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#4883274
I've been sort of curious wondering what Slimer was like as a human, yet on the other hand I think part of the appeal is in not knowing and having that mystery to ponder on. I know what was said about him kind of having elements of John Belushi's personality, at least in the first movie, but somehow I don't picture Slimer literally being John Belushi's ghost. ;) I also know that the U.K. comic did a story where Egon tries to figure out Slimer's past and ends up in big trouble when he hypnotizes Slimer back to his earliest life of being a hunger demon. (Yikes!) Somehow I'm not sure I want that to be canon for the TV series. Slimer seems way too nice to have been a demon. (Unless we're talking Japanese demons, which aren't always bad....)

Assuming Slimer had a regular mortal life, there's also the question of whether he actually remembers it and how old he was when he died. He definitely seems to have a childlike personality in the series, as emphasized in episodes such as Once Upon a Slime, when Peter mistakes the dessert magazine for Playboy or something similar and says that Slimer is too young for that. LOL. (I am amazed they got away with that joke, especially since that was after the retooling started!) Actually picturing Slimer as having been a child when he died is pretty sad, though. I tend to picture him as having lived to adulthood, but then it's a toss-up whether he died young or not and whether his personality by the time of the series has much bearing on what he was like when he was alive.

So, has anyone else been curious? Do you have your own headcanons, either vague or fully fleshed-out? Do you prefer the series leaving it a mystery or wish it had been explored?
#4883280
I am actually pretty glad they didn't explore his past in the show. I was curious as a kid, but I agree wondering what his origins were. As it was the comic also stated that Slimer was some kind of King of a small country in a past life.

I prefer the past that was given to him in the Ghostbusters West End RPG and the recent Tobin's Spirit Guide from Insight Editions. In both of those Slimer was never human. He was accidentally created from a seance gone wrong that was being held by a cult in the basement of the Sedgewick. That's the one that is part of my head canon. :):):)
JurorNo.2 liked this
#4883289
philmorgan81 wrote:I prefer the past that was given to him in the Ghostbusters West End RPG and the recent Tobin's Spirit Guide from Insight Editions. In both of those Slimer was never human. He was accidentally created from a seance gone wrong that was being held by a cult in the basement of the Sedgewick. That's the one that is part of my head canon. :):):)
Yeah, that's always been the one I preferred--the "Remils" origin was just too dumb for words. (Though I did once turn Remils into "Flip Side Slimer" in a story)
#4883348
I would sort of live with the séance origin because it's technically a cheat. Remils was just terrible. In fact, pretty much any origin story you could think of for Slimer would ruin the character forever. He'd stop being cute and cuddly if you thought of him as a bloated glutton who smells of toxic fart.

Are you listening, Max Landis?
robbritton, Noremon liked this
#4883358
Lucky_Ladybug wrote:LOL. Created accidentally by a seance is pretty hilarious, although it does feel a little like a cheat.

Does "Remils" refer to the U.K. comic or to some other origin possibility I'm unaware of?
Yes. Please set your face to cringe.....

http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/ ... sue022.htm
“Back to the Slimer!”

Egon’s latest device is a time machine…which accidentally sends Peter into the past. Stranded, he’s forced to become the jester of King Remils, who is very unpopular with the people. Meanwhile, in the future, Slimer has begun to disappear. Egon theorizes that Peter has met Slimer’s past incarnation, King Remils, and changing the events that would make him into a ghost. Now they have to race against time in order to save their little green friend and retrieve their partner!
#4883428
Hmm. That is ... weird. And definitely not the origin I would choose, were I to try to think up one.

I remember that Knock, Knock pretty much implied that Slimer did live as a mortal, since at the end they're theorizing that he eats to try still feel like a part of things even though he's dead. But he should definitely have a nicer human life than an unpopular king. Odd.
#4883436
If memory serves me Pamela McCoy and Dennis Hickey actually pitched the idea of Slimer coming back to life for an episode. Their concept was that he was a shlubby little New York guy.
Vahan liked this
#4884039
GBfan_CH wrote:
Yes. Please set your face to cringe.....

http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/ ... sue022.htm
Good old Marvel Ghostbusters. Love that comic. I remember some origin story or something to do with Slimer, I don't have Issue 22 so it can't be that one. I think it had to do with all the ghosts everywhere being sucked up and Slimer included.
#4885422
Since all of the anger and hatred of the people of New York manifested itself as the psychomagnotheric slime, I sort of imagined that Slimer was the physical manifestation of many years of people being hungry at the Sedgewick hotel. (They must have had terrible room service. ;) )
I can certainly accept other ideas about his origins, but if left to my own devices...
GBfan_CH, JurorNo.2, Noremon liked this
#4885499
Sister wrote:Since all of the anger and hatred of the people of New York manifested itself as the psychomagnotheric slime, I sort of imagined that Slimer was the physical manifestation of many years of people being hungry at the Sedgewick hotel. (They must have had terrible room service. ;) )
I can certainly accept other ideas about his origins, but if left to my own devices...
Interesting. I... like it. Nestle Crunch all round. :cool:
#4885509
I always thought of ole Slimer as partly being some of Belushi's personality but also that of a child. Even in the movie I never felt he was out and out evil or demonic. More of a stretch but he almost seems like a loyal hound dog especially in the cartoon series. Would be interesting to know what his true origin is but considering we found out Boba's origin and well as James Howlett some things are best left unknown.
#4885884
I don't know what I'd want for a Slimer origin story. I will say I do kind of like the story just told in this topic of him being a ghost that was created from a seance. But I will say the one the poster in this topic mentioned about him being an evil king sounds dumb to me. I kind of like the other one someone in this topic mentioned of him just being a regular New Yorker.
#4888658
Looks like the Ghostbusters 2017 Annual by IDW will give Slimer an origin. Of course, the writer for that comic book also wrote the 2016 TOBIN'S SPIRIT GUIDE, so it will probably be consistent with the Sedgewick Seance Story.

Personally, I've always liked the cast's unofficial theory that Slimer is the Ghost of John Belushi (or more properly, John Blutarsky).
JurorNo.2 liked this
#4890649
GBfan_CH wrote:
Yes. Please set your face to cringe.....

Egon’s latest device is a time machine…which accidentally sends Peter into the past. Stranded, he’s forced to become the jester of King Remils, who is very unpopular with the people. Meanwhile, in the future, Slimer has begun to disappear. Egon theorizes that Peter has met Slimer’s past incarnation, King Remils, and changing the events that would make him into a ghost. Now they have to race against time in order to save their little green friend and retrieve their partner!
Never having read that comic, nor having seen this synopsis before, I am mystified how Peter's actions in the distant past could make Slimer totally disappear, since King Remils would have had to die one way or another?

Do only particular death-circumstances create ghosts?

Alex
#4903708
I prefer the mystery. I like the idea that the spirit world in Ghostbusters is largely incomprehensible and alien, spanning many possible universes and crawling with weird, weird things we wouldn't understand.

Slimer might be a manifestation of gluttony as others suggest, rather than a single dead person.

Mythologically though, he's closest to lemures, extremely "lowly" evil spirits that cause general mischief, or even the "hungry ghosts" in Buddhism.
#4903728
I believe Aykroyd said once that the ghosts in GB were so weird because they were supposed to be the afterlife incarnations of beings that not only died on Earth, but everywhere in the universe and in other dimensions.

The afterlife being something of an umbrella holdall for all these beings from everywhere. Thats why in the original draft (Ghostsmashers) Aykroyd wrote about all the space and dimension travel.

IMO the origin of the onionhead ghost (slimer) should never be explained. Like dead mafiozo or a king or whatever would ruin the mystery. (Listening Ridley Scott?).

I just go with Aykroyds explanation that he/she/it is just something from somewhere.
Noremon liked this
#4903731
One time wrote:I believe Aykroyd said once that the ghosts in GB were so weird because they were supposed to be the afterlife incarnations of beings that not only died on Earth, but everywhere in the universe and in other dimensions.

The afterlife being something of an umbrella holdall for all these beings from everywhere. Thats why in the original draft (Ghostsmashers) Aykroyd wrote about all the space and dimension travel.

IMO the origin of the onionhead ghost (slimer) should never be explained. Like dead mafiozo or a king or whatever would ruin the mystery. (Listening Ridley Scott?).

I just go with Aykroyds explanation that he/she/it is just something from somewhere.
Yeah I thought he said that at one point in time. That's why I had to laugh at the email conversations that were leaked during Ghostbusters 2016 production. Paul Feig said that he had what he thought to be a billion dollar idea to have the ghost of aliens appear in the movie. I find it amusing that he thought that it was HIS idea when in reality it was part of Dan Aykroyd's concept for the original.

On the subject of Slimer though, I am really glad that they didn't go with the concept that Paul Feig wanted to do with him in the reboot's outline that got leaked. In that outline Slimer was going to be the Ghost of a gangster or something and the ladies were going to test the proton gun on him and they wind up blowing off his legs and most of his torso leaving a floating head and hands. I am really glad that never made it to the screen. :):):)

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