Winston Zeddemore was the fourth member to join the Ghostbusters and one of the main protagonists. He saw a job advertisement in the wanted ads and replied. He was not one of the original three Ghostbusters, so in some promotional medias, he isn't promoted with the rest. He appears in all major forms of Ghostbusters franchise; however, like Ray and Peter, he was a guest on Extreme Ghostbusters.
Canonicity[]
Winston in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. Winston (prime) appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions). Winston (from Dimension 50-S) in the IDW Comic Series, is a alternate version based on Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime video game, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II.
History[]
Primary Canon History[]
Before Ghostbusters[]
Winston Zeddemore was born on June 17, 1945 in Gotham, New York.[1]
Ghostbusters (1984)[]
Unlike the other three Ghostbusters, Winston Zeddemore was not originally a university professor. Winston applied for a job opening late in 1984 after business started to pick up. Janine Melnitz interviewed Winston from her desk. She asked him if he believed in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trans-mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis. Winston replied if there was a steady paycheck in it, he would believe anything she said. The interview was interrupted when the phone rang and by the return of the weary Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz. Winston turned his head and observed them while Janine spoke to the caller. Ray was not pleased to see two free repeaters on the evening worksheet. He walked to the basement. Janine brought Winston to their attention. She introduced him. Winston stood. Ray stopped and turned around. Ray took one look at him and hired him on the spot. He introduced himself and Peter. Peter congratulated Winston and shook his hand. Ray called him over for help then handed him the two Traps and welcomed him aboard. Winston took them both but was uneasy about it. Ray nodded with a grin. Ray took him downstairs to the basement and showed him how the Containment Unit worked.
Egon Spengler revealed his latest findings and admitted that he was worried about space issues in the the Containment Unit and all his recent data pointed to something big on the horizon. Winston took a cigarette. Ray lit his cigarette then held a light for Winston. Winston asked Egon what he meant by "big." Egon explained with a Twinkie and used it to represent the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Egon estimated that morning's sample indicated the Twinkie was 35 feet long weighing approximately 600 pounds. Ray coughed hard. Winston remarked, "That's a big Twinkie." Ray believed they could be on the verge of a four-fold crossrip, a P.K.E. surge of incredible and even dangerous proportions. Peter walked over to the Containment Unit and mentioned they had a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency, then asked how the was grid holding up. Winston gestured from Peter to Egon and implored him to talk about the Twinkie. Peter turned to them and was concerned about the Twinkie.
A couple weeks later, on a Thursday evening, Winston drove Ecto-1 through the FDR Drive Service Road East/Marginal Road, between Avenue C Loop/E. 18th Street & East 20th Street. Ray was studying blueprints in the front passenger seat. Both were smoking. Winston asked Ray if he believed in God. Ray replied he never met Him. Winston revealed he believed and he loved Jesus' style. Ray noted a roof cap was made of a magnesium-tungsten alloy. Winston asked him what was so involved in. Ray reached for the Michelob can on the dash. Ray clarified he was looking at the blueprints for the structural ironwork in Dana Barrett's apartment building, and they were very, very strange. Winston asked him if he remembered something in the Bible about the last days, when the dead would rise from the grave. Ray recalled Revelation 7:12 and recited a verse, "And I looked, as he opened the sixth seal. And behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became as black as sackcloth. And the moon became as blood." Winston finished with, "And the seas boiled. And the skies fell." Both called it Judgment Day. Ray noted every ancient religion had its own myth about the end of the world. Ray placed his cigarette back in his mouth. Winston bristled at his use of the word "myth" and asked him if it ever occurred to him that maybe the reason they were so busy lately was because the dead have been rising from the grave, a sign of the apocalypse. Ray was silent with apprehension and looked at him. He suggested a little music and turned on the radio. Winston agreed.
Ray and Winston returned to the Firehouse and saw a large crowd behind the police barricades at N. Moore and Varick. Ray got out the driver's side. Winston got out of the front passenger side, now in his civies. Egon informed Ray the storage facility blew, pointed at Walter Peck, and revealed Peck had the protection grid shut off. Ray was beside himself. Winston guessed that was bad. Ray confirmed and nodded. Peter asked where the Keymaster went. Egon swore and could not believe they lost him. The Ghostbusters were about to take off in search of Louis but Peck, the Police Captain and some police officers barred their way. Peck wanted the Ghostbusters arrested. Egon was angered by his accusations and lunged forward and grabbed Peck's collar. The Ghostbusters were arrested and taken to the NYPD Lock-Up. Winston stood at the perimeter and tried to get the guard's attention as he closed the jail cell so he could make his phone call. Winston explained that he just worked with the Ghostbusters and was not present for the explosion. As Ray and Egon went over the odd details of 550 Central Park West, its architect Ivo Shandor, and Shandor's worship of a god named Gozer who would bring about the end of the world. Ray stated the obvious, they had to get out of jail and find a judge or something. Winston stepped and told them to hold it. He wanted to clarify their plan was to go before a federal judge and say that some moldy Babylonian god was going to drop in on Central Park West and start tearing up the city. Egon corrected him about Gozer: it was a Sumerian god, not Babylonian. Peter joked that there was a big difference. Winston told them no offense, but he was going get his own lawyer. The Ghostbusters were pulled out of jail to go meet with Mayor Lenny in his office at New York City Hall. During the meeting, Winston stepped forward and introduced himself. Winston prefaced that he only worked for the Ghostbusters for a couple of weeks but ghosts were real because he saw shit that would turn him white. The Fire Commissioner visibly reacted to his statement.
The Ghostbusters were given the green light by Mayor Lenny to try to prevent the end of the world. They went to the top of 550 Central Park West and met Gozer. It asked Ray if he was a god. Ray replied, "No." Gozer turned its upper torso and arms back toward the temple then told them to die. Gozer fired lightning from its fingertips at the Ghostbusters. They were shot across the roof and barely clung to the edge of the building. As they gathered themselves, Winston looked down at Ray and told him when someone asked him if he was a god, he should say, "Yes!" Ray nodded. The Ghostbusters opened fire on Gozer but it simply vanished. Winston proclaimed, "And we have the tools. We have the talent!" Peter declared it was "Milla time!" Peter held out his right hand. Ray and Winston were gleeful and did the hand-stack. However, the disembodied voice of Gozer ordered them to choose the form of the Destructor. They all realized Ray thought of something instead of clearing his mind like they did. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was only inflamed by their Proton Streams. Egon proposed they Cross the Streams into the Temple of Gozer. Peter recalled Egon's warning about doing that and they would be in grave danger along with their client, the nice lady who paid them in advance before she became a dog. Egon revealed there was definitely a very slim chance they would survive. They exchanged looks. Winston grumbled the job was definitely not worth another eleven-five a year. The Ghostbusters crossed the streams and saved the world, blowing up Stay Puft and the top part of the building. Ray came to in a corner. He was covered in marshmallow residue. He saw Winston next to him and asked him if he was all right. Winston chuckled and confirmed he was. Winston was also covered in residue. The four Ghostbusters realized Dana Barrett and Louis Tully also survived and liberated them from the charred Terror Dog remains. Before following everyone else down stairs, Winston threw up his hands and cheered. He vigorously exclaimed, "I love this town!" and laughed.
Between Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II[]
Winston lost his job as a Ghostbuster after the team was forced out of business after they were hit with a number of charges and lawsuits (including a judicial restraining order which banned the Ghostbusters from performing services as paranormal investigators and eliminators) due to the large amount of collateral damage caused by the battle with Gozer. Like the other members of his team, Winston was forced to take up another job. Winston and Ray kept their Ghostbuster uniforms and moonlighted as birthday entertainers, singing and dancing to their classic song at parties. Unfortunately, the Ghostbusters had become all but a relic of the past and had very little success in their new jobs. Often times Winston and Ray were jeered and heckled by children they were entertaining for.
Ghostbusters II[]
Right before the Christmas 1989 season started, Winston informed Ray he quit and would no longer perform at any parties. Winston was frustrated and declared to Ray he was "tired of taking abuse from over-privileged 9-year-olds" and that "Ghostbusters doesn't exist." Winston visited with Ray, Egon, and Peter before their trial started. After Stephen Wexler issued a warning before the trial started. He stated the law does not recognize the existence of ghosts and he did not believe in them either. He stressed he did not want to hear a lot of malarkey about goblins, spooks, and demons and they were going to stick to the facts in this case only. Winston joked Wexler sounded like a pretty open-minded guy. Egon revealed Wexler's nickname was "The Hammer." Ray asserted it was all in the hands of their lawyer now, Louis Tully. During the Con Edison Supervisor's testimony, Winston sat in his seat in the gallery and was absent for the remainder of the trial.
Fortune however turned around for the Ghostbusters after their judicial restraining order was rescinded during a confrontation Peter, Ray, and Egon had in a courtroom with the Scoleri Brothers. With the Ghostbusters back in business Winston managed to return to the team full time. When the Ghostbusters checked out the Manhattan Museum of Art, Winston used a new device, the KUD meter. He also pulled Janosz Poha aside when he tried to block Peter from taking photographs of Vigo. He noticed Ray was just standing on a step ladder starring at the Vigo portrait. He patted Ray and he finally snapped out of it. Winston asked him if he was finished. Ray confirmed he was. Winston asked him if he was all right. Ray was confused by the question and walked away with Winston. Ray assured him he was fine. Winston helped Ray and Egon investigate the mysterious river of slime under the city. They walked down some abandoned train tracks. Ray tripped on the track and yelped. Winston told Ray to watch his step and became uneasy. Ray cited the entrance to the pneumatic railroad was near according to the old transit map he had. Egon was not getting any readings. Winston conceded at least it was too dark to see the cockroaches. Ray informed him it was the subway rats he had to be worried about because they were as big as beavers. Egon stated the rats got to be as big as four to five kilos. Winston was getting annoyed. Ray claimed to hear them behind the walls scratching and guessed there were thousands of them. Winston told him to shut up about the rats. Ray shouted "Hello" and heard the echo. Egon tried next with "Hey" and heard the echo. Winston started to relax and shouted "Hello!" There was no echo. A Disembodied Voice replied, "Wiiiiiinstooooon..." Winston stated he was leaving. Suddenly, they were surrounded by many severed Impaled heads on stakes. Ray, Egon, and Winston screamed. Just as quickly, the heads vanished. Winston was confused about what just happened. Egon suggested they get their Proton Packs before they went any further. Winston agreed.
A rumbling sound made them pause. Winston determined it sounded like a train. The rumbling continued. Ray disagreed because the lines were abandoned for 50 years. The rumbling came closer. Egon surmised it was coming from one of the tunnels above them. It sounded a lot closer to Winston. A light appeared and a train whistle sounded off. A Ghost Train came down the tunnel towards them. Ray and Egon jumped out of the way. Winston froze and just stood there. The ghost train was intangible and passed right through him. Winston's hardhat fell to the ground as he wailed. After the train left, Egon got back up and speculated that was the old New York Central City Albany that derailed in 1920 and hundreds died. He asked Winston if he caught the number on the locomotive. Winston stated he missed it. Egon was positive something was trying to stop them from finding the river. Winston picked up his helmet and put it back on. He realized Ray was missing. They shouted out to him. Ray suddenly popped out and spooked them. They turned around and gathered themselves. Ray apologized then revealed he found a hole leading to the river. Egon followed Ray. Winston tried to remind them in vain about getting the Proton Packs. Egon, Ray, and Winston cleared some debris aside and walked into the Van Horne Pneumatic Station, the exact place where Ray was lowered down into. They stared at the River of Slime. Egon was amazed. Ray pointed out he was not lying about what he saw. Egon was astounded by the amount of negative energy required to generate such a flow. Winston quipped, "New York, what a town."
Egon wanted to get a sounding and determine how deep it was. Winston used his sounding line and measured 6 feet then suddenly 12 feet. He realizing something was pulling the line. Ray yelled to on. Winston asked for a hand. Egon went over behind Winston. Ray shouted to get his belt off. Winston lost his hold and pulled into the river. The current carried him away, screaming. Ray and Egon looked at each other then jumped in after him screaming. Ray and Winston emerged from a manhole. They were drenched in the ectoplasm. Winston was clearly irritated and asked Ray if he was trying to drown him. A homeless person with a shopping cart passed by them on the sidewalk taken aback by their appearance. Ray was equally angered about being blamed and countered he was too stupid to not to drop the plumb line. Winston took offense and warned him to watch his mouth or he was going to punch his lights on. Ray invited him to try any time. They tussled. Egon looked at his gloves. He shouted at them to stop and take their clothes off. Egon stripped off his clothing until he was only in his long underwear. Ray and Winston stopped quarreling and followed suit. They returned to their normal dispositions. Winston was shocked at what happened and confessed he was ready to kill Ray. Ray realized the ectoplasm was like pure, concentrated evil. Egon pointed out they found the endpoint of the slime flow. They realized they were in front of the Manhattan Museum of Art.
Ray, Egon, and Winston entered Armand's Restaurant still in their slimed long underwear. Winston asked if they were sure this was the right place. Ray was positive Peter mentioned Armand's Restaurant. The Maître D' tried to talk to them but they ignored him and went to Peter and Dana's table. They were overexcited about their findings. Winston talked about there were rivers full of the slime and he held Ray by the throat. The Ghostbusters ended up at Gracie Mansion to talk to Mayor Lenny. Winston offered his hand out to shake. Mayor Lenny looked at him, in his slime drenched long underwear. Winston awkwardly pulled his hand away. Mayor Lenny asked if there was a slumber party going on. He was unable to follow Egon and Ray's terminology and asked if anybody spoke English. Winston volunteered and told him all the bad feelings, all the hate, the anger and vibes of the city was turning into the sludge. Winston admitted he did not believe it at first either, but they just went for a swim in it and ended up almost killing each other. The Mayor refused to help. Jack Hardemeyer had them falsely committed to Parkview Psychiatric Hospital after they began thinking about going to the press. They were forced to waste a crucial amount of time explaining to the Psychiatric Doctor over and over that Vigo was drawing strength from a Psychomagnotheric slime flow that had been collecting under the city. The doctor wanted them to tell him about the slime. Winston noted it was very potent stuff and they even made a toaster dance with it. The doctor thought he heard Winston say toaster. Winston also told him a bathtub tried to eat Peter's friend's baby. The doctor turned to Peter. Peter stated he thought Egon, Ray, and Winston were completely nuts.
After the Ghostbusters were discharged, they went to the Manhattan Museum of Art. An impenetrable shell of Psychomagnotheric slime had formed around the museum. It reminded Winston of Jell-O, a dessert he hated. The Ghostbusters went full neutronas and fired on the shell but they made no headway. They regrouped and went to Liberty Island to animate the Statue of Liberty and use it to gain entrance to the museum. Ray and Winston donned Slime Blowers and coated the interior of the statue with positively charged Psychomagnotheric slime. Peter leaned towards the slime blower and pretended to speak to slime inside. He asked Winston if their slime was in a good mood. Winston remarked he hoped so because the Statue of Liberty was a lot bigger than a toaster. After Peter and Egon went up to the crown, Winston quipped, "Let's frost it." Ray reciprocated with, "It's slime time." They tapped blower guns then blasted positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime all over. Ray and Winston joined them up in the crown. A cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" was played and the slime reacted. The statue was successfully animated and they guided it to the museum where it shattered the skylight dome. Ray and Winston thoroughly hosed Janosz down with positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime. Peter and Egon blasted Vigo with their Particle Throwers' Proton Streams but it was not enough and Vigo unleashed an attack that immobilized them on the floor. Winston remarked that was a stupid plan. Vigo suddenly recoiled in pain and the Ghostbusters could move again. Winston stated the singing they heard was from the people outside. Egon deduced the positivity from the singing neutralized the slime and thus, Vigo was weakened.
Ray was possessed by Vigo and transmogrified to resemble his true ghost form. Winston slimed Ray. Ray dropped to the ground as Vigo was ejected out of his body and back into the painting in his giant floating head form. They continued to fire on him. Vigo was drenched in the positively charged psychomagnotheric ectoplasm. He was sent spiraling further into the painting until there was an explosion and a bright white light enveloped the canvas. The slime shell disintegrated and shot up into the sky. Egon and Winston helped Ray up and took off his Slime Blower. Ray was brimming with positivity and told them both he loved them. Winston asked Egon if they had to live with that. Winston took a look at the painting and noticed something different. He called everyone over. The painting now portrayed Peter, Ray, Winston, and Egon in classic robes standing around a cherub that looked like Oscar.
Between Ghostbusters II and Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]
After the Ghostbusters disbanded again, Winston went into the field of finance and made a fortune.[2] He started his own business with one employee and expanded it across the globe.[3] The business was named Zeddemore Industries.[4] He also got married and had children.[5]
Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]
Ray, Peter, and Winston suited up and headed to Summerville in June 2021. Ray addressed Gozer and stated in the name of the county of Summerville, state of Oklahoma, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, all the members of Ducks Unlimited, and the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons, he command it under the National Invasive Species Act to depart Earth immediately. Peter made a face. Winston side-eyed Peter. Peter applauded Ray. Winston mused Gozer remembered them. Gozer asked Ray if he was a god. Ray was speechless. Winston and Peter were beside themselves. Ray answered "Yes." Peter declared they were all gods and they were all pretty dang special. Gozer gestured the Terror Dogs to stand down as they snarled. Winston cut to the chase. They got out their throwers. They marveled at the sound of it turning on. Peter instructed them to shoot on the count of three but go on "two." They fired and hit Gozer then crossed their streams. Gozer clutched at the streams. The Ghostbusters knew it was not over. Gozer uncrossed the streams then whipped them. The momentum launched the Ghostbusters into the air. They bounced hard off the side and front of Ecto-1. Ray groaned he did not remember the job being so painful. Winston disagreed. Peter began to stall and talked. He told Gozer it had a lot of nerve, crawling back to him. He believed they could have been the most spectacular power couple: his sense of fun and its personality.
Peter rambled on about their non-existent break-up because it always had to vanquish and conquer and maim somebody. Winston aimed his thrower. Gozer zapped Winston's hand. Peter complimented Winston on the attempt and stated to Gozer they were finished. Gozer was suddenly shot in the back the head by Phoebe Spengler. Egon's ghost fully manifested and aided Phoebe. Ray, Peter, and Winston blasted Gozer, too. Phoebe and Egon inched their way to the Ghostbusters. Winston was the first to turn and look at Egon's ghost in bewilderment. After Gozer, Zuul, Vinz, many ghost wisps, and the Psychokinetic atmospheric disturbance was trapped, Winston was still speechless at the sight of Egon. Winston was the last of the trio to talk. He admitted he should have called and told Egon he missed him. Egon nodded. Winston touched the hood of Ecto-1 but was horrified at its state of disrepair. He promised to take her home and get her all cleaned up. Everyone watched as Egon peacefully dispersed.
Janine met with Winston at his firm. She had the lucky coin she gave to Egon in 1984 before the Ghostbusters left to confront Gozer. Winston noted Egon was the brains, Ray was the heart, and Peter just kept it cool. Janine asked him who he was. Winston answered he was the sex appeal. She smiled and chuckled. Winston grinned. Janine noted he had done very well for himself. Winston reflected on his career and told her he did it for his children. He wanted to be an example of what was possible. Janine asked him if he was still covering the rent at Ray's Occult Books.[6] Winston still had hope it was going to turn a profit one of these days. She laughed and remembered the day he came into the Firehouse for a job. Winston admitted he came in looking for a steady paycheck but busting ghosts with the guys taught him not to be afraid because he had the tools and the talent. He revealed he started his business with one employee and grew it into a thriving global enterprise. He declared while he may be a businessman, he would always be a Ghostbuster.
Winston purchased the Firehouse from Starbucks[Note 1] and later entered the rundown building through one of the inner doors and looked up a fire pole in the garage bay. The doors of the Firehouse opened up. Winston motioned the driver to bring Ecto-1 inside. He placed a hand on the hood.
Between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]
At some point, Winston founded the Ghostbusters Engineer Corps and the Paranormal Research Center. He kept their existence a secret from the new team. A new Containment Unit with an expanded capacity was built but he decided to wait until it was ready to show it off to them.
Ghostbusters: Back in Town[]
In 2023, Winston gave the Ghostbusters business and keys to the Firehouse to Callie Spengler, Gary Grooberson, Phoebe, and Trevor. An exterminator informed Winston he was done with fumigating the Firehouse. Winston was pleased everything was done right on time. The Spenglers and Gary Grooberson pulled up to the Firehouse after three days of driving. Callie thanked him for the opportunity to give her children some stability. Winston insisted they earned if for saving the world in Oklahoma and welcome them in. Trevor remarked it would be nice to move into a place with working electricity. Winston revealed there were still some issues with plumbing, electricity, HVAC, and mold. He asked how they felt about mice. Phoebe replied they had an uneasy truce. Trevor asked about the WiFi. Winston asked him if he liked books. Trevor sighed. Gary asked if the fire pole still worked. Callie questioned if a fire pole could be broken. Winston opened a locker and presented flight suits and ghostbusting equipment. Phoebe loved it. Winston cautioned them that more people have died in New York City than in any other city in the country and centuries of bad vibes built up sometimes spilling over but he personally learned no matter, they would be okay as long as they stuck together. As he looked at a display case of mementos from 1989, the electricity went out. Trevor claimed he called it.
Winston assured them it was fine Callie told Gary and Trevor to find the breaker box. Phoebe and Winston checked the Firehouse's basement after the power went out. Phoebe took a P.K.E. Meter and detected slightly elevated psychokinetic energy levels but they remained steady. Winston was relieved the back up power was working and kept the Containment Unit on. Trevor and Gary got the power back on and noticed a dead charred cockroach at the breaker. Phoebe joked the electricity had a few bugs. Callie asked if they could afford all the repairs but Winston told her not to worry about it for the meantime. Janine pointed out they had a very generous benefactor. Winston called himself an investor. Janine quipped investments usually had returns. Winston walked Trevor and Phoebe to their new schools while Janine went over the finances with Callie. A cockroach observed them leave. Phoebe was taken to Zeddemore Academy. A girl looked at Phoebe and remarked she was a little young to be a senior. Winston warned her the city could be tough but knew she could handle it. Trevor was dropped off at Midtown Tech. On his first day, Trevor met with a representative. The man shook Trevor's hand and revealed Winston spoke very highly of his mechanical skills then touted Midtown Tech had the best engineering program in the city.
After Madame Malveaux was trapped, the Ghostbusters returned to the Firehouse and told Ray, Winston, Janine, and Lucky Domingo all about the battle in Times Square. Callie apologized to Winston about destroying the New Year's Eve Ball. Winston quipped it was all good and replacing six tons of Waterford crystal was not expensive at all. She noted saving the city was priceless but Winston begged to differ. He noticed the Firehouse was looking better. Callie told him they were making their way through Gary's to-do-list. Winston presumed that meant they were sticking around. Callie promised they would give it a shot.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]
In the summer of 2024, a day after the Containment Unit was hit by the Death Chill, Janine, Winston, and Lars Pinfield met with the new team and went over Egon's original designs for the Containment Unit then the problem of it running out of space. Janine admitted in the '80s nobody was concerned about the future. Winston emphasized his concern about the rift the momentary burst of spiritual energy created in 1984 when the unit was shut down. Callie asked if he meant Heaven. Winston admitted he didn't know and that's what scared him. Janine and Winston stated they bought the Firehouse back for a reason: for the Ghostbusters to be the "finger in the dam" dealing with spiritual activity and the Firehouse needed to be protected. Trevor asked why another Containment Unit couldn't be built. Lars was surprised they didn't know already. Winston admitted his engineers already did. Winston introduced them to the Paranormal Research Center and its mandate to think about the future, answering the questions ghostbusting poses. He presented the new Containment Unit. On Phoebe's inquiry, Winston revealed Proton Fields worked on the same technology as Proton Packs and kept the ghosts on display in their enclosures.
The next day, Winston went to the police station where Phoebe, Podcast, and Ray were being held after an incident at the New York City Public Library. Winston was bereft over the fact Phoebe destroyed one of the iconic lion statues with a Proton Stream and asked why she did despite her claim she loved the library. Phoebe replied it was her job. Winston reiterated she had no job. Mayor Peck interrupted and gloated it was the end of the Ghostbusters. As things got heated between Peck and Phoebe, Winston tried in vain to get Peck to dial it back. In the stairwell, Ray excitedly briefed Winston on the Orb of Garraka but the latter was angry. Winston told Ray to shut up and pointed out he could have gotten himself and the kids hurt. He implored Ray to take a vacation and enjoy his golden years. Ray stated he already was enjoying his golden years doing what he loved. Winston pleaded with him to find a new way to do things he loved before it got him killed.
The next day, Winston arrived at the Firehouse while Ray was examining the upgraded Proton Packs. He suited up then he, Ray, and Janine stood guard in the garage bay. They slowly inched to the doors when they heard several knocks. Winston opened a door but it was just Peter. Lucky radioed Winston about a tricycle pedaling on its own to the Firehouse. Ray knew that was Possessor. It possessed Ecto-1 and reversed towards Winston, Peter, Ray, and Janine but they took cover in the office just in time. Just as Lucky warned, the Proton Streams had no effect on Garraka and nearly everyone was frozen. Melody provided a flame for Nadeem Razmaadi to manipulate and everyone was thawed out. Ray got an idea to use the Containment Unit to trap Garraka. Winston, Peter, and Janine helped Ray pull the lever down. Several ice spikes shot out towards them. Ray and Winston remarked "Golden years!" It worked and Garraka was captured. Janine saw the green light and remembered "When the light is green" then Winston finished the phrase with, "the whole world is clean."
Mayor Peck blamed the Ghostbusters for the city-wide devastation and was ready to shut them down once and for all. Peter called him a clown and surmised he would never get it. A Channel 3 reporter asked Peck for a statement to the Ghostbusters. The crowd pointed out he should be thanking them. Peck reversed his stance. Gary thought it sounded like they had Peck's undivided support. Peck played along. Winston thanked him and credited Phoebe and her family with saving the world. The crowd cheered. Winston told the reporter the world was experiencing unusual paranormal activity and the Ghostbusters were here to answer the call. He shouted, "We're the Ghostbusters!" The crowd cheered in agreement, drowning out Peck.
Secondary Canon History[]
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions)[]
In between the Vigo incident and Thanksgiving 1991, Winston acquires his doctorate. He mentions that he "pretty much lived" in the museum's exhibit on ancient Egypt while working on getting it,[7] so it could be assumed his degree is in Egyptology or History.
On his day off, Winston went to go see a performance of the Aida opera. However, the Psi Energy Pulse officially cancelled his plans. After Janine delivered the message, Winston left to meet up with the other Ghostbusters at the Sedgewick Hotel. He endured four hours of traffic but made it to the hotel just in time to sight the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. During their final confrontation, Ivo Shandor mocks Winston, saying that he always thought Winston was the "slow" one of the group, much to Winston's surprise. When Shandor is destroyed, everyone flees the mausoleum. Winston carries the exorcised Mayor Mulligan outside until he regains consciousness.
IDW Comic Series[]
Winston Zeddemore was born on June 17, 1945 in Michigan.[8][9] In 1978, Winston enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. He trained at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island under Staff Sergeant Adams and was repeatedly warned never to lose his temper in a fight. After six years in the service, Winston decided it wasn't his calling anymore.[10][11] He considered moving back to Michigan but decided the world was too big to go backwards. He moved somewhere new to him: New York City. He landed a construction job and loved it. A few weeks later, a new hire dropped a wrench three stories down and it almost hit Winston.[12] They had some words but Winston learned he was the foreman's nephew. He chose to quit rather than deal with the nephew. He quickly searched the classifieds and noticed an ad from the Ghostbusters. He called the number and set up an interview with Janine Melnitz. After they shook hands, Janine asked if he found the Firehouse easily enough. Winston noted he saw the sign. Janine was pleased since the guys were always worried no one would notice it. After a long day, Janine was too tired to go through Winston's resume and told him to tell her about his background. Winston barely finished listing his six years in the Marine Corps and a little construction when Janine stopped him and mused she was hearing him say he could lift a hundred pounds. Winston thought the ad said 70. Janine was pleased he was good at comprehension and recall. She had a good feeling about him but warned she had to ask him the next part and asked him not to look at her like she was crazy. Janine asked him if he believed in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness Monster, and the theory of Atlantis. Winston was kind of stunned but replied as long as there was a steady paycheck in it, he would believe anything she said. Ray hired him on the spot.
Not even half an hour later, Ray taught Winston how to empty a Trap into the Containment Unit. Next, Ray took Winston up to the roof for a brief tutorial on using the Proton Pack. In 15 minutes, he shot three pumpkins each on the first try. Winston believed people down on the street below wouldn't like pumpkin guts raining down on them. Ray assured him it was just another quirky part of the city they loved. A citizen shouted up at them to stop it. Ray yelled back it was for science. The citizen told him to eat his science. Ray replied he did so every Thanksgiving for dessert then turned back to Winston and told him he really picked up on the nuances of the pack even faster than he'd hoped and concluded he was ready for field work. Winston was bewildered and didn't think he had enough training with the weapon. Ray corrected him it was a tool. Winston was not confident he had enough training to be safe with it. Ray brought up his control of the Proton Stream and great aim then leveled with him. They were going to get even busier soon and needed him to hit the ground running. About two days later, the Ghostbusters got a call from Excelsior State University. It was Winston's first bust. As they suited up, Peter told Winston to never let the customer think the bust was a cakewalk, especially if it was, and no haggling. Egon informed Winston he added a vibration function to the P.K.E. Meter handle to direct him and the arms raised higher when an entity was in close proximity. Egon also warned him to never push two buttons at the same time. Winston asked if he would be electrocuted. Egon went with that. As Ray got into the driver's seat of Ecto-1, he told Winston he was going to fit in great. He also wanted to discuss his theories about Sasquatch migration in the Pacific Northwest and how it tied into extraterrestrial visitation patterns at a later time. Winston reluctantly agreed to it. They arrived at Excelsior State University and Ray revealed the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe was their query. Winston recalled he died in Baltimore. Ray was amused. They entered Thurman Hall and each Ghostbuster searched a floor by themselves to speed things up. Winston encountered Poe on the east side of the fourth floor. He radioed the location to everyone and noted the poetry was terrible. Poe heard him, twisted his head around, and screeched. Winston opened fire but Poe turned into a ravens and flew away from the university. The others arrived but Winston abruptly ran outside after Poe. They found the raven entities in Washington Square Park awakening a large Black Cat Ghost. Winston was surprised it was so big. Egon noted this manifestation was the kind of thing that could happen on the site of a former graveyard. He mused he would include it in an employee manual if they ever wrote one. He then asked Winston if he was okay to continue because the job wasn't going to get any easier.
Winston admitted he was afraid but stated if you ain't afraid of a dangerous situation, you're not taking it seriously enough. Winston snagged the ghost on his first try but the others forgot to join in. The ghost was free enough to stomp at them. All four barely dodged in time. Winston helped Egon up while Peter and Ray wrangled the ghost. Peter pardoned Egon for the error and noted they were all still learning. Egon asked Winston if he knew how to use a Trap. Winston replied he only knew how to empty them. Egon instructed him on the spot and Winston trapped the ghost. Egon remembered at the last second and yelled not to look in the Trap. It was too late. Winston rubbed his yes. Peter was amused and mentioned Egon did the same thing. Egon chided him. Ray held up the Trap and congratulated Winston on completing his first real bust. Winston was surprised that was it. Ray speculated if it hadn't just gotten up, they would have had a real time trying to put it down. He emphasized the important thing was he hung in there. Winston couldn't believe he trapped Poe. Peter corrected him and stated Poe flew off but since he was gone, they did their job of clearing the university. Winston recalled his earlier advice and added no haggling. Peter noted he learned fast. Peter once played a prank on Winston and told him to ask Egon about HG Huges. He fell for it and got a two-hour lecture about the theoretical benefits of drilling a hole in your head.[13]
The four Ghostbusters went to the New York City Public Library to capture the Library ghost Peter griped Ray didn't even negotiate the deal with Roger Delacorte. Ray teased him, alluding to the deal he made with Manhattan City Bank. Winston asked if he even wanted to know what they were squabbling about. Egon advised him it was usually better not to know. He got a reading on the ghost and they headed to the stacks. The ghost zipped around the corner and was gone. Winston noted it was a long day and asked if the had a "duck call" or something to bring the ghost to them. Peter teased. Egon was adamant he didn't and never needed such a thing. Ray got an idea and yelled to the ghost to appear. Instead, books were animated and they attacked. Ray came up with a new plan and grabbed one of the flying books. He addressed the ghost by name, Eleanor Twitty, to Winston's surprise and threatened to destroy Ptolomy's Cosmographia unless she materialized. It worked and the ghost appeared in her transmogrified form. Peter wrangled her and taunted her that trick only worked once. Winston trapped her and the books fell to the ground. Peter held up the Trap and remarked things could have gone differently a few months ago if she had a polite conversation with them. Winston wasn't so sure he needed to taunt it further. Peter claimed it struck fear in them. Rebecca Morales visited Winston at the Firehouse and interviewed him for her book about the Ghostbusters while he worked on Ecto-1. He noted Peter had the gift of gab.
Weeks after Gozer was defeated, Rebecca Morales met with Winston at his apartment to interview him for her book about the Ghostbusters. Winston was amazed she was so thorough she spoke with the Officer Carlson at the NYPD Lock-Up. As Winston poured her some coffee, he admitted he thought the book was going to be a quick fly-by-night gimmick to capitalize on all the news the Ghostbusters made. Rebecca confirmed it sort of was but her publisher insisted on her being as thorough as possible. Winston thought there was no interest left especially after Peter and Ray went on the talk show circuit. He asked her where she wanted to start. Rebecca stated she preferred the beginning and began with "Who is Winston Zeddemore?" Winston revealed he was born in Michigan but Rebecca stopped him and clarified she meant "how did an ex-Marine become a Ghostbuster?" Winston told her there was no such thing as an ex-Marine and he woke up one day and it wasn't his calling anymore so he started over in New York working in construction then left after a few weeks. She noticed the irony that he quit over a safety concern. Rebecca was surprised with Winston's paycheck line during his interview with Janine. Winston admitted he was kinda stunned but he still got hired on the spot. She asked how the rest of his training went. Winston called it "brief" then told her about the 15 minute lesson on the Firehouse roof.
Rebecca asked how long it was until his first case and was shocked to learn it was about two days after his hire. She decided to pause the current conversation and asked him if national fame changed the other Ghostbusters. Winston doubted it did and mused they were born into their level of weird. He continued on about his first bust. At the conclusion of his story, Rebecca admitted she thought his first bust was going to be weirder. Winston countered he saw the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe turn into a bunch of birds. Rebecca supposed so then asked if most of the calls we went on were easy. Winston told her they weren't and some were nightmares not fit for public consumption. She found that fair and thanked him for his time. She had one last question, what did he think he would be doing if he hadn't become a Ghostbuster. Winston revealed he wanted to learn more about computers but admitted he wasn't looking any further into the future than tomorrow.[14] They stood up and shook hands. One of the ravens Poe turned into was standing outside one of Winston's windows unnoticed.
Winston walked Rebecca to the Firehouse on the day of her interview with Egon. Rebecca inquired about HG Huges. Winston warned her not to ask Egon about him and revealed it was one of Peter's pranks. Rebecca was glad she asked, although she wasn't sure the escort was necessary. Winston assured her it was. He presented the exterior of the Firehouse, still in disrepair since the explosion. He informed her the police weren't letting just anybody in. Winston talked to Officer Mike and let him know Rebecca was going inside to meet with Egon. Mike wished her good luck with that then shouted to watch their step. Rebecca saw the hole and asked Winston if it was safe inside. Winston reminded her there was an explosion. He looked around and found Egon in the basement. Winston told him to be nice to the visitor. Egon deduced it was about the book. Rebecca shook his hand and introduced herself. The discussion naturally turned to the Containment Unit and why it blew up. She next asked him if he thought ghosts would continue to be a problem, citing regular sightings diminished after the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man exploded. Egon thought some would continue to be a problem like the first ghost they captured. Winston recalled Ray's story about it escaping the first time they tried to put it in the unit. Rebecca was mock surprised something else escaped from the fully secured system. Egon sarcastically thanked Winston for bringing it up. Winston got the message and excused himself to run a fake errand.
In late 1989, Winston attended the Ghostbusters' trial at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse and tried to provide moral support. Winston didn't have much faith in Louis clearing them of any wrongdoing and could tell Judge Wexler already made his decision. He stepped out into the hall and noticed two police officers with some of the Psychomagnotheric Slime. They got angry when Winston tried to warn them and went on a tirade about how the Ghostbusters were a headache to the city. One officer even suggested Winston should be brought up on charges, too. The slime absorbed the negative emotions and Mama Scoleri manifested. The officers thought it was cheap publicity stunt to garner sympathy. They pulled their guns and told Mama to freeze. Mama was amused and attacked them. Winston returned to where he parked Ecto-1 out front and remembered the police stripped the car after the others were arrested. He managed to find one Trap and returned inside. With no other choice, Winston pulled a "Venkman" and mocked Mama. She took the bait, charged and Winston trapped her. He found the other Ghostbusters. Ray told him about busting the Scoleri Brothers in the courtroom. Winston figured out the ghost he trapped was their mother, Mama Scoleri. At some point between the Vigo and Shandor incidents, Winston was awarded an honorary doctorate was in parapsychology.[15]
While in Purgatory, Winston was reunited with one of his old girlfriends, Janelle. She drowned at a young age. It took Winston several years to deal with the tragedy and open up his heart again. Their romance immediately was rekindled as they remembered what they liked the most about each other: Winston admired Janelle's unwavering optimism and Janelle liked they way Winston kissed. A week after escaping Purgatory, Winston bid farewell to Janelle as she and Jiff returned back to the other side.
After Koza'Rai attacked the Ghostbusters, Winston was the first to ally with Rachel Unglighter. He remained in the present and helped ferry civilians underground until Rachel returned with the other Ghostbusters. Winston's weapon of choice was a sledgehammer. While spying on Koza'Rai, Winston sighted them and later liberated them from their prison. Underground, Winston armed them with their gear and reassured Peter that Rachel could be trusted. It is unknown if Winston was paid his alleged overtime or Ray's request for a raise was granted.
Content with just sitting back and drinking over the Christmas holiday, Winston was excited when he was called in to help with a case involving Woodrow Wainwright Fraser III in exchange for a $10,000 bonus. Winston later found out Fraser offered the other three a total of $4 million. Outraged by their deception, Winston quit the team. However, the Ghost of Christmas Past and Ghost of Christmas Future explained what was really going on to Ray, Winston, and Egon. After the case concluded, Winston figured the $4 million deal was a ploy, as well.
During a bust at a local high school, Winston dodged falling debris thanks to a warning from a nearby substitute teacher named Tiyah Clarke. The two had instant chemistry and Tiyah soon told him about her own supernatural problems. Winston and Peter agreed to investigate her apartment and met the ghost of Ballard Wright. At Tiyah's behest, Winston asked Egon if he could make some equipment that wouldn't do so much physical damage. The Arm Mounted Proton Packs were invented. However, the equipment failed to confine Wright. Impatient with the situation, Winston spoke directly to Wright and got him to willingly disperse. Winston then spend Valentine's Day with Tiyah.
At an Independence Day Con, Winston and Peter were tasked with distracting D'Orka while Egon tried to get some help. He wasn't able to improvise fake terms as quickly as Peter was, in order to convince cosplayers to lend them their costumes. While on his own vacation, Winston was called back when the team realized Janine took Winston's Proton Pack to go on a solo unsanctioned bust at a Halloween gala. Sometime before the Infestation began, Winston became the sole user of a new piece of equipment, the Proton Pistol due to his accuracy and precision compared to the others.
After hearing Alan Crendall talk about a family curse, Winston assured him it was just a standard haunting and elected to investigate for him. Winston accepted Alan's Baklava delivery as payment. Winston took Peter along with him on the bust and they discovered the entity was Slimer. An hour or two later, Winston and Peter finally trapped Slimer. After meeting Jim Silver and challenging his claim, Winston revealed he was taking law courses in his off time just in case ghostbusting gigs ever dried up again. In light of Ray's kidnapping and new information on Idulnas, Winston strapped on a Prototype Pack.
At the Fort Wayne job, Winston helped confine Major-General Anthony Wayne and convinced that there was both no war for him to fight nor a reason for him to start a new one. Winston offered him peace in the form of a Trap. Wayne eventually relented and surrendered. As Wayne was trapped, Winston saluted him and Wayne reciprocated. But Peter ruined the moment.
During the fall, Winston and Ray went out on an early morning call to a waste treatment facility. While they were successful, Winston was punched by a fist of living sewage. After the bust, he went to recuperate at the apartment of Tiyah Clarke, whom he was still dating. With Tiyah's help, Winston got a score of 87 on his latest exam. He only had a year and a half left to go in his law studies. Winston was keen on having both a Honorary Doctorate and a Law Degree. Tiyah was hoping he was cut back on his time as a Ghostbuster or even outright stop and become a lawyer. Winston, however, accepted the inherent danger of being a Ghostbusters long ago. Before Christmas, Winston proposed to Tiyah near Shepherd's Books on Fifth Avenue. She accepted. They proceeded to the Firehouse to drop off Christmas presents before they went to Connecticut to visit Tiyah's parents. However, the ghost of Staff Sergeant Adams had other plans. He used the Ghost Kid as bait and lured the Ghostbusters to an old bust in Brooklyn. Winston was separated from the others and forced to face Adams one-on-one. He exploited Adams' temper by taunting him into hand-to-hand combat. Adams took the bait and Winston used his Trap to capture him. A few hours later, Winston and Tiyah were on the last train to Connecticut. She was apprehensive a ghost specifically targeted Winston.
Months later, in February, Winston was taken by a red demon while he was home in his apartment. He awoke in another dimension with the other Ghostbusters. Winston implored Ray and Egon to get to work on finding a way home. After successfully creating a rip in the dimensional fabric and returning home to New York, Winston was shocked to learn months passed. He borrowed Janine's phone to call Tiyah but Peter stopped him on account it be better to ease in the news of his not being dead. Winston begrudgingly admitted he was right. After the Collectors incident was resolved, Winston resumed his relationship with Tiyah but things were awkward. They went out on a picnic in Central Park near the Jagiello Grunwald Monument. Winston didn't believe quitting the Ghostbusters would take him away from the "circle of crazy" and reaffirmed he loved both his job and Tiyah.
Later in the summer, Winston answered a call from The Olive in Las Vegas. In exchange for taking on a case, they offered a free trip. Winston was assured when Ray felt the ghost they described was going to be an easy bust. Winston and Tiyah took off for a weekend vacation. After settling into their room, Tiyah found the upgraded Compact Pack. Winston came clean and told the truth. To his surprise, Tiyah was calm about the lie. Winston tracked the Vegas Ghost to the hotel's basement and gave chase after it manifested behind him. Winston pursued him to the second floor where the ghost combined meats in the kitchen and possessed the Meat Golem. With discretion out the window, the bust crashed into a banquet room and interrupted the Ivo Shandor Awards. After evacuating the attendees, Winston tried blast the golem but the Compact Pack wouldn't fire. He retreated into a hotel room and called Egon for help. After taking care of a loose wire, Winston shot a Boson Dart through the wall and blew up the Meat Golem then trapped the ghost. The Olive Manager threatened to sue the Ghostbusters but Winston went into offensive mode and offered the manager the chance to call it even or release the ghost and sue The Olive for breach of contract by withholding information on a work hazard. The manager confessed he lied about the ghost being benign and took the first choice. Winston happily left the manager's office for a massage.
During Halloween, the Ghostbusters encountered Stingy Jack and The Devil in Central Park. Since Winston wore a crucifix and/or was the truest of true believers, the Devil couldn't touch him. Jack exploited this development and jumped on top of Winston's pack. He activated Winston's Trap and let himself get captured in order to finally attain eternal rest. In the springtime, Winston and Tiyah got married at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. The Blood Rain began to preoccupy Winston's thoughts. The idea of rivers literally running red like in the Bible alarmed him. He just wanted to keep Tiyah safe no matter what and suggested they continue with the honeymoon to Bermuda but Tiyah talked some sense into him. They were interrupted by three Talking Pigeons outside. Winston inquired if Tiyah had the Ghost Taser with her in the room. He captured one of the pigeons and took it with him to the Firehouse for further study.
As the Ghostbusters walked up to the roof of Dana's apartment, Winston trapped the Judge Ghost then was stopped by his future self. Future Winston wasn't going to say anything at first but decided to reveal Winston would be the one to deal with Tiamat and he would "figure it out when the time is right." During the Hart Island incident, Ron Alexander blasted Vigo and was tossed. Winston grabbed Ray's Slime Blower and slimed the Hart Island Ghosts protecting Vigo. Winston's idea worked out and the ghosts were freed from Vigo's control. They swarmed him and the threat ended. Back at the Firehouse, Winston asked Kylie if she found anything that could be used to deal with Tiamat. Kylie only found a general entry about appeasing deities with sacrifice. Winston armed himself with the Compact Pack while Egon and Peter used Arm Mounted Proton Packs on the possessed Ray. When that failed, they switch to Proton Packs but they still couldn't save Ray. In the basement, Tiamat emerged the victor against Gozer and remained in sole control of Ray's body. She began to punch the Containment Unit hull. With no other options left, Winston turned to Kylie's research. Winston offered his life as a sacrifice in hopes it would appease Tiamat and she would leave their plane of existence. Tiamat was intrigued and accepted. Winston ripped some live wires out a panel and ordered to Tiamat to leave Earth.
Winston electrocuted himself with the circuit box wires and died. He soon found himself outside the pearly gates of Heaven but was approached by Tiamat. She did not find his death to be a true sacrifice and preferred him to live to face the consequences of his choice. Tiamat insisted he choose another to sacrifice. Winston refused. Just as Peter injected a medical cocktail of Atropine, Adrenaline and other things into his body, Tiamat shoved Winston away from Heaven. Winston awoke and ran upstairs in a flash, realizing Tiyah was who Tiamat would go after. He hopped on Ecto-5 and took off for Tiyah's apartment across town. In the hallway leading to Tiyah's place, Tiamat gave Winston one more chance to choose a sacrifice. He refused and shot at Tiamat, who simply made herself intangible. Tiamat imitated Winston's voice and knocked on her front door. Instead of killing Tiyah, Tiamat removed a portion of her soul and erased all memory of Winston and Tiyah's relationship from the world. Winston was horrified to discover Tiyah had no idea who he was. The sacrifice was future happiness.[16] Egon, Peter, and Ray tracked Ecto-5's homing beacon and found Winston outside the apartment. After it became apparent they also didn't remember Tiyah, they concluded Tiamat induced a form of forced delusion. Peter attempted to comfort Winston but it began to rain.
Three months later, the Ghostbusters took a job at Saks Fifth Avenue. Once the Class 5 ghost was captured, Winston noticed Tiyah sitting outside the nearby Pequod's. Peter decided to set up a "chance encounter" between Winston and Tiyah by letting the captured ghost go. Winston saved Tiyah from the ghost and she invited him out for coffee sometime. The next year, Winston attempted to trap Chi-You at the Madison Square Garden but learned his bond with his thralls was too strong. Casey pounced on Winston and confirmed they had to take out the thralls first. Unable to resist Chi-You's control any longer, Casey punched Winston and released him.
Winston waited things out with Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Peter on the second floor. He examined Leonardo's sword and noted how the balance on it was perfect. Once the proximity alert was triggered, Winston urged Leonardo and his brothers to head downstairs and suit up with the Arm Mounted Proton Packs. Peter and Winston later rushed the R&D laboratory and wrangled Chi-You before he could make good on his vow to kill Ray. However, they were both wedged in the doorway. Leonardo grabbed Winston's Trap but Chi-You yanked on Winston's stream and pulled him forward. Chi-You possessed Winston and admired his warrior prowess. He deemed it worthy of a conqueror. After knocking Ray out, Chi-You transmogrified Winston's body into a bull and attacked the Turtles. Once Michelangelo doused Chi-You in positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime, Winston wrestled with him for control. Raphael distracted Chi-You while Leonardo shocked Winston with his pack attachment. Leonardo and Raphael helped Winston to his feet. As a show of gratitude, Winston gave two USMC Sergeant patches, he kept for luck, to Leonardo and saluted him.
The Ghostbusters returned to the Firehouse from a case and discovered parallel versions of themselves let Slimer loose by accident but retrapped him. They talked. When his counterpart tried to steer the conversation back to getting home, Winston suggested it was time to show them the Interspatial Teleportation Unit in the basement. Winston revealed it didn't get much use and told them about the time they were trapped in the Collectors' Limbo. He wasn't interested in using the teleporter and being accidentally taken to a similar place. As far as he was concerned, the device could stay off perpetually.
Winston and Peter investigated the Bronx Zoo with the alternate Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler. Winston and Egon paired up and searched a part of the zoo. Peter summoned them to the Heins & LaFarge Zoo Center. Winston tackled the hypnotized Ray before he walked into Peter's Proton Stream. Ray still desired to go to the Fairy Poltergeist so Winston urged someone to trap the entity. Egon tossed out his trap and captured it. Ray returned to normal. The Ghostbusters were able to stun Proteus with Proton Grenades then briefly wrangled him. He was forced to show them the future and revealed eight at once, which knocked all the Ghostbusters to the ground. Winston was the first on his team to regain consciousness. He realized the counterpart team was gone. He ran to the basement to use the Interspatial Teleportation Unit in order to mount a rescue operation. Ananke appeared and told him they were back where they belonged and the teleportation unit would not take him to them anyway. Winston disagreed they belonged in a prison but Ananke reasoned with Winston. She asked if he was certain he knew what was going to happen next then brought up how he was trapped by ghosts and man yet it was not his fate to stay that way nor was it their fate to be. Ananke teleported away. Winston conceded to her point.
During an investigation in Staten Island, the Ghostbusters encountered the Sandman. He was forced into a dream state. Winston was trapped in a dream about his wedding to Tiyah at the Loeb Boathouse. Once Peter and Ray arrived, Winston became irate since the dream was the only place he didn't have to deal with them. The trio went through a door and found Egon in his dream. Once the Sandman revealed himself, the Ghostbusters visualized their equipment and attacked. Winston conjured the Proton Pistol. Winston, Ray, and Peter were able to break down his barrier and destroyed his hourglass totem before he could extract one of Egon's eyes. Sandman dispersed and the Ghostbusters regained consciousness. After Erland Vinter approached the Ghostbusters, paid the United Nations' $15,000 surcharge with a blank check, and asked for a consultation with them, Winston was instantly skeptical of his intentions. Winston had a guy run a background check on Vinter but didn't find anything shady about him. Winston was startled to hear Vinter wanted to buy the Ghostbusters. Vinter explained he wanted a paranormal eliminations service to work in concert with property acquisitions to clear valuable haunted land. Winston immediately noted that would be considered a fraudulent practice. Peck squashed the offer out of concern for the high volume of ghost activity in New York City and passed a deal to loan the Ghostbusters for up to two weeks a month.
In County Clare, Ray, Winston, and Peck battled a Banshee for almost an hour. Peck almost shot them twice. Winston went with Peter and Janine to the dimension inhabited by the Ghostbusters they recently met. On their return home, the others were preoccupied with a Granny Gross that used the interdimensional portal before them. Winston opened fire on it, much too close for Melanie's liking, and Peter trapped it. He was skeptical if Kaia May could still be trusted after she passed along new demands from Erland Vinter and Loftur Þorsteinsson. Melanie believed she was telling the truth, especially about wanting the Rauoskinna destroyed. Winston went on the flight to Chiloe Island and wasn't as enthusiastic as Ray with meeting the local legends like Millalobo, a half-man, half-seal demon.
The Ghostbusters went to Iceland and found Gottskalk Nikulausson's hidden tomb. Once the parallel Egon blasted the Rauoskinna out of Gottskalk's hands, Winston jumped after it. The Ghost Priests surrounded Winston and kicked at him. With the others occupied with dodging Gottskalk's attacks, Winston opened his Trap and captured every ghost. Since the Trap wasn't designed to hold that much psychokinetic energy, they ran for it and took off in their rental car. With some quick thinking, Peter untethered the book from the ghost with Slime Spritzer then Egon disrupted it further with a Proton Grenade. A day and a half later, Winston needed to take a break from the research into the Rauoskinna. He headed to the roof and found the parallel Egon studying the city-wide P.K.E. readings. Winston confided in Egon and admitted he thought the last couple of years were crazy because of the escalation of dangers they encountered. Egon shared his belief that challenges increased in order to match their capabilities and to consider otherwise would be to accept stagnation and/or irrelevance. It reminded Winston of his old commanding officer. Egon went on to share his interest in their respective team's first battle with Gozer and if it created a splintered multiverse. Winston wasn't sure anymore if he was trying to make him feel better or give him a migraine. Egon reminded him they led a more extraordinary life than most and that came with extraordinary ups and downs. Winston thanked him for the talk but Egon was oblivious.
During the midnight meeting with Loftur, Jenny cast a spell from the Rauoskinna and was covered in fire. Before Winston could douse her in positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime, everyone except him were teleported to Hell. Winston's strong faith and cross protected him from the spell.[17] While a great deal of time passed for them, only a minute passed for Winston. Everyone returned except Loftur and Jenny. He was happy to see Egon and hugged him. The next day, he was surprised all Egon saw after he died was "math."
Winston met with Erik a few times while he gathered research for a new book about the Ghostbusters. Winston met with him again, this time at Waltz's Dining Car. Winston asked where Dan was and why Luis was present. Erik simply stated Dan was on vacation. Luis revealed the editor wanted Erik to research the Scoleri Brothers case. Winston inquired why he came. Luis insisted he liked to travel. Winston stated he wasn't part of that case as he didn't participate in digging up First Avenue. Erik cited his previous conversation with Peter. Winston clarified he went to the trial to provide moral support but wasn't in the courtroom when the bust went down. Erik brought up eyewitness statements that placed Winston at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse but they were conflicting accounts at best. He pressed Winston to help set the record straight and stated it was something the fans were asking about. Winston caved in and told them his side of the story. Luis started the recorder. Erik found it a little convenient there was another Scoleri. Winston reminded him sometimes truth was stranger than fiction and continued with his story. Erik and Luis were stunned that's all Winston did to trap Mama. Winston emphasized not every bust was flashy. He thanked them for the pie the excused himself for another engagement he had in 20 minutes.
Peter and Winston confronted the ghost of Jonas Schultz on Coney Island while Egon and Ray investigated the sewers for the true source of the disturbance. Winston easily wrangled Jonas in a stream since it was solely focused on looking at the construct of Luna Park he manifested. Peter trapped him despite his objection. Egon and Ray discovered a pool of positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime and tried to neutralize it but it erupted over the neighborhoods. Winston was mortified. One week later, during a meeting, Winston couldn't help but point out the irony of Peck griping about a jerk from the EPA. A couple weeks later, twin Statues of Liberty appeared in New York Harbor. Peter, Winston, and Ray investigated and took readings. Back at the Firehouse, an alternate team of Ghostbusters had arrived after they saw the news report. The two teams gathered on the second floor then the discussion moved downstairs to the basement where the teleportation unit was demonstrated. Patty Tolan couldn't believe Jillian Holtzmann just stuck her head into the open portal. Winston admitted Egon tried to experiment on himself every once in awhile. Patty asked him if he ever felt the need to hide the power tools before he went home for the day. Winston admitted he did more often that she would ever know. It was determined their dimensions were overlapping.
On the ride to Ellis Island, Patty finally realized Winston looked like her Uncle Bill except 30 or so years younger. Ray recalled they've seen familiar people and faces in their exploration of other dimensions. As Patty predicted based on the island's history, the entities were a group of Pirate Ghosts. The situation worsened when Jillian Holtzmann dispersed several and they formed a powerful single entity. Winston saw the similarity with the Megaspook a few years back but noted Death was the winning factor back then. Ray and Erin Gilbert managed to discorporate the entity with the Proton Bazooka then storing it in the Megatrap rigged to explode after it was lowered into the dimensional tear above the island. Winston went out with Peter, Patty, and Holtzmann to a call from the Bronx. They headed into the Woodlawn Cemetery and encountered the ghost of Herman Melville. The Moby Dick Ghost arrived and slimed them. Peter, Winston, and Patty were unable to wrangle the ghost but Holtzmann reappeared and lured it into an ambush by antagonizing it. Winston couldn't believe Peter knew the Free Willy reference but nothing about Melville. Holtzmann remotely activated several Traps and captured the ghost.
Winston continued with night school and neared completion at long last.[18] Winston trapped a H2 Ghost on Lexington Avenue after Peter wrangled it. Back at Ecto-1, Winston admitted he was burnt out from the extra workload. Ray agreed and wished for another big adventure like when they were manipulated by Loftur. Peter stated he needed professional help and offered his services with a discount. Ray passed. As they drove to Murray Hill for the next call, Ray reminded them again how uncoupling the two dimensions allowed some ghosts to pop through to their plane and cause a busier than usual period. Despite Peter's warning, Winston wondered aloud if the insulation between dimensions was Purgatory. Ray got wound up and got excited at the prospect of finding out. Winston and Peter were called up for a meeting to figure out the next course of action after Donatello crossed over seeking help only to be grabbed by the Collectors. Winston couldn't believe it at first. He didn't want the Turtles to be stuck in the Collectors' limbo and asked how they could help.
Over the next three weeks, Egon and Ray invented Remote Portal Access Bands and modified two Experimental Mental Communications Devices. Ray, Peter, and Winston suited up and headed through the Interspatial Teleportation Unit's portal to the Collectors' Limbo and reunited with the Turtles. Ray instructed Donatello to put on the second Mental Communications Device then go through the portal where Egon would fill him in then told the others to hold off in following. Leonardo didn't understand and looked to Winston. Winston assured him it was complicated and explained they faced the Collectors before. The Communications Devices were aimed at temporary camouflage. The Collectors would read Winston as Donatello and vice-versa. In order to slow down the Collectors even more and buy time, each Ghostbuster paired up with a Turtle and went on their on track making random hops to various dimensions. Winston and Leonardo paired up.
Winston and Leonardo crossed over into another dimension and ended up a refurbished section of sewers that resembled the Turtles' Lair. The open portal stirred up P.K.E. and attracted a ghost to their location. Winston atomized it with his Proton Pistol. Leonardo was surprised he could blow up a ghost. Winston explained it was a temporary measure in lieu of dragging along Traps on their trip. Next, they teleported into a world of unending battle. Battle Bots immediately detected them and ordered their destruction. They opened fire. Winston tackled Leonardo behind a car. Winston covered Leonardo and used his Proton Pistols to destroy several robots. Leonardo sliced the rest up. Winston quoted his First Sergeant from back when he enlisted, "when you're outgunned, discretion is the better part of me of not getting your backside shot off." They decided to seek better cover and ran into a building. Winston bet Peter was sipping cocktails on some tropical island with beautiful women while they were stuck in an insane war dimension. Leonardo confessed to Winston that their current predicament was all his fault because he didn't talk some sense into Splinter and stop him before things went too far and out of control. Winston stated it was unfortunate they had to deal with Splinter's questionable strategic decision, but told Leonardo it wasn't healthy to put the whole world on his shoulders. Leonardo wished it was easier. Winston agreed but stated they were currently in a tough situation and had to be tougher. Winston suddenly suffered neural confusion and started talking like Donatello. Likewise, Donatello started talking like Winston back at the Firehouse.
Leonardo noticed the fighting outside died down a little. Winston revealed the access band was recharged. The Frogs set their eyes on Winston and Leonardo. Thinking they were an easy mark, Punk stole Winston's Remote Portal Access Band with his tongue. Winston and Leonardo chased after him. Winston wished it was a ghost or a robot. He didn't want to shoot at Punk and risk damaging the access band. Leonardo asked Winston if he found it weird that in every dimension they went, everyone spoke English. Winston preferred to just roll with it and save himself the extra headache. They demanded the access band back but Punk presented his three brothers. Glam demanded the Proton Pack, Grunge wanted whatever else they had, and Metal wanted Leonardo's swords. Leonardo invited him to try and take them. He sliced Metal's cybernetic arm off then kicked him in the throat. He nailed Grunge with a left kick and offered his help but noticed Winston was holding his own. Winston punched out Glam with some boxing. He concluded they were poor and untrained street fighters but relied on numbers and intimidation to survive. Leonardo jokingly asked Winston if he didn't need a hand and held out Metal's arm. Winston was amused he suddenly had jokes, too. Punk quickly apologized and offered the access band for Metal's arm. Winston angrily snatched the access band back. Before he could open a breach to another dimension, Leonardo pointed out the Collectors arrived.
Winston fired his Proton Pistol at maximum power then told Leonardo to use his thrower. They failed to atomize the Collectors. Winston started to think they should surrender and wait for a chance to escape the Collectors' Limbo. Luckily, they were summoned away by Darius Dun for an inquiry. Leonardo wondered what happened. Winston revealed he had a whole speech ready that was really philosophical, was filled with triumph and tragedy and lost loves and wisdom, and it made him look really wise. Winston pointed out they got lucky and prepared to open a breach. One appeared. They arrived at a Garden Dimension, where Raphael, Ray, Michelangelo, and Peter already were. Donatello came soon after, mistakenly thinking the Collectors got them.
Winston told Peter and Ray that Tang Shen was their mother and was killed centuries ago by the Shredder, one of their father's enemies. Ray asked how he knew all that. Winston informed Ray about the neural confusion caused by the Communications Device but Ray only found it neat. He was almost totally sure Winston would be fine. Ray was more interested in Tang Shen and attempted to scan her with his P.K.E. Meter but Winston swatted it away. Peter chimed in and scolded Ray about the blatant data chasing. Tang Shen turned her attention to the Ghostbusters and thanked the Ghostbusters for being loyal friends and worthy examples of character to her children when they needed it the most. After Tang Shen warned them the enemy was closing in then disappeared, Peter opened a breach back to the Firehouse with his access band. Peter and Winston helped the Turtles fight the Collectors and snagged the green and blue Collectors while Egon and Ray fine-tuned the Trap-Gate to the Collectors' unique P.K.E. signature. It was a success and they were transported into the Containment Unit. As the Turtles prepared to leave, Winston reminded Leonardo what he said earlier about taking on the weight of the world then mused they would meet again. Winston saluted the Turtles as they stepped through the portal.
The Ghostbusters were called to investigate City Water Tunnel No. 3. Winston wondered how there could be a ghost sixty stories down. Ray pointed out it was dangerous work. They soon met an entity. Ray tried to communicate but it warned him against giving his name away so freely. Winston interpreted it as a threat and drew the Proton Pistol on him. He denied it was a threat yet and vanished. A swarm of Bat Spectral Constructs poured out of the side cavern where the ghost was held. Egon announced a spike in energy. Winston was annoyed and ran to the elevator but they got slimed. Later in the day, Winston nor Peter didn't answer a summons so Ron and Kylie went in their place. As Kylie trapped Connla, Winston was surprised to see his ghosts try to pull him out. He and Peter threw out their Traps and helped finish capturing Connla.
Peter, Winston, and Kylie responded to a call from Tai Hong Lau Restuarant. They and the owner hid behind some propped up tables while Phyllis Hasskamp threw several cooked ducks. She proclaimed "No stars!" repeatedly. Peter opened fire but Hasskamp went through the floor and the proton stream nailed a table. The owner yanked on his arm and asked him to stop damaging his restaurant but Peter insisted she moved. Winston ushered him away from Peter. Peter used himself as bait and pretended to love the food and promised to recommend Tai Hong Lau to everyone. Hasskamp took the bait and reappeared. She countered the food was uninspired, almost inedible, and not even fit for a dog then sent more food in the air with telekinesis. Winston used both Proton Pistols and wrangled her but she began to transmogrify and threatened to burn the place down. Winston yelled out for someone to trap her. Kylie did so and warned him he was going to start sounding too critical like Hasskamp if he wasn't careful. Winston countered he wasn't critical. Kylie joked Marines were known to be easygoing when things blew up. When they returned to the Firehouse, Janine was out taking a meeting with Peck. Winston reminded Peter that she did more than he he ever wanted to know about and didn't know what they would do without her then tricked Peter into going to the basement to deposit the Trap while he went to get lunch.
Peter unknowingly helped cause an overload when he deposited the Trap, during a diagnostic, just as Ron and Holtzmann secretly tested their Remote Access Teleportation Unit. Ron and Holtzmann were reprimanded, for their part in the explosion, by Egon, Ray, and Winston on the third floor. Ray admitted he understood their drive but they stole and reverse-engineered the technology then failed to check if their experiment would be compromised by any number of outside factors. Ron tried to claim he was forced to make matters into his own hands because Ray and Egon were never going to share the dimensional technology and pinned the blame on them. Winston ran up to Ron, grabbed him by the collar, and encouraged him to repeat himself. Holtzmann asked him to stop. Ron sarcastically chimed in. Winston let go and asked if she was going to claim it was all for science. Holtzmann admitted she would have abused the chance to travel the multiverse but revealed her real reason was to find more people she could identify with and make her "family" bigger. Ron asked Winston if he was buying it and if so, claimed that his reason, too. Winston told Ron to shut up. Two days later, teams of Ghostbusters, from both the prime dimension and beyond, gathered at the Warehouse.
A P.K.E. spike near the George Washington Bridge went unnoticed and a Doom Ghost manifested then enveloped the area in a purple fog. Special Agent Ortiz asked for volunteers to help her. Holtzmann enthusiastically raised her hand and added she already had a grasp on the dimensional technology Ray and Egon were going to talk about. Peter wondered if someone dumped an upper in her coffee. Winston remarked she was guilty about the accident. Melanie, Winston, Holtzmann, Rookie, Dani, and Lou drove to Fort Washington Park. They split off into two teams and swept the park. Rookie asked where Holtzmann was from. Winston wanted to say Mars but he only said the jury was still out. The ghost attacked Holtzmann, Dani, and Lou. Eventually, Melanie, Rookie, and Winston provided cover fire but the ghost vanished again. Lou and Dani yelled at Rookie for being late instead of thanking him. Winston joked Ron's personality was contagious. Holtzmann realized the fog was the ghost and broke into the Lighthouse. She activated the searchlight and fog horn. Holtzmann's theory was correct and the ghost revealed its true form after its senses were rattled. They soon trapped it.
A field team consisting of Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Alan Crendall of Dimension 50-S, Abby Yates of Dimension 80-C, Eduardo Rivera of Dimension 68-E, and Winston Zeddemore of Dimension 68-R arrived outside the gates of Helsingor Brewery in Dimension 75-B. Winston guessed the Remote Portal Access Band's randomization circuits made an error and shuffled the teams around. Eduardo remembered his father thought home brewing and ghostbusting were stupid. Winston 68-R dryly remarked both were like two peas in a pod. Winston chimed in about what they said about that in the Marine Corps. To his shock, Winston 68-R stated he was in the Air Force. Alan charged but a gust blew the gates open and him backwards. Winston joked not even fly boys from the Air Force would go in running like that. Winston 68-R countered jar heads from the Corps would. Death blocked their path into the brewery. Abby couldn't believe Death might be the ghost they were after and questioned what would happen if it was trapped then declared it couldn't be personified. Winston disagreed and reminded her he told her team that Death was trapped a backpack. Before Abby could retort, Egon tried to explain to it they were in the middle of rectifying an error. Death countered it was, too, and proposed a game of chess for the life and soul of Egon. Egon accepted but he was blocked from pulling out a chair. Death explained while Egon accepted the challenge, it was Eduardo who was chosen to be the player.
Winston asked Egon why he didn't stay outside to watch the game. Winston felt he would have wanted to if it was his soul at stake being defended by a kid they barely knew. Egon explained he didn't want to risk making Eduardo nervous. He heard laughter and turned to Abby but she denied it was her. The Fire Goblins burst out a vat of warm beer atop a Moose Ghost. Winston couldn't recall ever trapping a damn moose. Egon explained it was new but the Fire Goblins were trapped when he went on a vacation but suddenly clutched his chest in pain. Abby ran over and checked Egon. The goblins started arguing about going faster. Winston thought there was something very weird about them then called out to Abby. She confirmed Egon's pulse was still strong and nothing was visibly wrong but noticed his heart beats were far apart. She almost got hit by flames. Abby had enough and blew up the Moose Ghost with a Proton Grenade. Winston yelled at Abby. She pointed out it was expendable. Alan and Winston 68-R wrangled the Fire Goblins. Winston 68-R offered Winston a two-for-one. Winston quipped he took them anyway he could and captured them with a Trap-Gate. Alan checked his P.K.E. Meter and called the room clean aside from the Moose Ghost's particles. Winston told everyone Egon was unconscious but still alive and it was time to head outside and keep him that way.
Winston and Abby helped Egon outside as he started to regain consciousness. Eduardo declared checkmate. Death smashed the table in anger and decided he was going to reap everyone. Abby reacted quickly and trapped him. Egon blasted the Trap-Gate apart before it transported Death into the Containment Unit. He explained trapping Death was going to create a spectral bottleneck and influence a massive P.K.E. surge. He opened a portal but Death suddenly dispersed it by slicing it in half with his sickle. Unable to trap him or disperse him, Winston 68-R and Winston saw only one choice. They opened fire and wrangled Death to keep him immobile while Egon opened another portal. Egon warned them they would have a fraction of a second to escape Death once they released him. Winston joked it was a good thing they kept in shape. After all the others went through, Egon called out to them. Winston noticed his counterpart was running away faster. Winston 68-R retorted he was in better shape. Instead of returning to the prime dimension, the team was redirected by Tiamat to the Collectors' Limbo. Winston 68-R was glad they made it but soon realized they weren't back in New York City. Winston told him it was worse. Egon tried to tell Winston about detecting Tiamat's P.K.E. signature earlier in the mission but didn't want to alarm him at the time but Winston told him to save it. He was already alarmed. The 23 Ghostbusters beheld Tiamat standing before them in a towering form.
Winston 68-R took one look at her and got concerned. Winston informed him she took a piece of his life away during their last encounter. The Ghostbusters all opened fir but she easily counter attacked. Winston addressed Tiamat and asked why she broke their deal. Tiamat stipulated she was only exiled from the prime dimension, which they were not at, then countered they had themselves to blame, traveling between dimensions like gods and capturing the Collectors which sowed panic and chaos across the multiverse. With the standard method ineffectual, Winston asked Holtzmann for her Proton Glove then told her to tell everyone with a functioning Trap-Gate to switch on the random destination toggle and stand by while he distracted Tiamat. Holtzmann asked how he planned to do so. Winston charged and socked Tiamat with the Proton Glove. Seven Trap-Gates and siphoned off Tiamat's P.K.E. to random dimensions. She was reduced to a skeleton. Peter wrangled her with a single stream and asked Winston to put a bow on the situation. Egon presented him with a normal working Trap. Winston trapped her. Tiamat cursed them all as she was pulled in. Winston suggested they leave her in the limbo dimension. The Ghostbusters returned to the Warehouse in the prime dimension but Jenny sacrificed herself to stabilize the Containment Unit. Winston told Ray it was going to be okay and asked him if they could fix it. Ray remembered Tiamat's threat and Rachel's warning then shot the teleportation unit in anger.
Peter, Ray, and Winston departed in Ecto-1 in search of Egon after he was possessed by an Atlantean Priest Ghost. Winston was surprised Atlantis came up again and informed Peter it was part of one of the interview questions he got when he applied for the job. Peter was amused and declared he was a nuts like them. They tracked Egon and the ghost to Penn Station where Winston only saw a sea of potential civil suits. Peter mitigated that by pulling a fire alarm and clearing the station. Egon was exorcised but the ghost aimed to summon Poseidon to destroy Manhattan. They searched Battery Park at dawn, to Peter's annoyance. Eventually, Winston told Peter to knock it off. Peter retorted they weren't all Marines and some of them didn't know what to do at such an ungodly hour. Before Winston would reply, he sighted the ghost at the eastern side of the waterfront. The ghost was trapped but Poseidon arrived. He was placated with possession of the tablet used by the ghost for the summoning and vanished.
The Ghostbusters exited Ecto-1 with their gear and climbed out of the sinkhole. Winston asked if everyone was all right as Ray helped him up. Peter reminded everyone they had a ghost to blast first. They went into the park in search of it. The Ghostbusters engaged the ghost at the shore of the Prospect Lake. Just after Winston declared it wasn't so tough, the ghost slammed its tentacles down at them. They dodged and fired. Winston admitted he was tired and just wanted to go home and catch up on the Dodgers. Peter was taken aback by Winston's loyalties. They eventually trapped it. They returned and were perplexed with the presence of two Ecto-1 cars. Ray checked and confirmed it was still in the sinkhole. Egon detected something like a ghost on his P.K.E. Meter. Winston pointed out Starscream was behind him. Starscream ordered them to leave him alone because he only meant to speak to the "Autobot." They quickly wrangled and trapped him. Winston was curious what an Autobot was. Ectronymous Diamatron transformed into his robot form and revealed himself to the Ghostbusters.
Ectronymous introduced himself and stated he meant no harm. He was surprised they weren't intimidated. Peter quipped they got that a lot. Ectronymous admitted he wasn't planning on revealing himself but determined it was the most efficient approach. He explained he came to Earth in search of a signal native to his home planet Cybertron and the Trap was interfering with it so he requested it to be de-powered. Ray thought Ecto-1 got animated by a ghost. Winston pointed out Ectronymous already said it was an alien. Egon refused to accept that. They were at an impasse. Ectronymous activated a miniature blaster on his right wrist and shot the Trap. Starscream was released and shot at them in a rage. The Ghostbusters opened fire and wrangled him again. Starscream noticed Ectronymous' Autobot signal, called for a truce, and returned to his blue hue. Peter asked Winston if he believed him. Winston replied he did not. Peter was not convinced either and dangled a new Trap. Starscream apologized and promised he would never knowingly endanger the life of another sentient being. Ectronymous told Ray he heard Starscream can't be trusted as far as he could throw himself. Starscream overheard and called it a filthy lie. Peter cautioned him. Starscream promised he just wanted to talk to Ectronymous. They released Starscream. Ectronymous asked him what he wanted. Starscream pointed out what he thought was obvious, a new body, but admitted he thought it was humiliating to ask the Autobots for help. Ectronymous how it all happened. Peter joked it started with dying. Starscream told them about how Cybertron was destroyed by Gozer.
Starscream admitted to broadcasting the Cybertronian signal and knowing the Autobots couldn't resist investigating. Winston was suspicious of the story's validity and confirmed as much with Peter. Ray wondered if it was their place to interfere. Peter replied not without a paycheck. Lightning struck and a Kremzeek Sprite emerged from the crater. Starscream became irate and told them to kill it immediately. Peter failed to see how a little bean would be a problem. Egon confirmed it had a high-spectrum P.K.E. reading. Winston pointed out it kept saying the name of the entity that enslaved the last of the Decepticons. Peter relented and trapped the sprite. After he picked up the Trap, it blew up and Peter was knocked to the ground. He was more annoyed they lost two in one night because they cost a fortune to replace. Ectronymous thought he was crazy for agreeing to help dispel the sprite. Winston joked as soon as he wore the No-Ghost, crazy was a part of the job. It worked. Winston congratulated him. Ectronymous asked him not to talk so loud because his audio receptors were still ringing. He tried to report to Optimus Prime but realized his communicator was damaged then agreed to a quid pro quo.
Starscream phased through the Firehouse doors after the Ghostbusters returned with Ectronymous, now Ectotron, and alarmed Janine. She reached for the Proton Grenade in her drawer. Winston had her stand down. Starscream was insulted and headed upstairs. Peter elected to keep an eye on him, to Winston's surprise. Peter claimed it was not a habit and he could quit anytime. Peter went back downstairs and told Winston he put Starscream in a trap. Winston asked him why he did that. Peter replied he thought he was the first psychologist who could claim to specialize in analyzing alien robot ghosts. Egon stated he was not an alien. Peter thanked him but pointed out Starscream was sneaky and believed putting him in a Trap until Ectotron contacted his ship was for the better.
The Ghostbusters headed out on another case. Winston volunteered to go into Mr. Colchamiro's building with Peter and flush out the ghost while Ray, Egon, and Ectotron worked on modifying the Trap. Peter wondered what was wrong with waiting until they were done. Winston pointed out they worked faster with a deadline. Half an hour later, Peter started getting tired of looking around. Winston told him not to start again and insisted the signal was strong. Peter saw the circuit panel and decided to cut the power to force the ghost to appear. The panel exploded and sent Peter flying. Winston mused he really knew how to push everyone's buttons. Peter admitted it was a talent. The Electric Ghost manifested from the panel. A few minutes later, Peter and Winston retreated outside and informed the others that two Proton Streams weren't enough to hold the ghost. Ectotron knocked over a utility pole the ghost was using to draw power from and Ray successfully captured the ghost. Ray was surprised. Egon thought he could see the past. Winston told him that was called hindsight.
The Ghostbusters took a rest then relocated to the Warehouse and started scanning for Starscream. Winston worked on adapting Proton Packs for Ectotron and Optimus Prime. Ectotron wondered who would free Starscream. Winston countered the better question was why. Peter joked Ray was already dreaming of an Ecto-Semi of his own then asked Winston how things were coming along. Winston wasn't having any of it and continued welding. He suggested things would go faster if Peter pitched in. Peter quipped it wasn't even Tuesday but still couldn't believe Ray thought they would work. Ray startled Peter from behind and claimed they would work. Winston finished and both Ectotron and Optimus had their own Proton Packs. Ray invited them to test them. Ectotron went first and accidentally blew up the Ecto-Gyro. Ectotron apologized and promised to fix everything he broke. Egon revealed he got a firm fix on Starscream's P.K.E. signature. They departed for the Grosbeak Generating Station.
After the station was evacuated, Winston asked Egon what he was reading. Egon noted he was getting a second P.K.E. signature and it was high spectrum but less than a Class 7. Winston asked where it was. Thunder clapped. Egon believed it was the dark clouds suddenly manifesting above them. Starscream called out to Optimus. Starscream opened fire on the Ghostbusters for their insolence. Winston was undaunted. Starscream was soon wrangled in three Proton Streams but he called out to his master, Kremzeek who then absorbed him and went on a rant about becoming a god. Peter addressed Kremzeek and told him his name was ridiculous then told the others to power up. Ray continued and told him they didn't care too much for wannabe gods coming to their fair city and throwing their weight around, let alone a Class 5 with delusions of grandeur. Winston pointed out they blew up Gozer all over Central Park West. Egon gave the cue to fire. Kremzeek was wrangled but he managed to break the streams and knocked them off their feet. Ray came up with a plan to disperse him with the Electric Ghost until something could be built to properly trap him. The dispersal also freed the ghosts of Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream.
Winston was unsure about standing around and thought they should do something to help Optimus fight Megatron. Peter agreed and admitted if he knew two robots would be fighting each other, he would have brought a camera or something. Starscream opened fire on the Ghostbusters and declared he still had unfinished business with Peter. They scattered. Soundwave and Shockwave joined in on shooting at the Ghostbusters. Peter teased Winston about keeping quiet. Winston wasn't having any of the blame and reminded Peter that Starscream's quarrel was with him then he wrangled Soundwave. Soundwave realized he was confined with a positively charged Proton Stream and could not break free. He created subservient manifestations based on Ravage, Laserbeak, and Buzzsaw, Mini-Cassette Decepticons that formerly served him in life. Winston threw out a Trap and ducked a laser. He compared it to being in a G.I. Joe cartoon. Soundwave was trapped and he cursed. Laserbeak descended onto Ray at the same time and dissipated. Ray was drenched in green ectoplasm and naturally complained. Winston yelled at him to get back to work. Winston asked if Optimus wanted help. Ectotron believed he had it covered.
Winston implored the others to think of a solution after Megatron possessed Ectotron and stated he wasn't blowing anyone up. Egon agreed on account of Ectotron being a living being but admitted the autopsy could be fascinating. Ray reminded Egon he was part of the team and didn't think Egon would try to kill most of them. Peter thanked Ray for the stirring defense then pointed to the canister of Psychomagnotheric Slime. Egon pointed out a small canister of it wouldn't be effective applied topically to the surface of such a large metal form. Ray countered they got the Statue of Liberty moving with it. Winston pointed out they used gallons of the ectoplasm. Egon believed they had to disperse it inside Ectotron. Peter voted himself out of trying to find his gas cap. Ray suggested force feeding it. Winston pointed out he was 20 feet tall. Egon noted they had one Trap left and it wasn't enough to force spectral expulsion. Peter elected to use the ectoplasm and yelled at Optimus to try to get Ectotron on his back. It worked and Megatron was trapped. Ray asked Ectotron if he was really leaving. Ectotron was unsure if Ray was asking him to stay. Winston pointed out he still owed them a few repairs first. Ectotron laughed and reaffirmed he would fix everything but wouldn't stay since there were so many things to do now that he knew ghosts existed. He revealed he wanted to explore space and look for more Cybertronian ghosts that could be saved. Ray liked the notion of ghosts in space. Peter and Winston shot down any aspirations since they had enough trouble on Earth to deal with but Egon found the thought intriguing, too.
Tertiary Canon History[]
In "The Real Ghostbusters" he and the other Ghostbusters fixed up the Firehouse after it was severely damaged by the escaping ghosts, thanks to Walter Peck. Upon the completion of the Firehouse, the Ghostbusters adopted the Slimer. Winston much like the film counterpart represented the everyday man, and as time went on mechanic of the Ecto-1 and the overall driver. He also returned in "Extreme Ghostbusters" as a guest character for the "Back In The Saddle" two parter; the series was a following up the previous series.
- For more information of the animated version of Winston Zeddemore go to the animated article.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime[]
After a surge in paranormal activity, the Ghostbusters became busy with case after case. After trapping the 9.5th entity in a row, Winston immediately noted it was getting tiring. A junior team of rookies were hired soon after.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed[]
After the world was saved again, Winston had Ecto-1 brought back to the Firehouse in New York and hired a crew to restore the building into working order. Ray spent a great deal of Winston's money to acquire the first edition of Tobin's Spirit Guide. On an orientation day, the latest trainee was 15 minutes late. Catt deduced Ray was holding up the trainee and hailed Ray over the radio. Catt talked to Winston about taking less of a lead over the Ghostbusters for his own sake then introduced Winston to the trainee. She started training the trainee in the basics in the alley outside. Winston hailed her on the radio and revealed the neighbors were starting to complain about the noise again. Catt suggested they move onto P.K.E. Meter and take it inside. Winston agreed and asked if she had one. The trainee was given a meter then Winston hailed Eddy on the radio and asked if he was on the channel. Eddy pointed out it was the only channel he gave him access to. Winston quipped it was for good reason then informed him they had a new recruit that needed some pointers with the P.K.E. Meter. Eddy claimed he was a little busy, he was close to finally cracking what that smell in the lab was. He found something containing a cheese product in a tiny gap between the radiator and the wall. Winston repeated he wanted Eddy to walk the trainee through it. Eddy conceded and asked for the trainee to hurry to the lab so he could return to more meaningful work.
Winston told the trainee the Firehouse was a work-in-progress and really wanted it to be the jewel in the crown of the team. While the trainee was out on a job, Winston went down to the basement to fill out the maintenance report out of habit. The trainee came down some time later to deposit the contents of an old Trap sent to them by Peter. Nameless erupted from the Containment Unit and possessed Winston. Catt "convinced" Nameless to let Winston go with her Proton Pack but he was stuck in Winston's body. The possessed Winston was tied to an office chair and taken up to the lab for tests, including Aura Video-Analyzer. Eddy used the Kinetic Endothermic Actuator but it failed. He integrated the Binding Relic into the Actuator and tried again. It worked and Nameless was safely extracted. Winston replied he felt like he just got out of the longest shareholder meeting of his life. Ray was happy to have him back. Winston thanked Ray and asked for someone to get Peter on the phone. Down in the office, Winston announced the training period was over. Nameless assumed Winston was firing them. Winston asked for someone to remove Nameless from the room. Eddy stated the entity had to be under constant observation. Winston announced the trainee was now an official Ghostbuster. He suggested they all go out for pizza but a new job came up and the newly graduated trainees took off.
Eddy was concerned with his lab's power supply being tampered with by Nameless while he worked on a device to send him away forever. Winston suggested shifting work to the sub-basement, mostly to avoid an exhaustive noise complaint from the neighbors. Once the Rift Gate was complete, Winston quickly ordered Eddy to send Nameless away. However, Nameless hijacked the Rift and several ghosts wrecked havoc in the Firehouse to Winston's dismay. He was annoyed when a Winky barged ectoplasm all over the newly cleaned hood of Ecto-1. After Samhain's capture, Winston revealed the Spenglers were coming to town.
Personality[]
Out of the four, Winston is perhaps the most conventional. He is the common man of the Ghostbusters. He is a responsible dependable person, however as shown in the jail in Ghostbusters he does think for himself. His Christian background shows sometimes in ethical issues, and may be partly why he is so dependable. Winston takes over the mechanical aspect of Ecto-1, leaving Ray more time to work with Egon and build new equipment.
As a part of his employment interview, he was asked if he believed in many paranormal activities and phenomena, but he said that he'd believe anything as long as there was a steady paycheck involved. He is also a Christian and discussed the apocalypse with Ray and convinced him that judgment day might not be just a myth. According to the official Ghostbusters: The Video Game strategy guide, he is the most spiritual and religious of the Ghostbusters. Additionally, he loves New York city. Winston is something of an everyman who is generally more practical and down-to-earth than his teammates.
Trivia[]
Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]
- According to Making Ghostbusters, the character's original name was Ramsey.[19]
- In the IDW Comics canon, Ramsey is Winston's middle name.[20]
- In the first script Ghost Smashers, Dan Aykroyd wrote the character Ramsey with Eddie Murphy in mind.[21] [22]
- The original concept for Winston was younger and hipper. The crew thought of a young black comedian like Eddie Murphy for the role. At one point, Gregory Hines was talked to, but the directors later decided that the crew needed a "straight man," and decided casting a fourth comedian to the film would put too much comedic light in the film. [23] The role of Winston caught Gregory Hine's attention but negotiations stalled and he joined the cast of "The Cotton Club" instead. Yaphet Kotto was offered the role for $2 or 3 million but he passed.[24]
- Reginald VelJohnson was a finalist up for the role of Winston Zeddemore but lost out to Ernie Hudson. Ivan Reitman gave him the Jail Guard role as a gift for the hassle of the casting process.[25][26]
- Until the final shooting draft, Winston had been seen in the script as a security man for the company.[27]
- In all drafts but the final, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was conjured up by Winston.[28]
- Winston would have revealed he roasted Stay Puft Marshmallows at his grandfather's smokehouse in North Carolina when he was a child.[29]
- In the August 5, 1983 Draft, Winston was going to be one of the original Ghostbusters, but it was decided to have him join later to show they needed help to deal with the rising number of spooks thanks to Gozer's impending arrival.[30][31]
- In the July 6, 1983 draft, Peter interviews Winston and noted he was overqualified for the security guard position.
- In the August 5, 1983 Draft, Winston is interviewed right before Dana goes to the Firehouse for help. Ray interviews Winston for the security guard position. Winston's resume is very detailed:[32][33][34]
- In the service for five years
- Air Force Police Captain assigned to administer perimeter security at Reese Strategic Air Command base
- Designed electronic barrier systems for Sentry Alarms
- Ended up as V.P. Tactics and Training at Pacific Headquarters until the offices were closed down.
- 15th Degree Black Belt in Wing Chun Boxing
- A qualified award-winning weapons handler
- In the August 5, 1983 Draft, Ray tells Winston they catch ghosts. Winston asks them what they really do, which persists in all the proceeding drafts.
- In the August 5, 1983 Draft, Winston was slimed by Slimer instead of Peter Venkman[35]
- At one point in the Dan Aykroyd-Harold Ramis collaborations, Winston had too many good lines so they began shifting Winston's attitude to Peter's.[36]
- One example is the "That's a big Twinkie" line. In the September 30, 1983 draft, page 71, Peter has the line. In the October 7, 1983 draft, page 52, Winston has the line.
- The scene in Ghostbusters Chapter 20: Keymaster where Ray and Winston are in Ecto-1 talking about end of the world was used to audition actors for the role of Winston.[37]
- The case Ray and Winston were driving to was Fort Detmerring in the script drafts. It is filmed but ended up in the Deleted Scene: Pulling Up To Fort Detmerring and Deleted Scene: The Fort Detmerring Ghost. The tail end of the latter was reused for Ray's dream in the first montage seen in Chapter 14.
- In the August 5, 1983 draft, on page 119, Winston suggests they take a plan to Australia or Indonesia until it blows over. Peter makes a note of it. After the hole in the street, a huge gust of hot wind from the lobby blows out the glass transom above the doors and showers everyone in safety glass. The Ghostbusters fight against the wind as they walk into the building.
- Winston's idea ends up in the Deleted Scene: Promotion but Peter's reaction changes to him saying he was just considering Winston for a promotion.
- An early version of Winston's "If someone asks you if you're a god, you say yes!" line appears in the August 5, September 30, and October 7, 1983 drafts drafts. It is, "You should've said "yes!" He might have been willing to negotiate."
- Winston's "You say yes!" line was improvised when the scene was filmed. Harold Ramis came up with it.[38][39]
- At around the 1 hour, 51 minute mark of the Preview Cut, included first in the 2022 Ghostbusters Ultimate Edition, Winston takes Peter's Proton Pack off as they walk outside 550 Central Park West to the cheering crowd.
- In the July 6, 1983 draft of the first movie, the Ghostbusters became Ghostbusters International, a high rolling multinational corporation. Winston arrived at headquarters in a limo.[40]
- In the October 7, 1983 final draft and the Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular novelization, Winston Zeddemore was in Strategic Air Command, Electronic Countermeasures school, is a black belt in karate, and is a small-arms expert.[41]
- Mentioned in Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, the Zeddemore's are a strict Baptist family. Winston was in the Air Force.[42] He has younger sisters and brothers but the exact number is not specified.[43]
- Mentioned in Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, Winston's mother is named Lucille,[44] whom he was living with after his stint in the Air Force for a month's time, when the "help wanted" ad for the Ghostbusters came to his attention.
Ghostbusters II Trivia[]
- In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, Winston's social security number was revealed to be 322-36-7366.[45]
- In Ghostbusters II, Winston’s mustache was shaved off. It had nothing to do with resembling his animated counterpart. Ernie Hudson just happened to have no mustache during filming. There was no decision made to have him shave it. Hudson also considered shaving his head before filming.[46]
- During the birthday party in Ghostbusters II, Ray and Winston dance to and sing the "Ghostbusters" song as it plays.
- After the birthday party in Ghostbusters II:
- Ray refers to Winston by a nickname of "Z."
- Winston alludes to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and 550 Central Park West.
- In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, Winston mentioned he was working at an airline before coming back to work with the Ghostbusters.[47]
- On page 95, Winston walks in on Louis and Janine making out and retorts he 'knows what you were doing' whereas in the movie, Dana walks in on them.
- In the September 29, 1988 draft, Peter had the "sounds like a pretty open-minded guy" joke on page 30 but in the November 27, 1988 and February 27, 1989 drafts, the line was Ray's. Then in the movie, it is Winston's line.
- On page 86, the Mayor tells them he is prepared to indemnify and insure them against any and all damage claims. Winston request to have his parking tickets fixed, too.
- On page 100, only Winston fires at the slime shell in vain.
- On page 103, Ray and Peter hose the interior of the Statue of Liberty.
- On page 104, Winston admits he never visited the Statue of Liberty prior.
- On page 105, Winston admits he can't swim.
- In the November 27, 1988 draft:
- On page 76, Winston's "That's one ugly dude" line jolts Ray out of his trance.
- On pages 77 to 80, Ray is possessed and drives recklessly and angrily. Winston clocks him and stomps the brake. They skid into a tree but are uninjured. Ray comes to and is shocked.
- This becomes a deleted scene but some shots are used in the first montage of the movie.
- On page 92, the River of Slime terminates at the end of the NYPRR into a swirling pool. Winston pulls himself out then he reaches in for Ray. They fish Egon out. Then they climb out of a manhole.
- On page 97, Winston suggests they tell Mayor Lenny about the dancing toaster.
- On page 114-115, Winston compares Vigo to Pol Pot and Idi Amin.
- On page 118, Winston admits he never visited the Statue of Liberty prior.
- Winston also makes the admission in the deleted scene Driving Miss Liberty.
- On page 119, Winston admits he can't swim.
- 11 takes were done of Egon, Ray, and Winston climbing from the sewers. Due to a camera motor running off speed, the scene had to filmed again. At first, the actors thought it was a joke. The scene was re-filmed the next night.[48]
- In the Ghostbusters II deleted scene We're Stuck in Here, Winston mentions he is reading "The End of the World".[49][50]
- In the Ghostbusters II deleted scene, Driving Miss Liberty, prior to the Ghostbusters utilizing the Statue of Liberty, Winston never visited it despite living in New York his whole life.[51]
- Winston hates Jell-O.
- Before the interior of the Statue of Liberty is slimed, Winston alludes to the toaster Egon and Ray animated at the Firehouse.
- In the September 29, 1988 to February 27, 1989 versions of the Ghostbusters II script, during the epilogue scene, Winston alludes his ancestors arrived in America against their will on a slave ship that landed at Charleston Harbor in South Carolina.[52]
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]
- Phoebe notes to Trevor that Gozer is genderless. In the first movie, Chapter 26: Gozer, Winston thought Gozer was male then Egon states it's whatever it wants to be.
- In the end tag:
- Winston mentions he has children.
- Winston admits to covering the rent for Ray's Occult Books.
- Janine recalls interviewing Winston, seen in the first movie, Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard.
- Winston alludes to his steady paycheck quip in the first movie, Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard.
- Winston quotes one of his lines from the first movie, Chapter 26: Gozer, when they thought they defeated Gozer, telling Janine "I had the tools and the talent."
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trivia[]
- At the police station, Winston asks Phoebe why she shot Fortitude in the face. In reality, Phoebe shot Patience.
Ghostbusters: Back in Town Trivia[]
- On page 10 of Ghostbusters: Back in Town Issue #1, it is revealed there is a school named after Winston, the Zeddemore Academy.
Ghostbusters III: Hellbent Trivia[]
- In the February 1997 story treatment, Winston is an executive in the Ghostbusters company complete with his own "fancy" office.[53]
- In the drafts, including the June 23, 2006 limited revision, Winston listed as Dr. Winston Zeddemore.[54]
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia[]
- In the February 11, 2008 draft revision of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, after he is freed in the Lost Island Rising level, Winston implies his shoe size is 13.[55]
- In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, it is revealed by Winston himself that he has some degree of experience in paranormal affairs. He put himself through college working as a fortune teller on Coney Island. He claims to have "Worn a red velvet cape; it was plush."[56][57]
- Also revealed in Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the fact Winston earned or attempted to earn a Ph.D. During their investigation at The Museum of Natural History, Winston comments "Ah, the Egypt exhibit. I practically lived here while I was working on my doctorate." Whether this occurred prior to the events in the movies, or between then and the video game, is not made clear.
- After the Museum of (Super)Natural History Level (realistic version) level, one of the messages left on the Ghostbusters' answering machine is from Winston's Uncle Raymond who's coming to visit soon.[58]
- At the start of the Return to the Sedgewick Level (realistic version) level, Winston reveals he pays $2000 a month for a 600 square feet walk-up (an apartment with no elevator).[59]
- On Page Nine of Ghostbusters: The Video Game Official Game Guide of the Realistic Version and Four of the Stylized Version, Winston's Caution Box notes he is an ex-Marine.[60]
IDW Comics Trivia[]
- In the IDW Comics, Winston does not have a doctorate. This is the first instance of the ongoing series establishing it is in a continuity separate to the prime universe (the two movies and Ghostbusters: The Video Game).
- In the IDW Comics, Winston won a trophy for baseball.[61][62]
- In Ghostbusters International #3, page 6, Janine revealed the last time open interviews were held, Winston was the only applicant who showed up.[63]
- In Chapter 14 of Ghostbusters (2016 Movie), an ad for Twinkies in present day Times Square quotes Winston's "That's a big Twinkie." line from the first movie after Egon presents his Twinkie analogy.
- On the Dramatis Personae page of Ghostbusters International #9, Winston's bio mentions his love of baseball.
- In Ghostbusters International #9, page 4, Winston admitted to Melanie he's been nervous about going underground since the encounter with the Ghost Train during the Vigo incident of 1989.[64]
- On the Regular Cover of Ghostbusters Annual 2017, Winston is drawn as he appeared in Ghostbusters II without the mustache.
- On Page 7 of Ghostbusters Annual 2017:
- In panel 2, Winston mentions he was left out of the last book about the Ghostbusters -- making light of Winston's omission from several movie posters and the like over the decades.[65]
- In panel 2, the books in Winston's backpack are about Egyptology - a nod to his doctorate in that field in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions).
- Winston is wearing his staple T-shirt inspired by the Forces of Good from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Night Game"
- In panel 2, Winston is eating a slice of blueberry pie. Incidentally, blueberry fudge cake is a favorite of Winston's animated counterpart.
- On Page 8 of Ghostbusters Annual 2017, in panel 3, Erik notes the fans have asked - a nod to a long standing mystery of where Winston went after he appeared at the beginning of the court case in Ghostbusters II.
- On page 2 of Ghostbusters: Funko Universe, Winston wears his green collar shirt seen in Volume 1 of the ongoing series.
- Winston appears on Cover B and C of Ghostbusters 101 #6.
- Page 18 of Ghostbusters 101 #6:
- The second image is from the 2016 movie, Chapter 3, when they see Gertrude Aldridge in the Aldridge Mansion Museum. Winston appears in place of Abby holding their P.K.E. Meter.
- The eighth image is from Ghostbusters II, Chapter 24 "A Harbor Chick", when the team looks out from the head of the Statue of Liberty. Holtzmann, Patty, and Abby appear in place of Peter, Winston, and Ray.
- The tenth image is from Ghostbusters II, Chapter 28 "World is Safe Again", of the 'cleaned' Vigo portrait. Patty appears in place of Winston.
- In the Dramatis Personae of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1, Winston's bio now mentions he has an honorary doctorate was in parapsychology and he's almost done with his law studies in night school. The "soft spot for kids" is nod to helping out Alan Crendall in Volume 1 Issue #1.
- On page 12 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1, Winston is wearing a two tone striped T-shirt commonly worn by the animated Winston on The Real Ghostbusters.
- On page 2 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2, Winston and Leonardo teleport into the Turtle Lair from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 animated series. Leonardo's look is based on that series' design.
- On page 3 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2:
- In panel 3, Leonardo and Winston run from the boulder from Indiana Jones' "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and appear in the art style is based on Tin Tin.[66]
- In panel 5, Leonardo and Winston are on the run from Galaga and Galaxian, both classic Namco arcade games.
- On page 15 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2, in the battle world, Winston now has two Proton Pistols instead of one.
- On page 16 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2, Winston alludes to seeing the first Terminator movie then never liking robots after it.
- On page 17 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2, Winston mentions Bond Girls, the title for the actress who stars in a given 007 movie.
- On page 19 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #3, Winston reveals he took boxing in his childhood.
- On page 11 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #4, Peter referred to meeting classmates from Winston's law studies at night school and joked Michelangelo would hardly stand out among them.
- On page 27 of Ghostbusters Annual 2018:
- In panel 2, Winston's mechanic suit is visually based on his animated counterpart's uniform.
- He used this suit in Volume 1 #13.
- In panel 4, in Winston's locker are:
- A baseball cap with the logo of Good's Baseball Team from "Night Game".
- A baseball and catcher's mitt, a nod to his love of the sport.
- In panel 2, Winston's mechanic suit is visually based on his animated counterpart's uniform.
- Winston was mentioned in Tiamat's bio in the 34th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, released on June 14, 2018.[67]
- Winston was mentioned in the Fire Goblin's bio in the 44th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, released on July 18, 2018.[68]
- On Cover A of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Winston is featured.
- On August 7, 2018, Tom Waltz posted Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #49, Winston Zeddemore. [69]
- It mentions Winston's honorary doctorate in Parapsychology but also reveals his Juris Doctor is in progress and he has a Bachelor of the Arts degree.[70]
- On Cover RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #7, Winston is featured.
- Winston appers on Cover RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #8.
- Winston appears on the IDW Convention Variant cover of 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters.
- On page 6 of 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters, Winston refers to his job interview with Janine in the first movie in Chapter 14 "Welcome Aboard.
- On page 7 of 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters , in panel 2, Winston's key chain is a nod to the Jaguars baseball team from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Night Game".
- On page 11 of 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters, Winston mentions he loved Greek myth in the third grade.[71]
- Winston appears on Cover B, Cover RI-A, Cover RI-C, Fan Expo Dallas Cover, and SDCC Cover of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1.
- On page 6 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, Shockwave's "what did you do?" mirrors Winston's line in the first movie.
- On page 14 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, Winston mentions the Los Angeles Dodgers. Incidentally, it was founded in Brooklyn before being moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season.
- Winston appears on Cover A and RI of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #2.
- Winston appears on Cover B and RI of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #3.
- Winston appears on Cover B of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #4.
- Winston appears on Cover B and RI of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #5.
- On page 5 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #5, Winston mentions the G.I. Joe cartoons and its use of lasers instead of bullets.
- In the Quickbooks "Happy Business: Ghostbusters Payroll Taxes" online spot, released on December 27, 2019, Winston is listed on Janine's payroll and is paid $1,170.48 by direct deposit. He was originally omitted but was later added.
- Winston appears on Cover A, B, and RI of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1.
- On Cover A of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1 there is:
- The scene of Winston driving in Chapter 20.
- The scene of Winston right before he declares, "I love his town!" at the end of Chapter 28.
- On Cover B of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, there is:
- The scene of Winston holding the Traps Ray hands him after he is hired in Chapter 14 appears in a photo.
- The Post-It has Janine's interview questions about UFOs, Astral Projection, Mental Telepathy, ESP, Clairvoyance, Spirit Photography, Telekinetic movement, Full trans-mediums, Loch Ness Monster, and the theory of Atlantis.
- There is a photo of Winston firing his Particle Thrower in Cover A.
- There is a photo of Ray and Winston pulling up to Fort Deterrming appears in a photo.
- On the bottom left side, there is a Second Dan Black Belt in Karate. In the final shooting script for Ghostbusters and on page 136 of Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, Winston's resume listed him as a black belt in karate.
- Winston's file lists his middle name Ramsey. The middle name was revealed in Volume 2 Issue #13, page 9, but the wedding priest.
- Winston's Employee I.D. is revealed to be 171945.
- A military record references his enlistment with the U.S. Marine Corps in the IDW canon. It reveals he won the title of Rifle Expert which would have required a combined score of 305-350 at a weapons qualification event.
- The employee file lists Winston's birthday as June 17, 1945. It is derived from Ernie Hudson's birthday, December 17, 1945.
- There is photo of Winston on the file folder which is a stock promo photo from the first movie.
- The employee file shows Winston's listed phone number is 555-5007.
- The employee files shows Winston's start date is October 22, 1984 and his first review was slated for January 26, 1985.
- The employee file has Winston's pay grade listed as $11,500, mentioned by Winston in Chapter 27: Stay Puft Man before they cross streams.
- Winston's emergency contact is his father, Edward Lee Zeddemore. Edward Zeddemore was the name of Winston's father in The Real Ghostbusters and "Lee" was the middle name of Roscoe Lee Browne, the voice of Edward Zeddemore.
- Winston's resume reveals his apartment address is 235 B West 146th Street in Harlem.
- A U.S. Marine Corps' Enlisted Dress eagle, globe and anchor was seen in solicits of the cover but in the final version is a Sergeant E-5 chevron. He gave two chevrons to Leonardo at the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 1 Issue #4.
- In the Dramatis Personae of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1:
- Winston's biography mentions his Marine Corps background in this canon and his religious foundation.
- Ray's biography mention when he quickly hired Winston in the first movie.
- On page 3 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, in panel 3, the baseball paraphernalia on the shelf refers to Winston's love of the sport.
- On page 4 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, in panel 1, behind Winston is the standard flag of the U.S. Marine Corps and pennant flags for the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants.
- On page 4 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston reveals he was born in Michigan.
- On page 4 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston's correction about there being no such thing as an ex-Marine is a nod the the Once a Marine, Always a Marine motto.
- On page 5 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, in panel 3, behind Winston on the column is Luis Delgado's 15 easter egg.
- On page 6 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, the scene takes place in Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard between when Winston looks up at the No-Ghost sign outside and when Janine asks the question about what he believes in.
- On page 6 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston reveals he was in the Marine Corps for 6 years.
- On page 7 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, in panel 5, Winston alludes to when he was shown how to empty a trap in Chapter 14.
- On page 7 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, in panel 5, it more evident the coffee mug Winston gave to Rebecca is a 1980 GOP mug with the Republican elephant.
- On page 20 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston mentions how he wants to learn more about computers since they are the "wave of the future." That was meant as a nod to the Ghostbusters: Afterlife story Erik Burnham was aware of at the time of writing the Year One mini-series.[Note 2]
- On page 13 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Winston's duck call line and the announcement of a Ghost Whistle toy at Toy Fair 2020 is a complete coincidence.
- On page 2 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4, Winston's outfit is visually based on one worn by Ernie Hudson's character Sergeant Tremaine "Night Train" Lane in the 1986 NBC series, "The Last Precinct".
- Winston appears on the Transformers Generations Ectotron Ecto-1 Cover of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1.
Ghostbusters: The Board Game Trivia[]
- On his Ghostbusters: The Board Game character card, Winston's employee ID # is listed as 111 75 0306.
Ghost Busted Manga Trivia[]
- According to the Ghost Busted (manga) from Tokyopop, Winston is said to have been in the Marines, rather than the Air Force. He still retains his old Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), M249 Light Machine Gun, and keeps it in full working order in case of an emergency that the regular Ghostbusting equipment might not be suited for arises.
- According to the Legion miniseries, Winston has a fear of clowns.
88MPH Comics Trivia[]
- In The Zeddemore Factor, Winston's first bust was at the Natural History Museum against Pterosaur Ghosts where he forgot to turn on his pack and got slimed.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Trivia[]
- In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, if you talk to Winston when he is standing in front of Ecto-1 in the Firehouse, he will mention he hasn't been able to step foot on a subway since 1989 and alludes to the Ghost Train encounter from the second movie.[72]
- In the alley outside the Firehouse, the graffiti under Stay Puft figure on the advertisement quotes Winston's line "What did you do, Ray?" in the first movie in Chapter 27: Stay Puft Man.
Miscellaneous Tertiary Canon Trivia[]
- In Ghostbusters: The Official Cookbook, on page 64, Winston reveals he took Louis out to lunch two to three years after the last bust to get tax advice for his company.[73]
- On page 9 of Egon's Journal, a supplement of the Hasbro Haslab Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack, it is revealed the Giga meter's chassis was constructed from a outdated power buffer/scrubber Winston Zeddemore found in a locker in the Firehouse.
- On page 29 of Egon's Journal, a newspaper clipping reveals Winston officiated Peter and Dana's wedding as Justice of the Peace.
- In Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, the 23rd trophy is called "I love this town!" which quotes Winston's last line in the movie. One of the gold trophies is called "Steady paycheck".
Quotes[]
- "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!"
- "I hate Jell-O."
- "Just once I wouldn't mind running with all those fools AWAY from the trouble!"
Appearances[]
Primary Canon Appearances[]
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Ghostbusters II
- Chapter 01: Start
- Chapter 10: Their Day in Court
- Chapter 12: Two in the Box
- Chapter 13: Mood Slime
- Chapter 16: Vigo 101
- Chapter 17: Fire-Trapped
- Chapter 18: In the Tunnel
- Chapter 19: Scaring the Straights
- Chapter 20: Kidnapping Oscar
- Chapter 21: Tenth Level of Hell
- Chapter 22: No Dent
- Chapter 23: The Statue of Liberty
- Chapter 24: A Harbor Chick
- Chapter 25: Breaking and Entering
- Chapter 26: Ghostbusters vs. Vigo
- Chapter 27: The Fifth Ghostbuster
- Chapter 28: World is Safe Again
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife
- Chapter 06
- Seen in online video only.
- Chapter 11
- Mentioned by Ray Stantz.
- Chapter 12
- Alluded to by Callie Spengler.[74]
- Chapter 13
- Alluded to by Phoebe Spengler.[75]
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 06
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- Dark Horse Comics
Expanded Universe
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Deleted Scenes
- Ghostbusters II
- Deleted Scenes
Secondary Canon Appearances[]
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions)
- IDW Comics
- "The Other Side 1"
- "The Other Side 2"
- "The Other Side 3"
- "The Other Side 4"
- "Displaced Aggression 1"
- "Displaced Aggression 3"
- "Displaced Aggression 4"
- "Past, Present, and Future"
- "Tainted Love"
- "Con-Volution"
- "What in Samhain Just Happened?!"
- "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?"
- "Ghostbusters: Infestation 1"
- "Ghostbusters: Infestation 2"
- Volume One
- Volume Two
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters
- Ghostbusters Get Real
- Ghostbusters Annual 2015
- "Daydreams and Nightmares!"
- "Hot Foot"
- "A Fall Wind in Summer"
- "World of the Psychic"
- Volume 3
- Ghostbusters International #1
- Ghostbusters International #2
- Ghostbusters International #3
- Ghostbusters International #4
- Ghostbusters International #5
- Ghostbusters International #6
- Ghostbusters International #7
- Ghostbusters International #8
- Ghostbusters International #9
- Ghostbusters International #10
- Ghostbusters International #11
- Ghostbusters Annual 2017
- Where Winston Was
- Answering The Call
- Ghostbusters 101
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2
- Ghostbusters Annual 2018
- Ghostbusters Crossing Over
- Ghostbusters IDW 20/20
- IDW 20/20 (Dimension 50-S version only)
- 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters
- Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts of Cybertron
- Ghostbusters Year One
- Insight Editions
Tertiary Canon Appearances[]
- The Real Ghostbusters (See Animated Article)
- IDW Publishing (non-canonical to the prime continuity of IDW)
- Ghost Busted (manga)
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
Notes[]
- ↑ According to Eric Reich of Ghost Corps in a private email correspondence on January 6, 2022 with administrator mrmichaelt, the Firehouse "was a Starbucks, Winston bought it after the battle in Summerville."
- ↑ According to Erik Burnham, during a private email exchange on December 11, 2021, with Ghostbusters Wiki administrator Mrmichaelt, it was confirmed Winston Zeddemore mentioning an interest in computers at the end of Ghostbusters: Year One Issue #1 was a nod to the version of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife story he knew at the time of writing Year One.
References[]
- ↑ whitelock_design_limited instagram 5/16/2024 Mayor's File reads: "DOB 06/17/1945 Birth Place Gotham, New York."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 11 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 01:07:28-01:07:32). Sony Pictures. Ray Stantz says: "Winston went into finance. He worked hard, coined a fortune and-- And I'm here."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 16 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 02:02:56-02:03:20). Sony Pictures. Winston Zeddemore says: "I came in looking for a steady paycheck. But busting ghosts with the guys... taught me not to be afraid. That I had the tools and I had the talent. I started this business with one employee. And I've grown it into a thriving global enterprise. I may be a businessman, but I will always be a Ghostbuster."
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter "‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Director Jason Reitman and Co-Writer Gil Kenan Discuss Next Franchise Film (Exclusive)" 6/8/2022 Jason Reitman says: "The character of Winston Zeddemore and Zeddemore Industries figures strongly into the future of Ghostbusters."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 16 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 02:02:36-02:02:46). Sony Pictures. Winston Zeddemore says: "Well, see, that's the thing. I don't do it for me. I do it for my kids, and I wanna be an example of what's possible."
- ↑ Janine Melnitz (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 16 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 02:02:46-02:02:49). Sony Pictures. Janine Melnitz says: "You still covering the rent at Ray's bookshop?"
- ↑ GBTVGReferenceWinstonZeddemoreRV03.jpg
- ↑ Employee File (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic Cover B). Employee File reads: "June 17, 1945."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.4). Winston Zeddemore says: "All right, well... I was actually born in Michigan back in - -"
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.6). Winston Zeddemore says: "Did six years in the Corps - - er, the Marines."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.4). Winston Zeddemore says: "Second, I left the Corps because... well... I woke up one day and it just wasn't my calling anymore."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.5). Winston Zeddemore says: "Fella came on a few weeks in who was I'm gonna say, a little lax abut safety. Dropped a wrench from three stories up and almost hit me, you know?"
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4" (2020) (Comic p.2). Winston Zeddemore says: "Definitely don't ask about Huges. Man, Venkman got me with that same damn prank. It gets you a two-hour lecture about the theoretical benefits of drilling a hole in your head."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.20). Winston Zeddemore says: "I want to learn more about computers. Wave of the future and all that."
- ↑ Dramatis Personae (2017). IDW Comics- "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1" (2017) (Comic Dramatis Personae). Dramatis Personae reads: "Honorary doctorate in parapsychology."
- ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 8/7/18Virtual Trading Card reads: "He has been willing to sacrifice his life for the world on more than one occasion, and, while dealing with the chaos goddess TIAMAT, wound up sacrificing future happiness instead."
- ↑ erikburnham Tweet 12/2/16 Erik Burnham says: "Winston's faith and cross protected him from the Devil. His absence here is related as he has the strongest faith among the Ghostbusters."
- ↑ Dramatis Personae (2017). IDW Comics- "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1" (2017) (Comic Dramatis Personae). Dramatis Personae reads: "In night school for law (but he's almost done!)."
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 9. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis says: "Stantz and Venkman and Ramsey -- the character we changed to Winston -- were all essentially the same. That was fairly representative of Dan's writing at the time. He was very much concerned with story and structure and effects, but he would sort of stay on the surface of his characters."
- ↑ Priest (2014). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #13" (2014) (Comic p.9). Priest says: "Tiyah, do you take Winston Ramsey Zeddemore as your husband, to live together in marriage?"
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly ""Ghostbusters: An Oral History" Dan Aykroyd quote 11/7/14
- ↑ Labrecque, Jeff (2014). "Ghostbusters: An Oral History". Entertainment Weekly.
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 99 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Michael Gross says: "I think the original concept for Winston's character was younger and hipper. At one point, we were talking with Gregory Hines about playing the part. We also considered getting a young, black comedian -- somebody like Eddie Murphy. But in retrospect, it's probably just as well we didn't. It would have been just too much. As it is, there is a nice balance among the four characters. Winston is the moderate character against which the other three can play."
- ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 36. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Winston was a meaty part, and it caught the eye of Broadway star Gregory Hines. Negotiations stalled, however, and Hines opted to headline Francis Ford Coppola's period drama The Cotton Club instead. It's easy to imagine Yaphet Kotto playing Winston Zeddemore. Kotto says he was offered $2 or $3 million to appear in Ghostbusters, but he can't remember if that was the role in question. Whatever was on the table, Kotto passed."
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter "Family Matters Actor Reginald VelJohnson Says Everyone Still Thinks He's a Cop" 11/16/2015 Article reads: "That role was a gift from director Ivan Reitman after VelJohnson lost out on the role of Winston Zeddemore to Ernie Hudson, VelJohnson says."
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter "Family Matters Actor Reginald VelJohnson Says Everyone Still Thinks He's a Cop" 11/16/2015 Reginald VelJohnson says: "They flew me out to California, and it was between me and him. And since it was so much trouble, Ivan Reitman said 'let me do something for you,' and gave me the prison guard.
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 99 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Until the final shooting script, Winston had been seen in the script as a security man for the company. When it became apparent that the Ghostbusters had no real need for a security man, he became instead a full-fledged -- if not altogether convinced -- Ghostbuster."
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 184 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In all of the drafts but the final one, it is Winston - not Stantz - who inadvertently conjures up the Stay-Puft marshmallow man."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 129). Winston says: "The Stay Puft-Marshmallow Man! He was on all the packages we used to buy when I was a kid in North Carolina. We used to roast Stay-Puft marshmallows on my grandpa's smokehouse fire.""
- ↑ August 5, 1983 Draft of Ghostbusters via Spook Central
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 54 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads says: "The inclusion of Winston was in clear response to a perceived notion on the part of the filmmakers that the team needed to embrace a fourth member who could serve as the on-screen voice of the viewing public -- a no-nonsense professional, with a major streak of skepticism when it came to the avowed objectives of his employers. On further reflection, however, it was decided to delay Winston's introduction until after the Ghostbusters' first big score when, conceivably, they could really begin to need some augmentation."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 29). Winston says: "5 years, U.S. Air Force Air Police. I mustered out as Captain, assigned to administer perimeter security at Reese Strategic Air Command base... from there I designed electronic barrier systems for Sentry Alarms and I ended up as V.P. Tactics and Training at their Pacific Headquarters... until they closed the offices there.""
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 29). Winston says: "I have a 15th degree black belt in Wing Chun boxing and I am a qualified, award-winning weapons handler.""
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 54 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In the July and August drafts, Dana's appearance at the firehall is preceded by a scene in which Winston Zeddemore -- armed with enough references to nail down a job as security chief for the White House -- presents himself in reply to a trifling 'help wanted' ad for a guard."
- ↑ Page 51 of August 5, 1983 Draft of Ghostbusters via Spook Central
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 54 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis says: "As writers, we'd never done a black character. Nor had we ever written women very well. The Writers Guild sends out letters about this regularly -- 'let's see more women and more minorities.' So when we wrote Winston, I think we had our own little reverse backlash going. We bent over backwards to make Winston's character good -- and in doing so, we made him the best character in the movie. We looked at it and said: 'Jesus! He's got all the good lines.' At the same time, everybody was saying Bill's character was a little weak. So, little by little, we started shifting Winston's attitude to Bill's character -- which made perfect sense-- and we also ended up delaying Winston's introduction until much later in the film."
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 129 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck: "This was one of the few scenes in the film that didn't have any big laughs in it, but we always liked it because it offered a possible explanation as to why the city was suddenly being plagued with ghosts. Also, it was a good scene for Winston -- in fact, this was the scene we used to audition actors for the role of Winston."
- ↑ Josh Gad YouTube "Who Ya Gonna Zoom? | Reunited Apart GHOSTBUSTERS Edition" 13:31-13:38 6/15/2020 Ernie Hudson says: "Well, it happened, I think it was improv'ed in the moment. And I'm not sure if it was Danny or Bill's suggestion."'
- ↑ Josh Gad YouTube "Who Ya Gonna Zoom? | Reunited Apart GHOSTBUSTERS Edition" 13:40-13:42 6/15/2020 Dan Aykroyd says: "Th-that's a Ramis I think."'
- ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 203 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Alternate endings in earlier drafts included scenes within the towering glass and chrome headquarters of Ghostbusters International - now a high-rolling multinational corporation "recognized everywhere as the first line of defense against interdimensional trespassers." The July draft even attempted to wrap up the romantic loose ends. Venkman and Dana set up housekeeping, Spengler and Janine are married, and Stantz returns to Fort Detmerring for spiritual renewal."
- ↑ Mueller, Richard (August 1985). Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, p. 136. Tor Books, New York NY USA, ISBN 0812585984. Ray says: "Very impressive. Strategic Air Force Command ECM school... black belt in karate... small-arms expert... as far as I'm concerned, Mr. Zeddemore, you're hired."
- ↑ Mueller, Richard (August 1985). Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, p. 172. Tor Books, New York NY USA, ISBN 0812585984.
- ↑ Mueller, Richard (August 1985). Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, p. 173. Tor Books, New York NY USA, ISBN 0812585984.
- ↑ Mueller, Richard (August 1985). Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, p. 124. Tor Books, New York NY USA, ISBN 0812585984.
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 45). Winston says: "Yeah, 322-36-7366."
- ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Hasbro PulseCon 2020 Day 2" 3:59:17-3:59:41 9/28/2020 Ernie Hudson says: "And at that time I didn't have, um, I just didn't have a mustache. In fact, I was thinking about shaving my head so Winston almost had a bald head. But, um, uh, we already shoot the movie, I had no mustache. It wasn't anything planned. But, um, fans have come up with all kinds of theories as to why I didn't have a mustache. But there was nothing to it other than I just didn't have one when we started the movie."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 103). Winston says: "I can't believe I gave up a good, safe job with the airlines to come back to this."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 28. Cinefex, USA. Harold Ramis says: "When we wrote the scene I thought they would find a manhole and then we would go down a ladder and come up. Well, in front of the customs house that doubled for our museum, there was only a closed box underground for a phone conduit, and it was filled with big phone connectors. We had to wedge ourselves in like contortionists. Before we got into the hole, the effects guys would cover us with slime. Then they would smoke up the hole and put the manhole cover on it. I kept saying it was as close to being trapped in a mine or cave-in or the American earthquake as you could imagine. It was pretty awful and it was just freezing. But that really was not the worst of it. We did eleven takes, and then the next morning Ivan came to us and said the camera motor had run off speed and we had to do the scene again. At first we thought he was kidding. I mean, doing it once was the worst experience of my life. We thought, 'Great joke.' Unfortunately, it was no joke and the next night we did the whole thing all over again."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2022). Ghostbusters Ultimate Edition (2022), Ghostbusters II, We're Stuck in Here (1989) (Blu-ray ts. 00:14-00:20). Columbia Pictures. Winston Zeddemore says: "You know it reminds of this book I've been reading. It's called The End of the World."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2022). Ghostbusters Ultimate Edition (2022), Ghostbusters II, We're Stuck in Here (1989) (Blu-ray ts. 00:17-00:21). Columbia Pictures. Winston Zeddemore says: "Well, this guy says the world's going to end New Years Eve 1990. That's tonight."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2014). Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Gift Set (2014), Ghostbusters II, Driving Miss Liberty (1989) (DVD ts. 00:01-00:04). Columbia Pictures. Winston says: "I lived in New York my whole life and never visted the Statue of Liberty."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1989). Ghostbusters II (February 27, 1989 Draft) (Script p. 120). Winston Zeddemore says: "My people weren't taking any pictures from those slave ships, man. And there wasn't any Statue in Charleston Harbor to welcome them, either."
- ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 159. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Winston Zeddemore is introduced as a company executive with his own fancy office."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan (2006). Ghostbusters III: Hellbent (June 23, 2006 Draft) (Script p. 17). "Line reads: "DR. WINSTON ZEDDEMORE."
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 209). Winston Zeddemore says: "How 'bout a size 13 boot for Uncle Peter?"
- ↑ GBTVGReferenceWinstonZeddemoreRV01.jpg
- ↑ GBTVGReferenceWinstonZeddemoreRV02.jpg
- ↑ Uncle Raymond; After Museum of (Super)Natural History, Firehouse 2nd Floor Answering Machine Message 11 of 11 (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) - Firehouse (2009) (PC/PS3/Xbox 360). Terminal Reality. Uncle Raymond says: "Hey, Winston. It's your Uncle Raymond. I'm coming to town and I want to see you. Break out the food. Turn on the TV. I'll call you later."
- ↑ GBTVGReferenceWinstonZeddemoreRV04.jpg
- ↑ Bueno, Fernando (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game Official Game Guide, p. 9 (Realistic Version) and 4 (Stylized Version). Prima Games, Roseville CA USA, ISBN 2008930552.
- ↑ Special Agent Melanie Ortiz (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #4" (2013) (Comic p.13). Melanie says: "There was a trophy at the Firehouse."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #4" (2013) (Comic p.14). Winston says: "Baseball. I played baseball and that catch was perfect."
- ↑ Janine Melnitz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #3" (2016) (Comic p.6). Janine Melnitz says: "Last time we tried open interviews, it was just Winston who showed up."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #9" (2016) (Comic p.4). Winston Zeddemore says: "Been twitchy about goin' underground ever since I got run over by a Ghost Train."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Annual 2017" (2017) (Comic p.7). Winston says: "Hell, the last time someone wrote a book about the Ghostbusters, I don't think I was even mentioned."
- ↑ Dapperpomade Tweet 11/15/17
- ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 6/14/18
- ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 7/18/18
- ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 8/7/18
- ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 8/7/18Virtual Trading Card reads: "DEGREES: Ph.D in parapsychology (honorary), BA, Juris Doctor (in progress)."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2019). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary: Ghostbusters" (2019) (Comic p.11). Winston Zeddemore says: "I loved Greek myths in third grade."
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore; Talk to Winston when he is standing by the Ecto-1 (2022). Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed – Firehouse (2022) (PS4/PS5/PC/Xbox One/Xbox Series X). Illfonic. Winston Zeddemore says: "Kid, I haven't been able to set a footstep on a subway since '89. Let's just say there was a traumatic incident."
- ↑ Fukikawa, Jenn, & Burnham, Erik (2022). Ghostbusters: The Official Cookbook, p. 64. Insight Editions, San Rafael, CA USA, ISBN 9781647227401. Winston Zeddemore says: "I'd never heard of it, anyway... not until I took Louis Tully to lunch two, maybe three, years after we thought we'd busted the last ghost in the city. I was looking for some tax advice on starting a business of my own, and Louis was good enough to walk me through things."
- ↑ Callie Spengler (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 12 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 01:11:57-01:12:12). Sony Pictures. Callie Spengler says: "No. No. I think he was a sad old man who turned his back on his family, his partners. And for what? For a stupid farm in a town nobody cares about. Where, by the way, everybody thought he was nuts. Yeah, great decision, Dad."
- ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 13 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 01:24:01-01:24:02). Sony Pictures. Phoebe Spengler says: "His friends."
- ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2024). Dark Horse Comics- "Ghostbusters: Back in Town Issue #2" (2024) (Comic p.13). Phoebe Spengler says: "Winston put me in a school that doesn't believe in homework!"
- ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2024). Dark Horse Comics- "Ghostbusters: Back in Town Issue #3" (2024) (Comic p.15). Phoebe Spengler says: "Was she arrested before or after you and my grandfather and Winston and Dr. Venkman defeated Vigo the Carpathian?"
- ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.51). Paragraph reads: "Our colleague Winston Zeddemore had set the Manitou's captives free while Dr. Venkman was possessed, leavining the entity with no other victims to possess."
- ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.75). Paragraph reads: "Our colleague, Winston Zeddemore, a former Marine, was instrumental in our plan to trap this particular entity before it could unleash another pandemic."