Ghostbusters Theory: We May Know What The Frozen Empire Is

The "Ghostbusters" franchise was born due to Dan Aykroyd's real-life fascination with the paranormal and supernatural. After all, his family has a history of trying to contact the other side through seances and research, so his attraction to this subject matter is understandable. "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" will seemingly continue to embrace the saga's nods to spooky mythology, too, as the latest trailer boasts some hallmarks of the Fimbulwinter concept.

Fimbulwinter originates from Norse mythology and is essentially the brutal winter that precedes the end of days. The latest trailer for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" has orbs depicting runic text, apocalyptic prophecies, a wintery aesthetic, and mentions of an Ice Age, so there is some connection to the legend. Additionally, the antagonist's horns are reminiscent of Viking helmets, further emphasizing the Norse connection. It might not be a direct adaptation of the lore, but the filmmakers could have mined the legends for inspiration.

Of course, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" wouldn't be the first piece of mainstream pop culture to embrace Fimbulwinter. The idea has also been explored in the Marvel franchise, as well as a hit video game series.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of Norse mythology, as the "Thor" films are full of gods and villains from the lore. They even explore the theme of Ragnarok, aka the Asgardian apocalypse, in the aptly titled "Thor: Ragnarok." Fimbulwitner is also touched upon in these movies, as the opening scene of "Thor" depicts frost giants trying to usher in a new Ice Age and destroy humankind. Similarly, the comics feature a character called Black Winter, a planet-consuming entity that the Asgardians refer to as Fimbulwinter.

Elsewhere, Fimbulwinter provides the backdrop to some of the main quests in the video game "God of War: Ragnarok." In the story, the Nine Realms are all frozen, and players must navigate icy terrains while dealing with various threats along the way.

It seems that mainstream pop culture has developed a fascination with the chilly side of Norse mythology, and it contains plenty of material to inspire fantastical apocalyptic blockbusters. It remains to be seen if "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" deals with these concepts in great detail, but it wouldn't be surprising if it does.