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Ellen Gold [1] is the ghost of an insane orphanage headmistress in Queens, New York.

History[]

Ellen Gold came from a highly respected family. In order to keep their reputation intact, the family kept Gold's mother and father's extreme dementia a secret. [2] Gold, herself, inherited mental instability from her mother's side. [3] To keep her out of sight and out of mind, Gold was installed as the headmistress of Wander Hills Orphanage in 1877. [4] Gold's instability manifested in punishing children for "naughtiness" even when they were well behaved. Gold locked children in their rooms at the drop of a hat and wouldn't release them before dawn for any reason. [5] In 1898, Gold was arrested for the death of two malnourished children. Dr. Obed Winters performed a psychological evaluation and determined Gold suffered from an advanced form of dementia. Winters advised she resign as headmistress. However, her younger brother Martin, a prominent New York politician, paid for her bail and had all records of her dementia destroyed. [6] [7]

In 1920, during a severe lightning storm, Gold locked all the children of Wander Hills in their rooms. Even after a burning tree crashed into the building, Gold did not release the children. Gold's body was found in the ruins with the keys to the bunk rooms on a chain around her neck. Martin Gold had the details of the children's deaths expunged from the official records. [8] [9] [10] [11] Gold's ghost soon manifested in 1922. She appeared in the attic of a house built on the orphanage grounds right before the house caught fire. Further sightings were recorded in 1963, 1973, 1984, and 1989. [12] The sound of children crying during rainstorms were reported. [13] Eventually phantom children began to materialize at regular intervals. In 1984, psychokinetic energy levels reached an all-time high due to the coming of Gozer. As a result, it became easier for ghosts to cross over to the physical plane of existence. Ellen Gold was one of the ghosts who fully manifested. [14]

In the 1990s, Ellen Gold appeared again in the latest house on the property and generated a psychic reconstruction of the orphanage interior. The Sunderland family hired the Ghostbusters. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler found her inside the kitchen and opened fire. Due to the P.K.E. augmentation from the reformation of Gozer, Gold had the power to break free from the Proton Stream. Luckily, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore appeared from the second floor and helped confine her. Ray threw out the Trap and captured her. The Sunderland's reported no further sightings of Wander Hills after the bust. [15]

Ellen Gold was released from the Containment Unit when Ray and Egon manually vented it after the former was possessed by Tiamat and punched it. Gold attempted to manifest Wander Hills but since she was no longer at the original home in Queens, she had great difficulty. [16] The Ghostbusters set out to recapture her but all of a sudden, the Crybaby Ghost emerged from her mouth. While she was distracted, the guys made their move. Peter wrangled Gold while Ray got the Crybaby Ghost. After disappearing, Egon returned with a Trap and captured the entities. The Firehouse basement returned to normal.

Ellen Gold was one of the ghosts accidentally released from the Containment Unit and transported to a parallel dimension because of the testing of the Remote Access Teleportation Unit by Ron Alexander and Jillian Holtzmann. Ellen arrived in a Comic Strip Dimension and conjured the Wander Hills Orphanage. A few days later, a field team of Ghostbusters from various dimensions arrived in search of her. Peter revealed the orphanage's gruesome history to the others. Melanie teased him for claiming he didn't know anything about the place. Peter teased back he was known to lie. Ellen Gold appeared and called him naught but surprisingly called out Holtzmann for being the naughtiest among them. Holtzmann was freaked out and blasted at Ellen with her Proton Pistols. Ellen dodged and started throwing children around. Two wrapped around Holtzmann and immobilized her but the pistol kept firing wildly. The others dodged. Before they could get a Trap-Gate, Ellen grabbed Holtzmann and thought about punishing her.

Ellen told Holtzmann she was very naughty and didn't care about who she hurt. Melanie couldn't get a clear shot and called out for options. Bridget asked if it was a "needs of the many" situation and Roland got too literal, explaining they couldn't map the consciousness like in "Wrath of Khan". Bridget called him a nerd. Egon 68-R came up with a strategy to blast the orphanage at a new frequency and power setting based on Ellen's P.K.E. signature since she shared it with her construct. Ellen felt it and fled upstairs with Holtzmann. Peter went after them with his own plan. Egon 68-R and Melanie felt uneasy about that. Peter found them in the kitchen, re-introduced himself, and asked for Holtzmann's release since he was naughtier than her. Like "catch and release." Holtzmann didn't think she would know what that was since she predated it. She covered Holtzmann's mouth then reacted to the orphanage being blasted. Peter recalled the others were still blasting up the house. She vowed she would endure and punish. Peter noted she was more talkative than their last encounter and proposed they talk. Holtzmann mumbled something in protest. He told her to relax because it was in his wheelhouse since Ellen used to see a shrink. She mumbled something again. Peter pointed out it wasn't like he would have to prescribe anything and boasted he exorcised himself before.

Ellen deemed Holtzmann guilty. Peter admitted she felt that way and was about as good as hiding it as a puppy but contended that things happen and punishment wouldn't prevent it. He argued it made the situation worse and taught people to associate pain with guilt then a psychopath gets made. Ellen repeated Holtzmann was chaotic. Peter retorted there were pills for that. The others blasted the house again and Ellen recoiled. They apologized for taking out a whole wall. Peter pointed out forgiveness was an important concept in self-healing. He forgave Holtzmann for hurting him. Ellen stated she had to learn. Peter believed she did already and was very sorry, and even got a whole mess of gray hair over it. Holtzmann mumbled something. Peter repeated he forgave her. Ellen released Holtzmann and threw her at him but Ellen didn't forgive him for hurting her in her house. Peter held up his pedal and trapped Ellen. Wander Hills vanished and the team found themselves on an open lot.

Personality[]

Ellen Gold doesn't like naughty people, exhibited aggressive behavior, and was prone to paranoid rantings.

Classification[]

According to File No. #F389, Ellen Gold is a Class 6 Full Torso Remnant Manifestation. [17]

The Tobin's Spirit Guide, page 21, and Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #42 states Gold is a Class 4. [18] [19]

Type[]

According to File No. #F389, Ellen Gold is a Focused non-terminal temporal repeater with low level characteristics indicative of those found in dominant commanding spirit entities. [20]

The Tobin's Spirit Guide entry stated she was semicorporeal.

Statistics[]

Ellen Gold has a PKR frequency of 4.47 GW and an eV count of 628.4-689.7 EeV (628 400 000 000 TeV). [21] [22]

Powers[]

Ellen Gold has the abilities of physical transmogrification, control and command the wills of the ghosts of the orphanage children, and possibly pyrokinesis. In other words, she can manifest an ethereal facsimile of her previous human appearance and appears to tether her children by manipulating fear induced psychokinetic frequencies. Gold also had the power to manipulate latent P.K.E. where the orphanage once stood and generate a psychic reconstruction of the orphanage interior.

Trivia[]

  • According to Erik Burnham, Ellen Gold was not in his original plan for the comic. She "popped into mind" while he ate a taco at a fast food restaurant.
  • In his initial design, Tristan Jones drew Ellen Gold as a grotesque mix of Dolores Umbridge from "Harry Potter" and Nunzio Scoleri with all the burn scars from the Wander Hills fire. However, he felt it risked being similar to the Library ghost.
  • Dan Schoening researched turn of the century school principals and caregivers while designing Ellen Gold, reflected in her period clothing.
  • On the Convention Cover of Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #1, Ellen Gold makes a cameo above the Grundel.
  • Ellen Gold appears on Cover RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2.
  • On page 16 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2, one of the images conjured is of Ellen Gold.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #4, in the right frame is a photograph of Ellen Gold and some of the orphans when they were alive.
  • On July 12, 2018, Tom Waltz posted Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #42, Ellen Gold. [23]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Egon Spengler (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.14). Egon Spengler says: "The headmistress---Ellen Gold---was insane."
  2. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "It was found that their mother and father had both suffered extreme dementia but had the fact hidden so as not to tarnish the highly respected family name."
  3. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.21). Paragraph reads: "A member of a prominent New York family, Ellen Gold had inherited mental instability from her mother's side of the family, a condition kept hidden to maintain the Golds' reputation in society."
  4. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Gold was the head mistress at Wander Hills Orphanage, Queens, from 1877 through to 1920, when it burned down after catching fire during a lightning storm (ref: cf#D034 - "BLACK BONES" of Mercy Hospital)."
  5. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.21). Paragraph reads: "One former employee was quoted as saying that Ellen would "lock the children in their rooms at the drop of a hat and wouldn't release them before dawn for any reason." In 1920, under one such lockdown, tragedy struck when a lightning storm set fire to the orphanage in the middle of the night."
  6. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Reports of child abuse were filed and after the death of two children due to malnutrition in 1898 police investigations found that Gold was responsible and arrested. Psychological evaluation by Dr. Obed Winters found gold to have advanced signs of dementia and it was advised that she be stood down from her place as headmistress."
  7. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Letters and testimony surfaced during investigations surrounding the fire that found Martin Gold, a prominent New York politician and younger brother of Ellen Gold, paid bail fee and had records destroyed of his sister's affliction at the request of the rest of the family."
  8. Ray Stantz (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.14). Ray Stantz says: "Of course! 1897."
  9. Egon Spengler (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.14). Egon Spengler says: "Burned to the ground in a lightning storm, despite a heavy rain."
  10. Ray Stantz (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.14). Ray Stantz says: "Kept all the children inside to burn to death. This was expunged from official records by her brother, a local politician."
  11. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Police records (NYPD cf:# MAR20 #012-014) indicate that Gold had locked the children in their rooms during the aforementioned storm and neglected to unlock the rooms when the orphanage caught fire after lightning struck a large tree adjacent to the building which then collapsed (ablaze) into the east wing of the lower floor. Gold's own body was found admist the ruins of the building with the keys to the bunkrooms on a chain around her neck."
  12. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "There have been six previously reported occurrences of the "Wander Hills" manifestation, and each has preceded tragedies similar in nature (eg: 1922, Gold was reported in the attic of a house built over the orphanage grounds right before the house caught fire; 1944, the children of three families living in apartments built at the time reported seeing ghosts of children before tragically passing away themselves two days later from bizarre accidents, with further sightings in 1963, 1973, 1984, and 1989)."
  13. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.21). Paragraph reads: "Over time, the incident was forgotten---although people living in homes built over the site of the razed orphanage reported that they could often hear children crying during rainstorms."
  14. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.21). Paragraph reads: "However, it wasn't until psychokinetic energy was at an all-time high during the arrival of the deity Gozer (see section V) that it became easier for ghosts to cross over to this plane of existence, and Ellen Gold finally manifested."
  15. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Sunderland family have reported no further disturbances, suggesting Gold herself may have been the cause of previously reported tragedies."
  16. Egon Spengler (2014). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #20" (2014) (Comic p.10). Egon says: "The ghost is trying to manifest a familiar set of surroundings but we're miles from the source of the original haunting. It's having difficulty."
  17. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Classification: Class VI Full Torso Remnant Manifes..."
  18. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.21). Paragraph reads: "Class IV. Semicorporeal. Anchored to the now destroyed Wander Hills Orphanage in the borough of Queens."
  19. TomWaltz Tweet 7/12/18Virtual Trading Card reads: "Classification: Class 4 spectral entity."
  20. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "Type: Focused non-terminal temporal repeater with low level characteristics similar to those found in dominant commanding spirit entities (possibly able...manipulate fear induced psychokinetic frequencies/e..."
  21. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "PKR frequency: 4.47 gw."
  22. #F389 Field Report (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #2" (2011) (Comic p.23). #F389 Field Report reads: "eV count: 628.4-689.7 EeV (628 400 000 000 TeV)."
  23. TomWaltz Tweet 7/12/18


Gallery[]

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Non Canon[]

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