Summary

• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will revisit NYC and could finally explain the Ghostbusters' shutdown in Ghostbusters 2 through the return of an iconic villain.
• The fan-favorite villain's comeback may reveal that Walter Peck orchestrated the Ghostbusters' shutdown and still despises them in Frozen Empire.
• In Frozen Empire, William Atherton's Peck remains a thorn in the Ghostbusters' side, showing that his disdain for the heroes has only grown stronger.

The highly anticipated return of a classic villain in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire could be used to finally explain a major plot point from Ghostbusters 2. Following on from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will see the Spengler family going back to where it all began, New York City, to fend off another spectral invasion and prevent a second Ice Age. With the franchise going back to New York, a handful of familiar faces will appear in the movie – including an iconic villain from the original film.

At the beginning of Ghostbusters 2, the Ghostbusters have been shut down. Egon Spengler is working in a laboratory, Peter Venkman is a TV psychic, and Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore are making appearances at kids’ birthday parties. There’s a vague reason given for the Ghostbusters’ shutdown, but it isn’t explored in much depth. The long-awaited return of a fan-favorite villain in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire can be used to finally explain exactly what led to the shutdown of the Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters 2.

Frozen Empire Could Confirm Walter Peck Was Behind Ghostbusters Closing Down

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire isn’t just bringing back the original Ghostbusters; it’ll see the return of William Atherton as Walter Peck, an inspector from the Environmental Protection Agency who obstructed the Ghostbusters with bureaucratic red tape in the first film. The beginning of Ghostbusters 2 explains that the Ghostbusters were shut down after being sued by most of the counties and agencies in the state of New York. There are no real specifics given about the reason for the shutdown, but perhaps Peck was the one who orchestrated it.

Shutting down the Ghostbusters’ operations was what Peck wanted in the first movie and he vowed to take revenge against the Ghostbusters, so maybe he got that revenge off-screen. Atherton didn’t reprise his role as Peck in Ghostbusters 2, which might have been why the reason for the Ghostbusters’ shutdown had to be left ambiguous. Ghostbusters 2 has largely been ignored by the subsequent sequels, because it’s considered to be the worst entry in the series, but Frozen Empire could bring it back in a big way.

Walter Peck Still Hates The Ghostbusters In Frozen Empire & Wants Them Gone

Based on the trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it’s clear that Peck has not warmed up to the Ghostbusters at all. All these decades later, he still hates them just as much. He won’t have a change of heart and act as an ally to the heroes in Frozen Empire; he’ll continue to try to get them shut down. If Peck succeeded in getting the Ghostbusters shut down once before, then he’ll surely be furious that they’re up and running again in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.