Character Relationship Map: Ghostbusters

Characters

• Erin Gilbert (played by Kristen Wiig) — protagonist

  Academic physicist who co-founds the rebooted Ghostbusters team.

• Abby Yates (played by Melissa McCarthy) — protagonist

  Paranormal author and co-founder of the new Ghostbusters.

• Patty Tolan (played by Leslie Jones) — supporting

  NYC subway worker who joins the paranormal investigation team.

• Kevin (played by Chris Hemsworth) — supporting

  Receptionist hired for his looks and good nature.

• Dean (played by Steve Higgins) — minor

  Academic administrator overseeing university affairs.

• Rowan North (played by Neil Casey) — supporting

  Paranormal engineer orchestrating ghost invasions.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Abby Yates → Dean (Professional Institutional Adversaries) — The institute's administration rejects Abby's professional activities.

  The dean of the Higgins Institute fires Abby and the other investigators after their paranormal work becomes public.

• Erin Gilbert → Dean (Professional Academic Subordinate) — Erin's academic career is affected by institutional judgment.

  Erin is a Columbia professor seeking tenure, and the plot states that she loses her tenure bid after the team's vlog becomes viral.

• Kevin → Rowan North (Power Possessed Host) — Rowan temporarily controls Kevin to reach the Mercado Hotel.

  Rowan possesses Kevin at headquarters, escapes in his body, and later leaves him before opening the portal.

• Kevin → Abby Yates (Professional Receptionist And Teammate) — Kevin works for Abby's team before becoming an instrument of Rowan's attack.

  The team hires Kevin as a receptionist, and he is present at their headquarters when Rowan possesses him.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Patty Tolan → Rowan North (Conflict Opponents) — Patty directly obstructs Rowan's attacks.

  Patty stops Rowan when he possesses Abby and later fights through his ghost army with the team.

• Patty Tolan → Erin Gilbert (Alliance Teammate) — They cooperate as members of the reunited Ghostbusters.

  Patty joins the same paranormal investigation team as Erin and fights alongside her at the hotel portal.

• Patty Tolan → Abby Yates (Alliance Teammate) — Patty supports Abby in investigations and protects her during the attack.

  Patty joins the team after contacting them about a subway ghost and later stops Rowan from killing Abby through possession.

• Erin Gilbert → Rowan North (Conflict Primary Adversaries) — Erin becomes a central opponent of Rowan during the final confrontation.

  Erin helps identify Rowan's devices and confronts the consequences of his portal, ultimately entering it to rescue Abby.

• Abby Yates → Rowan North (Conflict Primary Adversaries) — Rowan directly targets Abby because she opposes his supernatural plan.

  Abby warns Rowan about imprisonment in his laboratory, and Rowan later possesses Abby while attacking the team.

• Erin Gilbert → Abby Yates (Social Estranged Friends) — Their strained friendship is restored after the Aldridge Mansion investigation.

  The plot identifies Erin and Abby as estranged friends who co-authored a paranormal book during high school.

Story Analysis

Estranged collaborators rebuild a paranormal investigation team and defend New York from Rowan's dimensional invasion.

Plot Progression

1. A Friendship Reopened — Erin's academic ambitions collide with Abby's renewed publication of their paranormal book. Their investigation of the Aldridge Mansion restores Erin's belief and begins their professional reunion.
2. Outcasts Build A Team — Public exposure damages Erin's tenure prospects and costs Abby's group their institutional support. They establish temporary headquarters, build equipment, and hire Kevin.
3. Ghosts Enter The City — Patty's subway encounter brings her into the team and expands their practical resources. New ghost incidents make the investigators famous while Rowan's devices continue attracting spirits.
4. The Vortex Revealed — Officials acknowledge the supernatural threat while denying the team's legitimacy in public. The investigators trace Rowan's devices to the Mercado Hotel and discover his planned transformation.
5. A Portal Over New York — Rowan attacks the headquarters, possesses Kevin, and opens the hotel portal. The team reverses the vortex, rescues Abby, and sends Rowan and the ghosts back.