Claire Wyden

Claire Wyden is the main antagonist of the 2018 science fiction film Rampage.

She was portrayed by Malin Akerman.

Role
Doctor Wyden was the head of Energyne, a corporation specializing in genetic editing. At some point, Dr. Kate Caldwell was met with a job opportunity to aid Wyden in what she terms Project: Rampage which she accepts as she was trying to save her brother who was terminally ill. However, just as Kate was nearly reaching the end of her research, Claire sets her up to be arrested, leading to the death of her brother.

At the beginning of the film, a woman attempts to avoid a rat that had been mutated by the pathogen, becoming aggressive and bloodthirsty. However, only three of the canisters containing the pathogen are released onto the Earth after the woman's escape pod explodes. One of the canisters lands into the gorilla habitat, which leads to George, a rare albino gorilla, accidentally becoming infected by the pathogen, which causes him to grow rapidly as well as to become extremely vicious and dangerous. The remaining two canisters infect two other animals - a crocodile and a wolf - causing them to become gargantuan hybrids.

Davis, a primatologist, the leader of an anti-poaching unit, is contacted by Kate who tells him that she could find a way to cure George. However, they are both captured by a government team lead by Agent Russell. When Claire is informed about Kate, in fear of her schemes being ruined, she devices a plan where the giant animals are lured to the city by a massive transmitter that generates certain sound frequencies so that they could be dissected, so Kate would die on the plan George is on.

However, this could end up leveling the city, killing dozens of citizens in the process, but Claire expresses no concern over this. George awakens from his sedative-induced sleep and causes the plane to crash to the ground. However due to his quick thinking, Davis saves himself, Kate, and Russell from getting killed, and George himself also survives, having sustained a few minor wounds.

Kate informs Davis of an antidote for the pathogen which while it wouldn't revert the animals back to their default sizes, it would neutralize their aggression. As they were trying to find the antidote in Energyne, they are confronted by Claire and her brother, Brett. Claire forces the two to give them the antidote, shooting Davis into submission. However, Kate manages to slip the cure into Claire's handbag, and pushes her towards the direction of George. To her horror, George picks her up and drops her into his mouth before destroying the transmitter. Claire's brother attempts to flee only to be immediately killed by the falling debris, but not before he encounters Agent Russell, whom he urges him to hand over a laptop as evidence incriminating Claire.