The foundation of Resident Evil's story lies with the existence of viruses that are used as bioweapons. Umbrella Corporation is also an important presence in Resident Evil, but it didn't create the original strain of viruses. It was created with the purpose of making money to fund research on viruses and as a location where Oswell Spencer and his employees could work on reducing the mortality rate of the Progenitor Virus.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Resident Evil mainline games.
At the start of Resident Evil, the research of viruses has been happening for years under the direction of Umbrella, and S.T.A.R.S. is thrown into Spencer Mansion as test subjects. Umbrella disregarded human life and performed unethical experiments in an attempt to create a virus capable of bringing about an ideal world. This is all for the fulfillment of Resident Evil's terrible Project W, a horrifying experiment that's the culmination of Oswell Spencer's fascination with eugenics.
The original and perhaps most important virus is the Progenitor Virus. It isn't introduced until Resident Evil 5, but it's then revealed to be the catalyst for both the creation of Umbrella Corporation and Project W. Trying to create a strain of the Progenitor Virus with a lower mortality rate led to the creation of several other viruses that are featured in Resident Evil games, including Uroboros and Golgotha. Despite being connected, each virus has unique traits.
The Progenitor Was The Beginning Of Resident Evil
To start at the beginning, the Progenitor Virus is estimated to be at least millions of years old, originating in West Africa where the Ndipaya tribe lived. Players can find the remnants of the Ndipaya civilization and the flower that carries the Progenitor Virus with a friend in Resident Evil 5's co-op. Very few of the people who consumed the flower survived the infection of the virus, but the most notable survivor was a king who ruled the Ndipaya for generations with the power of the Progenitor Virus, which reportedly granted intelligence and abilities that were beyond human limits. Those who acquired this intelligence made the Ndipaya into the most advanced civilization in the world at that time.
The heightened intelligence that comes from the Progenitor Virus offered tempting possibilities to Spencer, who wanted to create a utopia populated by intellectuals. The problem is that the Progenitor Virus carries with it as much danger as it does potential. Additionally, its effect isn't limited to humans or animals. Progenitor can infect any living organism, plants included, which can lead to a lot of damage to the environment if it spreads.
Golgotha Virus: Creation Courtesy Of Umbrella Corporation
Golgotha is a retrovirus in the Progenitor family, but there are several differences between the two. Known as the G-Virus in Resident Evil 2 and its remake, Golgotha was found in Lisa Trevor after her body fought off a parasite. Unlike Progenitor, Golgotha is primarily spread in two ways. One is to be injected with the virus directly, and the other is to become a human host for an embryo of the virus. The exact formation of the embryos is unknown; they are produced asexually, and it seems that people infected with the G-Virus are limited as to how frequently they can produce embryos.
Infection of the G-Virus results in G-Cells being created continuously, which leads to asymmetrical growth of the body. Dr. William Birkin is a prime example of this growth with his right arm, where he infected himself, growing larger than his left arm. Other physical traits include the growth of functional eyes and tumors that grow hair, teeth, and eyes. Abilities from the G-Virus include regeneration, which will remain present in the infected even if they are vaccinated, as is shown in Resident Evil 6 with Sherry Birkin. However, the G-Virus has a limitation as to how many generations it can be ed down, raising the possibility of a defect in those who are mutated.
Uroboros Is Wesker's Attempt At A Utopia
Uroboros is a derivative of the Progenitor Virus, but this strain includes T-Virus antibodies. As part of Project W, Albert Wesker was raised with Spencer's ideals taught to him. This is shown with Uroboros, since it's Wesker's method of trying to create the same utopia that Spencer desired. But instead of improving the mortality rate and trying to keep as many people alive for the utopia as possible, Wesker created a strain that is more similar to the original Progenitor. Those who survive will have superior abilities, and those who are incompatible will turn into a mass of black tentacles as their bodies break apart.
Like many of the viruses in Resident Evil, Uroboros is flawed. Aside from the plot to use Uroboros in Resident Evil 5 being too large with its global scale, nobody has survived infection by it without already being a mutant because it's compatible with the genetic structure of very few people, making it highly lethal to humans. Alex Wesker acquired a sample and also performed some research on Uroboros, using it on dead mutants on Sejm Island. After the bodies of t-Phobos mutants were infected by Uroboros, they became Revenants. Given the results of experiments on Uroboros, it would likely result in the extinction of the human race instead of the creation of an intellectual utopia.
It can be difficult to keep track of the viruses included in Resident Evil and how they related to each other. The discovery of the Progenitor Virus and creation of Umbrella Corporation led to experiments that resulted in countless deaths and the destruction of entire locations, like Raccoon City. These experiments also led to the creation of the worst monsters in Resident Evil.
The viral threats of Resident Evil showcase the terror of weapons that attack the human body and the extent to which someone will go for the sake of their beliefs, along with the consequences of highly unethical research projects. With RE7 and RE Village, the focus has shifted away from Progenitor and its related viruses to the Mold. Therefore, one of the questions going forward is if Resident Evil will continue its focus on the Mold, return to Progenitor viruses, or if Capcom will bring something entirely new to the next title.
