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Prime universe
(Capcom's primary storyline)

The Spencer Estate was the family home of Oswell E. Spencer, located somewhere in Europe. It served as his hideout during the global manhunt for him following the fall of Umbrella.

History[]

Establishment[]

Spencer Estate

The entrance to the castle, used in the design of the Spencer Mansion.

The family residence of the Spencer Estate was built some time before the birth of its last master, Oswell E. Spencer. Even before the founding of Umbrella, the Spencer family was wealthy enough to employ a permanent retinue of servants.

After Oswell inherited the estate upon the death of his father, he began traveling around the world. One of his trips took him to Western Africa with Sir Edward Ashford and Dr. James Marcus, who were two childhood friends.

Oswell would have an architect named George Trevor build a mansion in the Arklay Mountains with many similarities to his family home. Although not living there for very long, it would be kept clean if he ever chose to visit it. The mansion also housed a secret underground laboratory in the courtyard.

After Umbrella fell from grace and Spencer was recognized as the man responsible for the Raccoon City incident, the former corporation president went into hiding. He kept little to no contact with the outside world as the manhunt to find him ensued.

During his time in hiding, Spencer became a weary old man, confined to a wheelchair and slowly approaching death's doorstep. It was likely that he kept in touch with Sergei Vladimir, his closest ally from Umbrella and successor as the company's leader. This was implied when Albert Wesker demanded to know about Spencer's whereabouts during his final battle with Sergei. However, Sergei refused to tell him anything. After defeating Sergei, Wesker rose to power by using the viral samples and data to accumulate significant wealth, planning to resurrect the fallen Umbrella as his own empire. Spencer became one of the most wanted worldwide fugitives and Wesker took his place of domination in the pharmaceutical business.

Resident-evil-5-alternative-edition-screenshots-20091001095653506

Chris and Jill in the dining hall.

While wanting to change and dominate the world through his experiments, over the years, Wesker was torn by a growing anxiety caused by Spencer and the knowledge that he was most likely still alive. Wesker never discovered Spencer's plans and intentions and was determined to track him down as he once promised so he could end the reign of the only other Umbrella leader.

The Raid on the Spencer Estate[]

Main article: Raid on the Spencer Estate

Eventually, after putting all of his accumulated resources to use, Wesker found the estate in Europe and went there on the first stormy night of autumn to pay Spencer a visit. In a metaphorical scenario, the lightning, thunder and rain howled in the skies above the castle as the two central villains of the entire conflict came closer to their final confrontation. Wesker found Spencer in his primary chamber and expected him to be surprised by his arrival, but upon Wesker's entrance through the chamber doors, Spencer revealed that he was waiting for him. A shocked Wesker realized that Spencer was in control of the recent chaos the entire time including Wesker's own actions.

Spencer revealed how the recent events that are involving Wesker was setted, how Albert himself was made a reality through the Wesker children project, how the Progenitor virus and Umbrella's influence aided in the growth and education of Albert and his fellow subjects, how the prototype virus that William Birkin provided Albert to fake his death and become superhuman on the night of the Mansion Incident was part of Spencer's project, how Spencer intended to use these children as his soldiers and enforcers in a new world of advanced humans, how all of the surviving Wesker children from the prototype virus injection are programmed to seek Spencer out and how Albert was the last of these subjects to be still alive (this last information was actually not true, since Alex Wesker also survived). Spencer wanted to control the world of the Wesker children with himself as a god. Wesker slowly circled Spencer as he spoke with a raging fury growing inside him as he awaited the proper moment to seize Spencer's control while at the same time letting all of this shocking information sink in.

As the calmness of the storm outside the castle diminished, Spencer accepted that he would soon die in his condition and found it ironic to be faced by mortality for one with the "right to be a god". Wesker came face to face with his 'creator' one final time and declared that right was now his, killing Spencer. His lifeless corpse toppled over and bled onto the floor of the chamber as Wesker looked over him, amused at his arrogance for thinking that a feeble old man could comprehend the power to be a god. Wesker stood at the stain glass window at the front of the chamber and starred out at the stormy ocean by pondering this new and surprising revelation. The villain decided that Spencer's vision of an advanced human race was needed to be brought to fruition in combination with Wesker's vision of remaking the world with a new Umbrella. As the storm outside raged on, a metaphorical point was made with the weather's increasing power signifying Wesker's dominance.

RE5 Spencer Estate

Wesker strangling Jill.

Meanwhile, the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) was given a tip from a reliable source on Spencer's whereabouts. BSAA agents Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine went to the estate on that same night in the hopes of arresting the fugitive company founder and gaining the whereabouts of Wesker himself. After breaking into the front door thanks to Jill's lock-picking expertise, the two had to survive through a number of deadly traps reminiscent of the Arklay estate. They also found the corpses of several of Spencer's bodyguards and reported on the discovery to HQ. Chris and Jill admitted that the castle "brought them back" to the events in Raccoon City. They arrived at Spencer's main chamber moments after Wesker and Spencer's conversation ended with their guns cocked and are expecting to find Spencer. Instead, they found his corpse beside his empty wheelchair and Wesker standing at the window. He turned and smiled at his two old enemies by taking their arrival at that moment and time as a sign: "The weak would always resist the will of the chosen."

A battle immediately ensued within the estate's chamber, but Chris and Jill's gunfire and hand-to-hand skills are no match for the super fast and strong Wesker. After throwing Jill aside, Wesker slammed Chris down on a large dining table, viciously dragged him along and held him up at the window. As the villain prepared to make the killing blow, Jill came to her partner's aid and tackled Wesker out the window. The two fell along the rocky cliffside and disappeared.

Aftermath[]

The BSAA spent months searching for Jill and Wesker's bodies to no avail and both are presumed dead. In reality, they survived and Wesker saved Jill to use her for his ultimate plan. It was unknown what became of the estate.

Appearance[]

The American mansion in the Arklay Mountains bore many similar design elements to this castle such as its main hall and dining hall. The Estate stood atop a cliffside ocean view with a steep mountain side of the rapids. Although this building is much older than the Arklay one, both shared a similar medieval interior.

There were several sets of knight armor standing in its halls and stain glass windows all around. In Spencer's primary chamber, there was dim illumination by candle posts and a chandelier above the room. Oswell also had several book cases in this chamber, the books kept behind glass cases and accessible via some unknown location and a ladder attached to the case wall, making the room appear partially as a library. Spencer had one open book on a metal post standing at the main window during Wesker's visit. That window was shattered when Jill tackled Wesker and fell over the cliffside.

Further notes[]

  • The original plot for Resident Evil 4, seen in "Castle", involved Leon S. Kennedy infiltrating a castle in Europe that was an Umbrella HQ in search of the Progenitor Virus. It is very possible that this scrapped idea was reused to be the Spencer Estate in Resident Evil 5 DLC Lost In Nightmares. What further supports this is the original story involved the Progenitor Virus origin which would also involve Spencer.
  • In an earlier build of Resident Evil 4, dubbed "STYLISH", the Spencer Estate was originally a large Castle on Mallet Island. Home to a younger incarnation of Spencer and his twin sons, Tony and Vergil. This version of the Spencer Estate may have remained largely untouched in the game's final version, Devil May Cry.
  • Also, the Estate apparently served (in-game chronologically speaking) as a basis for the Spencer Mansion which Spencer ordered George Trevor to create for Resident Evil, making the Spencer Family Estate present in RE5, the oldest and the first mansion in the series as said by Patrick in one of his memoirs.
    • In other words, his family's European Estate served as the inspiration to create the Spencer Mansion in America; a model that was later copied by the Ashford Family in the Antarctic Facility present in Resident Evil CODE:Veronica X.
  • The Spencer Estate had a brief cameo appearance in the ending of Resident Evil: Revelations, in the scene that stated Chris and Jill's fate, indirectly alluding to their mission to apprehend Oswell E. Spencer and their near-fatal encounter with Albert Wesker. It also appears in the paintings inside the Queen Zenobia.

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