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"It's sheer perfection. My precious G-virus. No one will ever take you away from me." — William Birkin, before being ambushed by the U.S.S.[3] |
William Birkin was an executive and chief scientist for the Umbrella Corporation. He was the developer responsible for the discovery of the G-virus and development of the G-Virus Project.[4] He was also the husband of Annette Birkin and the father of Sherry Birkin. His involvement in the G-virus served as a catalyst for the events of the Raccoon City Destruction Incident.
Background
Early years
Birkin joined the Umbrella Corporation in 1977[5] at the young age of sixteen.[6] He was placed at the Umbrella Executive Training Center under first director Dr. James Marcus. There, he became rival of fellow researcher Albert Wesker, as they were both considered to be Marcus' top apprentices.[5] Over time Wesker and Birkin became partners and developed a close and sincere friendship. They were involved in the development of the experimental t-Virus,[citation needed] until the facility was closed down on July 29, 1978.[6]
Two days later, he and Albert were transferred to the Arklay Laboratory; where they continued their t-Virus research and were assigned the roles of chief researchers of the facility by the facility's president.[6] It was around this time that Birkin became interested in the Ebola virus, which had recently been discovered in Africa; Umbrella was, officially, researching a cure for the Ebola virus in the facility.[6] During their research into the Ebola virus, Birkin and Wesker were introduced to Lisa Trevor, who had been experimented on by Umbrella since 1967.[6] It was at this point that he and Wesker began to ponder on what Spencer's plans with the company really were.[6]
Rivalry
On July 27, 1981, Umbrella employed a ten-year-old girl as a chief researcher.[7][8] Alexia Ashford, who was a granddaughter of Umbrella co-founder Edward Ashford, was of an unnaturally-high intellect thanks to the achievements of her father, Alexander.[9] News of her employment by Umbrella reached the Arklay laboratory that very day,[7] having a heavy impact on the still-young William,[7] who took to his own employment at the age of sixteen highly.[7] His frustration was worsened by discussions between older researchers, who held a high opinion for the Ashford family, even discussing over the potential of the young girl working at the facility.[7]
Despite his competitive rivalry with Alexia, his research yielded no results until he created the Hunter Bio Organic Weapon (B.O.W.) in 1981.[7] He became completely focused on his work and research and continued uninterrupted even after the announcement of Alexia's apparent death in 1983.[7]
Promotion
The Birkin family in happier times. From left to right: William; Sherry and Annette.
He was "promoted" in 1988 to lead the "t" project (and completed the development of the Tyrant-class B.O.W.) after he and Wesker helped to assassinate their former mentor, Marcus.[10] Following this, credit for the virus' creation was given to Birkin.[11] By this time, Birkin was already married to fellow researcher, Annette and the marriage had already produced a daughter named Sherry.[12]
Birkin alongside Wesker during Marcus' assassination.
When he and Wesker were conducting an experiment with an NE-α Type, they used a female specimen (Lisa Trevor) as a guinea pig.[13] 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.[13]
He received approval from Umbrella's CEO, Oswell E. Spencer, to initiate the G-Virus Project; Wesker, however, knew he had limitations as a researcher and left the project in the hands of William and Annette, both more competent than him. In 1991, Birkin and his wife were transferred to an underground 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".
After his uptaking of "G", he passed the t-Virus research down to one of his subordinates, Dr. Greg Mueller.[citation needed]
Betrayal
During the events surrounding the Mansion Incident, the Research Center infestation, and the Ecliptic Express Incident, Birkin and Wesker were shocked to learn that 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. However, he refused to leave Umbrella despite Wesker making clear that was what he personally intended to do as a result of Marcus' revival (as well as the inevitable fallout that Umbrella will face as a result), mostly because the G-virus hadn't been completed yet.
In the aftermath of the Mansion Incident, he then gave a report, as well as bribe money, to Irons claiming that the destruction of the Spencer Estate was the result of Wesker going rogue and that it didn't impact Umbrella in any way. However, he also stated that Irons needed to keep tabs on the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members in case they start their own investigation and even strongly implied an order for Irons to assassinate them in a way that looked like an accident if they uncover enough incriminating details about the G-Virus's development. He also began giving even more unreasonable demands for Irons to follow, which caused the already corrupt chief of police to become dangerously grim in nature, culminating in the latter to threaten to shoot the sewer manager despite his being the only one able to allow him access. In addition, the media began an investigation into Umbrella, with Birkin anticipating that the investigation will be thorough, requiring that until the investigation is over, the use of the sewers for their projects is prohibited, and any access to the sewers is to be done with extreme disgression. He also by that point completed the G-Virus, though he decided that he won't let even Umbrella have his creation and made measures to defect from the company.
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 U.S. military intervene and retrieve him.[14] However, the team never arrived and the Umbrella Security Service unit "Alpha team" (led by HUNK, under orders from Spencer himself) reached the lab before them to retrieve his work. After a tense standoff, Birkin was cut down with automatic 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".
The "G"-transformation
After his mutation into G, Birkin went after the U.S.S. 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, excluding HUNK, were slaughtered, their weapons having no effect on the abomination before them. During the ensuing carnage, several vials containing the t-Virus were smashed by G and the virus was ingested by rats, serving as the main cause of the viral outbreak in the days of the Raccoon City Destruction Incident.
Several days later, on September 29th, G wandered around the R.P.D. and encountered some of the surviving citizens, his daughter among them. Looking for a host to propagate his species, he implanted his embryos into police chief Brian Irons. However, Irons was not a match and thus was killed.[notes 1] He was successful however, 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 laboratory. However, he was defeated by Leon and Claire while struggling to revive himself. Shortly thereafter, the train was destroyed, killing Birkin for good.
Appearance and Wardrobe
William appears to have a short brown hair with fringes at the center of his head and blue eyes.
Before he was ambushed by HUNK and his squad and he injects himself with the G-Virus, he wears a white long lab coat with his Umbrella ID at the left side of his coat, underneath is a pale green long sleeve button shirt with a neck tie on the collar, blue corduroy pants with a brown belt to his waist and black shoes.
In Resident Evil 0 during the real life cutscenes, he is depicted to have dark blonde hair similar to his wife, Annette Birkin. His appearance has minor changes, his button shirt is now white and his pants are now dark blue.
In both Umbrella Chronicles and the Darkside Chronicles, William is now updated and the fringes on his short brown hair is now in each sides and his eyes are now brown.
His primary outfit remains unchanged since his appearance in Resident Evil 0.
When he was mutated into G from its first form, his button shirt has been shredded and other part of his lab coat remains and mutates a large right arm with a large right eye ball beneath his large right shoulder but his skin appears pale while handing a large pipe. In the FMV cutscenes, his skin is gray and purple after his mutation.
In the Darkside Chronicles, his appearance remains the same and has shreds at the edge of his pants which it shows his socks and shoes. At his torso it gains two hands in each sides.
In his second form, he appears in shirtless but few of his lab coat is mostly shredded and his skin is now covered black. His head is now at his left chest and gains two hands in each sides. His pants are now in the mid-thigh section and fights in barefeet in a beastly appearance. He also discards the pipe in exchange for bone claws that grow out of his hands.
In its third form, G's body gains more muscle mass; destroying all remaining traces of clothing, it's new head becomes more skull-like and Birkin's original face has almost faded into his side. The second pair of arms become more developed and a new eye appears on his thigh.
In its fourth form, G becomes like a quadruped animal, its arms becoming front legs and the second set of arms become more developed. Its mouth has extended to his ribcage, the bones becoming tusks.
In its fifth form, G's body sustained so much damage that, in its attempt to heal itself, it becomes nothing more than a shapeless blob with eyes, tentacles and other limbs sprouting all over the body and a huge, gaping mouth with tusks for teeth.
In the Darkside Chronicles, his appearance has minor changes and his skin is not black but replaced with bloody part of his skin as its monstrous head is shown to move when trying to observe his wife, Annette before he fatally slashed her with his talons from his hands.
Sources
- Notes
- ↑ This is only the case in the Claire A, Leon B scenario for Resident Evil 2. In the Leon A, Claire B scenario, he is instead killed by William Birkin directly, by the latter roaring just after Irons threatened Claire and then grabbing him and dragging him underneath the trap door, and then ripping him in half from the waist down before throwing his top half up just as Claire was about to investigate.
- References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 CAPCOM
- ↑ Evident by his research into the G-virus
- ↑ Capcom Production Studio 4. Resident Evil 2. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). Scene: Birkin's Assassination.
- ↑ Capcom. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). File: William Birkin.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Resident Evil Zero, Assistant Director's Diary
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Wesker's Report II, part 1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Wesker's Report, part 2
- ↑ Capcom Production Studio 4. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). File: Newspaper Clip.
- ↑ Capcom Production Studio 4. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). File: Veronica Report.
- ↑ Capcom Production Studio 3. Resident Evil Zero. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). Scene: Confrontation With Marcus.
- ↑ Resident Evil 2
- ↑ Wesker's Report II, part 3: "Enter Nemesis"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Capcom Production Studio 4. Resident Evil. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). File: Observation Note.
- ↑ Capcom. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. (Capcom Co., Ltd.). File: William Birkin Profile.
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