The Resident Evil series has featured a range of bombastic, theatrical, terrifying villains. From the iconic and monstrous Nemesis to the look ma, there’s a gigantic, gross, eyeball-vomit-spider inside me Osmund Saddler of Resident Evil 4 fame, the baddies are often the stars of the show here.
While some of them have the courtesy to transform into something enormous and disgusting then explode at the hands of the heroes after one game, one in particular just kept coming back for more. Scheming mastermind Albert Wesker is the series’ best-known villain, achieving legendary status by cropping up again and again through the games. Here are some interesting details about him that fans may not know.
10 He’s Made The Most Appearances Of Any Character In The Series
Firstly, we’re going to take a look at just how prolific Wesker’s appearances have been. While he hasn’t always had a major role in the plot (sometimes he’s just been referenced in file or image form), he has featured in seven Resident Evil games to date.
Surprisingly, this makes him the most commonly recurring character in the series. Fellow series stalwarts like Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield seemingly took turns going AWOL as the franchise progressed, but there was no getting away from Wesker.
9 He Became A Doctor At The Age Of Just Seventeen
Albert Wesker is another unfortunate case of a brilliant scientist who could’ve aided the cause of humanity greatly if it weren’t for… you know, all the betrayal, chicanery, and evil. Whatever else he may be, there’s no denying that he’s a truly gifted man.
Wesker is said to have inherited his exceptional intelligence from his parents (little more than this is really known about them). He was then taken away from them and grew up with other brilliant young minds in an institute owned by the Spencer Foundation. As reported by the Resident Evil Wiki, all of this paid off when he graduated as a virologist as a seventeen-year-old.
8 His Son Inherited Some Of His Abilities
If you’ve only dabbled in the Resident Evil series, you may not be aware of Wesker’s son, Jake Muller. Jake is one of the stars of the controversial Resident Evil 6, a young soldier-for-hire who serendipitously finds himself allied with Sherry Birkin in an attempt to foil a fiendish plot revolving around the C-Virus.
Jake was born of a brief relationship Wesker shared with a woman from Edonia while he served as an Umbrella agent. A formidable fighter himself, Jake is a real chip off the old block when it came to viruses: just like dear old dad, he’s very resistant and boasted the antibodies that were to be the key to saving the world from the C-Virus.
7 He Actually Had A Major Role In Resident Evil 4
If you’ve only played the original release of Resident Evil 4 (it first hit the GameCube back in 2005), you may think that Wesker barely featured at all. Jack Krauser references him a scene or two, he’s mentioned in a couple of files, he appears briefly to nab the Las Plagas sample from Ada and cackle villainously in a helicopter… other than this, and being playable in The Mercenaries, he doesn’t have much of a role at all.
With the later addition of the Separate Ways storyline, though, we got to see much more of what he was doing behind the scenes. Wesker was instrumental in guiding Ada’s movements in the region, dictating many of her and Leon’s actions and the paths both took.
6 He Killed His Own Mentor
The earlier titles in the series have been inundated with praise lately, what with the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. By contrast, the fifth title has never been very highly regarded. While it’s far from the slow-burning survival horror that fans of the classics love, it did provide some interesting insights into the overarching plot of the series.
One of the most significant moments occurs when Wesker confronts the ailing Spencer for answers. The old man unapologetically claims that his experimentations (the Wesker Project) would have made him a god. Affronted, his protege states that he’s to become a deity instead, before killing Spencer with his bare hands. Shortly thereafter, Chris and Jill arrive (they were to arrest Spencer) and a fanservice-tastic fight ensues.
5 He Was Also Partly Responsible For The “Mold” Of Resident Evil 7
Quite apart from all the viruses he’s had a hand in developing or procuring, Wesker also managed to get his hands on a dominant Las Plagas parasite sample in Resident Evil 4 (gathered from Jack Krauser’s corpse). Just to ensure he had an egg in every nefarious basket in the series, he was also involved in the development of the Mold.
While working for Umbrella’s mysterious rivals, he took control of the H.C.F (Hive-Host Capture Force). This group was connected with the creation of Eveline, a different form of human bioweapon that controlled and warped the once peaceful and loving Baker family. Wesker may be dead, but his work and twisted ideology is still influencing the creation of new threats to the Resident Evil world.
4 Some Iconic Anti-B.O.W Guns Are Named After Him
As we know, Wesker and his team’s harrowing experience in the Spencer Mansion served the villain’s ends nicely. One of his major goals was to determine how elite agents of S.T.A.R.S. caliber would fare against BOWs. After various little science experiments like these, he had the information he needed to create weapons for the express purpose of defeating BOWs.
Work had begun on a handgun, the Samurai Edge – Albert.W.Model-01, when Wesker took a couple of rockets to the face while floundering in a volcano (an event which, understandably, made him a little less productive). This particular weapon was later completed by Umbrella. A version of it was notably wielded by Ethan against Eveline in Resident Evil 7. The Thor’s Hammer Albert.W.Model 02 shotgun was also designed.
3 He Can Take Billy Cohen’s Place In Resident Evil: Zero
Prequel Resident Evil Zero details the very beginning of the Raccoon City outbreak. It stars Rebecca Chambers and fugitive Billy Cohen, who grudgingly worked together to try and piece together the terrifying mystery they found themselves in. The title is notable for its creative partner zapping system, which allowed the player to switch between control of the two characters at will.
However, it’s even more notable for its hilariously absurd Wesker Mode, added for the remastered version of the game. It certainly warrants an extra playthrough, seeing Wesker in Billy’s role without the use of silly mods. It’s available after completing the main story once, giving the villain a set of super fun abilities (as seen here) for the player to use against enemies.
2 He’s A Lot Of Fun To Play As In The Mercenaries
Speaking of optional modes, a lot of series fans might not really care for the optional modes. The meat of the package is the main campaign, after all. Still, The Mercenaries can be very engaging and strategic. Not to mention a heap of classic arcade shooting fun.
The mode first appeared in Resident Evil 4, tasking the player with stringing enemy kills together to earn high scores. The mode was later expanded to include other classic series characters and locations. Wesker has been a mainstay throughout, always defined by his powerful weapon loadout and devastating The Matrix-esque melee attacks. If you’ve never given him a whirl, you’re missing out.
1 His Voice Actor Has Made A Coronavirus Advisory Video
D.C. Douglas clearly revels in his role as Albert Wesker. It’s got to be a riot to bring one of gaming’s most notorious villains to life. You may have thought that Wesker was gone, after the whole volcano incident, but apparently not. He’s adapted to his new fiery life and he’s giving us snarky coronavirus advice.
In a rather silly, rather NSFW, two-minute video from Douglas’ YouTube channel, he voices Wesker (who’s still in the volcano), as he discusses lockdowns, face masks and everything in between. He is a “virus expert,” after all. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine also made an appearance in the odd little vignette.
NEXT: 5 Things We Want To See In A Resident Evil 4 Remake For PS5 (& 5 We Don’t)
