Gozer

"The choice is made! The Traveller has come!"

- Gozer before the deity appeared as Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Gozer is the main antagonist of the 1984 comedy film Ghostbusters, although it does not play a central role in the film until the third act. Also known by its alternate title of Gozer the Gozerian among its other names: Gozer the Destructor. Volguus Zildrohar, Gozer the Traveler and Lord of the Sebouillia.

Gozer is considered to be the archenemy of the Ghostbusters. It is an ancient, destructive, ultra-powerful, defamatory, and malignant god-like entity that sought to destroy the world using a legion of evil spirits. Gozer was worshipped as a deity by the Hittites, Mesopotamians, and Sumerians around 6000 BC. Gozer is genderless (though it first appears as a female in the movie). It was worshipped by the powerful Cult of Gozer. Gozer has two trusted minions – themselves worshipped as demi-gods – that are harbingers and primary agents for Its coming: Vinz Clortho, The Keymaster and Zuul, The Gatekeeper.

It was portrayed by Slavitza Jovan and voiced by the late Paddi Edwards, who also played Flotsam and Jetsam in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Atropos in Disney's Hercules.

History
Gozer was an ancient Sumerian god from Babylonian times as well as the god of certain cultures; the Hittites, Mesopotamians, and the Sumerians around 6000 B.C., and he is known as "The Destructor" who would destroy worlds it visits - taking a new "Destructor" form for each dimension, despite this it was worshiped by many people - although it's popularity died out over the centuries, the large sub-culture of fanatical Gozerians disbanded, and itself being banished from the mortal world by it's hated immortal sister Tiamat and/or it's worshipers after a long protracted war it and it's own disciples lost, and by the modern age, very few active worshipers of Gozer remained.

Ghostbusters
By the time the Ghostbusters had started going into business, Gozer had already set its sights on Earth as her next world to be destroyed - sending its demonic minions (the Gatekeeper and the Keymaster) into the mortal world to possess two human beings so as to open a portal that would allow Gozer to enter the mortal world.

Ultimately, the two demigods succeeded in finding and possessing suitable human hosts and through their bodies opening the portal and Gozer emerged out of his own temple on the roof of a skyscraper - the Ghostbusters were surprised when Gozer revealed itself as a humanoid female (for much of the film, the Ghostbusters were under the impression Gozer was a male, though Egon simply explained it as such "whatever it wants to be").

At any rate, Ray somewhat foolishly attempts to tell Gozer to return to its own dimension and angers her, causing the god to electrocute the entire team with energy - the Ghostbusters recover and try to fight back with their proton packs but are unable to harm Gozer, who suddenly vanishes.

Gozer then reveals to the team it will reappear as the "Destructor" - taking form from whatever thoughts they may form in their heads, the team manage to clear their thoughts in an effort to defeat her but Ray cannot help himself; he envisions the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and within moments Gozer takes that form - a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man then starts to cause havoc in New York.

In the climatic battle, Stay Puft climbs the building and the Ghostbusters fry him with their proton-packs but still cannot defeat the god - ultimately they are forced to cross the streams, and the resulting explosion destroys the Temple of Gozer, blows up Stay Puft - causing Gozer to disperse in a shower of molten marshmallow.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game
In 1991, Gozer became somewhat of a memory. He even had an entire exhibit at the New York museum devoted to him. However, he was not to be just a memory. The already undead Cult of Gozer, using their Mandala magic located in four places around the city, channeled their power in order to re-create the god without a portal. It probably took them 7 years to make Gozer's return possible. A powerful ghost outbreak took place in these four Mandala locations, being caused by spirit energy flow, which led to Gozer's re-manifestation as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man right in the middle of Times Square.

However, this time, the god was too weak and had no minions of his own. In order to reach full power, Gozer needed more power from Mandala, and a sacrifice of a Shandor's blood. That is why he needed Ilyssa Selwyn, the direct descendant of Ivo Shandor: the man who made Gozer's comings possible. However, Gozer's returns were not successful. The Ghostbusters team, along with their new recruit, the Rookie, battled his Destructor Form while it tried to capture Ilyssa. While the original plan was to trap Gozer using the Super Slammer (a giant, car-mounted trap), the Rookie managed to do enough damage to the god's current weak form, destroying it.

With Gozer defeated, Ghostbusters believed that the Cult of Gozer is willing to bring him back the third time. However, Ivo Shandor became disappointed in his faith, and abandoned Gozer, intending to use the Mandala energy, released ghosts and Ilyssa as the sacrifice to become a god, taking a Destructor Form himself.

Gozer's remains, in the form of a glowing skull of his female form, can be seen being held by the mayor who is possessed by the spirit of Ivo Shandor, who promptly tosses it over his back, indicating its worthlessness. This may mean that Gozer, after his second defeat, is completely destroyed or at least severely diminished.

The Real Ghostbusters
Gozer never appears in the cartoon show The Real Ghostbusters, but has been referred to on a few occasions, the most notable example of which being when Egon stated that Cathulhu's power made Gozer look like "little Mary Sunshine".

Kenner Toys
An animated version of Gozer's face is an image used in the Kenner Ghostzapper toy weapon.

NOW Comics
In the NOW comic book based on the cartoon, Egon was briefly transported to an alternate Earth where Gozer had apparently won and wiped out all life from it. In one panel, graffiti reading "Gozer rules!" can be seen.

IDW Comic Series
While performing a job for Woodrow Wainwright Fraser III, the Ghostbusters went up against 2/3 of the Ghosts of Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Future took Fraser, Peter, and Egon to a possible apocalyptic future where Gozer returned in a different Destructor form on Christmas, that of a giant talking worm with tentacles. Peter and Egon also experienced rapid aging and were approximately in their sixties. The duo was without hope as crossing the streams would not be as powerful as having the entire team present. Then Egon was seemingly killed when Gozer crushed him. However, everyone was returned to the present when Peter wrangled the Ghost of Christmas Present from Fraser.

During a supernatural event called the "Infestation", an avatar of Britt coordinated a plot to capture part of Gozer's essence. She would need both the Zombies and the Ghostbusters to achieve this goal. 37 Zombies were directed to infect, and thus weaken, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The Ghostbusters arrived and used Poltergeists to neutralize Stay Puft's necrotic double. Due to the forced split and the day's event, Stay Puft dispersed. Egon predicted that Gozer's essence would reform and the team best prepare for it. Britt secretly captured a fraction of Gozer's essence with a Ghost Trap she stole.

Months later, Gozer appeared in Ray's dream during a segment of "The Ja'nine Show", a talk show hosted by Janine Melnitz. Gozer was in the audience and asked Ray if he was a god. When Ray answered "Yes," Gozer blasted Ray and he found himself hanging over the edge of the Shandor Building roof. The next day, Idulnas communicated with the essence of Gozer on an observation deck at the Empire State Building. Apparently, Gozer ordered Idulnas to quickly procure the Selector, Ray Stantz, for the rite of change and allow for a new Destructor Form to be chosen. Idulnas attempted to influence Ray by clocking him. However, Ray's Spirit Guide reached Ray first and told him to only think about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Ray complied and Gozer manifested, but still as Stay Puft. Angered by the turn of events, Idulnas teleported away and left the Ghostbusters to deal with Gozer. While Egon, Peter, and Winston blasted away, Ray took the completed and untested Megatrap with him down to Room 2206. Ray then held the trap outside a window underneath Stay Puft and captured all of Gozer's essence that could be trapped.

Powers and Abilities
Gozer the Gozerian is usually reputed, with few exceptions, to be the most powerful being the Ghostbusters have ever faced. It displayed an extraordinary and splendiferous array of abilities including dimensional travel, shape-changing, telepathy, great agility and stamina, lightning blasts, invisibility, intangibility, pyrokinesis and weather control. In fact, it's mere entering Earth's dimension caused increases in paranormal activity and the disruption of natural forces (the storm clouds and earthquake before the battle).

However, Gozer does have limitations and weaknesses (as few as they may be); primarily, the Gozerian Temple atop the Shandor apartment building was Its means on entering Earth's dimension. In fact, by the time the Ghostbusters crossed the streams, Gozer had still not fully entered our world and must therefor create a form chosen by man as an irony. Because of its limited time on Earth, Gozer's true power is not known. Had the Ghostbusters delayed, Gozer might have become too powerful for Total Protonic Reversal to stop it. This remains pure conjecture and speculation. Thankfully, the Ghostbusters did destroy the temple and banish Gozer back to its own universe. During his second coming, it had no portals to transport him fully, so in his new (but still Stay Puft) form, he was relatively weak and required a lot more power to absorb to become a true being he is supposed to be. Because of that, the Ghostbusters managed to finally destroy him.

Trivia

 * In the original premise for the film, Gozer was originally conceived as taking the form of Ivo Shandor, the builder of the same skyscraper that became both a secret temple for the Gozer Worshippers and a portal for their god. Ivo was to be portrayed by Paul Reubens who played PeeWee Herman and described as being a kindly looking man in a nondescript suit and tie. Possibly an appearance for having first been introduced to the Earth's dimension during the 1920s (which, in turn, may have also been the inspiration for Peter Venkman's example describing Gozer returning in the form of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover).
 * In the August 5, 1983 draft of the movie script, Gozer had one more title, "Scourge of the Glethestements", Glethestements being the religious text of the Sebouillia.
 * Because Gozer is referred as genderless, it (she) speaks with an androgynous voice neither feminine nor masculine but a combination of the two.
 * In Ghost Busted (manga), on the preface, Chapter 5 page 107, and Chapter 6 page 157, Gozer is mentioned briefly.
 * In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, during the Central Park Cemetery Level (Realistic Version), Ray mentions the possibility that Gozer is only able to create one Destructor form per dimension and therefore will only be able to manifest as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in this dimension.
 * Both times Gozer was defeated, the remains of his Stay Puft Marshmallow Man form rained all over New York and covered it in melted marshmallows.
 * In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Version), Ivo Shandor and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's Tobin's Summaries indicate Gozer came to power around 4000 B.C. in Sumeria.
 * In the online preview of Ghostbusters Issue #6, magnified, inside the newspaper, Gozer's "Choose or Perish" quote from Ghostbusters is embedded.
 * Gozer is parodied in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic The Return of Queen Chrysalis, where it is mentioned that a giant marshmallow pony attacked Manehattan when the Secretariat Comet flew by.
 * Gozer also has relatives that would avenge his demise and destroy the worlds:
 * Koza'Rai - Father of Gozer and later the founder of the Temple of the Divine Father, a splinter group based off the Cult of Gozer themselves.
 * Senta - Sister of Gozer and daughter of Koza'Rai.
 * Gozo - Son of Gozer.

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