost Farmer”.
- Egon is also said to have a brother in the novel. Aside from the aforementioned Slinky, Egon's brother was said to own a Lionel train set, the tracks of which young Egon had commandeered to use in an experiment. Young Egon used three concentric rings from Plasticville houses in his brother's Lionel train layout as components in a compact explosive.
- In the novelization, Egon displayed a scientific attitude quite early in life, as he would pester librarians into ordering various arcane books to read, conducting an anti-gravity experiment utilizing a jungle gym and hundreds of feet of industrial copper wire (which managed to brown out all of Brooklyn in a crude EMP burst). By observing fellow high school students making out in the park and applying a variety of scientific principles, Egon managed to precisely forecast the exact number of VD cases in Ohio state for that year. As a result, most parents would express a strong aversion to letting their children associate with him.
- Harold Ramis wrote the line about Egon trying to drill a hole in his head. It was inspired by a thwarted experiment by John Lilly, a prominent researcher in dolphin communication who proposed drilling a hole in his head to test some higher brain function.
- During the first commercial, Egon looks down at his mark.
- The game Dungeons of Dredmor has a skill named "Fungal Arts", which says "You collect molds, spores, and fungus", a reference to Egon's hobby.
- Egon also mentions his niece (possibly through this same brother) in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, corroborating the notion in two mediums that Egon has at least one sibling. This brother is possibly named Elon Spengler and is Egon's twin.
- In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), Egon has three total messages on the Firehouse answering machine after Checking Out the Library, Museum of (Super) Natural History, and Lost Island Rising.
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