Ghostbusters: Afterlife cut a joke that made the fall of the titular team even more tragic. 1989's Ghostbusters 2 may have been a solid financial success, but it wasn't quite the runaway smash the original film had been. There was also a sense the filmmakers behind the sequel had waited too long, with the film arriving five years after the first entry. Bill Murray was also unimpressed with Ghostbusters 2, feeling that the special effects had crowded out the characters. He was also unhappy that the original concept he had been pitched for the sequel wasn't the version they shot.
That's why the road to a third Ghostbusters movie took so long. Murray was vocally uninterested in making Ghostbusters 3, despite various ideas being sent to him over the years. Following the passing of co-writer and Egon actor Harold Ramis in 2014, the franchise was eventually rebooted with 2016's Ghostbusters: Answer The Call. This Paul Feig-helmed entry was mired in pointless controversy and ultimately became a box-office disappointment. 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife thus returned to the continuity of the original series, picking up the story over 30 years on from Ghostbusters 2.
Despite the Ghostbusters having saved the world twice, it's revealed in Ghostbusters: Afterlife they'd been essentially forgotten in the present day. Egon is also revealed to have run out on both the team and his daughter, and following his passing, his estranged daughter and grandchildren inherit his farmhouse. There's a melancholy to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (which has many easter eggs) that wasn't present in the first two movies, both in the passage of time and the real-life passing of Ramis, to whom Afterlife is dedicated. B-roll footage from Ghostbusters: Afterlife also revealed there was an in-universe Ghostbusters movie produced in the 1990s, which makes the story somehow more tragic.
Paul Rudd's Mr. Grooberson is revealed to be a Ghostbusters fan, which is the reason he knows about the team. He also revealed the existence of this '90s Ghostbusters film, which in itself raises some fun casting possibilities, such as stars of the era like Jim Carrey or Tom Hanks playing Ghostbusters. However, the fact the Ghostbusters had faded so far into obscurity despite their heroism underlines the sadness behind the team's breakup.
Afterlife's narrative approach drew divided responses - especially with its nostalgia overload and nods - but it did present a surprisingly emotional story too. The existence of a fake 1990s Ghostbusters movie should be a funny, meta-gag, but the fact a film existed in the world of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the crew is still forgotten makes it sting a little more. This gag was likely cut because it would have just raised more questions - such as why Egon's granddaughter Phoebe doesn't just watch it to gain insight into the Ghostbusters - but it would have been fun to see a fake poster with stars of that period cast in the lead roles too.