| Samhain | |
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Spirit of Halloween | |
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| Appeared in | Ghostbuster 3 |
| Played by | Bill Martin (with whispery sound effects) |
Samhain is the spirit of Halloween and the main antagonist of Ghostbusters 3. He is based on the original character from the animated series. He is the first class 7 ghost that the Extreme Ghostbusters ever fought.
History[]
Samhain's true origin is a mystery. According to legend, he was the first (or one of) ghost to ever exist and was created from pure darkness. Though this has never been proven true. All that is known is that he first appeared on Halloween night (where he would reach full power) ruled over a mighty ghost empire in Ireland. His powerful fortress was hidden in an ancient mist deep within the forest, where it would be shielded from enemy ghosts. It's ruler Samhain kept it an eternal night, so the ghosts would be free to move about. Samhain was a powerful ruler, he cared for his servants and was brutal to his enemies. The ghosts in his fortress were said to have lived peacefully under the power of their watchful leader. However, the ghosts faced a challenge when human beings entered Ireland. The humans attempted exorcisms and attacks, forcing the ghosts to fall back in fear. Samhain led his ghosts in an attack on the humans, for three weeks they attacked villages and the humans then knew fear. However, the celts came across and ancient stone, believing it to be a gift from the heavens. They used this stone to weaken Samhain and seal him away in an ancient clock, which was then cast into the sea. With their leader gone, Samhain's minions and empire was easily destroyed, and the eternal night ended.
Centuries later Samhain's prison was discovered by a ghost named Ghash, who wished to release the ghost and absorb him to increase his own power. But before he could release the ancient ghost, the Ghostbusters (now years older) busted in to stop him. Ghash deployed ghosts to hold off the Ghostbusters while he unleashed Samhain. Ghash successfully unleashed Samhain, but befor he could absorb him, Samhain sensed the ghosts absorbed by Ghash and told him he was no brother of his. Samhain then used his power to age Ghash into dust, but then the Ghostbusters spotted him and hit him with the proton beams. Samhain managed to escape and hid from sight. After they left, Samhain grew interested in the Ghostbusters and flew off.
Samhain resurfaced six months later, he had gone around the city and seen what had happeened. The Ghostbusters were now too old and retired from ghostbusting, and in their time they had trapped nearly all the ghosts in New York City. He came across a small group of ghosts who had been hiding underground. Samhain quickly took control of the group, telling them humans have done this. He told them that they had done nothing wrong, they had only been trying to enjoy themselves and the humans tried to punish them for it. Then the humans brought in the Ghostbusters, terrorists who were dedicated solely to punish the ghosts. But now the Ghostbusters are no more and this is the time to take back the world that the ghosts so deserved. Samhain then takes this small group of remaining ghosts and leads them in all out war on the human world.
Samhain's minions caused havoc all over the town, which the Ghostbusters took notice of. The Ghostbusters banded together in an attempt to stop this legion of ghosts, but their equipment was too heavy for them now and they were easily defeated. Watching the whole thing from a distance, Samhain smiled and said that he and his "brothers" were now free to have their fun. Then one night Samhain received word from his goblin messengers that a ghost named Zolant had been captured by the Ghostbusters at the East Side Hotel. Angered Samhain quickly rushed to the scene and spotted Kylie Griffin, Garret Miller, Roland Jackson and Eduardo Rivera loading a full trap into the car. Samhain touched a stone Gargoyle and caused it too fall on the car. He then confronted the new group and demanded to know why they were harming his brothers. The group stated they were the Ghostbusters, to which Samhain said they were impostors. The new team attempted to capture the ghost, but Samhain touched their equipment and rusted it. Samhain prepared to age the new Ghostbusters, but the sun rose, forcing him to retreat. Returning to his underground lair, Samhain stated that there was a new matter that must be met.
Samhain later encountered the Ghostbusters in an old run down factory, where he faced them with his minions. The Ghostbusters went on the attack, armed with new mini traps, they were able to capture what was left of Samhain's troops. Then Samhain faced the Ghostbusters himself. Eduardo and Garret fired at him, but he reveresed two of the proton beams and caused the packs to explode. Kylie and Roland went after him, but he aged many parts of the factory, causing the place to come down. Samhain was ready to finish the injured Ghostbusters, when he noticed his hand pulsing, he then saw a strange glow and fled. After their battle, the Ghostbusters were put on trial for land damages. Meanwhile, Samhain came across the Ghostbusters headquarters and was attacked by Janine and Slimer. Samhain quickly defeated them and demanded to know about the Ghostbusters. A captive Janine handed him some files and Samhain found a file involving an ancient god from another realm. Samhain then located the Ghostbusters in the courtroom and went on the attack. He demanded that Peter, Ray, Winston and Egon meet him at midnight for a final battle. Their location would be the battle where they first met Gozer, and should they fail to meet, Slimer and Janine would join Samhain in the world of the ghosts.
After convincing the judge to allow them to go, The Ghostbusters met Samhain on the roof, where the ghost started to laugh. Samhain then revealed it was now Halloween night, the night where he becomes invincible and all powerful. Suddenly the clocks moved backward and Samhain and the Ghostbusters were transported back in time and came face to face with Gozer. Samhain then revealed he had taken them back in time, to when they first fought Gozer, their strongest enemy. He then said that the Ghostbusters were old and weak, their fight should have a different result. Gozer then attacked the Ghostbusters with with lighting, tossing them near the edge. Though they attempted to pull themselves up, the heavy equipment weighed them down. Just as they were about to fall, the new team pulled them up. Kylie then revealed that not only had the Ghostbusters been brought back in time, but the whole building and they had been a few floors down. Then the team shots proton beams at Samhain and Peter said they smelled like sugar. Samhain then started to feel weak and asked how. Kylie said she had done some research and learned all about Samhain. She had also discovered the glow at the factory was from an old brand of sugar that never sold. It was made from an ancient stone that had been used to seal Samhain before. Then Eduardo hit Samhain, causing his power to weaken and the building to be sent back to its normal time. Samhain then broke away and Kylie said they still had the lighter training weapons that weren't strong enough to hold a Class 7 ghost steady. But then Egon said the old Ghostbusters did have the stronger weapons. They then zapped Samhain as the new team joined in. Nearby, Janine and Slimer had finally slipped free of the ghostly web Samhain had trapped them in. Janine then grabbed the trap off of Kylie's back threw it at Samhain. She then hit the button, only to find it was jammed. Simer then moved in and forced the trap open, barely escaping its grip. Samhain was then sucked in, but the trap then exploded due to too much power containment. It's presumed that Samhain was destroyed in the explosion.
Powers[]
Samhain is a very powerful ghost whose main power in manipulation of time. He is able to age objects and people simply by touching them, this power has proven to be truly dangerous. He is also able reverse time to reverse proton beams, as well as make multiple images of himself to fool enemies by fast forwarding and pausing time. Finally he is also able to halt day and night. However all of Samhain's abilities are based around the year, namely Halloween. The closer Halloween gets, the more powers he gains, and he starts to lose them as Halloween gets farther away. His power of halting day and night is only present on Halloween when he is at full power. As a result, stopping him before Halloween is a crucial way to defeat him. Samhain cannot use his powers in day light. He must remain transparent while in the sun light, or he will be burned (possibly to death). He can however use his ability of flight in the day, and he is not affected by artificial light such as flash lights or light bulbs. His powers are however weakened by an ancient stone used by the celts, even getting near this stone weakens his powers.
Personality[]
Samhain is driven by his hatred for humans. He greatly despises humans for imprisoning him and how they have terrorized the world he and his "brothers" live in. He is determined to give him and his kind a bright world that they can reside in. He hates the Ghostbusters more than any other human alive, however deep down inside, he is secretly afraid of them. He tries to hide this fear by acting brutal towards them or anyone who questions his fear. Though he takes his role in life seriously, he does have a few quirks that make him somewhat of an outgoing when he is enjoying his attacks on the human or having fun.
Although Samhain does harbor a deep hatred for humans, he does actually show great care towards animals. Samhain feels as though animals are no different then ghosts as that they too have been mistreated by humans. As a result, he is willing to pause his actions should an innocent animal be in trouble.
Samhain prefers to fight his own battles and not rely on his ghosts for help very often. He has a sense of honor, believing that only weakling hide behind their minions and if you have the power, use it. Samhain is however willing to accept help from his ghosts if he truly needs them in situations where he is outnumbered or requires another task to be done.
Relationships With Others[]
Ghosts[]
Samhain values other ghosts as his "brothers" and is sickened at how the human world has treated them. As a result, he wishes to create a great world for them. He doesn't however consider such ghosts as Ghash who absorbs other ghost for his own gain a brother. He also dislikes Slimer for working with the very people who have treated the other ghosts so poorly.
Gozer[]
Samhain has expressed an intense dislike for the mighty ghost known as Gozer. He considers Gozer as his eternal rival and has some type of rivalry with him. It has been hinted that he and Gozer fought centuries ago in a mighty battle that endangered many ghosts and destroyed a number of dimensions that Gozer had visited. The victor of the battle remains a mystery to this day.
Animals[]
Samhain does posses a heart for animals. Samhain feels as though animals are treated the same as ghosts and are mistreated and thrown away by humans. Samhain has been known to save innocent cats from harbors or release dogs from the pound. Samhain has however felt that this compassion of his may in fact be a major weakness and has tried his best to overcome it.
The Ghostbusters[]
Samhain's greatest enemies, he considers the Ghostbusters to be the human's ultimate attack force on the ghost world. He claims they are terrorists on the ghost world, armed with dangerous weapons. He despises the older group more than the newer group as they have imprisoned more ghosts than the newer group. Samhain is secretly afraid of them and as a result, considers them the ultimate obstacle to overcome.
Origins[]
Based on the villain Samhain from the Ghostbusters Animated series episodes When Halloween Was Forever and Halloween II 1/2. The character is based on Ghostbusters Animated Timeline Canon.