Egon Spengler

Egon Spengler is one of the main characters from the Ghostbuster franchise.

Egon was very interested in paranormal phenomena, even while working with 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.

Personality
Egon is the brains of the Ghostbusters. He is of the four Ghostbusters, the most withdrawn of them and focuses on his experiments. On occasion has created a bit of trouble. In most matters, he only engages in the science of it.

Abilities
The main equipment used by the Ghostbusters to capture ghosts is the proton pack: a reportedly unlicensed nuclear accelerator which fires a proton stream that polarizes with the negatively charged energy of a ghost, allowing it to be held in the stream while active. The proton packs' particle throwers were originally portrayed as wands worn on each arm. In current versions, it consists of a hand-held wand (neutrino wand as described and scripted by Aykroyd, also called a proton gun or particle thrower within the franchise) connected to a backpack-sized particle accelerator. The Proton Stream can also fire a hard-hitting boson dart which can be fired alone or collided with the Proton Stream to fire a Boson Collider.

The Slime Blower is seen and developed in the movie Ghostbusters II; this piece of equipment is a metal tank strapped to the back of its user, with an attached sprayer used to project streams of the psychomagnetheric mood slime that has been reinforced with positive emotions so as to neutralize its negatively reinforced counterparts. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, the slime blower is modified to shoot positively charged slime, and can also shoot slime tethers, the slime tether in turn can be attached to one object, then the other end to another solid surface to pull that heavy object (also used to open heavy doors) which usually would be difficult to move without use of some tremendous amount of force, so the slime tether helps get the job done. The Ghostbusters can also attach one end of a slime tether to a ghost, then attach the other end to a nearby already deployed ghost trap allowing for a quicker trapping of a ghost. A toy slime blower was released with the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toy line. In the Ghostbusters comics, the Ecto-Splat is a flamethrower-like device that fires a hard jet of ectoplasm, which can damage or dissipate ghosts.

The Shock Blaster is the close-range weapon of the Ghostbusters arsenal. It fires a blast of stripped dark matter particles that diffuse quickly when they come in contact with the outside world. The Ghostbusters use the Shock Blaster for fighting close-proximity entities and inhabiting swarmers. The Shock Blaster also fires a Stasis Stream which fires a high-capacity stream that hypobond to ectoplasmic matter. If a Ghostbuster trains the stream on a ghost long enough, he can actually stop it entirely.

The Ghostbusters also use equipment to hunt and find ghosts. The PKE meter is a handheld device that locates and measures psycho-kinetic energy (PKE), which is an environmental byproduct emitted only by ghosts. The device's most prominent feature are winged arms that raise and lower in relation to the amount of PKE detected while a digital display gives an exact reading for the operator. The giga meter is a device similar to the PKE meter featured in Ghostbusters II. As explained by Egon in the original script, the giga meter measures PKE in GeV, or giga-electronvolts. Ecto-Goggles, sometimes known as Spectro-Visors, are a special pair of goggles that visually trace PKE readings. They are particularly useful in helping the wearer see normally invisible ghosts. There is also a Ghost Sniffer only seen used by Venkman in the first movie. A toy Ghost Sniffer was released as part of the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toyline.

In the Ghostbusters fiction, ghosts cannot simply be destroyed. Instead, they become temporarily destabilized. However, from their encounter with the Gray Lady in the first movie, Egon devises several pieces of equipment that are used to trap and contain ghosts.

The trap is a box with a split, hinged lid, remote-controlled by a simple pedal switch, attached to the end of the box by a long cable. When a ghost is brought close to the trap (usually by means of the proton pack), the ghost trap is activated by the foot switch. Its lid then opens, and a force field draws the ghost inside. When the ghost is captured, the trap emits smoke and a strong, bad smell. Characters are advised to refrain from looking directly at the trap when it is activated. The ghost can then be transported to the larger, more permanent containment unit. More than one ghost can be stored in a trap, but a maximum number has never been established, nor for how long a ghost can be held. A captured ghost can be released from the trap by opening it.

The Ecto-Containment Unit, also referred to as the Containment System, is the large facility in the basement of the Ghostbusters' headquarters. It was developed after Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz made their first actual contact in the basement of the New York Public Library with the ghost of its librarian Eleanor Twitty, who is referred by them as the Gray Lady. Data from that experience indicates they could capture and hold ghosts indefinitely. This idea makes the Ghostbuster business possible. All captured ghosts are stored in the containment unit. The unit itself utilizes a high-voltage grid of lasers to do its job. Turning off the protection grid without following proper procedures will result in a catastrophic and explosive release of all ectoplasmic entities and psycho-kinetic energy stored in the unit. The containment unit has an easy-access slot, where the ghost can be transferred from the trap into the unit's containment field.

Trivia

 * In animation, Egon underwent a greater change in likeness. He was made a blonde instead of a brunette, and his glasses were red.
 * Egon was born in November 1957 the week before Thanksgiving.
 * In addition to a hardback version, Egon owns a paperback copy of "Tobin's Spirit Guide" which he is shown to bring with him on many assignments. By "Extreme Ghostbusters," Egon had also written his own book: Spengler's Spirit Guide and had transcribed it onto CD Rom.
 * Egon asserts scientists and scholars are said to run in his family, not Ghostbusters. However, another ancestor named Eli Spengler later proved to be such. There has also been a wizard, but he is generally never talked about and looked down upon as a crackpot. All his ancestors are shown to resemble him facially, have blonde hair and glasses. Curiously enough, Egon's ancestor Eli during the Salem witch trials is also shown to have Egon's pompadour and rat tail hairstyle. All of Egon's shown relatives wear glasses.
 * It is also a tradition among Spengler males to repress their emotions and focus on everything in a detachment, scientific manner. This explains why he tends not to be reciprocal to Janine's affections for the most part. But he HAS shown signs that she has taken some claim to his heart. Faint displays of jealousy, disappointment, relief, remorse and even mild pleasure have been displayed by him in matters regarding her. He even admits to her in the comic that he isn't very good at dealing with people he cares about. Egon even said words to the effect that he would not be adverse to the idea of a kiss from her when he got back. He even willingly had dinner with her family
 * Egon knows at least four other languages, Sumerian, Sign Language, Russian, and Japanese.
 * In the February 26, 1986 first draft of the "Knock, Knock" script, Egon instead admitted he can't read Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Swedish).
 * When Egon was a baby, his mother used to call him "Spookums". His mother makes a couple appearances on the show. Egon seems to have inherited his penchant for occasional dry humor from her.
 * While it isn't outright stated, it seems likely that Egon has a Jewish family background, although he isn't particularly devout regarding it. His name is a Jewish last name and even his mother even shows elements of a stereotypical Jewish mother.
 * Egon almost always wears an old-fashioned nightshirt and cap when sleeping. On one occasion he was seen brushing his teeth wearing normal pajamas with molecule chains printed on it.
 * Egon's voice changes throughout the season going from deep pitch to match Harold Ramis's voice then changing to higher pitching tone. Until Extreme Ghostbusters sounding slightly more like his early season voice.
 * Egon can communicate in Troll language with a Tobin's Spirit Guide present.
 * Egon revealed he met the Boogieman when he was a child. The Boogieman was the reason he started investigating the supernatural, in order to find a way to stop him.
 * Egon knows sign language.
 * Egon has an uncle named Dr. Cyrus Spengler who lives in the Midwest and runs Spengler Laboratories.
 * Egon revealed he knew a guy at the University who did a study on the dynamics of the curve ball.
 * Egon's favorite soup is chicken soup with mushrooms.
 * Egon's favorite color is pea soup green.
 * Egon named his one of his computers "Marsha."
 * Egon played with a chemistry set during his childhood.
 * Egon always wanted to be on the cover of a Spooks Illustrated issue.
 * Egon mentioned his home once.
 * During the Murray the Mantis incident, Egon joked about having unpaid parking tickets as police officers grabbed him.
 * Egon Spengler reveals he got a college degree when he was in grade school.
 * It's also been inferred that he originally met Ray and Peter in college as an instructor.
 * As a child, Egon had the largest ant farm in the state of Ohio.
 * Winston revealed Egon once insulted Janine and she quit.
 * Egon considers filing fungus samples a vacation.
 * Egon confesses he once got an A- in college and his parents wouldn't talk to him for a week.
 * This implied his parents were really staunch perfectionists. The only other thing known about Egon's father is that he has a brother, Cyrus.
 * While in Slimer's body during the Master of Shadows incident, Egon noted everything tasted like chicken.
 * The Werechicken egg is the second largest egg Egon has seen.
 * Egon got a microscope for his third birthday.
 * In "The Haunting of Heck House," Egon shows a strong dislike of Book Bats and other such phenomena due to the incident in the New York City Public Library during their first case. Before the ghosts of Heck House barely levitate a book off of a shelf, Egon harshly scolded them and the book quickly slid back into its place on the shelf.
 * Egon's great-great-great grandfather was named Eli Spengler. Eli was a Pilgrim who helped imprison the demoness Kestrel and save Lewiston.
 * Egon was once tricked into thinking he won Columbia University's annual scientific achievement award.
 * Egon has some medical training but mostly in first aid.
 * At Ghostworld, Egon threatened not call his mother in six months if she didn't leave and go back to the Firehouse where it was safe.
 * Egon has a spare set of glasses in Janine's desk drawer.
 * When Egon was 5 years old, his mother threw out a picture of Socrates. Peter thought it was a picture of Albert Einstein he drew when he was 12 years old.
 * For Lawrence Tully's birthday party at the Firehouse, Egon displayed skill at making balloon animals.
 * Egon notes that he appreciates the talents of actress Michelle Pfeiffer by whistling.
 * While half-sleep, Egon once told someone their hair would grow back during one of his experiments.
 * When the concept of Extreme Ghostbusters was still in its formative stage, Fil Barlow's initial design of Egon had him as an ambassador to the ghost realm who was trying to stop an impending war on the other side demons and ghosts (but hell was considered a bad idea for a children's show and was changed to a war between ghosts and ghouls). Barlow liked the idea of the new team entering an abandoned Firehouse and Egon appearing out of thin air in his ambassador garb murmuring in an ancient ghost language. He had spent so long on the other side he was barely able to speak English.
 * Egon's ponytail was a hold out to Fil Barlow's initial design.
 * Egon wrote Spengler's Spirit Guide by the time of Extreme Ghostbusters, but it appears to borrow a lot from Tobin's Spirit Guide.
 * Egon only had two students take his course last semester in 1996.
 * Egon gets nosebleeds when he's underground.
 * Egon refers to and quotes Peter Venkman, "We zap him and trap him" in "Casting the Runes".
 * Egon used to work with Edward Kirilian at New York State University until Kirilian proposed using ghosts as slave labor.
 * Egon and Ray Stantz were kicked out of the New York State University in 1982 for trying to reanimate the dead.
 * Egon was a member of Mensa until he was kicked out after being disbarred by the American Science Association.
 * Egon was never big on surprises.
 * Egon uses the word "nifty" only when he feels perky.
 * In Ghostbusters Issue #2 page 19, Baby Egon from "Three Men and an Egon" appears to the right of Jacquelyn and Zac.
 * Egon appears on the RI cover of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8.
 * On the subscription cover of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #16, Egon makes a non-canon cameo.
 * On the subscription cover of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #18, Egon makes a non-canon cameo.
 * Erik Burnham had the return of Egon in Ghostbusters International planned since around February 2016.
 * On page 15 of Ghostbusters International #10, Egon admitted he missed teaching and mused he might return to it someday, a nod to becoming a professor by the time of Extreme Ghostbusters.
 * On page 5 of Ghostbusters 101 #2, Erin Gilbert imagines Kevin Beckman with the hair of Egon.
 * On the Subscription Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #5, near Walter Peck is the Extreme Ghostbusters version of Egon.
 * Egon, from The Real Ghostbusters, appears on Cover A of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2 aboard Ecto-2.
 * Egon, from Extreme Ghostbusters, appears on Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2.
 * On page 21 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2, Egon's file photo is from "Bustman's Holiday" before he gives the thumb's up at the end.
 * On May 10, 2018, Egon was mentioned on the 24th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card which featured the Extreme Ghostbusters.
 * Egon was mentioned in Kylie's bio in Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #31, released on June 5, 2018.
 * Egon devised a special hair gel to protect the team's perfectly coiffed hair against frequent sliming.
 * Egon was mentioned in the Groovy Doom Dimension bio in the 40th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, released on July 5, 2018. It also revealed he developed a hair gel with a near ironlike resiliency invented to defend against frequent sliming.
 * On Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Egon 68-E and 68-R appears.
 * On Cover RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Egon 68-R appears.
 * On page 21 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Egon 68-E's college course is mentioned. On Extreme Ghostbusters, it was "Paranormal Phenomena 101".
 * On page 21 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Egon 68-E's photo is from "Casting the Runes" when he was suited up near the end.
 * Egon 68-E appears in the upper right side of Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6.
 * Egon 68-R appears in the lower right side of Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over #6.
 * On page 6 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6, in panel 5, Egon of 68-R modifies his thrower with a red handled screwdriver like at the end of "Mrs. Roger's Neighborhood".
 * On page 16, of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #7, Egon 68-E alludes to the incident in "The Fly".