Egon Spengler

[{Character(“Egon Spengler”), Age(“27”), Gender(“male”), Sexuality(“straight”), Race(“White”), Species(“human”), Body(“masculine”), Appearance(“6’2ft” + “broad shoulders” + “Slim”), Likes(“Junk Food”), Dislikes(“text”), Personality(“text” + “text”), Backstory(“Has two doctorates and a PHD”), Job(“Ghost Exterminator”), Other(“Collects spores, molds, and fungus” + “As a child, the only toy he ever had was "part of a Slinky", which he straightened out. His parents never believed in toys”)]}

While Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore are all from New York, the novelization of Ghostbusters revealed that Egon Spengler was born in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Even from an early age, Egon was highly intelligent and showed an interest in the sciences. While it is well known that Egon straightened out a slinky as a child, he also used his brother's Lionel train set to build a compact explosive. Along with his interest in engineering and explosives, the movie's novelization revealed that Egon read all he could on the paranormal, including books like "The Mysteries of Latent Abnormality," "Astral Projections as an Untapped Power Source," and "The Necronomicon."

By high school, Egon's skills had grown, leading to some problems for the young scientist. By simply observing his fellow students, Egon was able to determine how many new cases of venereal diseases there would be in Ohio that year. Because of this, as well as his standoffish demeanor, Egon didn't have many friends.

Egon also managed to hypnotize a hamster by using radio waves and built a sonic gun that could make soda cans explode from a hundred yards away. After moving to New York. Egon tried to turn a jungle gym into an anti-gravity device, but this experiment failed, causing every building in Brooklyn to lose power.

Egon met Peter Venkman during their freshman year at Columbia University. Peter had signed up for a Women's Studies class as a way to meet women, and Egon has been mistakenly assigned to the class. Still, the two men became friends, which was very good for Peter. While Peter was smart enough to breeze through high school and get into Columbia, he found the university's classes to be more difficult. Luckily, Egon was there to help Peter through his courses, ensuring that Venkman would not only graduate but also be hired by the school as a professor.

Egon apparently is a junk food junkie, due to his affection for sweets and snack crackers. Egon is the most serious and rigidmember of the team. However, occasionally seemingly likes to crack cheeky jokes and puns.

Not only did Egon get a doctorate in parapsychology from Columbia, but he also received a doctorate in physics from M.I.T.

That was never mentioned in the original movies – they referenced how Spengler held two doctorates, one in microbiology and one in parapsychology

Egon Spengler : Pea soup green is my favorite color. Ray Stantz : I have a tuxedo that color.

(also known as Egie, Spengie, and Dirt Farmer) was 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.

Spengler sleeps an average of 14 minutes per day, leaving him "a lot of time to work." Despite being a stereotypical timid professor, Egon would prone to violent confrontations if being pushed too far emotionally, indicated by his attempt to assault Walter Peck and cursed him by saying ...

Egon is the only GhostBuster never seen smoking. 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.

One afternoon in 1984, after ten people reported witnessing a free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparition at 1:40 p.m. at the main branch of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, Ray and Egon went to investigate. Egon took P.K.E. valances and it went right off the top of the scale. It buried the needle and Ray felt they were close to finally finding proof of the afterlife. Egon stayed at the library to take readings while Ray returned to Columbia to get equipment and Peter. They found Egon in the Main Reading Room examining a table with his Stethoscope. Peter sneaked over then, in a faux zombie voice, uttered, "Egon..." Egon perked up. Peter rapped the table with his knuckles then slammed a hardcover book down. Egon was startled and jumped. He finally noticed Peter and Ray. Peter asked Egon what he had. Egon stated it was very big and there was definitely something present. Peter smiled remembered the time Egon tried to drill a hole through his head. Egon quickly countered it would have worked if he hadn't stopped him. Roger Delacorte walked up behind them and introduced himself. Peter took the lead and introduced himself as "Dr. Venkman," Ray as "Dr. Stantz," and Egon as "Egon." Roger shook Peter's hand then Ray's, and Egon nodded once. Roger thanked them for coming and expressed his hope that they could clear it up quickly and quietly. Peter warned against rushing into things before they knew what was going on. Egon searched around while Peter and Ray interviewed Alice, the librarian who encountered the ghost. He found them and reported the ghost was on the move. Egon went down the stairs to the basement stacks first with his P.K.E. Meter out. They found an incredibly tall stack of books in an aisle. Egon swept his P.K.E. Meter around the stack and stated it was hot. Ray recalled the term, Symmetrical book-stacking, and noted that it was just like the Philadelphia Mass Turbulence of 1947. Peter dryly and sarcastically agreed, noting no human being would stack books like this. They came across the card catalog that Alice ran away from. Cards were still all over. Clear hued Ectoplasm was strewn all about. Ray was amazed with the telekinetic activity. Egon zeroed in on the Ectoplasm and clued Ray in. Egon held out a plastic petri dish and asked Peter to get a sample. Ray slowly backed away and followed Egon. Peter grumbled. Egon stated he would like to analyze it. He confirmed stronger readings further on. Peter caught up and handed Egon the petri dish. A green wood bookcase creaked and suddenly fell down face first behind them onto the floor. Peter hopped back a little. They all stared at the bookcase. As the dust kicked up in the air, Peter calmly turned to Ray and asked if that happened to him before. Ray slowly shook his head 'no' and Peter asked if that was his first time. Ray slowly nodded 'yes' and they continued on. They emerged from aisle. The P.K.E. Meter lit up. They went down the next aisle. The arms on the P.K.E. Meter rose up and Egon held out his hand to the others to stop. He stepped out of the aisle, swept around to his left then turned right, and paused in surprise at what he saw. It was the library ghost. Peter asked what to do. Egon and Ray were silent and looked at each other. Peter rolled his eyes and asked them to come over for a talk. He pulled Ray by the ear into an aisle. Ray wasn't sure what to do and turned to Egon. Egon took out a calculator and started typing but Peter yelled at him to stop that and knocked it out of his hands. Ray proposed they make contact. Egon agreed. They both looked at Peter. Peter huffed over the silent vote. He walked out of the aisle. Egon took over the Camcorder. Ray followed and quickly snapped photographs with the Nikon SLR FE2 Camera. Peter talked to the ghost but she only shushed him. Peter returned to the aisle, corralling Ray and Egon back into the aisle. Ray had a new plan. He instructed them to stay close and do exactly as he said. They inched back out and slowly moved closer. Ray suddenly exclaimed, "Get her!" The ghost transmogrified into a monstrous form and screamed, "Rah!" at them. They cried out and Ray and Egon backed away almost in unison. Ray, Egon, and Peter hurried outside and down the stairs outside. Roger came out the door after them and asked them if they saw it and what it was. Peter yelled they would get back to him. Peter, Ray, and Egon returned to Columbia University and walked through campus alongside the Low Library. Egon was a few steps behind them performing calculations on his PC-4 Calculator as they talked. Egon revealed the experience wasn't completely wasted. According to the new P.K.E. readings he took, Egon believed they had an excellent chance of actually catching a ghost and holding it indefinitely. The gears turned in Peter's head and he hurried up to them. Ray thought it was great and speculated if the ionization rate was constant for all ectoplasmic entities, they could really bust some heads in a spiritual sense. Peter asked Egon if he was really serious about catching a ghost. Egon stated he was always serious. Peter got in front and stopped. He got out a Crunch bar and told Egon he was going take back some of the things he said about him. Peter was about to hand it to Egon but hesitated then gave it and told him he earned it. Ray grinned and chuckled as Egon looked at the bar. They returned to their lab only to discover they had been terminated by Columbia. Egon was mortified by the news. Peter convinced them to start their own business specializing in paranormal investigations and eliminations. Some time later, Peter, Ray, and Egon emerged from the Manhattan City Bank at 489 Fifth Avenue with initial funding to start the business. Egon ran some calculations on his Casio Micro-Mini Calculator. Peter promised Ray he was never going to regret it. Ray stated his parents left him that house and he was born there. Peter reassured him he was not going to lose the house and everybody had three mortgages nowadays. Ray questioned settling at 19 percent and not bargaining. Egon finished a calculation and flashed it to Ray. Egon stated the interest rate alone for the first five years came to $95,000. Their search for a base of operations led them to the Hook & Ladder No. 8 firehouse. A Real Estate Woman Egon and Peter there was office space, sleeping quarters and showers on the next floor and there was a full kitchen on the top left. Egon and Peter looked around the garage bay. Peter commented that it seemed a little pricey for a unique fixer-upper opportunity. He asked Egon what he thought. Egon grazed Peter's right arm and stated he thought the building should be condemned because there was serious metal fatigue in all the load-bearing members, the wiring was substandard, it was completely inadequate for their power needs, and the neighborhood was "like a demilitarized zone". Egon stepped by a locker covered in cobwebs. Ray slid down the fire pole very excited and thought the place was great. He asked when they could move in and invited them to try this pole. Egon looked up. Ray ran up the stairs to get his stuff and paused. The real estate woman turned to Egon and Peter with a smile. Ray suggested they sleep over that night to try it out. Ray continued upstairs. Peter looked at Egon. Egon slowly shook his head 'no' as the real estate woman took some steps closer to them. Peter turned to her and informed her they were taking it. Peter, Ray, and Egon filmed a commercial outside the Firehouse. Egon had one line, "Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic?" then said "We're ready to believe you" with Ray and Peter. Egon kept looking down at his mark. Egon developed the technology behind the Proton Pack, the Trap, and the Containment Unit. He was also aware of the risk 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. He also helped set up the computer at the front desk and eventually emerged. Janine Melnitz, their secretary, smiled and remarked he was very handy. She bet he liked to read a lot, too. Egon remarked, "Print is dead." Egon went around and squatted behind Janine's computer and checked the connections. Janine continued on about how she liked to read a lot herself and some people thought she was too intellectual. Egon looked at her. She thought reading was a fabulous way to spend one's spare time. She also revealed she liked to play racquetball then asked him if he had any hobbies. She took off her glasses. Egon replied he collected spores, molds and fungus. Peter, Egon, and Ray interviewed their first client Dana Barrett on the second floor. Dana concluded her story and told them there was a voice that said, "Zuul" and then she slammed the refrigerator door and left. She recounted that was two days ago, and she had not been back to her apartment since. Egon was seated next to Dana looking at her with a head light. He removed the diodes from her head. Dana got annoyed and told Peter if she knew what it was, she would not have come. Peter asked Egon what he thought. Egon turned to Peter with his head lamp still on. Peter was blinded. He swatted at the air until Egon clicked the light off. Peter opened his eyes in a daze. Egon noted Dana was telling the truth or at least, she thought she was. Dana stammered she was telling the truth and asked who would make up a story like that. Peter informed her they ran into some people who just wanted attention and a lot of "nutballs" who "came in off the street". Ray speculated it could be a case of past life experience intruding on present time. Egon walked over to couch and grabbed a Cheez-Its box. Egon thought it could be erased memories stored in the collective unconscious, clairvoyance, or telepathic contact. Dana was skeptical and scoffed. She apologized and admitted she did not believe in any of those things. Peter went next to her and told her he did not either. Egon and Ray exchanged looks. Peter walked behind Dana and gestured to Ray and Egon to make something up as he told her there were standard procedures they did in cases hers that gave them results. Ray figured he could go down to hall of records and check out the structural details in the building. He guessed the building itself could have a history of psychic turbulence. Peter nodded and agreed. Egon suggested he could look for the name Zuul in the usual literature. Ray thought of Spates Catalog. Egon mentioned Tobin's Spirit Guide. Ray agreed. Peter suggested he would take Dana back to her apartment and check it out. They got a call from the Sedgewick Hotel. The Hotel manager explained the guests were starting to ask questions and he was running out of excuses. Ray asked him if it happened before. The manager replied most of the original staff knew about the twelfth floor then clarified he meant "the disturbances." He recalled it had been quiet for years up until two weeks ago and it was never, ever this bad. Peter patted him on the left shoulder. Egon asked if he ever reported it to anyone. The manager was mortified at the prospect. Peter played along. Egon rolled his eyes. The manager added the owners did not even like the staff talking about it. The manager hoped they could take care of it quietly. Peter promised it was done. The manager emphasized it was to be done that night. Egon, Peter, and Ray headed to the elevators. As the elevator went up, Ray sighed and realized they really hadn't had a completely successful test of their equipment. Egon blamed himself. Peter echoed him. Ray remarked there was no sense worrying about it now and asked anyone to switch him on. Egon turned on a switch behind Ray. As it activated, Egon backed up, making Peter move aside from his spot. They exited onto the twelfth floor. A Chambermaidentered the hall humming to herself. Ray and Egon turned, shouted, and blasted her cart with the proton streams. Peter yelled at them to hold their fire. She peered out from behind the cart and asked them "what the hell" they were doing. Egon, Peter, then Ray all apologized to her as she gathered up her supplies off the floor. Peter turned around to them and remarked that was a successful test. Ray agreed and suggested they split up. Egon concurred. Peter also agreed and joked that they could do more damage that way. They separated and headed down different corridors. Egon scanned around with his P.K.E. Meter. A man walked to his room. Egon scanned his shoes and stood up. He poked the man in the arm but was disappointed he wasn't a ghost. Egon later came over the walkie-talkie and hailed Ray. Ray replied to Egon he was with Peter who got slimed (i.e. covered in ectoplasm). Egon asked Ray to save some for him then told them to get down stairs right away. He revealed Slimer just went into a ballroom. Their initial assault yielded no results. Egon remembered something very important he forgot to tell them. Peter asked him what that was. Egon told them never to cross the streams. Peter looked side to side then asked why. Egon stated it would be bad. Peter countered he was fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing and asked him what he meant by "bad." Egon clarified with an example. He told them to try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. Ray realized he was talking about total protonic reversal. Peter understood that was supposed to be bad and thanked Egon for the "important safety tip". He told Ray to take the left and Egon to take the right. Peter headed straight down. Slimer chugged a bottle. Peter gave Ray the order first. Slimer stopped drinking and panicked. Ray opened fire. Slimer yelped and flew away. Peter cued Egon. Egon fired. He totally destroyed crystal ware, a three layer cake, and numerous dishes. Slimer flew behind the bar. Egon opened fire. Slimer flew away. Egon kept firing into the bar. Peter and Ray looked up at Slimer. Peter yelled at Egon to hold it and in a faux Texan voice told him, "Nice shooting, Tex!" Slimer panted near the ceiling. Peter and Egon cleared tables and chairs aside to make room for the Trap. Ray guided Egon to fire a confinement stream on his go-signal. He gave Egon the go to fire. Egon fired and wrangled Slimer in his Proton Stream. Slimer whimpered. Ray instructed him to hold Slimer. He gave Peter the go. Peter fired and wrangled Slimer, too. Egon confirmed it was working. Ray instructed them to start bringing Slimer down. He reminded them not to cross the stream. Egon told Peter to shorten his stream so his face would not get burned off. Peter looked down at his thrower in confusion. Ray opened the Trap. Egon's eyes widened with worry and stated he looked at the Trap. Ray told them to turn their streams off as soon as he closed the Trap. He gave the signal and stomped the pedal. The Trap began to close as Peter and Egon ceased fire and turned away. Ray shielded his vision. Slimer moaned and was trapped. The Trap beeped and a red light blinked constantly. Egon got down on one knee and touched the Trap. Peter slightly nudged it with a foot. Blue electricity arced briefly. Egon looked up at them and confirmed it was in there. Ray was relieved and thought that wasn't such a chore. Egon was speechless. Peter eyed Egon as he spoke to the manager. Peter cleared his throat twice then signaled it was time to talk seriously. As Peter talked about the cost of entrapment, Egon flashed four fingers against his left cheek to Peter. Peter stated it would cost $4000. He then informed the manager they were having a special that week on proton charging and storage of the beast. Egon nodded and touched the tip of his nose with his right index finger. Peter revealed that was only going to come to $1000. The Manager stiffened up and refused to pay them $5000. Peter told him that was all right and they could just put it right back in there. Ray confirmed that was true. They turned back towards the ballroom. The manager ran to them and caved. He ran up to Ray and grabbed his arm then stated he would pay anything. The manager patted Ray's left arm. Peter ripped an invoice out of his notepad and handed him the bill. Business took off and the Ghostbusters took on case after case, even one at Rockefeller Plaza. On another case, Egon came out of 126 Mulberry Street with a smoking Trap and wearing the Ecto Goggles on the top of his head. Egon announced he trapped the ghost. He called out for Peter and Ray. A civilian walking up the sidewalk turned his head and looked at Egon. On another, the Ghostbusters, with their particle throwers drawn, jogged down Mott Street in Chinatown, going from 56 to 64 Mott Street. Another case took place at the fashionable dance club, The Rose, where they slugged it out with a "pretty pesky poltergeist," then stayed on to dance the night away with some of the lovely ladies who witnessed the disturbance. Right after he hired Winston Zeddemore, Ray demonstrated how to empty a full Trap into the Containment Unit in the basement while Egon was at a wall running some calculations. He revealed his alarming findings and admitted he was worried. He stated it was getting crowded in the the Containment Unit and all his recent data pointed to something big on the horizon. Winston asked Egon what he meant by "big." Egon explained with a Twinkie and used it to represent the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Egon estimated that morning's sample indicated the Twinkie was 35 feet long weighing approximately 600 pounds. Ray coughed hard. Winston remarked, "That's a big Twinkie." Egon nodded and took a bite of the Twinkie. Ray believed they could be on the verge of a four-fold crossrip, a P.K.E. surge of incredible and even dangerous proportions. Peter walked over to the Containment Unit. He mentioned they had a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency then asked how the was grid holding up. Ray remarked not good. Winston gestured Egon to tell him about the Twinkie. Peter was concerned. On a Thursday night, a police sergeant knocked on the front door of the Firehouse. Janine answered then went to get Egon after the sergeant answered he was "dropping off." The sergeant asked Egon if he was a Ghostbuster. Egon confirmed he was. The sergeant explained they picked up a perp but they had no idea what to do with him because Bellevue Hospital refused him and he was concerned about placing him in the lock-up. He knew about the Ghostbusters and figured they should confer with them. Egon agreed to weigh in. They walked over to the rear of the paddy wagon. Louis/Vinz was in the van in a straight jacket. He wearily asked Egon if he was the Gatekeeper. Egon scanned Louis/Vinz with the P.K.E. Meter and watched as the readings quickly surged. Egon turned it off and turned to the sergeant and suggested they better bring him into the Firehouse. The sergeant nodded. Janine wrapped around one of his arms as they walked back to the Firehouse. The officer inside and the sergeant lifted Louis/Vinz, as he stood in place, out of the van. Janine told Egon he was so kind to take care of that man and called him a real humanitarian. Egon remarked that he did not think Louis/Vinz was human. Janine turned her head to look at Louis/Vinz as they entered the Firehouse. Egon interviewed Louis/Vinz on the second floor. Louis/Vinz was hooked up to Aura Video-Analyzer. The screen displayed the image of a Terror Dog. Egon stared at the screen and turned it off. He asked Louis/Vinz what he said his name was. Louis/Vinz replied he was Vinz Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer. Janine looked at Louis's wallet and told Egon his name was Louis Tully and he lived on Central Park West. Janine held the wallet out to Egon. He took it and looked at it. Louis/Vinz mimicked Egon and also extended his arm to take it. Janine offered Louis/Vinz some coffee. Louis/Vinz asked Egon if he did. Egon told him, "Yes, have some." Louis/Vinz repeated what Egon said. Janine made a face and walked over to the kitchen area. Egon placed the wallet in a coat pocket and sat down. Egon recalled Louis/Vinz talked about waiting for a sign and asked him what the sign was. Louis/Vinz answered it was the coming of Gozer in one of the pre-chosen forms. He reminisced about some of Gozer's past conquests. There was the Rectification of the Vuldronaii, when the Traveler came as a large and moving Torb. Egon looked towards Janine. He also recalled during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar. Janine looked back at Egon. Louis/Vinz chuckled at the thought of how many Shubs and Zullsknew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day. Janine called Egon and gestured him to come over. She admitted she was usually very psychic, and she had a terrible feeling that something awful was going to happen to Egon. Janine revealed she believed he was going to die. She went into Egon's arms. He looked up and placed his right arm around her. The phone rang. Louis/Vinz jumped and looked around. Egon quickly picked up the phone. Louis/Vinz picked up the base of the phone. Egon took it from him. The call was from Peter. Egon thanked Louis/Vinz for his help. Peter briefed him on Dana being possessed by the Gatekeeper and asked Egon if that made any sense to him. Egon revealed he just met the Keymaster. Peter thought that was wonderful and they should get them together. Egon thought that would be extraordinarily dangerous. Peter relented and advised Egon to hold onto the Keymaster and he would head back to the Firehouse. Egon liked the idea and placed the phone back on the receiver. Louis walked over and gave Egon a frying pan. Egon thanked him then turned to Janine and stressed they needed to find Ray and get him back immediately. On Friday morning, Egon looked through parts on a shelf in the basement and told Louis/Vinz there was one more test he wanted to perform. Walter Peck, the Police Captain, and a Con Edison Man came down the stairs. Janine ran down the steps after them and beat the Con Edison man. Janine told Egon she tried to stop them but Peck said he had a warrant. Egon held out his right arm. Louis/Vinz mimicked him. Egon stated they were on private property. Peck ignored him and pointed at the Containment Unit and the panels then ordered everything to be shut off. Egon pointed at them and warned turning off the machines would be extremely hazardous. Louis/Vinz mimicked Egon and pointed, too. Peck was not swayed and told him the Ghostbusters were facing federal prosecution for at least half a dozen environmental violations. He again ordered Egon to shut everything off and threatened they would shut them off for him if he did not. Egon, Janine, and Louis/Vinz planted themselves in front of the control panels. Egon tried to explain it was a high voltage laser containment system and simply turning it off would be like dropping a bomb on the city. Peck thought was being patronizing and stated he was not grotesquely stupid like the people they bilked. Peter arrived and tried to defuse the situation but Peck was not buying it and pointed out he had his chance to cooperate but chose to have fun and be insulting. Peck declared it was his turn. Egon informed Peter that Peck wanted to shut down the protection grid. Louis/Vinz looked at Egon with a slight grin. Peter quickly stated they were not going to be held responsible. After some back and forth, the Con Edison worker weighed in that he never saw anything like the Containment Unit before and he was unsure. Peck was not interested in his opinion and told him to just shut it off. Peter looked over to Egon. The Con Edison Man went to the control panels. Egon stepped away and mimed an explosion with his fingers and mouthed "Boom." Peter, Egon, and Janine made their way to the stairs. The Con Edison worker pulled a gray lever down. The lights dimmed and several alarms went off. The red light above the Containment Unit flashed. The Con Edison worker realized he made a terrible mistake and swore. The walls of the basement rumbled. Peck backed away. Steam erupted from between the bricks. As everyone ran outside, Egon yelled out to anyone else to clear the building. Ray hopped over to Peter and Egon by the Con Edison van and red car. He asked Egon what happened. Egon informed him the storage facility blew, pointed at Peck, and revealed Peck had the protection grid shut off. Ray was beside himself. Winston guessed that was bad. Ray confirmed and nodded. Peter asked where the Keymaster went. Egon swore and could not believe they lost him. The Ghostbusters were about to take off in search of Louis/Vinz but Peck, the Police Captain and some police officers barred their way. Peck ran to the Ghostbusters and told them to hold it. Peck wanted the Ghostbusters arrested. He told the captain they were in criminal violation of the Environmental Protection Act, and the explosion was a direct result of it. Egon exclaimed, "Your mother!" in response then lunged forward and grabbed Peck's collar. Police tried to keep order. The civilians behind the barricade cheered on the scuffle. The Ghostbusters were arrested and taken to the NYPD Lock-Up. Ray and Egon looked over their research at a table in the middle of the holding cell. Egon pointed out the structure of the Shandor Building's roof cap was exactly like the kind of telemetry tracker that NASA used to identify dead pulsars in deep space. Ray pulled out the blueprints out of his flight suit and laid it over the one Egon was examining. Ray stated the building had cold riveted girders with cores of pure selenium. Peter had no clue what the big deal was. Ray explained the whole building was a huge super conductive antenna that was designed and built expressly for the purpose of pulling in and concentrating spiritual turbulence. Ray lifted his blueprints off the table and pointed at the one under. Peter was kneeling down looking at them. Ray told him "his girlfriend" lived in the corner penthouse of "Spook Central." Peter denied she was his girlfriend. Egon stated it was the building, not Dana. Ray laid his blueprint back down. Egon predicted something terrible was about the enter their world and the Shandor Building was obviously the door. Egon revealed the architect's name was Ivo Shandor. He found the name in Tobin's Spirit Guide. Shandor was also a doctor who performed a lot of unnecessary surgery and then in 1920, he founded a secret society. Peter guessed they were Gozer worshipers. Egon confirmed and continued, after the First World War, Shandor decided that society was too sick to survive. The inmates started getting closer to the table again and really took an interest in the discussion. Egon took stock of that and revealed Shandor had close to a thousand followers when he died. They conducted rituals up on the roof, bizarre rituals intended to bring about the end of the world. Egon concluded the end of the world may actually happen. Peter suddenly broke out into song, "So be good, for goodness sake! Whoa! Somebody's coming!" Ray stated the obvious, they had to get out of jail and find a judge or something. Winston stepped and told them to hold it. He wanted to clarify their plan was to go before a federal judge and say that some "moldy Babylonian god" was going to drop in on Central Park West and start tearing up the city. Egon corrected him about Gozer: it was a Sumerian god, not Babylonian. Peter joked that was a big difference. Winston told them no offense, but he was going get his own lawyer. A Jail Guard called the Ghostbusters and revealed Mayor Lenny wanted to see them because the city was going crazy. The Ghostbusters convinced Mayor Lenny to let them attempt to stop Gozer. Before the Ghostbusters departed from New York City Hall, Janine spoke to Egon. She wanted him to have something. Egon took it and asked what it was. Janine revealed it was a souvenir from the 1964 World's Fair at Flushing Meadow. It was her lucky coin. Egon stated he should not take it because they might not be coming back. Janine insisted he keep it then revealed she had another one at home. They hugged. The Ghostbusters walked all the way up to the twenty-second floor. Egon noticed the Art Deco influence and complimented it. They headed into Dana's apartment and found a passage up to the roof where they witnessed the posessed Dana and Louis transform into Terror Dogs and an entity in a female form arrive in front of the Temple of Gozer. Egon identified it as Gozer. Winston thought Gozer was a man. Egon stated it was whatever it wanted to be. Ray established a dialogue with Gozer but it shot them towards the edge of the roof. The Ghostbusters opened fire but Gozer disappeared. The others thought it meant they won but Egon looked at a Gamma Rate Meter and told Ray things looked extraordinarily bad. An earthquake rocked the temple. Egon told them to look out. Boulders and debris fell. They took cover by the altar. The disembodied voice of Gozer ordered them to choose the form of the Destructor. Peter understood Gozer needed them and told everyone to empty their heads and not think of anything. Gozer declared the choice was made. Peter protested. He asked Egon. Egon thought of nothing. He asked Winston. Winston asserted his mind was totally blank. Peter stated he chose nothing. Peter, Egon, and Winston turned and looked at Ray. Ray insisted he couldn't help it and it "just popped in there". Stomping and screaming from the streets interrupted Ray. Egon spotted something and yelled. They watched as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Manmarched towards the Shandor Building. As Ray lost it, Peter told Egon that Ray had gone "bye-bye" and asked him what he had left. Egon apologized and admitted he was terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. They blasted down at Stay Puft. They only succeeded in lighting him on fire. Stay Puft clung to the side of the Shandor Building and looked up. The fire soared up to them. They ran and crouched down. Ray tried to make light of their impending death by a hundred-foot marshmallow man. Peter riffed and pointed out Stay Puft was a sailor in New York, they just had to get him laid and there would not be any trouble. Stay Puft climbed up the side of the building. Egon had a radical idea. He noted "the door swings both ways" and as a result they could reverse the particle flow through the gate. Ray asked how. Egon proposed they cross the streams. Peter recalled Egon's warning about doing that. Peter pointed out they would be in grave danger along with their client Dana, the "nice lady who paid them in advance before she became a dog". Egon assured them there was definitely a very slim chance they would survive. They exchanged looks. Peter stared at Egon. Egon raised an eyebrow. Peter gave Ray a friendly slap to the face. Peter declared he loved the plan and was excited to be a part of it. Winston grumbled the job was definitely not worth another eleven-five a year. They ran to the Temple of Gozer. Egon told everyone to hurry. The four proton streams combined into one big one, blasting right into the temple. An explosion was triggered. The Ghostbusters ceased fire and ran off screaming. Stay Puft was caught in the blast wave and blew up along with the top floors of the building. Ray came to and found Winston then called out to Peter and Egon. Egon groaned. He, too, was covered in marshmallow residue and stood up from the other side from Ray and Winston. Ray asked Egon if he was okay. Egon remarked he felt like the floor of a taxi cab. Peter went over to them. He had very little marshmallow residue on him. They managed to free Dana from the inside of Zuul's remains. Louis, with a Terror Dog statue head on his head, walked around helplessly asking if somebody turned out the lights. Ray, Egon, and Winston ran over to help them. Egon and Ray helped Louis out. Louis looked around and guessed the superintendent was going to be "pissed". They helped him down. Egon added they would like to get a sample of his brain tissue. Louis unwittingly agreed to provide it. The crowd cheered for the Ghostbusters as they exited the building. Janine ran into Egon's arms. They hugged. She patted his cheeks. They walked to Ecto-1 and departed with the rest of the Ghostbusters and Dana. Between Ghostbusters and 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. On December 22, 1986, Egon graduated from the University of Philadelphia.[Note 3]Egon went to work at the Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research on Columbia University campus and conducted experiments on whether or not human emotions affected the physical environment based on a theory he and Ray developed when they were still Ghostbusters.