The Umbrella Corporation was a massive multinational conglomerate and an antagonistic faction early on the Resident Evil Franchise.
History (Games)[]
Beginning (1960s-1980s)[]
The Umbrella Corporation was founded by Oswell E. Spencer, James Marcus and Edward Ashford, all of which were respective doctors in the fields of science and began with the eugenics movements of the early 20th century. Since all 3 were university classmates, they all worked as virologists and were slightly involved within the eugenics movement. In 1966, Umbrella's roots took shape when Marcus theorized about the possibility of a flower that grew nowhere else but in Africa, which granted those that ingested it superhuman properties. His theory was found to be indeed correct, upon discovering the flower on a trip to the Ndipaya tribal lands, where the flower was discovered in an ancient garden known as the Stairway of the Sun. Within the flowers, they discovered that they contained a mutagenic virus, which would be dubbed the Progenitor Virus and would attempt to replicate the process of growing the flowers in the United States. Surprisingly, the effect failed to be duplicated and with the need for funding, Spencer created Umbrella Pharmaceuticals as a way to set up a base of operations within the garden, as a way to claim the virus and transport it to the states. All three then pooled resources in the project that would create the T-Virus.
By the end of the 70s, Dr. William Birkin came aboard and expanded the project considerably, inspired by the work of Marcus by 78, which was turning the virus from a lethal agent, into one that kept the subject alive, but in a damaged and homicidal state, which continued to function even after cardiac arrest. The corporation gained their symbol to represent the four houses, which Spencer learned while under the tutelage of Mother Miranda.
Expansion (1980s-1990s)[]
By the time the Umbrella Corporation grew, the houses representing the company began to war with each other, with Ashford being the victim of his own T-Virus strain by 1968, likely orchestrated by Spencer himself. In 1988, Marcus was executed by the Umbrella Security Service, which was mostly to him abusing his executive position to use his own staff as guinea pigs for his experiments. Alexander Ashford, Edward's son, became irrelevant, but his genetically engineered daughter Alexia restored their prestige. Both Alexia and Alexander became infected with the T-Veronica Virus, causing them to disappear from public view and Alfred, Alexander's son, was reduced to a minor role in Umbrella's hierarchy. Aside from the 3 founders, scientist name Dr. Brandon Bailey was kept in Africa and in order to prevent a breech in their security, was executed in 1998.
In 1980s, the T-Virus project expanded further, due to the rare immunity possessed by some, resulting in the creation of chimeric creatures referred to as Bio-Organic Weapons to kill them. The company would become such a massive conglomerate, that it required subsidiaries. The USA branch had administration in Chicago and control over American facilities, with the manor in the Arklay Mountains being the main facility for bio-weapons research until NEST was opened in 1991, which researched the newer G-Virus. Due to frustration over the influence of research in the US, Umbrella Europe was formed in the 80s, out of partial-integration. In the European branch, the Nemesis Project was in development, to create a new breed of weapon, which combined with the T-Virus, as a way to prevent the subject from developing brain damage. Alongside this project, ran the US branches Tyrant program as a project to create superhuman weapons, which wouldn't be integrated until the late 90s to create the Nemesis-T Type as the achievement in Europe. To counter this, the US branch created the Talos project, designed to create a sophisticated AI that could pilot a tyrant.
Another branch was in Japan, which by 1987, administrated the company's research in biotech, as well as machinery. In order the transport bioweaponry overseas, the company acquired the Queen Zenobia, Queen Dido and Queen Semiramis for their subsidiary, the Paraguas Line Company, alongside the separately purchased Spencer Rain. Bioweaponry were also transported to the Antarctic Transport Terminal, which didn't open until the 1960s, for the Ashford family's research, as well as being a transport depot following Alexia's disappearance. Of all the branches, the US branch looked over the more successful sectors of the company with a third of the populace in Raccoon City to work for their active subsidiaries.
Umbrella would then expand its paramilitary organizations following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Such organizations included the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, the Umbrella Security Service, Monitors and the Umbrella Intelligence Division, who hired mercenaries from communist guerillas and even nationalist terrorists, as well as retired Warsaw Pacts soldiers. By 1994, Rockfort Island, led by Alfred Ashford, had become a boot camp for anti-B.O.W. training, which was linked with U.B.C.S.' commanding officer, Col. Sergei Vladimir, allowing them access to special genetics that allowed them to mass produce the Tyrants via experimentation on clones of the man. By 1998, Umbrella had a significant strong arm in terms of military power, as well as moles in the US Military, which also included scientist Dr. Albert Wesker, which was where they learned that the military looked to research further into their own bioweaponry. Regardless of this, Umbrella's grip over other nations remained so strong, that when the No.57 plant experienced an outbreak, the government covered up the massacre caused by the U.B.C.S., as well as cover up an investigation into the Arklay Mountains in 1993.
Raccoon City (1998)[]
By 1998, due to internal destabilization and industrial espionage, Umbrella's success began to falter. The US branch had been infiltrated by Chinese agent Ada Wong, who worked for Umbrella's rival in bioweaponry research. She was able to obtain information via her relationship with Dr. John Clemens, head of research in the Arklay Mountains. Information on the G-Virus was, however, limited.
Umbrella really began declining during the incident in 1998, where Queen Leech, an experiment created by Dr. Marcus, was able to escape and cause a containment failure, causing the facility to go on lockdown. Despite this security measure however, several Cerberus B.O.Ws were able to flee containment and run amok within the mountains. This resulted in them attacking hikers and even suburban families, leaving either dead or wounded, all within a span of 2 months. This resulted in those attacked becoming zombies via the T-Virus and in turn, attacking others, resulting in armed teams failing to kill the creatures while in an attempt to open up the nearby executive training school. By this time, Wesker was not only retired from the military, but also became leader of Alpha team for R.P.D.'s S.T.A.R.S. team. It was then that Umbrella contacted Wesker to send his team into the mountains, where his orders were to allow his team to be killed off, as well as him destroying incriminating evidence, record combat data on the B.O.W effectiveness against his comrades, recover any research data, then destroy the facility.
It was here, however, that Wesker realized Umbrella was inevitably doomed and joined the Rival company himself, resulting in him faking his death and giving the data over to his new employers rather than Umbrella. Aside from Wesker, Dr. Birkin also made the decision to leave the company, as he failed to impress Spencer and earn himself a place in his inner circle and as a result, dumped the T-Virus into other facilities, which also included the sewer treatment plant and P-12A facility. Because of this, the virus spread into the surrounding Raccoon City, infecting others and causing the hospital to undergo a strict quarantine. Birkin also paid off police Chief Brian Irons to clear the sewer system, have one of the cops patrol it and stop the U.S.S. team from rigging it to explode, as well as releasing the Hunter R in the lab, killing all but him and his wife Annette. This was so he and her were the only 2 who knew about the G-Virus.
The U.S.S. operation didn't go according to plan, as HUNK, commander of Alpha Team, shot Birkin and was unaware he had a sample of the virus in his possession. This resulted Birkin to use it on himself and turn into a monster, which went on a rampage throughout the sewer system, with all but HUNK surviving the onslaught. It was through this, that the T-Virus made its way into the reservoir, Victory Lake, which had infected dam employees through the water, as well as making its way to the city itself. By September 16th, Umbrella became aware of the incidents piling up about a "cannibalistic disease" running rampant throughout the city and within the hospital. As the water continued to infect the populace, Umbrella sent in the U.B.C.S. as a way to evacuate civilians, knowing full well the US military would keep the virus contained and allow US and European branches of the Umbrella Corporation to test their bioweaponry in the field. Hunter β and y models were sent in by both branches for testing, while the Nemesis-T Type was sent to eliminate any remaining members of S.T.A.R.S. still in the city, as a way to avenge the T-002.
Despite this however, the U.B.C.S. was destroyed not long after their arrival on the 26th, resulting in both federal and National Guard troops to pull back behind the barricades. This caused those surviving in the city to be abandoned to their fate, as well as Derek C. Simmons, a heavily influential American civil servant, to utilize his contingency plan, courtesy of Senator Ron Davis. This plan involved the destruction of the city via an experimental fuel-air bomb. By October 1st, a unanimous decision was made by many in the government to sanitize the area via use of Simmons' plan, resulting in the destruction of Raccoon City itself. Despite this, several parties including Umbrella, the Rival Company, US Military, Black Market and even American terrorists, all successfully obtained their own samples of the G-Virus via their respective channels. All evidence linking any to the incident was either covered up or obliterated.
Decline & Collapse (1998-2004)[]
Following the incident, nobody could ignore the power and influence Umbrella possessed. Because of this, its assets were federalized and suspended their ability to perform business within the states, as well as resulting in the president's resignation, following the destruction of Raccoon City. The bombing of the city couldn't be defended by either the media or government and the threat of bio-weaponry remained covered up, regardless of initial newspaper reports by survivors of the incident. Due to both the loss of their Delta Force team and Raccoon City, the US Department of Defense created and anti-B.O.W. in STRATCOM known as the Anti-Umbrella Pursuit & Investigation Team. The team would be tasked with taking on bioweaponry, given Anti-Virus Weapon Protocol No. 7600, which authorized the eradication of any bioweaponry in the world.
The status of the Umbrella Corporation continued to decline, following the Raccoon City Incident and Spencer himself deciding to shut down the facility in Africa, as a way to clear house and keep the existence of the Progenitor Virus secret, with the employees subsequently killed afterwards. By November, Leon S. Kennedy sent in agent Ark Thompson to investigate Sheena Island, which led directly to an outbreak caused by Commander Vincent Goldman. Goldman believed he was a member of the Umbrella Intelligence Division and with the exception of Ark and two children, the entire populace was wiped out and the Tyrant production facility destroyed. Not long after, did Rockfort Island come under attack by the H.C.F. and their Hunter B.O.Ws, sent by the Rival Company. Any surviving members of Umbrella would flee to the outpost in Antarctica, taking samples of the T-Virus with them and Chris Redfield, a former member of S.T.A.R.S., to destroy the facility on the island.
Following its loss of the prisons on Rockfort and Sheena Islands, Umbrella found it more and more difficult to keep their employees in line, resulting in rogue employees selling bioweaponry on the black market. Outbreaks caused by these weapons were still being successfully covered up by the government, so it remains inconclusive as to how many attacks took place, but this led to the creation of the Federal Bioterrorism Commission in order to deter such events from being made public. Following this, a bioterrorist named Morpheus D. Duvall, led an attack on Umbrella's facility in Paris, where they obtained samples of both the T-Virus and experimental T+G Virus. Morpheus' group then hijacked the Spence Rain, threatening both the U.S. and China with missile attacks that would disperse the T-Virus, unless they were given $5 million dollars. The crisis was ended thanks to a joint effort by STRATCOM and the Chinese Security Ministry, as well as covering up the event to insure it never made it to the public eye.
Umbrella still struggled to survive by 2003 and a Caucasian chemical plant purchased by them in the late 90s became their de facto base of operations. The base was commanded by Col. Sergei Vladimir, who served as the overseer for the T-A.L.O.S. project following its retrieval from the Arklay Mountains, prior to the arrival of Albert Wesker. It also became the storage area for the U.M.F-013, an advanced supercomputer designed to store all information about the corporation, should it ever collapse. It was through this that the corporation continued to fight bankruptcy, manufacturing B.O.Ws that were sought to be worthless. They even expanded their sales to the War on Terror, with B.O.W combat deployment slowly becoming reality and a B.O.W. operation in South America being halted thanks to Leon S. Kennedy. In January of 2003 however, the Caucasus facility suffered an outbreak, resulting in reports of attacks on a village, getting both the attention of the Private Anti-Biohazard Service and Albert Wesker.
The people of the village itself were killed or otherwise infected, following them being sealed up in a room infested with zombies, only to avoid the monsters and all of these people employed by Col. Vladimir. Wesker was able to obtain what he wanted and the village was burnt, but both Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine deduced the presence of an Umbrella base in the vicinity. They deduced it to be the chemical plant, where the T-A.L.O.S. project was, resulting it the project's destruction, as well as Vladimir's and the mutants. Wesker was able to flee with the information to further his own agenda however. Umbrella continued a long and expensive legal battle until 2003. This was in hopes of getting the American government to reverse its federalization and for the company to be cleared of any association to the incident in Raccoon City, which would result in bankruptcy should they lose. Surprisingly, the company was able to argue its innocence on grounds of lack of evidence and with the aid of false witnesses, blame the US government and accuse them of covering up their involvement, which spanned over the course of 4 years. It was then that Wesker, during a shocking turn of events, made a deal with the courts and produced evidence of the company's involvement, however would remain classified as a way of protecting the US government. Because of this, Umbrella and all associated subsidiaries declared bankruptcy, as well as the Russian and American government going on a worldwide manhunt for Spencer. Spencer remained in hiding for several years following Umbrella's collapse, but would be found dead at the hands of Wesker himself by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine prior to the Kijuju incident.
Legacy[]
Despite its inevitable collapse, Umbrella continued to be a terror in various forms. This included its various bioweapons on the black market, as well as those utilized by other corporations. The Progenitor Virus found in Africa gave rise to the Uroboros Project, which was funded by a prominent member in the Federation of Pharmaceutical Companies, TRICELL in 2009, with the aid of Albert Wesker. Wesker himself, would attempt to use the virus to build a new world order with himself as ruler, but this plan was thwarted by Chris Redfield, Sheva Alomar and Jill Valentine. Wesker ended up dead, after falling into molten lava and then being blown up by both Chris and Sheva, using RPGs.
In 2007 however, a private military group, which was formed out of the ashes of the American Umbrella branch, known to many as "Blue Umbrella" to differentiate from the "Red Umbrella", was out to atone for the sins of its predecessor. This group continued to function as a revived and reorganized group, serving to counter bio-terrorist threats all over, alongside fellow organizations, such as the B.S.A.A. Dr. Carla Radames led a bio-terrorist group, which split from an Enlightenment Period fraternal group known as The Family. The group was dubbed "Neo-Umbrella", whose goal was global destruction and would utilized the C-Virus to achieve this goal. The group however, was stopped by several people including the now-adult Sherry Birkin, Jake Muller, Leon S. Kennedy, Helena Harper, Pierce Nivans, Ada Wong and Chris Redfield.
Slogan & Products[]
History (Films)[]
In the film franchise of Resident Evil, the Umbrella Corporation is the largest corporation in the world, secretly researching into viral weaponry. It also is the all encompassing enemy of the people, deliberately being responsible for the release of the T-Virus and other forms of viral-based weaponry.