Albert Wesker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Albert Wesker | |
|---|---|
 A render of Albert Wesker from the GameCube version of Resident Evil |
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| Game series | Resident Evil series |
| First game | Resident Evil |
| Creator(s) | Shinji Mikami |
| Voice actor(s) | Sergio Jones (Resident Evil (1996)) Richard Waugh (Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Wesker's Report, Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 4) |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Occupation | Head Researcher for Umbrella Corp (1978-1995), STARS Alpha Team Leader (1996-1998), Operative for "The Organization" (1998-2004). |
Albert Wesker is a central character in Capcom's Resident Evil series. He is first introduced in the original Resident Evil as the captain of the fictional special-forces unit S.T.A.R.S. and leader of its Alpha Team division, but later evolved into an agent of an unnamed organization in later appearances, becoming something of a recurring antagonist. He has been voiced by Sergio Jones (credited as Eric) in the original Resident Evil and by Richard Waugh in all appearances since Resident Evil Code: Veronica excluding the GameCube remake of the original game, where Wesker is voiced by Peter Jessop.
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[edit] History
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 in a calm state in the face of dangers. 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 not only a former Umbrella researcher employed at the mansion, he also intentionally led the Alpha and Bravo Team members to their deaths, using them as test subjects against the various mutant creatures and bio-organic weapons (BOWs) infesting the mansion, only to be killed by one of the creatures in the 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 dead body next to the control panel with a Chimera in the area. But this is only true with the original game, in the Resident Evil Remake, Wesker's body is nowhere to be found after the fight with the Tyrant, so it can be assumed that he escaped the mansion somehow).
Despite his apparent death, Wesker would make a return in Resident Evil Code: Veronica. No longer with the Umbrella Corporation, Wesker is now an agent for a mysterious organization that seeks to steal Umbrella's research. Wesker is shown to have gained superhuman strength and agility, but at the expense of his own humanity. Wesker's sunglasses are removed for the first time, revealing inhuman 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, 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 of the T-Veronica virus that Steve's body still contained, and to possibly revive him. Also, during his fight with Chris, Wesker is badly burned by an explosion which seperates the two, forcing them to withdraw from their battle and escape the facility. However, in Wesker's next appearence six years later in Resident Evil 4, these burns have somehow dissapeared. Wesker's Report, a fictional documentary narrated by Wesker promoted with the rerelease, serves as a retelling of the first three games in the series. Wesker's Report retcons Wesker's death to explain his presence in Code: Veronica, revealing that Wesker injected himself with a new type of serum provided by his former lab partner William Birkin that granted his new powers and purposely let himself get killed to resurrect himself. Likewise, the film also reveals that Wesker's employers are the same as Ada's and that he actually helped her from behind-the-scenes during the events of Resident Evil 2.
Wesker's next appearance would be in the GameCube remake of the original game and the subsequent prequel Resident Evil Zero. His role in the remake remains essentially identical to the original game, although one of the endings was revised so that Wesker escapes from the mansion alive. Zero depicts Wesker's actions the day prior to the events of the "Mansion Incident", serving as a behind-the-scenes co-conspirator with William Birkin and expands a bit of his past as an Umbrella trainee. Another documentary, Wesker's Report, was also published online through Capcom's official websites. This documentary features excerpts of Wesker's journals sent to Ada, detailing his career as a researcher in the Arklay Research Facility. The journal serves also describes the origins of every viral agent introduced in the series at the point and also describes the horrible experiments that Lisa Trevor (a mutated woman featured in the Resident Evil remake) went through.
Wesker appears for a relatively minor role in Resident Evil 4. While nowhere to be seen in the main game, he appears in "Assignment: Ada" minigame, as well as in the "Separate Ways" scenario in the PS2 version, giving orders to Ada via a communicator. Both scenarios depicts Wesker's attempt to revive the Umbrella Corporation under his leadership by using the Plaga parasites for this purpose. The "Ada's Report" documentary, also included in the PS2 version, describes Wesker's character and intentions from Ada's perspective.
Although Wesker has never been a playable character in the main storyline, he is 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).
[edit] In other media
Jason O'Mara is set to play Albert Wesker in Resident Evil: Extinction.
[edit] Wardrobe
Wesker wears a different outfit for each of his appearances, but they are always black. He always keeps his trademark sunglasses, even in situations that seem inappropriate, such as during S.T.A.R.S. operations in the middle of the night. During the original Resident Evil, he was shown in a group photo with several other lab researchers - his sunglasses give him a distinct contrast from the rest of the group. In the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 0, he wears a standard S.T.A.R.S. uniform similar to those of Chris and Barry, but completely black, with a navy blue undershirt. He wears a more streamlined outfit in Resident Evil Code: Veronica with the acronyms H.C.F (Hive/Host Capture Force) written on the back. During a fist-fight with Chris Redfield, his sunglasses are knocked from his face, revealing that his eyes have changed from normal human eyes to resembling feline-eyes that have an orange coloring to them, these eyes are also seen in the Resident Evil Remake, in the scene before the Tyrant is awakened. He wears a much different, more sophisticated outfit during his appearance in Resident Evil 4, sporting a black turtleneck sweatshirt, black trousers and jacket over his turtleneck, as well as black gloves, and as always black sunglasses. The outfit generally enhances Wesker's appearance, that of an intimidating villain, adding an assassin-like touch.
[edit] External links
| Resident Evil characters | |
|---|---|
| Main | Chris Redfield | Jill Valentine | Barry Burton | Rebecca Chambers | Claire Redfield | Leon S. Kennedy | Ada Wong |
| Villains | Albert Wesker | Alfred Ashford | Alexia Ashford | James Marcus | Lisa Trevor | Nemesis | Nicholai Ginovaef | Ozwell E. Spencer | Osmund Saddler | Bitores Mendez | Ramon Salazar | William Birkin |
| Supporting | Steve Burnside | Billy Coen | Carlos Oliveira | Annette Birkin | Sherry Birkin | George Trevor | Minor S.T.A.R.S. Characters | Minor Characters | HUNK | Mikhail Victor |
| Outbreak | Kevin Ryman | Mark Wilkins | George Hamilton | Cindy Lennox | David King | Alyssa Ashcroft | Jim Chapman | Yoko Suzuki |
| Game specific | Resident Evil 2 | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | Resident Evil 4 |
| Films | Alice | Carlos | Claire Redfield | Jill Valentine | Albert Wesker | Nicholai | Dr. Birkin |
