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“ | I live, now I will have my revenge on Umbrella, and the world will burn in an inferno of hate! | „ |
~ James Marcus to Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen. |
“ | Obedience breeds discipline. Discipline breeds unity. Unity breeds power. Power is life. | „ |
~ James Marcus adhering the motto of Umbrella. |
Dr. James Marcus is one of the overarching antagonists of the Resident Evil franchise.
He was one of the original founders of the Umbrella Corporation and creator of the original t-Virus, as well as the mentor of Albert Wesker and William Birkin. After being assassinated on orders from Oswell E. Spencer and betrayed by both of his students, a Queen Leech he had been experimenting on at the time latched onto his corpse and absorbed his memories and personality.
Effectively resurrected, Marcus set his sights on getting revenge on Umbrella by unleashing the t-Virus in the Arklay Mountains, fully willing to destroy the world in the process. His actions ultimately resulted in the destruction of Raccoon City and the eventual downfall of Umbrella.
He was voiced by Hiroshi Ito in the Japanese version and by Ian Downie in the English version.
Appearance[]
James Marcus take the appearance of an elderly man with white hair and average height along with a monocle and brown suit and orange necktie. In his youthful form, he has a longer hair and wears a white dress which was also used during his Queen Leech form.
History[]
Early Life[]
While his past life remains unknown, he was born at some time during 1918 and attended university until his graduation in 1939. James Marcus met Edward Ashford at school and proved to be an expert in the fields of biology and virology. After the two left school, they became research partners into the Progenitor virus and enlisted the aid of one of Ashford’s closest friends, Oswell E. Spencer who provided funding for them until they discovered the Progenitor virus in 1967. Marcus and Spencer wanted to create a biological weapon for military usage, while Ashford was simply interested in the research, no matter what the consequences were. To mask what they were really doing, the three formed the Umbrella Corporation and made massive profits, also gaining government authorization to continue their research. Their true motives were hidden under the mask of a pharmaceutical company that was dependable, benevolent, and respectable that soon became quite powerful and influential.
In 1968 Marcus became the General Manager and Director of Research and Development and was made the head of the Management Training Facility. While Ashford lent his assistance, Spencer handled the corporation’s finances, with Ashford dying later that year when he contracted the Progenitor virus.
Creation of the T-Virus[]
Marcus kept researching the virus and in the January of 1978, created the t-Virus through combining the DNA of a leech with the Progenitor virus. This would later lead to the creation of the G-virus and Umbrella’s B.O.W.s. This breakthrough earned Marcus great attention and prestige from those around him, though Spencer was beginning to grow wary of him. Marcus became quite close to two of his researchers, Albert Wesker and William Birkin, and began teaching them to become responsible scientists. He sought to use his discovery to become a member of Umbrella’s board of directors, but before Marcus could present them, Spencer closed down the training facility and transferred the t-Virus project to the Arklay Research Facility. Despite this, Marcus continued to work at the training facility and, during the 80’s, was all but confined there. He continued to experiment with the t-Virus and learned of its potential, also creating the first B.O.W.s. But Marcus’s isolation took a heavy toll on his mental state and he began using his own assistants for his experiments.
Death and Resurrection[]
“ | Ten years ago, Spencer had me assassinated and stole all of my research. However, something wondrous happened. The T-Virus fused with the leeches and brought me back from the darkness of death. | „ |
~ Marcus explaining his story. |
Finally Spencer’s paranoia grew too great and he commanded Wesker and Birkin to assassinate Marcus when he least expected it. On a Monday in 1988, two Umbrella Security Service soldiers stormed Marcus’s lab and shot him down. Wesker and Birkin taunted their former mentor as Marcus bled to death and as they left, his body was thrown into the facility’s sewage plant. But he did not remain dead, since at the time he had been attacked, Marcus had been experimenting with a live t-Virus leech that escaped from containment when gunfire broke it. It had entered his body through his mouth and bonded with him, allowing him to regenerate into something beyond human.
This creature would be known as the Queen Leech after consuming Marcus' hippocampus, it regained his memories. Believing himself to be Marcus reborn, the Queen Leech transforms itself with the physical body of Marcus in his early 20’s and learned to control and manipulate the leeches, thinking of them as his children.
Seeking Vengeance[]
Marcus, now being the Queen Leech swore vengeance on Spencer and all of Umbrella for taking away his humanity. He unleashed his t-Virus, first on the Arklay Research and Management Training Facilities, then on the Ecliptic Express, a company train. Every passenger was killed and transformed into zombies by the t-Virus. Marcus then got rid of the USS commandos to clean up the mess and sent a transmission to the area of the training facility where Wesker and Birkin were hiding from the zombies and threatened them that they would pay for their betrayal.
Final Demise[]
When Rebecca Chambers, a member of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team, and Billy Coen, an Ex-USMC Second Lieutenant, got caught in the chaos Marcus had unleashed, they encountered creatures that mimicked Marcus within the train and the training facility. Eventually Rebecca and Billy met up with Marcus, who revealed what was going on and why he was doing all this. Marcus then mutated into the Queen Leech and, although this creature proved immune to small-arms fire, the two weakened it with sunlight and Billy finished it off with one shot. Though Marcus did not realize it, he had set into motion the events that would lead to the Mansion Incident, the subsequent destruction of Raccoon City, as well as the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation and Spencer becoming one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, gaining Marcus his vengeance on Spencer and Umbrella after all.
Abilities[]
James Marcus possessed high levels of intellect, particularly in biology and virology and after his revival with the t-Virus, he can control the t-Virus leeches. As the Queen Leech, he can climb on walls, as well as lash with his tentacles and possess high levels of strength. In his second form, the Queen Leech can unleash more powerful brute force attacks and spit acid from his back. However while Queen Leech is resistant to weapons, it can not stand sunlight.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- James Marcus on the Resident Evil Wiki