5 Best Characters from the Ghostbusters Franchise, Ranked

The ever-popular Ghostbusters franchise made its debut with the original Ghostbusters movie released in 1984. It's sequel came out in 1989, and the overall franchise then added two further movies, which were, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

The franchise has also seen a reboot in the form of Paul Feig’s 2016 Ghostbusters, which did not quite take off. Regardless, the series has featured some extremely popular actors such as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, and Paul Rudd. The cast has also been responsible for bringing to life, a plethora of iconic characters. Here, we look at the five best characters that have featured in the franchise thus far.

Top characters to have featured in the Ghostbusters franchise

5. Podcast

First and foremost, we have Logan Kim’s Podcast, who has featured in two movies so far. This includes Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Frozen Empire. Unlike some of the more sinister spirits that have been featured in the franchise, Podcast is a kindred one, who is the host of an actual podcast in the afterlife.

The character is eventually revealed to have only one subscriber to his show, which is Ray Stantz. However, his knowledge about curses and other supernatural elements make him a valuable member of Ghostbusters, as he is one of the major characters in the later movies.

4. Winston Zeddemore

BET Experience Fan Fest - Day 2 - Image via Getty

Ernie Hudson is one of the few characters from Ghostbusters who has played a prominent role in both the newer and the original films. He made his debut as Zeddemore back in 1984, and most recently reprised his role for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Zeddemore is one of the OG Ghostbusters and part of the original trio that began their adventures in New York. He regularly acts as the sane voice of the group and is shown as a successful businessman, who has funded much of the operation that the team has been involved in.

3. Peter Venkman

No list about the most iconic characters from Ghostbusters can be complete without Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman. He is also part of the original team and has featured in all of the five movies of the franchise.

Peter Venkman is one of the most hilarious characters on Ghostbusters, and is not really a man of science. Instead, he has degrees in psychology and parapsychology and is easily one of the most well-loved faces of the movie series. Venkman’s humor, relaxed attitude, and overall charisma have often been the key to getting out of trouble, for the team.

2. Egon Spengler

Cursed Chicago Cubs Baseball Destroyed - Image via Getty

Albeit controversial, Harold Ramis’ Egon Spangler deserves his name to be high on this list. The character featured only in the first two movies of the franchise, the original Ghostbusters, and 1989’s Ghostbusters II.

He is a genius scientist who has invented most of the iconic equipment that the Ghostbusters team can be seen using. Spengler personally created the iconic proton packs and the hilarious ensemble of ghost traps that the team has used in all of the movies. The genius scientist is shown as a shy, almost socially awkward character who is committed to protecting the world from supernatural threats.

1. Ray Stantz

Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz undoubtedly takes the top spot on this list. He is one of the few characters who has featured in all five of the original franchise movies thus far. Stantz has a natural enthusiasm and optimism which makes him really important to the team.

His humor, enthusiasm, and the kind of sacrifices he has made, have led him to be one of the fan favorites from Ghostbusters, making him one of the most beloved characters in the franchise.

---

All of the Ghostbusters movies are available to be streamed on Amazon Prime.