Ghostbusters - Timeline

[iceman109]

Would the Ghostbusters Funko Universe comic be considered canon to the main universe?

https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/IDW_Publishing_Comics-_Ghostbusters:_Funko_Universe

 

[Pro Bot]

So... this takes place during Frozen Empire? That's... confusing and probably contradictory.

 

[Pro Bot]

Would the Ghostbusters Funko Universe comic be considered canon to the main universe?

https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/IDW_Publishing_Comics-_Ghostbusters:_Funko_Universe

I'll have to read it I guess.

 

[Pro Bot]

So... this takes place during Frozen Empire? That's... confusing and probably contradictory.

Having seen it, probably occurs shortly after Frozen Empire, with Garraka having escaped containment. It's not perfect but it makes more sense than having it concurrent. Also, Garraka having to be defeated twice in June 2024 is pretty silly.

 

[Pro Bot]

Ghostbusters wiki:

In the credits page of Ghostbusters: Back in Town Issue #1, it is stated the story takes place one and a half years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

In a private email correspondence with Dark Horse press contacts between May 16 and May 19, 2025, it was confirmed with the editors and David M. Booher that the events of Ghostbusters: Back in Town take place one year after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Thus, the dating in the synopsis is now invalid. Since Afterlife took place primarily in June 2021, Back in Town would then take place in June 2022.

...what? How does that make sense? Surely a year and a half stated explicitly in the book is a more solid reference. Stating that the comic is one year after the movie is still technically accurate if it's set 18 months later because it hasn't been 2 years yet.

 

[Pro Bot]

I do wonder if it's possible Casper's prequels are canon, and Casper just ended up on the ghost train sometime after the events with his dad mentioned in the past. I doubt it though.

Also, huh, that's weird. Moving on...
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guidehttps://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guide
Also, just to note, this is a thing. I don't think the PKE meter detects aliens though, so I would argue non-canon. I guess I could check the Transformers crossover either way.
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/They_Live_(movie)https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Suburban_Commando_(movie)

 

[Megatron]

I do wonder if it's possible Casper's prequels are canon, and Casper just ended up on the ghost train sometime after the events with his dad mentioned in the past. I doubt it though.

Also, huh, that's weird. Moving on...
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guidehttps://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guide
Also, just to note, this is a thing. I don't think the PKE meter detects aliens though, so I would argue non-canon. I guess I could check the Transformers crossover either way.
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/They_Live_(movie)https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Suburban_Commando_(movie)

I don't even know how Ghostbusters could work in the Buffyverse... Aside from the fact that Ghosts are a thing in Buffy.

Also there's Back to the Future too, so yeah it's a lot.

 

[Megatron]

lso, huh, that's weird. Moving on...
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guide https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Tobin's_Spirit_Guide

it's interesting that if we take this as canon, Buffy starts at the same time of international, and continues trough 1998, then the whole Buffyverse is before 2021 and then you finish ghostbusters.

 

[Pro Bot]

You know, I think a timeline of The Real Ghostbusters would be much harder. You'd have to deal with the original timeline that goes The Real Ghostbusters (including all pre-IDW tie-in media) then Extreme Ghostbusters (with IDW tie-in media), as well as the alternate version that doesn't lead to Extreme Ghostbusters, which is The Real Ghostbusters including both pre-IDW and IDW comics.

That's because IDW placed them in separate realities while acknowledging that The Real Ghostbusters is still technically the past of Extreme Ghostbusters. It's possible the Mars Attacks crossover occurs in both realities I suppose, though I could be wrong.

 

[Megatron]

You know, I think a timeline of The Real Ghostbusters would be much harder. You'd have to deal with the original timeline that goes The Real Ghostbusters (including all pre-IDW tie-in media) then Extreme Ghostbusters (with IDW tie-in media), as well as the alternate version that doesn't lead to Extreme Ghostbusters, which is The Real Ghostbusters including both pre-IDW and IDW comics.

That's because IDW placed them in separate realities while acknowledging that The Real Ghostbusters is still technically the past of Extreme Ghostbusters. It's possible the Mars Attacks crossover occurs in both realities I suppose, though I could be wrong.

There are Also the video games.

 

[Pro Bot]

I like how the Crossing Over comic is set in 1997, the same year as Extreme Ghostbusters, and they act like the Sanctum of Slime timeline is like a potential future Earth of the Prime universe... even though it's only 3 years later. Wow, their Ghostbusters are so much older, am I right?

Also:
https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/The_Earth_Day_Special

On page 19, panel 2, of Ghostbusters Annual 2015, in the upper left is "Call Elon," a nod to Elon Spengler.

On page 24 of Ghostbusters Annual 2018, In panel 2, on the Post It note on the left is a reference to Elon Spengler and the Wastebusters from the Earth Day Special.

...what? Elon is canon? But...

Spoiler: Cast of "The Earth Day Special"

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Well... that's a concerning implication. Both the Waste Busters and Elon Spengler are referenced in the IDW comics... E.T. exists in Ghostbusters? The... Muppets are canon? Doc Brown time travelled into the Ghostbusters universe?

 

[Pro Bot]

I guess The Earth Day Special hasn't been validated by any other continuity so it can be canon to Dimension Prime without bringing in anything else, but... still.

 

[Pro Bot]

For reference.

 

[Pro Bot]

You know what, it'd make perfect sense if Ed Spengler from the validated fanfiction was the son of Elon Spengler due to him being Egon's nephew and Elon is his twin brother.

 

[Pro Bot]

It's all connected, you see. Elon from The Earth Day Special is obviously the father of Ed from the Freddy Krueger fanfic. The truth is right there, lol.

 

[Pro Bot]

If we take this to its logical (or illogical) conclusion, the Ghostbusters universe includes characters and settings from:

The Earth Day Special
Back to the Future
Cheers
The Cosby Show
Doogie Howser, M.D.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The Golden Girls
Married... with Children
Murphy Brown
The Muppets
Looney Toons

Crossovers
Casper
Transformers

Denver Ghostbusters Fanfiction
Friday the 13th
Evil Dead
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Mario Bros (?)

 

[Pro Bot]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/s/S1lMFxTznpApparently this is officially licensed Hasbro/Sony merchandise that references the Return of the Ghostbusters fanfic. Weird.

 

[Pro Bot]

I guess this just goes to show, you can always find something new. Now, taking this advert seriously for a second, Janine is still managing the Ghostbusters' finances in 2019. I can only imagine that her and Slimer are promoting Quickbooks in-universe and relating it to the Ghostbusters due to their popularity.

 

[Pro Bot]

Oh no... oh fuck no... god damn it IDW...



The Louisiana Ghostbusters, which references a TON of other fanfiction, is referenced twice in the IDW Ghostbusters comics. They go on to explain how that reference occurred within their fanfiction.







DOES ANY OTHER FRANCHISE COUNT FANFICTION AS MUCH AS GHOSTBUSTERS!?! I appreciate it for all the fanfilms that are validated because of this, but man, I don't wanna go through adding all of that. Call it a branch timeline or something. Good for them, they're canon, man...

 

[Pro Bot]

...Ernie Hudson reprises the role of Winston in some of them... well... that's hard to ignore.