Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending explained: your biggest questions answered (2024)

Need to know more about the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending? Who you gonna call – GamesRadar! Hey, it fits.

With a new generation of Spenglers relocating to New York and the iconic firehouse, the Ghostbusters sequel was always going to throw up – Slimer style – an adventure of ghastly proportions. Now that the dust has settled (and the ice has thawed) on the Frozen Empire ending, we’re here to pick over the bones of the big burning questions you may have about the new legacy sequel.

So join us as we break down all of Frozen Empire’s biggest talking points – and speculate as to what could be ahead for the Spengler family if we get Ghostbusters 5.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending – a quick recap

First, let’s go over what we all just saw. With the Ghostbusters shut down following Phoebe’s Public Library ghost hunt gone wrong, the youngest of the Spengler clan acts out and heads to Winston’s new containment unit so she can separate her spirit from her body and properly interact with her new ghost companion, Melody.

Unbeknownst to her, Melody is secretly in league with Frozen Empire’s villain Garraka, an ancient “phantom god” who wants to raise an army of the undead and take over the world.

While Phoebe is in spirit limbo, Garraka takes over her body – allowing him to break free of the spirit orb once held by Nadeem’s grandmother. From there, he inflicts a deathly, wintry chill over Manhattan.

Thanks to the guidance of Patton Oswalt’s lorekeeping Dr. Wartzki, the gang discover that they can trap Garraka using brass and Nadeem’s firemaster skills.

Unfortunately, things quickly go wrong as Garraka enters the firehouse and freezes everyone – including the OG Ghostbusters team. Thankfully, Melody has a change of heart, and uses the last match from the matchbook that accidentally killed her family to give Nadeem the spark he needed to turn the tide of battle and free everyone.

Garraka is eventually defeated, with the OG Ghostbusters working together to reset the original containment unit in the basem*nt. A chasm opens up in the firehouse and Garraka is sucked in. Melody, having let go of her grief with the matchbook, is also freed to see her family in the beyond.

Having saved the day, the Ghostbusters are back in action and officially (and unwittingly) endorsed by the mayor on national television. Phoebe – having rebelled against her family for much of the film – finally accepts former teacher Gary as her dad.

As Slimer flies through a New York block, Trev takes the wheel of the Ecto-1 and gives chase.

In a quick Frozen Empire post-credits scene, the Mini-Pufts are seen hijacking a Stay-Puft truck.

Who is Melody?

While we don’t know everything about Melody’s history, we do know she inadvertently started a fire that caused the death of her and her family. Unable to move on and cursed to stay on Earth as a spirit, she first joins forces with Garraka before helping Phoebe in her battle against the ice-ridden god.

Speaking of Phoebe, Frozen Empire seemingly implies – but doesn’t outright confirm – that the youngest Spengler child has feelings for Melody (Emily Alyn Lynd). They go unrequited, but Melody saying she’ll be part of the fabric of the universe when she does finally depart this mortal realm was a cute little moment.

What is a firemaster?

As explained by Dr. Wartzki, the firemasters are an ancestral group of warriors who are fated to protect the world from Garraka and more otherworldly threats. Nadeem’s grandmother was a feared firemaster and he, too, eventually learns the power to control fire.

In short, think Avatar: The Last Airbender’s firebenders and you’re basically on the right track.

How do they stop Garraka?

Garraka manages to showcase much of his fearsome freezing powers in the fight against the Ghostbusters, all but defeating the group by putting them (quite literally) on ice.

However, Melody lights a fire under the team by sparking a match which, in turn, Nadeem uses to set Garraka aflame. That, when coupled with the upgraded Proton Packs and the containment unit being reset, eventually leads to the ancient god being trapped under the firehouse for good.

‘For Ivan’, explained

The ‘For Ivan’ tribute at the very end of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in reference to Ivan Reitman, the director of the first two Ghostbusters movies as well as a producer on Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Reitman passed away in 2022 at the age of 75. His son, Jason Reitman, directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife and co-wrote the script for Frozen Empire.

What do the original Ghostbusters get up to?

Director Gil Kenan told SFX magazine that the returning original Ghostbusters team would be "actual characters" rather than just cameos in Frozen Empire.

True to his word, they each have slightly extended roles in the fourth movie. Most prominent of which is Winston, who is now a philanthropist and puts his money into bigger and better ghostbusting technology.

Ray Stantz, meanwhile, still owns his bookshop – and is now seemingly running a paranormal-shaped streaming channel. Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman is also back and plays a key role in defeating Garraka alongside his time – which includes a suited-up Melnitz (Annie Potts).

What happens to Phoebe?

Phoebe’s character arc forms much of the crux of Frozen Empire, with the youngest Spengler struggling to come to terms with being a child in an adult’s world. She soon forms a bond with ghost Melody, who betrays her and lets Garraka possess her.

While those effects are only temporary, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) ends the film with a slightly changed attitude: she’s welcomed back into the Ghostbusters fold and even calls Gary (Paul Rudd) ‘dad’.

What next for the Ghostbusters?

While there’s no talk just yet of a Ghostbusters 5, it’s clear that Trev (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe are positioned to be the next generation of Ghostbusters, flanked by stepdad Gary and mom Callie (Carrie Coon). If there is a follow-up, we’d expect it to once again be set in New York given the success of Frozen Empire’s return to more familiar territory. Those Mini-Pufts in the Frozen Empire post-credits scene might even have a role to play…

Take a look ahead to the rest of the year's big releases with our guide to upcoming movies and our movie release dates calendar. Then dive into our interviews with Ghostbusters director Gil Kenan and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard.

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