La Ron S. Readus
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Vigo the Carpathian ISN'T That Powerful! (VIDEO SCRIPT)
🕑 Added 2021-11-03 20:00:03 +0000 UTCReaders, if I were to give a top 3 list of the fanbases I’m hardcore part of that are technically older than me, they’d be -- in no particular order -- Star Wars, DC Comics -- specifically Batman -- and Ghostbusters
When it comes to Ghostbusters however, I learned a long time ago that what initially attracts me to the franchise, isn’t necessarily the Ghostbusters themselves.
I mean, yes; now that I’m in my 30’s I can see the relatability in how Ray & company represent the working class and how they’re constantly getting dicked over by bigger organizations and discredibility, despite the franchise being first and foremost a comedy-focused vehicle for comedians and comedic actors
But even to this day, that’s not my driving force regarding why I love this franchise so much.
I love Ghostbusters not because of the humans, but because of the LORE
Specifically the lore around the villains
I didn’t understand the legalities of someone trying to go into business for themselves and almost going bankrupt because of it when I first watched Ghostbusters as a kid.
But I know how awesome Zuul’s awakening and her possessing Dana Barret was when I first saw that shit!
I didn’t understand why everyone and they mama & ‘em wanted to sue the pants off the Ghostbusters after basically saving the world
But I knew that if Vigo got his hands on a human child to act as his new earthly vessel, that wasn’t gonna be good for ANYONE
Then, as I grew older and gained an interest in storytelling, I realized that the way the lore surrounding these two movies I grew up with were very impactful regarding how I interpret story lore, climactic battles, and just villains in general
So when Ghostbusters: The Video Game came out, I just Scrooge McDuck dived into any and all lore surrounding the supernatural entities I grew up with and any new ones that it introduced.
And in doing so, I gained a WHOLE new amount of respect for the villains of the film franchise; Gozer the Gozerian of Ghostbusters 84, and Vigo the Carpathian of Ghostbusters II
However, with that sense of newfound respect, I also gained a sense of reality. And THAT reality is, that though unique in their own right, Vigo at his core is in NO way shape or form able to realistically compete with Gozer. At least, not without help. And I’m gonna explain how.
So let’s go over the overall backstory of Ghostbusters II’s Vigo in order to get said better understanding. He’s the very first entity that the OG Ghostbusters from the movie canon fought against that was once actually human. He was a sorcerer who found a way prolong his life to over a hundred years without experiencing old age
/And, as Dana explained further,/ (he was also a lunatic and a genocidal madman)
Because of that, his “subjects” did everything they could to off his ass on sight
/How did they do it?/ (He was poisoned, stabbed...ouch)
I guess if you wanted a comparison to someone in geek and pop culture, imagine Doctor Doom ruling Latveria, but Doom is constantly treating the Latverian people like shit
Like Vigo, Victor is a genius who knows his way around technological advancements and is also one of the strongest self-taught magic users in the 616 Marvel Universe.
But unlike Vigo, despite being one of Marvel’s most dangerous villains, Victor actually treats the Latverian people he rules with decency...and health care.
FREE health care
The Latverian people have free healthcare, but not the AMERICAN people.
Not even 616 Marvel America has free healthcare
Lemme stop...lemme stop before I make myself upset.
But yes, as Ray continues to explain, Vigo was finally done in by the people of Carpathia, but not before either performing a spell that allowed the transference of his soul to a large painting of himself in order to ensure his survival after his body died...
Or just being anchored to said painting after the death of his head.
And once again, if you need a comparison, think of Child’s Play’s Charles Lee Ray transferring his soul to a Good Guy doll and becoming Chucky, and needing to possess another human within a specific amount of time in order for him to properly walk the earth as one again.
/Which can also be compared to why Vigo needed Oscar to do so before the beginning of the new year/
However, if you watched Ghostbusters II and played Ghostbusters: The Video Game, there’s a HUGE difference in his abilities regarding how they NATURALLY work, versus when they’re enhanced.
Y’see, according the Tabletop RPG that was created 2 years after the original movie -- and thusly every other bit of Ghostbusters content that was created SINCE the original movie thanks to associating it with the in-universe text of Tobin’s Spirit Guide...
Vigo is a Class 4 ghost with the abilities of a Class 7 by the time he’s at his strongest.
Class 4 ghosts can easily be established and identified as being the souls or ghosts of humans, and usually have knowledge of who they were when they were alive.
Because of this, disposal of Class 4’s can be done easily if someone does the proper research regarding who the ghost was when they were alive and figure out things about them like their wants, needs and desires if you want them to properly cross over.
/Because, as we know, Tobin’s Spirit Guide in-universe was created YEARS before Ray, Egon, Peter and Winston decided to take on the paranormal like that of insect exterminators./ (That must be some cockroach)
The thing about Class 4’s however, is that...that’s usually all that they can do.
If it’s not bound to something like Vigo is bound to his painting, it can become corporeal and basically live out its life as if they were alive if no one ever tries to help them handle their unfinished business or forces them into their ghost form to properly bust them
Now its clear that Vigo’s abilities in Ghostbusters II WAY surpass that of a Class 4 ghost.
What he’s able to do reflects that of a class 7, which is what GOZER is, and is unanimously considered to be the strongest class of paranormal entities across EVERY iteration of Ghostbusters lore.
/They’re usually associated with gods and demons, are exceptionally powerful, and the traditional ways of either exorcising or busting ghosts won’t necessarily work./
Class 4s are in fact capable of reaching a threat level similar to Class 7s, but only if there’s an energy source they can draw from in order to do so.
/And in Ghostbusters II, Vigo HAD such a source. In the form of/ (SLIME! It’s a river of slime!)
Now all of us Ghostbuster-heads know that the reason WHY the slime in Ghostbusters II was so powerful was because it was reacting to and ENHANCING the emotions of the citizens of New York city -- both positive and negative.
/And the more emotions it absorbed, the more capable the slime was to open up paranormal gateways to allow ghosts through and animating objects it interacted with throughout the city./
Its because of the psycho-active properties of the slime that Vigo was able to use it to his advantage and grow his power from that of a Class 4 to that of a Class 7...
/And even start to manipulate it enough to have it encase the museum he was being held in to make sure the transference of his soul into Oscar’s body was uninterrupted/
But if that slime didn’t exist, Vigo wouldn’t have been able to do ANYTHING.
/Not constrict Yannosh into being his Renfield and grant him the paranormal abilities he displayed over the course of his servitude, not be able to gain a strong enough hypnotic hold on Ray in order to possess him as a Plan B, NOTHING/
Like he’s shown in Ghostbusters The Video Game, he’d just be a ghost that’s trapped inside of a painting of himself, staring at people and making rude comments to anyone that decides to pay attention to him
Wanna know something even WILDER? In Vigo’s unaltered Class 4 state, Slimer is technically more powerful than Vigo!
Slimer is a Class 5 ghost.
/And Class 5s don’t have any restrictions to physical limitations and can AFFECT the physical plane and those who reside in it./
Because they’re more than likely either the result of a ritual gone wrong, a manifestation of ectoplasm itself, or the soul of the humanoid used to be so mutated to the point where it no longer can be associated as such.
Man, Vigo really ain’t shit without his slime, isn’t he?
But, I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day:
Write in the comment section below what YOUR favorite bit of Ghostbusters lore is if you’re into it.
Also, there’s a very high chance that more of these vids of me geeking out over my trivial knowledge of the Ghostbusters universe might be coming out soon. So if there’s anything in particular you wanna see me cover, let me know in the comment section below as well.
Whichever one you decide to focus on, I’d love to know your thoughts.
