Brief Summary
This video provides a detailed history of the Umbrella Corporation, a fictional multinational conglomerate from the Resident Evil universe. It covers its origins in eugenics, its development of biological weapons, its internal conflicts, its regional subsidiaries, its military expansion, and its eventual downfall due to industrial espionage, internal destabilisation, and legal battles. Key points include:
- Umbrella's origins lie in a eugenics movement and the discovery of the Progenitor virus.
- The corporation developed various biological weapons, including the T-virus and G-virus.
- Internal conflicts and betrayals led to the corporation's decline.
- The Raccoon City incident exposed Umbrella's activities, leading to its bankruptcy.
Origins and Ideology
Umbrella Corporation was a British multinational conglomerate operating from the 1970s to the early 2000s, with diverse subsidiaries spanning cosmetics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and more. While appearing as a typical large corporation, its structure was designed to conceal illegal activities, primarily the development of biological weapons. Umbrella's true aim was not capitalist monopolisation but eugenics, with corporate executives believing their goal was to fund the Wesker Project, aiming to create a new race of virally enhanced superhumans to advance civilisation, ruled by Umbrella's founders as gods. The project failed, and the corporation collapsed in 2003 after the Raccoon City incident exposed their culpability, leading to bankruptcy and closure of subsidiaries.
Founding Members and the Progenitor Virus
The origins of Umbrella Corporation are rooted in the eugenics movements of the early 20th century. Its three founding members, Dr. Oswell Spencer, Dr. Edward Ashford, and Dr. James Marcus, were virologists with ties to eugenics. In 1966, Dr. Marcus hypothesised that a West African flower, Stairway to the Sun, granted powers through a mutagenic virus. The flower was discovered, but cultivated versions failed to replicate the virus. Spencer formed Umbrella Pharmaceuticals to fund research and transport the Progenitor virus across the Atlantic. The three founders agreed on the T-virus project to develop strains of the Progenitor virus to sell as weapons.
Internal Conflicts and Expansion
As Umbrella grew, the founding circle experienced internal conflicts. Dr. Ashford was murdered in 1968, possibly orchestrated by Spencer. Marcus became unpopular and was executed in 1988. Edward's son, Dr. Alexander Ashford, became irrelevant to the biological weapons project, though his daughter Alexia restored the family's prestige before disappearing. The T-virus project expanded in the early 1980s, leading to the development of bio-organic weapons (BOWs). Regional subsidiaries were established, including Umbrella USA and Umbrella Europe, to manage operations.
Regional Subsidiaries and Military Expansion
Umbrella USA, headquartered in Chicago, controlled US facilities, with the Arklay Laboratory as its main research facility until The Nest opened in 1991. Umbrella Europe pioneered the Nemesis project to create an intelligent parasite to counteract T-virus-induced brain damage. Umbrella Japan managed biotechnology and machinery research. The company acquired ships and planes for transporting biological weapons. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Umbrella expanded its paramilitary organisations, including the UBCS and USS. By 1998, Umbrella had a significant air force and ground forces, and had successfully implanted moles within the US military.
Decline and Destabilisation
Umbrella's success began to decline in 1998 due to industrial espionage and internal destabilisation. Ada Wong, a Chinese agent, infiltrated Umbrella USA and gathered information on current projects. A containment failure at the Arklay Laboratory, caused by a B.O.W. developed by Dr. Marcus, led to the release of Cerberus B.O.W.s into the Arklay Mountains. Albert Wesker, in charge of the S.T.A.R.S. team, was ordered to cover up the incident but instead decided to leave Umbrella and join a rival company. Dr. Burkin also planned to leave Umbrella and surrender to the US military with samples of the T-virus and G-virus.
The Raccoon City Incident
Dr. Burkin, after failing to impress Spencer, planned to surrender to the US military with samples of the T-virus and G-virus. He unleashed the T-virus in various facilities, causing it to spread through Raccoon City. Burkin was shot by a U.S.S. team, but injected himself with the G-virus, transforming into a monster and spreading the T-virus further. Umbrella became aware of the outbreak on September 16th and sent the UBCS to evacuate civilians. The US government, influenced by Derek C. Simmons, decided to destroy Raccoon City with an experimental air and fuel bomb on October 1st.
Aftermath of Raccoon City and Legal Battles
Following the destruction of Raccoon City, Congress suspended Umbrella USA's right to conduct business and federalised its assets. The US Department of Defense established the Anti-Umbrella Pursuit and Investigation Team (A.U.P.I.T.). Umbrella continued to decline, with facilities being cleared and outbreaks occurring in various locations. In 2003, Umbrella fought a costly legal case to reverse the federalisation of Umbrella USA, but Dr. Wesker provided evidence of their direct involvement in the Raccoon City incident.
Umbrella's Bankruptcy and Final Days
After the verdict, Umbrella Pharmaceuticals and Umbrella Corporation declared bankruptcy. US and Russian intelligence services initiated an international manhunt for Dr. Spencer. Umbrella's Japanese subsidiary went into liquidation in March 2004. With the corporation's collapse, bio-organic weapons that had previously been declared worthless were being mass-produced to prevent the corporation from declaring bankruptcy. Agents expanded their sales to take advantage of the war on terror and B.O.W.s.
