The Tyrant-Howard Virus (tentative) was an advanced strain of the t-Virus created by former Umbrella researcher Ryan Howard in an effort to revive his son. Due to manipulation from Mary Gray, its purpose shifted towards bioweapons development. Very little (essentially nothing) is outright said regarding the actual effects of t-Howard, but certain observations and theories can be made.
History
Ryan Howard was an expert on molecular biology, and was internationally known for his research into fossil regeneration (exactly what that means I do not know. It could simply mean fossil restoration). After his research was frozen, Ryan was contacted by the Umbrella Corporation to become a t-Virus researcher. Ryan, to provide financially for his son, Tyler Howard, accepted the job and performed questionable research for the company. Ryan was entrusted with overseeing the medical treatment of Mary Gray using the virus.
|
In the aftermath of a Minnesota outbreak in 2005, Tyler joined an anti-bioterrorism organization under the US government, which required him to fake his death. Ryan, believing his son to be dead, decided to create a new strain of T capable of resurrecting Tyler. To help cope with the loss, Ryan adopted Mary Gray, who had bonded with the t-Virus and gained an IQ of 230.
|
|
After the fall of Red Umbrella, Ryan approached Ezra Sennett for work. Ezra was the founder and rector of Philosophy University in western Australia, an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge at all costs. Ryan told Ezra he could create a virus which enhances intelligence, and used Mary as proof. Ezra gave him a position at the university and the resources needed to create this virus.
In truth, Ryan used Ezra to create his own virus, t-Howard, which was supposed to revive Tyler. Philosophy University had an in-school fossil museum Ryan wanted access to, and he was made its director. In particular, Ryan was placed in charge of a research project involving the Irish Giant, a fossil kept in the museum. The Giant was recovered over a century prior in a mine in Northern Ireland, and appeared to be a massive human.
In truth, Ryan used Ezra to create his own virus, t-Howard, which was supposed to revive Tyler. Philosophy University had an in-school fossil museum Ryan wanted access to, and he was made its director. In particular, Ryan was placed in charge of a research project involving the Irish Giant, a fossil kept in the museum. The Giant was recovered over a century prior in a mine in Northern Ireland, and appeared to be a massive human.
(The picture above is of a supposed human fossil uncovered in 1895 in Ireland. The fossil was 12 feet tall. It is widely considered to be a hoax.)
Using a laboratory constructed in the museum, Ryan created t-Howard by incorporating genes taken from the Irish Giant into the t-Virus, while also using virus development data recovered from Umbrella.
Ryan attempted to recover Tyler's body, which was obviously impossible. Instead, he only managed to recover a DNA sample from Tyler's personal belongings. It proved impossible to revive or replicate his son with what he had. Ryan became despondent, and his obsession with bringing back Tyler changed into a hatred of the world which took him away. Mary, who had become insane and wanted to "reset" humanity, convinced Ryan to use t-Howard to destroy the world. The idea of wanting to create a t-Virus strain to revive a deceased loved one, then shifting to bioweapons mid-development, is exactly the same as the ambitions of Glenn Arias.
Ryan attempted to recover Tyler's body, which was obviously impossible. Instead, he only managed to recover a DNA sample from Tyler's personal belongings. It proved impossible to revive or replicate his son with what he had. Ryan became despondent, and his obsession with bringing back Tyler changed into a hatred of the world which took him away. Mary, who had become insane and wanted to "reset" humanity, convinced Ryan to use t-Howard to destroy the world. The idea of wanting to create a t-Virus strain to revive a deceased loved one, then shifting to bioweapons mid-development, is exactly the same as the ambitions of Glenn Arias.
Ryan began abducting students for use as test subjects, and created B.O.W.s with his virus. A strain of t-Howard eventually leaked and created an outbreak that destroyed Philosophy University. Whether or not this outbreak was an accidental leak or not is unknown, but it could have been a field test. Ryan's plans were uncovered, and he was shot dead by his own son, Tyler. Mary was destroyed by Chris Redfield. A sample of t-Howard in an attaché case was recovered by Ezra Sennett, and its fate after that is unknown.
Effects
t-Howard managed to bypass the mass-produced t-Virus vaccine, but beyond that it appears, at first glance, to be identical to the t-Virus. If Ryan wanted to destroy humanity, it would have to have had enhanced infectious potential. Based on subtle clues and dialogue, it appears multiple strains of t-Howard may exist, or possibly just advanced versions of the same B.O.W.s:
Zombie Type 1 - These "Howard Zombies" overran the school. They appeared to be identical to regular t-Zombies, and were just as dumb and clumsy. This makes them inferior to other evolved Zombie types, like C-Zombies or A-Zombies. The incubation period could last for several hours, as seen with Posh Brown, but transformation typically occurred seconds after infection, as seen with the student Ronnie, and with Police Detective Barrington Meyer. By this it appears the speed of t-Howard is at least equal to Perfected T.
Due to rapid transformation, hosts of t-Howard did not experience the coma symptom of some strains of T, becoming Zombies without ever passing out. It's possible the hosts who were suddenly driven to attack others were only in the "itchy, tasty" stage of infection, and were not yet full Zombies (like the "living" A-Zombies, Afflicted, or the Keeper from RE1).
Due to rapid transformation, hosts of t-Howard did not experience the coma symptom of some strains of T, becoming Zombies without ever passing out. It's possible the hosts who were suddenly driven to attack others were only in the "itchy, tasty" stage of infection, and were not yet full Zombies (like the "living" A-Zombies, Afflicted, or the Keeper from RE1).
|
Zombie Type 2 - These Zombies were stored in Ryan Howard's museum laboratory. When Sophy Home described them to Rebecca Chambers, she confirmed they were a more advanced type. They were much faster than typical Zombies, and appeared to also be stronger. When Lucas Butler was bitten by one, he transformed in seconds, like the weaker type. One of the Zombies stored in the lab used to be Olivia Price, who was abducted and used as a test subject after the outbreak already began. This could mean the outbreak was indeed orchestrated to gather combat and infection data, and that the virus was further refined as a result. As an alternative explanation, instead of the actual strain of the virus being different in these Zombies, they could have simply been artificially improved themselves, like the RE2 Improved Zombie.
|
|
Mutant Ryan - Ryan Howard injected himself with t-Howard and began to mutate. His muscles expanded and ripped his skin and clothes. He was killed mid-transformation. This reaction is peculiar, as all hosts prior to this became Zombies. It could be his strain was further refined and advanced. It could also be that t-Howard functions in a manner similar to G, Uroboros, and Kodoku, with live hosts becoming mutants and dead hosts becoming Zombies. It could also have been due to dosage, as he took in an entire syringe into his neck.
Tyrant - Ryan injected a T-103 mass production type Tyrant with t-Howard, presumably leading to biological enhancements. It was identical in appearance to a regular Tyrant, and the exact nature of its enhancements is totally unknown. However, it was shown to be capable of running while equipped with a power limiter, something not typically seen in Umbrella's T-103 line. Piers Nivans managed to instantly kill it by destroying its brains with his anti-material rifle.
Theories
It is not clear why or how the genes from the Irish Giant affected the virus. I have a few theories:
1. If Ryan incorporated these genes while still attempting to revive Tyler, it could have to do with his research into "fossil regeneration". Perhaps the Irish Giant contained something that could enhance the regenerative capacity of T. Here's a quote that seems to support this:
It is not clear why or how the genes from the Irish Giant affected the virus. I have a few theories:
1. If Ryan incorporated these genes while still attempting to revive Tyler, it could have to do with his research into "fossil regeneration". Perhaps the Irish Giant contained something that could enhance the regenerative capacity of T. Here's a quote that seems to support this:
"[...] I promised to myself to bring back my son alive since I was researching the resuscitation by picking up the DNA from the fossil".
That's strangely worded perhaps due to the translation quality.
2. If he incorporated the genes after the focus of development shifted to bioweapons development, it could be he hoped to transfer traits seen in the Irish Giant into modern hosts. The fact Ryan himself experienced a growth in muscle mass after infection could support this.
3. Ancient hosts could adapt more easily to the Progenitor Virus. Perhaps Ryan hoped to weaken the necrosis of T by using genes from an ancient host.
A very common symptom of the virus is a drastic increase in size. It could be that the Irish Giant was actually a Progenitor Human or mutant. Wesker could regenerate from a tissue fragment, so perhaps Ryan tried to harness the raw regenerative potential of some adapters to recreate his son from a mere DNA sample.
2. If he incorporated the genes after the focus of development shifted to bioweapons development, it could be he hoped to transfer traits seen in the Irish Giant into modern hosts. The fact Ryan himself experienced a growth in muscle mass after infection could support this.
3. Ancient hosts could adapt more easily to the Progenitor Virus. Perhaps Ryan hoped to weaken the necrosis of T by using genes from an ancient host.
A very common symptom of the virus is a drastic increase in size. It could be that the Irish Giant was actually a Progenitor Human or mutant. Wesker could regenerate from a tissue fragment, so perhaps Ryan tried to harness the raw regenerative potential of some adapters to recreate his son from a mere DNA sample.