- Note: This is only for the virus Alex Mercer's human host, or more precisely, the "real" Alex Mercer.
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“ | We didn't know what we were working on. I mean, I pieced it together, finally. But by then, I was hooked. It was beautiful. It kept changing. It was the single most complicated viral structure I had ever seen. All in all, I made good time. It only took me three years to make it more dangerous by a factor of ten. Morality wasn't my job. Modifying chimeric viruses was. I wasn't in field applications, I was in engineering. | „ |
~ Dr. Mercer to Gerald Morse on his work in Gentek |
Dr. Alexander J. Mercer, also known as Alex Mercer, is the overarching antagonist of the Prototype video game series.
He used to be the former head researcher of the Blacklight project at Gentek, who was responsible for the development of the Blacklight Virus as well as its outbreak in Manhattan.
After his demise, the virus that infected him had took over his deceased corpse and his identity, forming the eponymous Prototype and starting the whole event as a whole.
Personality[]
The original Alex Mercer was a cold and unsympathetic monster who ultimately unleashed the virus out of pure spite. His actions and demeanor are stemmed from his troubled past which turned him cold, paranoid, and sociopathic at worst, rarely takes human cost into account during his actions, being able to murder scores of humans without remorse or hesitation.
However, Alex is not without positive traits: According to his beloved sister Dana, he was originally positive and full of life, often played games with her, showing a close bond between the two. Nevertheless, as it was displayed in Alex's final moments, where he caused the outbreak even if he knew his sister was in the city, it became doubtful that how much of the bond between him and his sister had remained.
Even after his clinical death from exposure to Blacklight Virus which culminated to his fateful transformation into the eponymous virus monster, part of Alex's human self endures at genetic level. The Virus, upon gaining sentience, erroneously assumed it and Alex as one in the same.
After discovering the real Alex's crimes and personality, however, the virus himself was utterly disgusted by how much of psychopathy his host had displayed.
Biography[]
Born as Alexander J. Mercer, Alex experienced a brutal and harsh childhood spent in abject poverty; his first nine years were spent in foster care. At the age of 10, he was returned to his mother, who had been released on after nine years in prison, which Alex was not thrilled about, viewing the foster care to be a better life. He became a parental figure for his younger sister, Dana.
However, his intellect and aptitude in science provided him an opportunity to leave behind his dark troubled past. He trusted no one, had no friends, couldn't care less about what others thought of him, and found solace only in his work. By the time he was hired by Gentek, Alex was a borderline sociopath. He was aware of this, but did not care on the matter.
After earning a doctorate in genetics at Columbia University, Mercer was hired by Gentek and became the head of the Blacklight project at Gentek. Alex's team was tasked with engineering weaponized viruses from samples given to them by the government. The samples that were provided exhibited curious behavior, including mimicry and retention of genetic information from infected hosts. With Alex's help, the team soon engineered a particularly virulent and potent virus codenamed "Blacklight". Alex's skill in altering genes made him a valuable asset to Gentek; his work was years ahead of his nearest competitor.
Despite his successes, Alex Mercer was considered a potential liability by Blackwatch, an elite army created to combat exotic threats. Over time, Gentek became scrutinized by Congress and investigations were proposed. Fearing an information leak, Blackwatch decided to cover it all up. Alex, due to his paranoid nature, began to launch his own secret investigation on Gentek. With the assistance of his sister Dana, an investigative reporter, Alex realized that Gentek employees associated with the Blacklight project were being silenced by Blackwatch; usually with a bullet between the eyes in a dark alley.
When he learned that a general purge was about to be unleashed upon the Gentek scientists, Alex fled, fearing for his life. In the event he was caught, Alex had brought "Insurance"—he had smuggled a vial of the Blacklight virus out of quarantine and taken it with him. He also mailed a laptop with classified documents to Dana. But Blackwatch was too quick for him. While attempting to escape the city by train, Alex was cornered in Penn Station by Blackwatch agents. In a fit of frustration and rage, he threw the vial to the floor, smashing it and unleashing a biological apocalypse. He was promptly shot by Blackwatch operatives. The virus began to spread to everyone in the station.
As he fell, he collapsed onto the viral sample, becoming infected as he died. His body was taken back to Gentek in a body bag. Little did they know, as he was transported, the virus was reconstructing Mercer's body, cell by cell; his biomass feeding the virus as it replicated the still-living matter it had infected.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Dr. Mercer's jacket is available at game Crime Revolt.
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Villains | ||
PROTOTYPE
Blackwatch: Peter Randall | Robert Cross | Ian Taggart Gentek: Alexander J. Mercer | Raymond McMullen | Karen Parker Infected: Elizabeth Greene | Supreme Hunter | Pariah Comics: Zurich | Flint | Larry | Autumn PROTOTYPE 2 Blackwatch: Colonel Rooks | Lieutenant Riley Infected: Evolved | Archer’s Contact | Anton Koenig | Alex Mercer | Bio-Bomber | Dr. Gutierrez | Whipfist Evolved | Lindsay Benhurst | Karen Archer | Sabrina Galloway | Commander Gallagher | Roland |