William Birkin
From Resident Evil Wiki
| William Birkin | |
| |
| Date of birth: | c. 1962 [1] |
| Date of death: | September 30th, 1998 (aged 36) |
| Blood type: | O [1] |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 1.78m [1] |
| Weight: | 66.7kg [1] |
| Race/Ethnicity: | Caucasian |
| Occupation: | Umbrella Researcher, Virologist |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Voice: | Diego Matamoros (RE2) |
| Portrayer: | Jason Isaacs |
| “ | It's sheer perfection. My precious G-virus. No one will ever take you away from me. | ” |
William Birkin was a top virologist working for the Umbrella Corporation and was responsible for the discovery of the G-Virus and development of the G-virus project. He was also the husband of Annette Birkin and the father of Sherry Birkin. His involvement in the G-Virus project served as a catalyst for the events of Resident Evil 2, thus making him the main antagonist of Resident Evil 2. He also had a supporting role in the prequel, Resident Evil 0, where he was involved in the events of the game from behind the scenes. Birkin also appears for a single scene in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles; in the first level of the "Beginnings" chapter. He is also set to appear in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles to reprise his role in the Resident Evil 2 scenario.
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[edit] Background
Birkin joined the Umbrella Corporation in 1977 at the young age of 15.[citation needed] He was placed at the Umbrella Corporation Management Training Facility under Dr. James Marcus. There, he became a close acquaintance and rival of fellow researcher Albert Wesker, as they were both considered to be Marcus' top apprentices. They were involved in the development of the tyrant virus project, until the facility was closed down in 1978.
Afterwards, he and Albert were transferred to the Arklay Research Facility on July 31, 1978, where they continued their "t" research and were made chief researchers of the facility. Birkin was proud of being the youngest researcher ever to work for Umbrella, until the arrival of Alexia Ashford, who was assigned to be chief researcher of Umbrella's Antarctic facility at the age of 10 in 1981. Although she worked in a different facility, Birkin became jealous of her, especially due to all the praise she was receiving from his co-workers. Despite his rivalry with Alexia, his research yielded no results until he created the Hunter Bio-Organic Weapon (B.O.W.) around the early 1980's. He became completely focused on his work and research, until the announcement of Alexia's "death" in 1983.[citation needed]
He was "promoted" in 1988 to lead the "t" project (and completed the development of the Tyrant) after he and Wesker helped the assassination their former mentor, Marcus. Following this, credit for the viruses creation was given to Birkin.[2] By this time, Birkin was already married to his assistant, Annette and the marriage had already produced a daughter named Sherry (born in 1986).
When he and Wesker were conducting an experiment with an NE-α Parasite (the prototype of the Nemesis T-Type project), they used a female specimen (Lisa Trevor) as a guinea pig. Lisa was the only human test subject to fully accept the parasite - other hosts were killed shortly after implantation. Noticing her strange survival rate, Birkin examined her body structure and discovered that the variation of the Progenitor virus that was injected into her in 1967 had absorbed all the mutagenic organisms that she had been implanted with since then and mutated into a new virus, which Birkin named the "G-virus".
He received approval from Umbrella's president, Ozwell E. Spencer, to initiate the G-virus Project, Wesker however, did not approve citing that random and uncontrolled mutations would not work for a B.O.W.. In 1991, Birkin and his wife were transferred to an Underground Research Facility established specifically for the project. Birkin also bribed the chief of the Raccoon City Police Department, Brian Irons, to cover up the project, using his wife as the "middle man".
During the events surrounding the t-viral outbreaks in the Arklay Research Facility, the Management Training Facility, and the Ecliptic Express, Birkin and Wesker were shocked to learn that their old mentor, Dr. Marcus, was somehow alive and responsible for leaking the virus. Knowing that his career would be over if the truth behind the old conspiracy ever came out, Birkin found and activated the Training Facility's self-destruct system destroying all evidence of his involvement in the decade-old "conspiracy" -as said by Wesker.
He completed his development of the G-virus in September of 1998 and planned on using his final research in order to be promoted into Umbrella's executive board. However, he began to disagree with his superiors and planned on keeping his research to himself and sell it to the U.S. Government. He requested to have the Military intervene and retrieve him. However, the team that was sent never came and the Umbrella Security Service Unit "Alpha team" (led by HUNK, under orders from Spencer himself) reached the lab before them to steal his work. After a tense standoff, a sudden noise led to an over excited soldier cutting Birkin down with machine gun fire. His virus research was taken and he was left to die of gunshot wounds. With his last dying breaths, he injected himself with a sample of the G-virus and survived, albeit rapidly mutating into the horrendous monster only known as G.
[edit] The G-Transformation
| “ | G!... My creation will save me...! | ” |
After his mutation into G, Birkin went after the USS team that stole his samples and chased them into the sewers. The team was taken completely by surprise at the sight of the now reborn Birkin and all of them, save HUNK and two other injured members, were slaughtered; their weapons having no effect on the abomination before them. During the ensuing carnage, several vials containing "t" were smashed by Birkin and the virus was ingested by rats, serving as the main cause of the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City.
Around the 26th, he attacked survivors at his underground laboratory, rendering them unconscious and infecting some. An Umbrella Staff member at his lab: Monica, managed to retrieve a G-virus sample and planned to take it to the surface and escape. Although, Birkin found her and implanted her with an Embryo. However, only hosts with the same DNA structure were capable of accepting his embryos, those without match will be killed as the embryo evacuates through the chest.
Several days later, on September 29th, Birkin wandered around the RPD and encountered some of the surviving citizens, his daughter among them. Looking for a host to propagate his species, he implanted his embryos into a victim (Brian Irons). However, Irons was not a match and thus was killed. He was, however successful in implanting an embryo into Sherry, he also managed several times to call out "Sherry", which she mistook as her father being attacked by "the monster" (actually himself) which had been following her.
During all of his mutations, caused by the uncontrollable effects of the G-virus, he chased after Leon, Claire, Sherry and Ada from the sewers to the underground research facility. However, he was defeated by Leon and Claire while struggling to revive himself. Shortly thereafter, the train was destroyed, taking Birkin with it.
[edit] Forms
[edit] Stage 1
Although bearing the greatest resemblance to William's former self, his upper torso is far more muscular due to a sudden increase of muscle mass. Due to the development of the G-virus, damaged tissue is replaced with a more heavily-muscled version. This characteristic of the virus led to a disproportionate right arm, and a large tumor-like eyeball has developed within the shoulder.
As this form does not possess any natural weapons, G instead makes use of his superhuman strength to tear a pipe from a guardrail to swing about and attack with. The monster can swing the pipe in a powerful two-swing attack, or raise it and bring the pipe crashing down with such force as to kill a character in one hit.
Conversely, when Annette recollects William Birkin's transformation and his slaughter of the Umbrella Security Service, G is shown slashing the soldiers with talons. When G first appears, though, no such claws are visible whatsoever; thus, one can assume that the talons were either lost in a process of devolution (contrary to the G-virus's properties), or, more likely atrophied away following lack of use in any further combat (a process much more akin to the expected course of action of the G-virus, due to its unpredictable abilities and volatile mutations). It should be noted, however, that G's arm mutates further after tearing off the guardrail, bulging grotesquely and gaining the spike of bone surmounting the eyeball in the shoulder.
[edit] Stage 2
Birkin mutated into this form to fight with Claire Redfield, on her way down to his Underground Research Facility.[3] During this mutation, the remains of Birin's body were replaced with new, stronger parts: The head was pushed down into the thorax, the digits of the right hand sprout into massive talons comprised of bone, two tiny vestigial limbs also developed lateral to the abdomen underneath the original arms, and a new rudimentary skull grew to take the place of the original.
The creature's attacks include:
- A double swipe where it hook swings at you then backhands;
- A single hook swipe;
- If you stand still it will stab straight and/or;
- if you stand still it will hook punch with its left hand.
- If the character is on low health, G2 William Birkin will perform a gut stab incredibly similar to that of the Tyrant T-002 from the previous game. As a matter of fact, the second stage has often been compared to a Tyrant.
[edit] Stage 3
Perhaps the least grotesque of the various forms that William Birkin assumed following the injection of the G-virus into his body. The host by now has shed all of its integument-like skin, revealing its musculature, whilst hundreds of spike-like projections rise prominently into an apex from a point in its upper left thorax; the visage of William Birkin, on the other hand, slowly begins to merge and fade away into the abdomen.
In addition to its right hand, the beast's left hand also possesses deadly talons now; in fact, the abomination has grown in height to nearly eight feet; thus, its primary arms have also elongated beyond normal human proportions. The vestigial arms of the prior stage, meanwhile, have also matured into functional limbs with talons, and the rudimentary head, aside from having completed its new, harder bone skull, now sports a lipless grin, bearing its razor sharp teeth, that makes it vaguely resemble a skinless form of the facial features of the Nemesis T-Type. Finally, a secondary, smaller eyeball-like tumor has developed in the left rectus femoris of the creature. This form is the one with the most bilateral symmetry, and to some, it resembles a demon in appearance.
Furthermore, when G is encountered after crashing through the ceiling shortly before its complete transformation into its hexapodal fourth form, the appearance of its third form has changed slightly. The spikes located on its chest have begun to open thus hinting to its fourth form. It's head has also changed into the design of it's fourth and fifth forms.
[edit] Stage 4
Involves the host mutating from a standing equilibrium as a bipedal to a hexapedal base on the ground involving the utilization of its four primary limbs to maintain movement. The skull and maxilla of the creature have elongated to accommodate its massive mandible, a gaping, circular cavity surrounded by rows of spike-like projections, which has now fused into the many spikes that formerly covered the thorax of the beast. Despite its appearance, however, this stage of G is extremely agile, able to sprint and leap all about a room with ease, and the aforementioned spikes around the mouth are more than capable of impaling its prey with extreme ease, given the superior agility and speed of the stage. However, in order to maintain its speed, it needs to constantly eat more.
[edit] Stage 5
By far the most grotesque of all the forms that G has mutated into. After extreme physical trauma to G, it has become a shapeless blob of flesh, spikes, and tentacles, slowly dragging itself via attachment of its largest tentacles to a stationary object and subsequent use of its lesser tentacles to slime forth. This final form was killed only after the train which it had invaded was consumed by a massive explosion following the automatic activation of its self-destruct sequence, as the damage it had sustained at cellular level was too high for even the G-virus to counteract.
Since the G's infected William Birkin was killed at this point, it is unknown if it would have continued to mutate into further forms. Although it is likely that it would not, due to being a mere shapeless blob, there would be nothing left to mutate into. Most notably, even at this stage, the G has at least some rudimentary form of intelligence, as it recognized that the train it was on was about to self-destruct. Fortunately, with only split-seconds left on the timer, the train detonated leaving no time for the monster to escape, it should be noted however that the G-Virus does not produce this mutation because of evolution, but because it was heavily damaged and was a response to that.
[edit] In other media
In the first Resident Evil film, William Birkin makes an uncredited cameo appearance as the head of the Nemesis project and is portrayed by actor Jason Isaacs (who was also the film's narrator).
According to a commentary by Paul W. S. Anderson, Birkin was planned to reprise this role in the sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but left the project for undisclosed reasons. An original character named Dr. Sam Isaacs (played by Iain Glen and named after the actor who played Birkin in the first film) was created to fulfill Birkin's role in the sequel.
The first stage of Birkin's mutation also has a cameo appearance in the opening of Resident Evil Outbreak. Some of his remains are found by Ada Wong during Death's Door (a chapter in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles).
William Birkin also appears in his mutated form in Resident Evil 1.5, although his design is completely different. He was originally much larger and more monstrous in 1.5 in comparison to the finalized version of "G". During his appearances he cries 'Sherry'. It is unknown if his further mutations were planned to appear or if he was even infected via the same method.
Birkin plays a major role in the comic Danger Island.
Birkin's first mutation cameos in Resident Evil: Degeneration. Though his face is never actually shown on-screen.
[edit] Gallery
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[edit] references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 CAPCOM
- ↑ Resident Evil 2: Annette claims William is the viruses creator
- ↑ Claire A scenario, Resident Evil 2
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