Credit: Sony PicturesIt’s been nine years since Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) hit theaters, but, following 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and 2024’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which continue the original film series’ continuity, we’ve decided to take a closer look at the 2016 film.
In doing so, we’ve spotted something that may suggest that the widely controversial reboot is actually connected to the main Ghostbusters timeline.
In fact, there’s a surprising amount of evidence to back up the fact that both continuities are connected via the Ghostbusters Multiverse.
Ghostbusters is no stranger to the Multiverse — if you’re familiar with IDW Publishing’s long-running comic book series, you’ll know that there have been many crossovers between different iterations of the Ghostbusters, including the original line-up and the female characters from the 2016 reboot.
With that said, the comics aren’t considered “primary canon” — that honor goes to the main series of films — Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), Afterlife, and Frozen Empire. But what if Answer the Call is part of the Multiverse?
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There are a few scenes in the film that suggest it takes place in an alternate dimension. For starters, the fact that original Ghostbusters actors Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson all make an appearance as different characters definitely supports this theory (although the reality is they were probably only brought back to sell tickets).
Then there’s the post-credits scene, which finds Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) listening to EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and hearing the word “Zuul” (an entity from the original 1984 film), which may suggest they’ve tapped into the frequency of the primary Ghostbusters dimension.
Related: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Missed a HUGE Opportunity at World-Building
But there’s a scene in the film that stands out above the rest, and it’s the one that sees the return of everyone’s favorite green ghost, Slimer, from the original two films.
Slimer has made countless appearances across several other forms of media over the decades, although he’s typically associated with the main Ghostbusters characters.
But could the reboot Slimer be visiting from another Ghostbusters dimension? This would make perfect sense considering he only appears when several dimensions begin to overlap in the 2016 film.
The idea of Answer the Call being part of the main franchise isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. After all, outside Ghostbusters, the Multiverse concept has been used to legitimize several previously non-canon films, namely within the Marvel and DC franchises.
Answer the Call stars Kristen Wiig (Erin Gilbert), Melissa McCarthy (Abby Yates), Leslie Jones (Patty Tolan), Kate McKinnon (Jillian Holtzmann), Chris Hemsworth (Kevin Beckman), and cameos from original Ghostbusters icons Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, all of whom play new characters.
Do you think Answer the Call takes place in the Ghostbusters Multiverse? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!