5 Ghostbusters Characters Missing From Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2

Ghostbusters: Afterlife reunited many of the core members of the original Ghostbusters cast, providing a fantastic nostalgic experience, but its sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, will be missing some prominent franchise characters. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and Carrie Coon are among those set to return as their respective characters. William Atherton is also reprising his role as Walter Peck, who hasn’t been seen since the first film.

Seeing the original cast in their ghost-busting gear after 32 years in Ghostbusters: Afterlife was fantastic, and the new characters were terrific as well. Therefore, its upcoming follow-up is bound to be a blast, regardless of who appears and who doesn’t. That said, although the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel will be great, it will be sad not to see certain actors in their iconic roles — especially those favorites that fans were really hoping to see.

5 Gozer The Gozerian

Played By Slavitza Jovan In Ghostbusters & Olivia Wilde In Ghostbusters: Afterlife

In the first Ghostbusters movie, the eponymous team went up against the powerful, ancient Sumerian shape-shifting god of destruction, Gozer the Gozerian. The malevolent entity was summoned to New York City to bring about the world’s end and attempted to do so again in Summerville, Oklahoma, in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The character was played by the Yugoslavian actress and model Slavitza Jovan in the original film, while Olivia Wilde took over the role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

However, after seemingly perishing in the original Ghostbusters, only to have its power restored in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Gozer really looks to be dead this time. Therefore, neither Jovan nor Wilde is expected to appear as Gozer in Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2. That’s probably for the best, as a new threat will likely emerge, as it should, to breathe new life into the franchise. It’s exciting to muse on which vile evil entity the Ghostbusters and their allies will be taking on, but it definitely shouldn’t be Gozer again.

4 Ivo Shandor

Played By J.K. Simmons In Ghostbusters: Afterlife

In the original Ghostbusters, the long-dead Ivo Shandor is never seen on screen, but it’s his actions that are the catalyst for the events of the movie. Shandor was the leader of a cult that worshiped the evil god Gozer, but he was also an architect by trade. He designed 550 Central Park West, the apartment building Dana Barrett lived in, as a conduit for Gozer to enter Earth’s dimension and bring about the apocalypse. If it weren’t for the Ghostbusters, Shandor would have posthumously succeeded.

J.K. Simmons played Ivo Shandor in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It was revealed Shandor’s body was preserved in a glass sarcophagus in one of his company’s mines, which housed a temple dedicated to the worshiping of Gozer. The god’s resurrection in the film awakened Shandor’s body from its near century-long slumber. While he immediately announced his devotion to the evil god, Gozer killed him nonetheless. Given the severe finality of his demise on this occasion, Simmons won’t return as the character in Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2.

3 Dana Barrett

Played By Sigourney Weaver In Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, & Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Sigourney Weaver’s character, Dana Barrett, is every bit as memorable and iconic as any of the Ghostbusters themselves. She appeared as a prominent role in both Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, finding herself as the victim of two different supernatural events and as the object of Peter Venkman’s sometimes unwanted affection. At the end of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, in a brief appearance, it’s revealed she’s married to Venkman, having finally fallen for his unconventional charm.

However, Weaver won’t be appearing as Dana in Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, as Weaver has revealed she wasn’t even asked to appear in the film. That’s a real shame. Even though forcing the movie full of characters wouldn’t be great, it still feels somewhat disrespectful to Weaver — especially since her scene in Ghostbusters: Afterlife proved she’s the love of Venkman’s life and hinted toward another significant role in the franchise going forward. Her absence will undoubtedly leave a lot of Ghostbusters enthusiasts massively disappointed and confused.

2 Egon Spengler

Played By Harold Ramis In Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters II (& Digitally In Ghostbusters: Afterlife)

Harold Ramis was an icon of cinema and a bona fide legend of the Ghostbusters franchise. Not only did he star as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, but he also co-wrote the screenplays for both movies alongside Dan Aykroyd. Despite his passing away in 2014, he posthumously appeared in Ghostbusters: Afterlife thanks to archival footage, photographs, and special effects.

However, Spengler won’t be appearing in Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2. In its predecessor, he was given the most perfect send-off and finality. With his life’s work having aided the movie’s protagonists in figuring out the reemerging threat of Gozer, Spengler’s ghost appeared and helped them defeat the evil god before ascending to heaven in, by far, the franchise’s most emotional moment to date. It was a respectful way to acknowledge Ramis’s contribution to the franchise and include him in its revival. Bringing him back for a second time would feel cheap, which is why Spengler’s time in the franchise is over.

1 Louis Tully

Played By Rick Moranis In Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters II

Along with Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett, Rick Moranis’s Louis Tully was a major supporting character in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and he became every bit as iconic as the Ghostbusters themselves. In 1997, following his late wife’s passing a few years earlier, Moranis decided to take a long hiatus from acting to devote time to the pair’s children. However, he has done a little bit of voice work for a handful of animated films and is set to return to acting in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel, Shrunk, so there was hope he’d reappear in the new Ghostbusters movies.

There’s no word of Moranis reprising his role, and that’s probably for the best. Forcing characters into movies for the sake of it feels contrived. In the case of Moranis, it could even feel exploitative, given his wish to stay out of the limelight following his personal tragedy. He should be allowed to pick and choose his projects, and if he wanted to appear in Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, the team behind it would find a way. If he isn’t appearing in the sequel, it’s because he has no wish to do so, and that’s fine. His work as Louis Tully in the first two Ghostbusters films is legendary regardless.