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Michael Warren (マイケル・ウォーレン Maikeru Wōren) was the last mayor of Raccoon City and a figure primarily responsible for the city's quick explosive growth and prosperity due his collusion with Umbrella Corporation, which would ultimately condemn Raccoon to destruction.
Biography[]
Early Life and Political Career[]
Warren was originally an electrical engineer who worked as a technician and in 1963 succeeded in bringing electricity and power to the once small town in the Arklay Mountains.[1][2] In 1968, he was also responsible for pioneering the city's cable car system.
A statue of Warren was built outside Raccoon City Hall.
In 1987, Warren ran for mayor of the city and thanks to his contributions that gave him immense popularity, he won the elections overwhelmingly and was sworn in with the post.[1] During his rule, Raccoon City entered an age of growth and development due to financial support from Umbrella, who built several key facilities which led to rapid growth in the city's economy. This became known as the "Bright Raccoon 21" campaign and to commemorate Warren's dedication to the city, a bronze statue in his likeness was placed in City Hall.[1]
Involvement with Umbrella[]
While Warren's government quickly expanded the city, behind it, the mayor was actually in collusion with Umbrella laundering government money through his modernization campaign and taking bribes to overlook the activities of Umbrella, which was involved in illegal research on Bio Organic Weapons in conjunction with the American government.[3] This collusion also allowed the company to spread its influence within the city and virtually control it.
However, in 1998, Warren's neglect of Umbrella's actions would cause a series of events that would later destroy Raccoon City itself. The process started in July, shortly after the event that became known as the "Mansion Incident". Having learned of Umbrella's illegal research during the incident, the surviving members of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service initiated an investigation against the company immediately after returning to the city. To prevent the corporation's exposure, Raccoon Police Department Chief Brian Irons, himself a pawn of Umbrella, ended the investigation by dissolving S.T.A.R.S.. Together with Warren's government, Irons discredited the survivors' accounts for lack of evidence, which prevented most of the townspeople from believing in them even after they shared their experiences.
Raccoon City Destruction Incident[]
In September, the t-Virus reached Raccoon City through several factors, infecting its citizens one by one and turning them into ravenous zombies. As chaos engulfed the city, Warren fell into a panic and fled immediately rather than stay to help his citizens, even leaving his daughter in the Raccoon Police Station with Chief Irons, who would later murder her. Upon leaving the city, Warren placed himself in the custody of the U.S. Army, which had blockaded the city.[1][4] His subsequent fate is unknown.
Further notes[]
- In S.D. Perry's novelization of Resident Evil 2, City of the Dead, Warren is instead the former mayor of Raccoon City, having lost an election shortly before the outbreak. Consequently, the woman entrusted to Chief Irons, here named Beverly, is the daughter of Mayor Harris.
Sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Resident Evil 5 (2009), file:History of RESIDENT EVIL".
- ↑ Resident Evil Archives
- ↑ Resident Evil 3 (2020), file: "Banquet Invitation".
- ↑ Resident Evil 2 (1998), file: "Chief's Diary"
