Ghostbusters: Afterlife Credits Scene Creates A Lazy Fire Station Plot Hole

Ghostbusters: Afterlife appears to retcon itself in a post-credits scene featuring Winston. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has introduced a fresh generation of Ghostbusters while maintaining the nostalgic overtones of the original 1984 movie. The Jason Reitman-directed film boasts not one, but two end-credits scenes, the second of which may hint at a continuation of the Ghostbusters’ story and a retcon of something a particular character revealed earlier in the sequel.

Set 30+ years after the first Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife sets up a new cast of characters to contend with Gozer, the original villain, while reintroducing some of the original players to lend a hand. Beloved characters like Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) all reunite to battle the ancient god once again. At Egon’s farmhouse, the old Ghostbusters make peace with Egon’s spirit and their story ends…or does it?

A Ghostbusters: Afterlife post-credits scene shows Winston, now a very successful businessman, returning the Ecto-1 to Hook & Ladder Company 8, the abandoned firehouse the original Ghostbusters remodeled into their headquarters. Abandoned once again, it looks like Winston will take up the mantle and restore the firehouse and Ecto-1 to their former glory. A closing shot shows a blinking red light on the old ghost containment grid, which may mean more paranormal chaos is coming. It’s interesting to note that in an earlier scene of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ray Stantz tells Phoebe the firehouse was turned into a Starbucks after an actor bought out the neighborhood. But the post-credits scene walks back on that statement, revealing that the firehouse is vacant and in disarray.

Ray tells Phoebe (McKenna Grace) about the firehouse before she says she’s Egon’s granddaughter, so he likely feels very protective of the Ghostbusters and their legacy. Perhaps he initially believes Phoebe is just a nosy fan and lies to make her think the Ghostbusters are old news and that their story is no longer viable or important. He certainly does not hold back commenting on his resentment towards Egon, who abruptly left the group years before. Whatever the case may be, it’s surprising to see the retcon of the firehouse pop up so soon after this conversation.

The firehouse in the post-credits functions as a nod to potential future installments of the Ghostbusters franchise. It is plausible that after years of disuse, the firehouse was reopened as a trendy coffee shop, but the chances of that truly happening in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a film full of easter eggs honoring the Ghostbusters, are few. The Ghostbusters headquarters are iconic to fans and it would be a disservice to show that Ray’s comment on it was true.