Sometimes I think the universe just waits for me to get cocky. -Dr. Egon Spengler
Dr. Egon Spengler was one of the original Ghostbusters and was known as the brains of the outfit.
Personality
As he is in the movies, animated Egon is the brains of the ghostbusters. He many times will save the day by coming up with ways to defeat the ghost with a different setting on the equipment. He keeps to himself mostly. A traumatic experience with the Boogieman as a child served as the impetus for him getting involved in researching the paranormal and finding ways to combat it. Blushing, he confessed once that his mother, Katherine Spengler, nicknamed him "Spookums".
Egon has on occasion displayed a dry sense of humor. He also has little patience for non-scientific ways of approaching matters and frivolity in general. One of the few times he ever showed genuine terror was shortly after a near-death experience by getting knocked off a building, saved only by Winston's masterful control of Ecto-2. When believing that his death was imminent in a ploy to stop Ragnarok from occurring, he uttered Janine's name with a slight tone of sorrow and regret.
Changes Over the Seasons
His appearance changes slightly from RGB to EGB. He changed his hairstyle at some point between Real Ghostbuster to Extreme Ghostbusters from his trademark pompador and rat tail to a simple pulled back ponytail. His glasses change from rounded frames to more oval shaped.
Egon still wears a variant of his grey RGB coveralls in EGB, this time without the magenta cuffs and collar. In the EGB toyline he's been shown to wear both blue and green colored jumpsuits.
Characteristically he's the same phlegmatic type from RGB. He does seem to have accepted Janine as a regular part of his life, as he's been shown on one occasion holding her and even kissing on another, although that was initiated by Janine.
Extreme Ghostbusters
As seen in Extreme Ghostbusters
Egon after being alone for years maintaining the Firehouse along with keeping Slimer there. However, the P.K.E. Meter started going off in the firehouse, Slimer took it to Egon who was at the University teaching students. Egon after getting the meter, went to the site of activity and no one believed him about the tunnel.
After tons of calls Egon decided it would be best to reopen the Ghostbusters. His role was of a mentor for the new team of Ghostbusters. For the most part, he usually leaves the field work to the new members, opting to provide audio back-up from the firehouse and information on their current adversary. He would still take to the field on some missions, but express frustration that he was no longer as agile or quick as when he was younger, and being very conscious of his age (39), in The Sphinx.
Egon wrote Spengler's Spirit Guide.
Relationship to Others
Ray Stantz
As Ray is the other technical genius on the team, Egon and Ray frequently create and test out new equipment, as well as discuss paranormal theories origins of ghosts and solutions on how to capture non-standard entities.
Peter Venkman
"You know, we're all descendants from fish. It would be no trouble at all to flip back in time, find the fish you descended from, and stuff it into a Cuisinart." -Egon to Peter
Egon is usually indifferent to Peter's sarcasm, or points out flaws in his logic. While Peter commonly makes light of Egon's more elaborate scientific terms and social awkwardness, the two maintain a solid working relationship despite their differences in personality and scientific approach.
Winston Zeddemore
Winston will generally defer to Egon for solutions to capturing more difficult ghosts, and provides support when enacting plans. Winston normally breaks down Egon's complex technical jargon into more "everyman" terms for the rest of the team.
Janine Melnitz
Egon and Janine seem to have always been close to something more than just business. In the Ghostbusters movie there was a few moments that suggested that they may love each other. During most of The Real Ghostbusters the hints were still being thrown around in little parts in the episodes. However, the episode "Janine, You've Changed finally gave long time fans a bit of payoff, when Egon confessed that he loved her and cared about her.
In Extreme Ghostbusters, the relationship feel much like in The Real Ghostbusters. However, she feels even more like a wife or girlfriend as she cooks for him, always caring for him.
Louis Tully
The two men rarely spoke maintained long conversations with each other. Having never argued or done much together may suggest that the animated series to avoid the Ghostbusters II issue of Janine and Louis relationship. In the comic based on the cartoon from , Egon DID make a barbed comment to Janine about her having more time to spend with Louis when he was about to leave town on a mission, indicating that he noticed it and was bothered by it on some level. Janine immediately told him that Louis was sweet, but harmless, showing her heart was still with Egon.
Slimer
No matter when in the show, Egon has always got along surprisingly good with Slimer. Many times Egon used Slimer to test new theories and gadgets. Egon in many ways treated him like a pet, and that was still the case during Extreme Ghostbusters.
Eduardo Rivera
Most of the time, Egon gets along with Eduardo, however there have been those days that Egon has raised his voice to him in exasperation.
Roland Jackson
Garrett Miller
Garrett relies on Egon's "experience, knowledge and wisdom." He feels that Egon is a leader in every seance of the word.
Kylie Griffin
Egon feels that Kylie is a true paranormal expert. They often talk to one another on the subject. They are on very good terms with one another as Egon sirves as her mentor.
Katherine Spengler, his mother
She is a very motherly person, as she also treats the other Ghostbusters like her children as well. Janine and her seem to get along pretty good as well. When Egon was a baby, his mother used to call him "Spookums". Egon seems to have inherited his penchant for occasional dry humor and looks from her. She talks by phone with him at least once every six months.
Trivia
- Egon owns a paperback copy of "Tobin's Spirit Guide" which he is known to bring with him on assignment. During "Extreme Ghostbusters" he was shown transcribing it onto CD Rom. By that point, Egon had also written his own book: Spengler's Spirit Guide.
- Scientists and scholars run in the family. There has also been a wizard, but he is generally never talked about and looked down upon as a crackpot. All his ancestors are shown to resemble him facially, have blond hair and glasses. Curiously enough, Egon's ancestor during the Salem which trials is also shown to have Egon's pompadour and rat tail hairstyle.
- It is also a tradition amoung Spengler males to repress their emotions and focus on everything in a detatched, scientific manner. This explains why he tends not to be reciprical to Janine's affections for the most past. But he HAS shown signs that she has taken some claim to his heart. Faint displays of jealousy, dissapointment, relief, remorse and even mild pleasure have been displayed by him in matters regarding her. He even admits to her in the comic that he isn't very good at dealing with people he cares about. Egon even said words to the effect that he would not be adverse to the idea of a kiss from her when he got back.
- Egon knows at least two other languages, Sumerian and Sign Language.
- When Egon was a baby, his mother used to call him "Spookums". His mother makes a couple appearances on the show. Egon seems to have inherited his penchant for occasional dry humor from her.
- While it isn't outright stated, it seems likely that Egon has a Jewish background, although he isn't particularly devout regarding it. His name is a Jewish last name and even his mother even shows hints of a stereotypical Jewish mom.