Dr. William Birkin was a scientist of the Umbrella Corporation and creator of the "G-virus." He was gifted in science and displayed remarkable talent from his early teens, whereupon he was invited to the Umbrella Executive Training School as a trainee and taught by Dr. James Marcus. He was was chief scientist of the Arklay Laboratory, where he developed the most stable strain of the t-virus. Though a brilliant and capable scientist, he was prideful, vain and immature and aimed to give superior results to other scientists. His ultimate goal was to use the G-virus as an evolutionary tool to create and breed "G-Humans", an evolved superhuman species. He fell into conflict with Umbrella executives over the G-virus and was fatally wounded, but injected himself with the virus and transformed into "G", a new life form. 1 2 3 4
History
Executive Candidacy (1977)
Dr. Birkin displayed significant talent in science during his early teens, and his brilliance in the field of virology was recognized by the Umbrella Corporation. In 1977, he was invited as a trainee and executive candidate employee at the Umbrella Executive Training School in the Arklay Mountains. At the time, he was the youngest employee of the company and caught the eye of his teacher and the facility's director, Dr. James Marcus, who encouraged a rivalry between him and another trainee named Albert Wesker. He was also noticed by the assistant director, who gave him the nickname "Scholarly Will." 5
Arklay Laboratory (1978-1986)
In 1978, Dr. Birkin worked alongside Wesker under the orders of Umbrella CEO Oswell E. Spencer and stole the new "t" virus strain developed by his teacher, Dr. Marcus. Shortly thereafter on July 29, the executive training school was shut down by Spencer, who appointed Dr. Birkin and Wesker as chief scientists at the Arklay Laboratory in charge of his own "t-Virus Project." Upon arriving at the laboratory on July 31, Dr. Birkin's attention was fixed on research documents about the Ebola virus, but he had no intention of studying Ebola due to its many weaknesses. He was interested in Ebola because he intended to insert its genes into the t-virus he had stolen from his teacher, in order to strengthen its DNA transmutation attribute. After witnessing the test subject Lisa Trevor, he stood in awe and mumbled something. A sample of Ebola had been received by the laboratory, and Dr. Birkin combined it with the t-virus. 6
On July 27, 1981, it was announced that the ten year old Alexia Ashford of the aristocratic Ashford family had been assigned as chief scientist of the Umbrella Antarctic Laboratory. This inspired an intense jealousy in Dr. Birkin, who held a large amount of pride over previously being the company's youngest chief. He began to remain in the laboratory for days on end aimlessly repeating experiments, an attitude which led to an almost complete halt in t-virus research. In the meantime, Dr. Birkin devised the "Hunter" B.O.W. concept in light of Spencer's request for an independent weapon which could exterminate 100% of humans. On December 31, 1983, it was announced that Alexia Ashford had been killed as a result of accidental infection with her "t-Veronica virus." This news returned Dr. Birkin to normal, but he vehemently opposed Wesker's proposal to acquire a sample of t-Veronica.
In 1986, Dr. Birkin married a fellow Arklay Laboratory researcher named Annette Birkin and fathered a child, a girl named Sherry Birkin.
t-Virus Project - Third Stage (1988~1998)
In July 1988, Dr. Birkin and Wesker were ordered by Spencer to assassinate James Marcus. The two led several Umbrella soldiers into the executive training school and ordered them to open fire. As his teacher lay dying, Dr. Birkin gloated that he was going to take over his t-virus, and he promptly stole his research results. Then, Dr. Birkin played a breakthrough role in stabilizing the t-virus and formulated another B.O.W. concept, the "Tyrant Project." In order to develop a Tyrant, a human host would need to retain some level of intelligence, the decline of which was a primary side-effect of the t-virus. To conquer the problem, Dr. Birkin extracted a new variant which suppressed the virus' influence on the brain to a minimum if it completely adapted to the host's body.
However, there were extremely few humans with the genes to adapt to the Tyrant variant. In order for the research to progress, a different t-virus strain which would allow more humans to be developed as Tyrants was required. In order to create this new strain, a human who completely adapted to the new variant was essential to study. The research came to a deadlock. Around the same time, Dr. Birkin initially opposed Wesker's proposition to acquire the prototype of the NE-α Type ("Nemesis") B.O.W., a parasitic organism developed by the Umbrella Europe Sixth Laboratory. After administering the parasite to Lisa Trevor, Dr. Birkin discovered mutated genes in her body which contained a primitive new virus that had evolved from the Progenitor virus over 21 years. 7
Dr. Birkin extracted the new virus from Lisa Trevor and named it the "G-virus" (God Virus) upon noticing its potential. He drew up a development project and approached Umbrella Headquarters with the concept, gaining the project's approval particularly from Spencer. While advancing the G-Virus Project, he also continued development of the t-virus. With Dr. Marcus dead and Alexia Ashford presumed likewise, Dr. Birkin gained power and influence as the scientist responsible for creating and later successfully mass-producing the Hunter and Tyrant B.O.W.s. With this success, the Chicago branch and Umbrella USA gained significant influence within the corporate hierarchy and furthermore, his announcement regarding his next evolution in B.O.W. research, the "Creation of G-Creatures", enabled the Chicago branch to assume what essentially amounted to dictatorial control over the corporation, with Dr. Birkin at the heart of it.
In 1993, Dr. Birkin became director of the Umbrella chemical plant in Raccoon City, and was transferred to the underground laboratory constructed beneath the city. He became responsible for all of the research facilities in the city and from this point on also served as Umbrella's primary contact to Chief of Police Brian Irons and coordinated the systematic cover-up of the corporation's illegal activities within the city. He continued to make periodic visits to the Arklay Laboratory despite no longer having any association with it and continued development of the G-virus assisted by his wife, an obsession that led to the emotional neglect of his daughter. On the fourth Friday of odd months, Dr. Birkin began to pass through the city sewers to the Chicago Laboratory in order to attend meetings and conduct training seminars with the Chicago branch.
With the G-virus, Dr. Birkin intended to use it to become an executive of Umbrella. However, on top of everything, Dr. Birkin began to formulate a completely new goal independent of Umbrella. While studying the G-virus, he noticed its potential for evolution and devised a concept to create and breed an evolved superhuman race known as "G-Humans" through successful adaptation of the G-virus to the human body. He began to disagree with company executives over the direction of the G-virus and Umbrella was slowly losing control over him, leading them to begin plotting to assassinate him.
Biohazard (1998)
On May 11, 1998, the t-virus leaked throughout the Arklay Laboratory. The railway line for carrying-out primary research materials from the annexed mansion laboratory was heavily used by Dr. Birkin and his wife before the intervention of S.T.A.R.S., and they were able to escape with materials from the Arklay Laboratory by using the sewer system transport passage. They moved material from the Arklay Laboratory to the underground laboratory, unknowingly allowing many contaminants carrying trace amounts of the t-virus to flow into the sewer. 8
Dr. Birkin figured that he would eventually be held responsible for the t-virus leak in the Arklay Laboratory which had led to the exposure of sensitive research data. He expected that an elite team of agents would be sent into Raccoon City under the guise of hunting down S.T.A.R.S. with the true motive to kill him and steal the G-virus. In June, Dr. Birkin preempted this assault by increasing the levels of toxic waste generated from the underground laboratory to such amounts that it overwhelmed the waste incineration plant, creating a state of biohazard. 9 These biohazard conditions unleashed the t-virus, zombifying the employees and researchers working within. But the damage didn't end there as the virus slowly began spreading throughout the city. From this point onward, Dr. Birkin began acting on his own and ignored the directives of the Chicago branch. 10
In July 1998, Dr. Birkin and Wesker led the "Reclamation Project" aimed at investigating the abandoned Umbrella executive training school for potential re-opening as a replacement for the Arklay Laboratory. They commanded two investigation units deployed to the facility, but both units were wiped out by B.O.W.s infesting the facility, and the two soon became aware of the "revival" of James Marcus. In response to the t-virus leak, Wesker informed Dr. Birkin of his plans to leave the company while Dr. Birkin himself resolved to continue development of the G-virus to completion, and declined to follow Wesker. Before they parted ways permanently, Dr. Birkin supplied Wesker with an experimental variant of the Progenitor virus he had secretly developed for Spencer. 11 On Friday, July 24, Dr. Birkin was scheduled to attend a meeting with the Chicago branch and announce the combat data recorded in the Arklay Laboratory. 12
After the "Mansion Incident", the France branch of Umbrella succeeded in creating the advanced Nemesis-T Type. Disturbed by this European "threat", the Chicago branch placed enormous pressure on Dr. Birkin to complete the G-virus and began demanding progress reports, but this only resulted in increasing his displeasure with the corporation. He remained devoted to his research and feared the leak of information on the in-development G-virus, holding growing antipathy and doubt toward Umbrella. He became distrustful and even more estranged from the company, incurring even further displeasure from Umbrella as he selfishly continued development.
At the beginning of August, Dr. Birkin instructed Chief Irons to monitor S.T.A.R.S. In the middle of the month, he transferred a bribe of 10,000 dollars to the chief and ordered him not to allow any of the S.T.A.R.S. members near the chemical plant as the G-virus neared completion. 13
Death (September 23, 1998)
Having refused to follow Wesker and join the rival company of Umbrella, Dr. Birkin's displeasure with Umbrella reached a breaking point. He contacted United States military authorities and requested protection in exchange for providing the G-virus and its research data, planning to monopolize the virus for himself. The U.S. military jumped at the chance to gain such a brilliant mind and a creation that would allow them to cut their illicit ties with the Umbrella Corporation and begin developing their own superior biological weapons.
In mid-September, Umbrella Headquarters sent several spies into the city in order to ascertain the progress of the G-virus. 14 Upon obtaining confirmation that the virus was now complete, Oswell E. Spencer and the company's executives passed the order to capture or assassinate Dr. Birkin and seize the G-virus, or destroy it to prevent it from falling into the hands of the government. France branch executive Christine Henry issued the order to the U.S.S. (Umbrella Security Service), prompting the U.S. military to send a Special Forces team to safely extract Dr. Birkin. 15 Meanwhile, Albert Wesker, concluding that he owed Dr. Birkin for all of his help, formulated his own plan to rescue him and allow him to join the rival company of Umbrella with the G-virus as a "gift."
The U.S. Army Special Forces team sent to extract him was misled through misinformation spread by Umbrella spies in the government, causing them to take a lift to the wrong facility and end up at the waste incineration plant instead of the underground laboratory. 16 On top of that, the U.S.S. reached Dr. Birkin before Wesker's plan could be put into action, successfully infiltrated the laboratory, captured Annette and confronted Dr. Birkin. He resisted and was fatally shot while the U.S.S. stole a case containing samples of both the G-virus and t-virus. He realized he couldn't avoid death and injected himself with a sample of the G-virus he had on his person.
The virus failed to stabilize within Dr. Birkin's body and he was unable to become a G-Human, instead he was reduced to a monstrous new life form simply named "G", losing his sense of self as his body mutated. After mutating, he destroyed part of the laboratory, causing the t-virus to leak within, and also tracked down and killed almost all members of the U.S.S. in the laboratory and sewers, smashing vials of the t-virus. The t-virus suddenly began to leak into the city at an unprecedented rate. Driven by G's breeding instinct, he wandered the police station in search of his daughter Sherry and caused many more casualties such as Brian Irons and Ben Bertolucci. He repeatedly mutated upon being defeated by Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, eventually reaching a final form that vanished in the explosion of the laboratory.
Footnotes
- 1. biohazard archives (Page 152)
- 2. INSIDE OF BIOHAZARD THE DARKSIDE CHRONICLES (Page 023)
- 3. William Birkin Profile
- 4. William Birkin Notes
- 5. Assistant Director's Diary
- 6. Wesker's Report II
- 7. Observation Record
- 8. BIOHAZARD 2 Official Guide Book (Page 189)
- 9. Plant Manager's Diary
- 10. Yasuhisa Kawamura Interview (Project Umbrella)
- 11. Virus Memo
- 12. FAX to the Sewer Manager
- 13. Mail to the Chief (Copy)
- 14. Patrol Report
- 15. Written Orders
- 16. BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE Official Guidebook - Complete Conquest of Nemesis (CHAPTER.7 / EXTRA FILES / FILE III Development Staff Q&A)