Ivo Shandor

Ivo Shandor is the leader of the Cult of Gozer and the primary antagonist of Ghostbusters: The Video Game. He was, according to Ghostbusters, the designer of 55 Central Park West, using unusual materials such as cold-riveted beams with cores of pure selenium, magnesium-tungsten alloys, and gold plated bolts. Shandor designed the building in a fashion similar to the telescopes NASA uses to identify dead pulsars in deep space. After his death he became a traveling ghostly being that, after the failure of his god's attempt to take over the material realm, he decides to take action himself. He takes possession of Mayor Jock Mulligan in a plot to become a god himself.[1] The Ghostbusters end up in a great battle with him of which he then was defeated, and forced back into his realm.

Lifetime
Shandor is stated as the architect for the building at 55 Central Park West, an apartment building that is described as "Spook Central." [2] The first mention of the unusual nature of the building comes in a scene featuring Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore. Stantz examined the building's blueprints and described the roof as having been "fabricated with a magnesium-tungsten alloy." Stantz goes on to note that the building has "cold-riveted girders with cores of pure selenium". Egon Spengler further describes the building's "roof cap" as "exactly like the kind of telemetry tracker NASA uses to identify dead pulsars in deep space." When Peter Venkman remarks "they don't build 'em like they used to," Stantz retorts "the architect was either a certified genius or an authentic wacko." Stantz describes the skyscraper as an antenna for "pulling in and concentrating spiritual turbulence."

Ray was the Ghostbuster who noted the building's architect was an "I. Shandor," as he looked over the blueprints while in jail for environmental violations related to the Ghostbusters' business. Immediately, Spengler recognized the name as one he had seen in "Tobin's Spirit Guide." Spengler went on to explain Shandor's background. Shandor, described as an architect and doctor by trade, decided that after World War I society was too sick to survive. He, and his 1,000 plus purported followers composing the Cult of Gozer, worshiped the ancient Sumerian god and performed rituals on the roof of 55 Central Park West, intended to bring about the end of the world. As a medical doctor, Shandor is said in the film, to have performed a lot of "unnecessary surgery," Ivo Shandor is said to have started his secret society as early as 1920.

It is revealed in the Ghostbusters: The Video Game that Ivo Shandor, his architecture firm (and his cult) were involved in the renovation of existing buildings and construction of new structures in the late 1800s to early 1900s [3] These public works projects sparked controversy and a lot of people thought the work was unnecessary. [4] On Shandor's Island, Egon notes Shandor's public architectural style ranged from Federal to Art Deco but his personal tastes obviously leaned toward the Gozerian. [5]

There were four places which served as Mandala: a magic that was supposed to focus spirit energy and empower Gozer, when he will entered our world. Three of these places were thelibrary, the museum, and theSedgewick Hotel to which Shandor assigned his three most loyal followers to guard upon passing away. The fourth was Shandor Island, a place where he and his cult conducted many paranormal experiments, including the capture of a Sloar and the creation of Mood slime. It also was revealed that Ivo Shandor used Black Slime he extracted from the Sloar in order to boost the power of himself, as well as his minions, making the cult's existence possible even after their deaths. The Shandor Foundation took control of his remaining estate and holdings. [6]

Being A Ghost
Apparently, Ivo Shandor became a powerful being after his death and was able to travel to other dimensions. Hidden deep in the Central Park, the secret cult cemetery become a new home to him and his minions. There Ivo Shandor awaited the coming of Gozer. In 1984, Gozer's time had finally come, and the god attempted to pass through the 55 Central Park West to our world. However, Gozer's efforts were ultimately stopped by the Ghostbusters, who destroyed the portal while the god's full form wasn't complete, banishing him back. Ivo Shandor and the cult had no choice but to find new means to bring forth Gozer.

In 1991, Shandor's last living descendant, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn was at the museum studying Gozer when her presence there triggered the Mandala, unleashing a Psi Energy Pulse, a powerful psychokinetic wave, that unleashed hundreds of new ghosts around the city and allowed Gozer to return in his destructor form (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man). However, while it was completely manifested in our realm, it was much weaker than before, as it probably still required more power to achieve it's full potential. Gozer attempted to kidnap Ilyssa as a sacrifice to himself, but the Sumerian god is defeated again, this time being destroyed by the rookie.

Frustrated by Gozer's failure at the hands of the Ghostbusters twice, the spirit of Shandor decided to become a god himself. Possessing the body of Mayor Jock Mulligan,Shandor assigned the Ghostbusters to work with Walter Peck to both keep them from figuring out his plan, and use Peck as a scapegoat while he used the mandala to increase his power while merging the real world and the spirit world. However, the Ghostbusters discover the correlation between the the sites of the ghost appearances and the symbol they found, realizing they were nodes of the mandala. One by one, Shandor's most loyal followers who served as the node guardians: Azetlor, The Chairman, and the Spider Witch, were defeated and three of the four nodes were deactivated, leaving only the node on his island hidden in the river. Realizing that there was a chance they could find and defeat the Sloar on the island (and even if they didn't neutralize the node, it wouldn't be enough to give him the power he needed), Shandor resorted to one last measure. While the Ghostbusters went to shut the final node down, he attacked the Firehouse, rendered Janine unconscious and kidnapped Ilyssa while also releasing the spirits from the containment unit. He also captured Peck and took them both back to his mausoleum lair to complete the ritual using the energy collected by the mandala and the freed spirits and Ilyssa's blood, needing a sacrifice of his own blood to become a god himself. Before he could sacrifice her however, the Ghostbusters arrived, and upon figuring out the truth, exorcised him from the mayor's body and attempted to banish him back to the spirit world. During the fight with him, they ended up getting sucked into Shandor's realm.

Being A Deity

 * "I have chosen. I am the Destructor. I am the Architect. I will pave over your fields to start anew. I will fill your seas with concrete and stone. I will pierce your world with girders of steel and panes of glass. I will crush your world under the weight of my cities. I will smother your creation under my own!"
 * ―Ivo Shandor [src]

An angry Shandor confronted the Ghostbusters at a massive temple in the spirit world, and transformed himself into a towering demonic deity in order to fulfill his sinister plans to reshape the world, matching his vision of perfection. With the energy originally intended to power up Gozer, he became a god himself, and chose a destructor form to match his ambitions. Unfortunately for him, the Ghostbusters crossed the streams on their proton packs, destroying Shandor once and for all.