A mid-credits scene in Ghostbusters: Afterlife fixes the original movie's issue with Peter Venkman. After more than 30 years, Ghostbusters: Afterlife continues the story of the 1984 classic Ghostbusters with brand-new characters and a similar supernatural storyline. Like her grandfather before her, Phoebe Spengler (McKenna Grace) must save the world from a ghostly apocalypse.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife gives Venkman a taste of his own medicine. In 1984's Ghostbusters, audiences are first introduced to original Ghostbusters co-founder Peter Venkman performing ESP tests on college students at Columbia University. If the student correctly guesses the symbol on the card Venkman is holding, they won't receive an electric shock. Venkman consistently shocks and frustrates the male student, even though he does get the last one right and doesn't know. While Venkman insists that this experiment is to study "the effect of negative reinforcement on ESP ability," his main objective is to flirt with the female college student who is volunteering. Peter's sleazy attempts at wooing the participant are thwarted by Ray, who needs his help at the New York Public Library.
The mid-credits scene playfully recreates the ESP examination with original Ghostbusters actors Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver, reprising her role as Dana Barrett, a Ghostbusters client and Venkman's love interest in the original. In this version, Dana tests Venkman and gets him to admit that he not only shocked the male students, but also marked the cards in advance of their current session so it would appear he really had ESP abilities. Dana deals him three well-deserved shocks to admonish his past and present behavior. This scene doesn't quite contribute anything to the sequel, but it does humorously deliver the payback Venkman merits at the beginning of Ghostbusters.
The original Ghostbusters contains some problematic content, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife's throwback to Venkman's disreputable tendencies is a chance to rebuild his character. If a Ghostbusters 4 movie is greenlit and pursued, it'll be interesting to see how the franchise continues to mend some of the film's past issues. Since Ghostbusters: Afterlife skews more toward family-friendly fare, this trend may be implemented in future additions to the Ghostbusters universe. The mid-credits scene featuring Peter and Dana seems to be a step in the right direction.