Albert Wesker

Albert Wesker
Resident Evil series character
File:Wesker UC.PNG Wesker, as seen in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
First game	Resident Evil
Created by	Shinji Mikami

Albert Wesker is a fictional character in Capcom's Resident Evil series. He was first introduced in the original Resident Evil and, through a series of actions contained therein, has been effectively established as Resident Evil's primary antagonist. Since then, he has had a behind-the-scenes role in many of the series' major events, and is the common connection between several of the series' characters.

He is set to be a playable character in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

History

File:Albert wesker.jpg

Albert Wesker in Resident Evil Zero and the Gamecube Resident Evil remake.

Resident Evil Zero

Resident Evil Zero depicts Wesker's actions the day before the events of the "Mansion Incident", serving as a behind-the-scenes co-conspirator with William Birkin. Zero also expands on Wesker's past as an Umbrella trainee and his role in the assassination of Umbrella co-founder Dr. James Marcus.

Resident Evil (original and remake)

Albert Wesker first appeared as one of the three major supporting characters in the original Resident Evil and the only one to appear in both of the main characters' (Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine) scenarios. He is presented as the cool and collected leader of Alpha Team who remains calm in the face of danger as he and the survivors head into the Spencer Estate. However, he disappears early in the game and only makes sporadic appearances through the course of the story. Later in the game, Wesker's true identity and agenda are uncovered: he is a former Umbrella researcher and an Umbrella operative within the Raccoon Police Department. Wesker is following Umbrella's orders to use the S.T.A.R.S. as test subjects against the various mutant creatures and bio-organic weapons (BOWs) infesting the mansion. However, near the game's end, Wesker implies that he has his own plans and is in fact double-crossing Umbrella. He also forces Alpha team member Barry Burton to assist him by threatening his family; if Wesker is killed by Barry, or Barry refuses to assist him, the Umbrella team stationed outside Burton's residence will storm inside his house and kill his wife and two daughters.

At the end of the game, Wesker is apparently killed by Tyrant in the mansion's underground lab. Wesker's death varies between ending: in Chris' ending (as well as in versions of Jill's ending where Barry dies), Wesker unleashes the Tyrant from its containment capsule, only to be impaled by the creature's claws. In the better versions of Jill's ending, Wesker runs off into the lab's control room and activates the self-destruct mechanism only to be killed. When the player enters the control room, they will find Wesker's corpse next to the control panel with a Chimera in the area (this scenario only takes place in the original game). Wesker's role in the 2002 GameCube remake of the game remains essentially identical to the original version, although one of the endings was revised so that Wesker apparently escapes from the mansion alive.

Code: Veronica

Despite his "death", Wesker returns in Resident Evil Code: Veronica. No longer working for Umbrella, Wesker is now an operative of a mysterious organization seeking to steal Umbrella's research. Wesker is shown to have gained superhuman strength and agility, but at the expense of his humanity. Wesker's sunglasses are knocked off during a fist-fight with Chris Redfield, revealing his mutated cat-like eyes. CODE: Veronica X, an extended version of the game, splices ten minutes of additional cut scenes into the main story (including an extended ending), all involving Wesker himself and adding further plot depth. In the extended ending, he tells Chris and Claire Redfield that he retrieved Steve Burnside's body after his death because his remains still contained the T-Veronica virus. Wesker taunts Claire, saying that Steve may yet be revived. Also, during his final fight with Chris, Wesker's face is badly burned by an explosion which separates the two, forcing them to withdraw from their battle and escape the facility. However, in Wesker's next appearance six years later in Resident Evil 4, his face shows no damage.

Wesker's Report, a fictional documentary narrated by Wesker, is a promotional DVD that was originally sold with CODE: Veronica X. The report is a retelling of the first three Resident Evil games from Wesker's point-of-view. Wesker's Report also retcons Wesker's death to explain his presence in CODE: Veronica. Wesker reveals that he was betraying both the S.T.A.R.S. and Umbrella during the first game, as he had secretly switched his allegiance to one of Umbrella's rival companies. Wesker's new employers asked him to supply them with the Tyrant's "combat data". Before his final confrontation with the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members in the Arklay Research Facility's lab, Wesker injected himself with a new type of serum provided by his former lab partner William Birkin. Wesker in fact intended for the Tyrant to maul him so he could fake his own death. However, he'd also assumed that by the time the serum resurrected him, the Tyrant would have killed the remaining S.T.A.R.S., thereby allowing Wesker to collect the Tyrant's combat data. The S.T.A.R.S. unwittingly foiled Wesker's plan by killing the Tyrant. Without the combat data, Wesker lost face with his new employers, thus solidifying his hatred of the surviving S.T.A.R.S. (Chris in particular). The report also reveals that Wesker's new employers are the same as Ada's. Wesker helped her from behind-the-scenes during the events of Resident Evil 2 and rescued Ada from Raccoon City before its final destruction. Wesker's Report I also reveals that Wesker has custody of Birkin's daughter Sherry.

Another fictional documentary, Wesker's Report II, was published online through Capcom's official websites during the release of the GameCube remake of the original game. This documentary features excerpts of Wesker's journals sent to Ada, detailing his career as a researcher in the Arklay Research Facility. The journal also describes the origins of every viral agent introduced in the series up to that point and details the horrible experiments that Lisa Trevor (a mutated girl featured in Resident Evil Remake) was subjected to. The journals also expand on Wesker's relationship with Birkin, revealing that they were best friends as well as rivals.

Resident Evil 4

He appears in the "Assignment Ada" minigame, as well as in the "Separate Ways" scenario in the PS2 and Wii versions, giving orders to Ada. Both scenarios depict Wesker's attempt to revive the Umbrella Corporation under his leadership by retrieving a sample of the Las Plagas parasite from Saddler. The "Ada's Report" documentary, also included in the PS2, PC, and Wii versions, describes Wesker's character and intentions from Ada's perspective.

He is also playable in "The Mercenaries" minigame.

File:Resident-evil-umbrella-chronicles-20070914051901439.jpg

Albert Wesker in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Wesker has been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and will be playable for the first time in series canon. Wesker's paths in the game are unique, and show his role in the existing storylines. His role in the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation will also be revealed, and he is set to have a "final showdown" with the game's antagonist, Sergei Vladimir. [[Image:<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc218/freddiebrks/wesker2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>]]

As a playable character

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles marks Wesker's first appearance as a playable character in the main storyline. Aside from that title, he has been playable in some of the non-plot minigames in the series, such as the "Battle Game" in CODE: Veronica and "The Mercenaries" in Resident Evil 4. He was also playable in the multiplayer modes featured in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (the Nintendo DS port of the first game).

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In other media

File:Jason Albert Wesker.jpg

Albert Wesker, portrayed by Jason 'O Mara, in the film Resident Evil: Extinction.

• The character of Albert Wesker was adapted by Sony Pictures for the 2007 film Resident Evil: Extinction. Played by Jason 'O Mara, this version of Wesker is, as opposed to game Wesker's role as a high ranking Umbrella researcher, the head of the Umbrella Corporation, runnings things from behind the scenes and holding meetings via hologram with his underground board of directors from an undisclosed location in Tokyo, Japan.

Further information: Albert Wesker (Resident Evil film)

External links

• Source of Albert Wesker photo, Umbrella Chronicles.