Dr. Egon Spengler and Dr. Ray Stantz are very important characters to me for one main reason: they are both autistic-coded.
Given that both Egon and Ray are the creation of an autistic person, namely Dan Aykroyd himself, it isn't a stretch that these two characters may be an extension of his autistic traits. It's well-known that 'Ghostbusters' came about as a result of Aykroyd's special interest and hyperfixation on the paranormal, but I don't think it's talked about enough that the movie came about solely because of his autism.
And the thing that makes it 100× better is the fact that Dr. Ray Stantz is a persona that Aykroyd feels portrays that love of the paranormal. To me, Ray depicts the very beauty of autism: he's driven, passionate, somewhat clumsy but full of excitement, and genuine. He's the Ghostbuster that is optimistic about their work - he holds the other boys to account.
And Dr. Egon Spengler, on the other hand, shows the autistic traits that are perceived as a 'stereotype' of autism: he's intelligent, grounded and reserved. However, unlike other depictions of autistic-coded characters using these stereotypical traits (Sheldon Cooper, I'm looking at you), Egon is not unlikeable or socially-inept. Instead, he's witty, humorous and friendly. He has a strong relationship with his fellow Ghostbusters - particularly Ray (which I find beautiful) - and he is able to pick up the social cues that Janine is attracted to him, while also being able to put up enough of a barrier to bat her attraction elsewhere.
Both Egon and Ray are portrayed as being completely fixated on their work in science and parapsychology. Unlike Dr. Peter Venkman, they're not distracted by the concept of attraction, nor are they distracted by fear, or uncertainty.
In addition to this, I like the dynamics between the two of them. I think the genuine admiration between Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd comes across perfectly on screen, but I also think it's really interesting that both Ray and Egon are so close in fiction: they bounce off of one another and are shown to have a closer relationship than the other Ghostbusters, living and working together. Their brains are able to work on the same wavelength because they think the same, they're often shown to finish one another's thought processes and they always understand what the other is saying, even if the other Ghostbusters don't.
It's not a stretch to think that Aykroyd, as an autistic man, placed his passion into the characters that he designed with his good friend Harold Ramis. Autism was less understood in the 80's, that's no lie, so I think it's wonderful that people like me are able to find a connection in characters written by someone with a mind just like ours.
Put simply, the portrayal of these characters in both 'Ghostbusters' and 'Ghostbusters II' makes my autistic heart dance (much like the toaster, if you get what I mean). It's subtle and well-written, and I've always found myself drawn to Egon and Ray because I see myself in them.
