One villain from “Ghostbusters” revealed the truth, from which it follows that famous paranormal researchers and exterminators are much scarier than anyone thought. In the 2004 comic miniseries Ghostbusters: Legion” the Guys in Grey face a series of persistent but unique paranormal phenomena that turn out to be coordinated attacks by Michael Draverhaven, a mystery from the past of the original Ghostbusters. While the rest of the Ghostbusters are dealing with a swarm of ectoplasmic entities, Michael reveals his grand design to his hostage Ray Stanz and tells him that his current strength is related to the spiritual world’s fear of Ghostbusters.
The action of “Ghostbusters: Legion” by screenwriter Andrew Dobb and artist Steve Kurt takes place six months after the events of the original Ghostbusters movie, as the famous four are still busy getting rid of supernatural creatures all over the city. As their work begins to seep into their personal lives, the Ghostbusters learn that Michael Draverhaven, a former college colleague of Ray, Peter and Egon, has escaped from the psychiatric hospital where he spent a third of his life. After Ray’s abduction, Michael reveals that he has been building a relationship with the spirit world all these years and now commands an army of ghosts that besiege New York, similar to the escalating ghost attacks that preceded Gozer’s arrival in Ghostbusters.
In ” Ghostbusters: Legion #4″ Michael gets annoyed when his trap for other Ghostbusters fails due to their quick thinking and technology. After a confrontation with Ray, in which the Ghost Hunter manages to free himself, Michael uses his new ghostly abilities to defeat his former friend and imprison him again. In a classic villainous monologue, Michael admits that ghosts are actually afraid of Ghostbusters. He explains that they are not like other spirit hunters or exorcists in the past, whose efforts were more complex and slow-running, requiring elements such as sacrifices to succeed. But the Ghostbusters’ use of technology such as proton packs and the prolonged confinement they subject ghosts to has made them so intimidating that spirits actually pass on stories about them to each other.
As Michael happily notes, the irony is quite funny, considering how scared people usually are at the sight of ghosts. “Ghostbusters” still cause mixed reactions from the public. Many people think that they are scammers, and those who believe do not consider them anything more than glorified fighters taking advantage of a temporary whim. Although the science of ghostbusters differs from the spiritual methods of the past, their nuclear boosters and ghost traps allow them to quickly get rid of ghosts, although in doing so they risk causing significant material damage. Considering that Ghostbusters have faced all kinds of supernatural beings — from demons to the old gods themselves — and emerged victorious, it proves that underestimating them often leads to disaster.
Michael reveals that the ghosts were so scared of these mortal ghosts that they made a deal with him, probably hoping that Draverhaven’s personal history with Ghostbusters would encourage him to finish the job. Although Michael’s plans for global conquest and revenge make him sound like a wannabe comic book villain, it’s funny to get confirmation that Ghostbusters are so good at their job that the whole ghost world is afraid of them.
