Albert Wesker

Albert Wesker (アルバート・ウェスカー, Arubāto Wesukā) is a character in Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. He is first introduced in the original Resident Evil (1996), in which he is the captain of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service (STARS) unit. His character is further explored in subsequent installments, which greatly expand his role in the series' extensive narrative.

Albert Wesker
Resident Evil character
Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5 (2009)
First appearanceResident Evil (1996)
Created byKenichi Iwao
Designed byIsao Ohishi and Jun Takeuchi
Portrayed byEric Pirius (Resident Evil live-action cutscenes)
Jason O'Mara (Extinction)[1]
Shawn Roberts (Afterlife, Retribution, The Final Chapter)[2]
Tom Hopper (Welcome to Raccoon City)
Lance Reddick (TV series)[3]
Voiced byEnglish:
Pablo Kuntz (Resident Evil)[4]
Richard Waugh (Code: Veronica, Resident Evil Zero and 4, Wesker's Report)[5]
Peter Jessop (Resident Evil remake)[5]
D. C. Douglas (The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil 5, The Darkside Chronicles, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, The Mercenaries 3D, Revelations 2, Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster, Umbrella Corps, Teppen)[5]
Connor Fogarty (Dead by Daylight)[5] Craig Burnatowski (Resident Evil 4 remake)[5]
Japanese:
Jōji Nakata (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3,[5] Resident Evil HD Remaster,[6] Revelations 2, Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster, Teppen, Resident Evil 4 remake)[5]
Fumihiko Tachiki (Extinction, Afterlife, Retribution, The Final Chapter)
Satoshi Hino (Welcome to Raccoon City)[7]
Motion captureJunichi Kawamoto (Resident Evil remake)
Ken Lally (Resident Evil 5)
Ilram Choi (Resident Evil 5)
Yoshio Iizuka (Resident Evil 5)
Craig Burnatowski (Resident Evil 4 remake)
In-universe information
FamilyJake Muller (son)

Introduced in the first game, Wesker has been one of the main antagonists throughout the series, where he usually manipulates story events behind-the-scenes. Wesker seeks to replace humanity through mass extinction and forced evolution, believing humanity to be at an evolutionary dead end. To this end, he is affiliated with the Umbrella Corporation as one of its most promising researchers, and at the same time participates in illicit activities by going undercover as a STARS captain in Raccoon City. Through the course of much betrayal of his allies to further his own plans, Wesker fakes his death, gains superhuman abilities from an experimental variant of the Progenitor virus, and works with both Umbrella's mysterious rival company and their successors in the field of biological weapons development, TRICELL, until his ultimate defeat by Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 5 (2009).

Wesker appears in several Resident Evil games and novelizations. In the live-action film series, Wesker is portrayed by Jason O'Mara, Shawn Roberts and Tom Hopper. In Netflix's live-action television series, set in its own original universe but using the video game series as its backstory and basis, several clones of Wesker, portrayed by Lance Reddick, are revealed to have been produced before and after his death.

Wesker has received mostly positive reviews from video game publications, with critics praising him for being one of the most memorable video game villains.

Concept and design

"I imagined that he was in a special forces setting. Unmarried with no siblings, but was born into an ordinary American middle-class family. However, he was already too formed and believed the world to be worthless. He was a genius with scant feelings. He enjoyed ordinary family vacations, even displayed excellent grades in sport, but his heart was always cold and he was acting to blend himself into society. He was a clear-headed but tragic individual lacking human emotions. The only way he could live was to self-affirm his intense elitism."
 — Kenichi Iwao on designing Wesker's character[8]

Wesker was created by Kenichi Iwao, who was recruited by Shinji Mikami to work on the original Resident Evil midway through its development.[9] The main characters were originally intended to be cyborg police officers.[10] Iwao discarded the idea and completely redesigned the characters and the game's backstory.[10] Iwao envisioned Wesker's as a former special forces member that possessed exceptional intelligence and physical prowess with a cold demeanor that matched his egotistical mindset.[8] Iwao's co-workers suggested making Wesker a traitor who betrays the protagonist.[8] Wesker becomes obsessed with forcefully advancing human evolution.[11] He is later revealed to be a double agent Umbrella, a pharmaceutical company secretly develops mutageneigc viruses capable of turning animals and plants into undead abominations.[12] Wesker returns several times through the series and directly threatens the protagonists, including Chris and Claire Redfield. In the first Resident Evil, Wesker survives his apparent death due an experimental virus that not only resurrected him after suffering grievous injuries, but also endowed him with enhanced strength, speed and glowing red eyes.[13] Despite Wesker's apparent death Iwao always intended to bring Wesker back into the series.[8][14] In Resident Evil 5, he was fully mutated by Uroborus virus and died in the middle of volcano after being obliterated by rocket launchers fired by Chris and Sheva.[15] Some believed that Wesker was still alive after the release of Netflix series Resident Evil (2022), which depicts his lore in the past and his personal experimentation with human cloning.[16][17][18] Director Masachika Kawatasad confirmed that he's dead.[15] Wesker is almost always depicted throughout the video game series with his iconic black sunglasses that conceal his unnatural glowing eyes.[19][20]

Wesker's original voice actor, Pablo Kuntz, revealed Capcom's staff gave him limited direction and that he did not fully understand the game's plot.[4] He reflected on his experience stating, "I know the acting was slightly over-the-top, but you know, the more we played RE1, the more the voices seemed to harmonize with everything the gameplay offered."[4] He was also surprised on how popular the character is, commenting that it is "a wonderful experience" when voicing a character.[21] His character was subsequently voiced by Richard Waugh in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica.[22] Waugh's performance of Wesker was influenced by George Sanders, particularly his role as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book.[22] Waugh wanted to give his character a "precise and inhuman" speech pattern which he accomplished by speaking with a "military-type" tone and never using contractions.[22] Waugh reprised his role in Wesker's Report, a fictional documentary detailing Wesker's backstory, as well as Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 4.[22] Waugh provided voice recording for Wesker in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, but they were replaced by D. C. Douglas' recordings.[23] Peter Jessop voiced Wesker in the 2002 Resident Evil remake.[24] D. C. Douglas voiced Wesker in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, and Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster.[25] He described his inspiration for Wesker's voice as "an amalgamation of Peter Jessop, Richard Waugh, and the spirit of an irritated David Bowie."[25] Douglas was instructed by Capcom's staff to keep his performance for Wesker in Resident Evil 5 closer to the character's previous voice actors.[25] Douglas added more emotions in his performance, as Wesker becomes increasingly unhinged throughout the game.[25] In the 2022 Netflix series, Lance Reddick portrayed the character.[3] He said that "This Wesker, although very very much based on the Wesker in the games, isn’t exactly him".[19] In the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4, he was voiced by Craig Burnatowski.[26]

Appearances

In Resident Evil series

Wesker first appeared as a non-playable character in the original Resident Evil game, where he is the commanding officer for the Alpha team of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS).[27] He is also secretly a double agent for the Umbrella Corporation, where he is employed as a prominent researcher to develop mutagenic viruses and bio-organic weapons (BOWs). Wesker lures the STARS teams to a mansion overrun with zombies and other deadly BOWs to study the combat effectiveness of Umbrella's creations.[27] He initially helps the player by providing supplies and useful information, but his true motives are discovered by surviving STARS members Chris and Jill Valentine.[27] Wesker is seemingly killed after releasing his latest BOW, the Tyrant, which unexpectedly impales him during the game’s finale.[27]

He survives his apparent demise due to an experimental virus that granted him superhuman speed, strength, and regeneration.[27] Wesker begins working for an unnamed rival to the Umbrella Corporation and conducts a raid on a secret research facility in Antarctica in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica.[27] Wesker is defeated by Chris Redfield, who arrives at the facility while searching for his missing sister.[27] Wesker continues to sell viral agents and BOWS across the black-market. He makes a cameo in Resident Evil 4, where is revealed to be working with Ada to obtain a specimen sample for further BOW research.[28] He reprised his role in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4.[26] In Resident Evil 5, Wesker conspires to release the Uroboros virus across the world. Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar prevent the worldwide infection and ultimately kill Wesker inside a volcano at the end of the game.[15] His legacy continues through the series despite his demise, being responsible for everything that happened.[29]

Wesker also appears in several non-canonical games in the series. He is a playable character in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which retells portions of the series' lore through his perspective.[30] He appears in cutscenes throughout Resident Evil Zero, a prequel to the first game.[27] Wesker appeared in "The Mercenaries" mini-game for Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, and later in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.[31][32] Wesker appears in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 as a playable character in Raid Mode.[33] He also appears as a playable character in the mercenaries mode of Resident Evil 4 remake.[34]

In Resident Evil films
Jason O'Mara portrayed Albert Wesker in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Wesker's character was adapted for the 2007 live-action film Resident Evil: Extinction. Played by Jason O'Mara, this version of Wesker is the head of the Umbrella Corporation, as opposed to Wesker's role in the games as a renegade high-ranking Umbrella researcher. He runs Umbrella's operations from behind the scenes, holding meetings via hologram with his underground board of directors in Tokyo. Originally, Wesker's character was not intended to be in the film, with his role and lines in the script being given by Commander Okamoto.[1][2] Shawn Roberts took over the role of Wesker in 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife as a main antagonist of the film.[2] He later appears in Resident Evil: Retribution as a defector from Umbrella, who sends Ada Wong to rescue Alice from an underground Russian Umbrella outpost run by the Red Queen who has taken over the rest of Umbrella.[2] Wesker returns in the sixth film, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, having betrayed Alice and killed everyone at the White House. Guided by the Red Queen, Alice returns to the Hive where Umbrella has developed a potent antivirus. In a confrontation in the Hive, Alicia Marcus fires Wesker, enabling the Red Queen to crush his legs with a blast door, trapping Wesker. Before leaving to chase Doctor Alexander Isaacs, Alice primes the detonator for the explosives she planted around the Hive and leaves it in Wesker's hand. Wesker eventually dies of blood loss, causing him to lose his grip on the detonator. Without Wesker holding the detonator, Alice's explosives destroy the Hive, killing everyone within including Alicia Marcus, the Umbrella High Command and thousands of others held in stasis.[2] In the reboot film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021), Wesker is played by Tom Hopper as a police officer at Raccoon Police Department and secondary antagonist while being considerably more sympathetic.[35] Lance Reddick plays the role of Albert Wesker in the live action Resident Evil TV series from Netflix.[3]

Other appearances

Out of the Resident Evil series. Wesker appears in the 2019 game TEPPEN, a card for the character in its "Day of Nightmares" expansion,[36] and later another in its "A Dark Agenda" expansion, this one modeled after its appearance in the Resident Evil 3 remake.[37] In printed trading card media, he appears in the Bandai produced game Resident Evil: The Deck Building Game.[38] He appears in the crossover fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds as a playable character and a key character in the game's plot, in which he joins forces with Doctor Doom as the two build an army of supervillains, attempting to merge the two dimensions in the hopes of conquering both.[39] He also makes a guest appearance as an unlockable character skin in Lost Planet 2.[40] In 2016, D. C. Douglas reprised the role in Jim Sterling's short comedy horror film JimSAW.[41] Wesker appears as a Spirit in the Nintendo crossover video game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[42] In 2022, he appears as a playable character in asymmetrical survival horror game, Dead by Daylight.[43]

Reception

Game publications, including the 2013 version of the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition,[44] included Wesker as one of the best[45][46][47] and memorable villain in video game history.[48][49] An IGN article from March 2010 titled "Big Boss of the Day: Resident Evil's Albert Wesker" discussed his appearances across the franchise, comparing him with other video game villains including Bowser and Sephiroth as well commenting it is strange to have a Resident Evil without him.[40] According to PlayStation Universe, "From his perpetual shades, stoic persona and swanky haircut, Wesker has all the makings of an iconic—albeit somewhat stereotypical—videogame villain." The same source also compares Wesker's role in Resident Evil 4 to that of James Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.[27] GamesRadar+ staff included him among the "best characters in the three decades of Capcom's history" and wrote that with his appearance as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, commenting that "even after his death in Resident Evil 5, Albert Wesker shows no signs of stopping, which is just the way we like it."[50] Matt Cundy of GamesRadar+ gave praise to Wesker's death in Resident Evil 5 as it showed the character's strength due to the requirements to defeat him while D. C. Douglas's performance as the character also received positive comments during the self-bloopers from the series.[51] With Wesker demise, Shubhankar Parijat of GamingBolt thought that "Resident Evil hasn’t had an overbearing villainous presence since Wesker died", he said that "his arc was wrapped up very well, and bringing him back might not be the best ideas."[52] Kazuma Hashimoto of Polygon thought that its pale skin and blonde hair design evokes the aesthetic of what is associated with the Nazism ideal of Übermensch, effectively transmits the theme which remains at the heart of the franchise.[11]

He also received negative reviews from critics. Ryan King of Play included such fight as the third-worst boss fight in the PlayStation 3 games, emphasizing how many times the player had to fight him until he is defeated,[53] while the PlayStation Official Magazine shared this opinion, describing it also as the worst PlayStation boss fight ever.[54] Obi Ayawnwu of Complex described him as the "second-douchiest" video game character, stating that "Wesker has a following, yes, but there's something very Agent Smith about him that makes us shake our heads."[55] 1UP.com also cited him as one of the least scary thing in Resident Evil, commenting that "to accentuate his alleged nefariousness, we suggest that Wesker grow a zombie mustache that twirls itself."[56]

See also

References
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  2. Vejvoda, Jim (September 19, 2015). "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Begins Production, Full Cast and Plot Synopsis Revealed". IGN. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. Otterson, Joe (2021-06-11). "'Resident Evil' Netflix Live-Action Series Sets Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, Adds Five More to Cast". Variety. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  4. Brunskill, Kerry (2022-11-01). "'You can only imagine my surprise'—how the original voice actor of Resident Evil's most iconic villain discovered he was in the game 25 years later". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
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  7. @biomovieJP (2022-01-07). "#新バイオハザード声優は誰だ ❓ 『#バイオハザード：ウェルカム・トゥ・ラクーンシティ』 ウェスカー役🗣日本語吹替版 声優は… ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ アルバート・ウェスカー 🎙#日野聡 （ @Hino_Satoshi_84 ） ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 1月28日（金）📽全国の映画館で公開🎞" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-01-07 – via Twitter.
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