From the notes of Alex Wesker
The Tyrant-Phobos Virus was developed by a research team under Alex Wesker on Sein Island for the purpose of singling out mentally strong individuals and creating super humans.
Background

Alex Wesker was a genius researcher at the Umbrella Corporation who worked directly under its elusive founder, president, and CEO Oswell E. Spencer. She was also one of the Wesker Children - individuals with superior genes who were indoctrinated by Spencer and chosen to populate the new world utopia that would be established by Umbrella. The "children" were all injected with an experimental new t-Virus strain ("t-Wesker") in order to weed out the genetically unworthy. The only subjects to survive were Alex and another subject, Albert Wesker.
Many Viruses based on Progenitor have the capacity to create "evolved humans". These mutants would possess heightened senses, strength, speed, intellect, and most importantly, immortality. The key to harnessing this mutation once it has surfaced in specialized strains is to slow the spread of the virus and the speed with which it rewrites cells (preventing out-of-control mutation and cellular collapse) and to eliminate toxicity in the virus itself. For example, t-Veronica could create super humans by slowing infection spread speed for 15 years, and G was supposed to do the same via the intervention of the DEVIL vaccine. t-Wesker was slowed by unique antibodies naturally created in some host bodies. The process of achieving this state is called "adaption".
Alex was infected with t-Wesker in the year 1998. Her unique genes allowed her to survive but she fell short of full adaption, did not achieve powers and developed a terminal illness. In essence, the virus was killing her slowly rather than quickly (although it is possible her illness was contracted prior to her infection with t-Wesker, with her failure to adapt being due to the illness weakening her body).
Many Viruses based on Progenitor have the capacity to create "evolved humans". These mutants would possess heightened senses, strength, speed, intellect, and most importantly, immortality. The key to harnessing this mutation once it has surfaced in specialized strains is to slow the spread of the virus and the speed with which it rewrites cells (preventing out-of-control mutation and cellular collapse) and to eliminate toxicity in the virus itself. For example, t-Veronica could create super humans by slowing infection spread speed for 15 years, and G was supposed to do the same via the intervention of the DEVIL vaccine. t-Wesker was slowed by unique antibodies naturally created in some host bodies. The process of achieving this state is called "adaption".
Alex was infected with t-Wesker in the year 1998. Her unique genes allowed her to survive but she fell short of full adaption, did not achieve powers and developed a terminal illness. In essence, the virus was killing her slowly rather than quickly (although it is possible her illness was contracted prior to her infection with t-Wesker, with her failure to adapt being due to the illness weakening her body).
After the fall of Raccoon City, Spencer entrusted Alex with the task of creating a virus that would prolong his life. Being terminally ill, Alex was invested in the development of such a virus as well. Spencer gave Alex a research base on Sonido de Tortuga Island for this purpose.
Her search for an immortality virus made Alex come to the realization that the creation of a virus allowing adaption in weak hosts was beyond her abilities. As such, she sought alternative means to escape death. She lied to Spencer and told him she was reaching positive results and used the resources he provided to develop what would become the Kodoku Virus instead.
Her search for an immortality virus made Alex come to the realization that the creation of a virus allowing adaption in weak hosts was beyond her abilities. As such, she sought alternative means to escape death. She lied to Spencer and told him she was reaching positive results and used the resources he provided to develop what would become the Kodoku Virus instead.

Alex was obsessed with the works of Franz Kafka. Her fear of her looming death gave her an insightful perspective on his works (t-Wesker is only triggered when the host dies, meaning Alex may have "died" before. This experience may have traumatized her). She felt a sort of kinship with Kafka, in particular with his experience with fear. Unlike the pragmatic Albert, who saw superiority in genetics, she saw it in character and will, manifested in overcoming fear. Her ideology was that fear governs life, and that mastery of fear was mastery over life.
A viral researcher discovered a new mutation in a strain of the t-Virus. The infection process of this strain was affected by noradrenaline, which was released in the human body in response to intense fear. Other researchers dismissed the usefulness of this strain, but when Alex read the report on it she took interest. Alex believed that the effects of the virus could potentially be slowed using the mental trigger established in this strain. While Kafka became figuratively immortal when fear motivated his works, Alex thought she could use fear to adapt to the virus and become literally immortal.
A viral researcher discovered a new mutation in a strain of the t-Virus. The infection process of this strain was affected by noradrenaline, which was released in the human body in response to intense fear. Other researchers dismissed the usefulness of this strain, but when Alex read the report on it she took interest. Alex believed that the effects of the virus could potentially be slowed using the mental trigger established in this strain. While Kafka became figuratively immortal when fear motivated his works, Alex thought she could use fear to adapt to the virus and become literally immortal.
This mutant strain of t-Virus became the foundation for the t-Phobos Virus (Phobos meaning fear), and Alex made the one who discovered it a research leader in its development. Alex’s fear experiments using a specialized virus in Resident Evil Resistance may have involved a prototype for t-Phobos, meaning development may have begun at least as early as 1998. If this is the case, then Spencer also took an interest in t-Phobos (as he was involved with the experiments in Resistance), probably as a potential immortality virus. Despite this, Alex had no interest in sharing her discoveries with Spencer, who she had begun to resent. In 2006 she left Sonido de Tortuga under the care of Dirk Miller and left for the isolated Sein Island on the Baltic Sea to create t-Phobos. Dirk Miller used the facilities on Sonido de Tortuga to instead create the Kodoku Virus.
On Sein Island, Alex manipulated the locals. The people were destitute after the closing of the local mines, but Alex brought with her jobs for the people. They built research facilities for her on the island, thinking them to be for drug development. This included a tower and a lab located deep within the island's abandoned mines. Alex would kidnap and use locals as test subjects, taking advantage of their newfound devotion to her to avoid suspicion.
After the death of Albert Wesker in Africa, Alex had a sample of his Uroboros Virus brought to Sein Island as well. This virus did not figure into t-Phobos research but was of interest to Alex due to her admiration of Albert.
Once t-Phobos was completed, Alex infected herself to validate her own ideals and self-worth. Even if she adapted, it would not be enough to stop her disease from slowly killing her. Alex settled on finding a healthy host who could adapt to the virus, then using experimental technology inherited from Spencer to transfer a copy of her mind to that host. This host needed to be mentally strong to survive the strain caused by the mental transfer procedure ("reincarnation ceremony"), so t-Phobos also served as a convenient way to select the most ideal candidate. As no one on Sein Island was an ideal vessel Alex plotted to bring in a group of test subjects from outside of the island who had experience with extremely stressful situations. In preparation for this final test, she leaked t-Phobos into the water supply of Sein Island and released many monsters created during t-Phobos research, turning the island into a living nightmare to serve as a proving ground for the test subjects.
On Sein Island, Alex manipulated the locals. The people were destitute after the closing of the local mines, but Alex brought with her jobs for the people. They built research facilities for her on the island, thinking them to be for drug development. This included a tower and a lab located deep within the island's abandoned mines. Alex would kidnap and use locals as test subjects, taking advantage of their newfound devotion to her to avoid suspicion.
After the death of Albert Wesker in Africa, Alex had a sample of his Uroboros Virus brought to Sein Island as well. This virus did not figure into t-Phobos research but was of interest to Alex due to her admiration of Albert.
Once t-Phobos was completed, Alex infected herself to validate her own ideals and self-worth. Even if she adapted, it would not be enough to stop her disease from slowly killing her. Alex settled on finding a healthy host who could adapt to the virus, then using experimental technology inherited from Spencer to transfer a copy of her mind to that host. This host needed to be mentally strong to survive the strain caused by the mental transfer procedure ("reincarnation ceremony"), so t-Phobos also served as a convenient way to select the most ideal candidate. As no one on Sein Island was an ideal vessel Alex plotted to bring in a group of test subjects from outside of the island who had experience with extremely stressful situations. In preparation for this final test, she leaked t-Phobos into the water supply of Sein Island and released many monsters created during t-Phobos research, turning the island into a living nightmare to serve as a proving ground for the test subjects.
Neil Fisher, a member of the NGO TerraSave, offered to help Alex kidnap some of his colleagues for use as final test subjects in exchange for a sample of the Uroboros Virus. TerraSave members often went into combat zones where B.O.W.s were deployed and so they had to have some resistance to fear. In 2011 a group of TerraSave members were abducted during a party, injected with t-Phobos, and then let loose on Sein Island. Among the members in this group were Claire Redfield, Moira Burton, and Natalia Korda.
Natalia was able to fully adapt to the virus due to her mastery over fear and was chosen as Alex's "vessel". Alex successfully transferred a copy of her mind into Natalia, then committed suicide. However, right before killing herself she experienced fear and revived as a deformed monster because of t-Phobos. Six months later, Monster Alex was killed by the combined efforts of Barry Burton and Claire. Sein Island was cleared out by the BSAA and the only known surviving samples of t-Phobos existed only in the bodies of Claire, Moira, and Natalia.
While Alex's implanted consciousness was initially repressed by Natalia, news of a bioterror attack on the city of Tall Oaks caused the mind of Alex to resurface in the girl. "Alex" lived on.
Natalia was able to fully adapt to the virus due to her mastery over fear and was chosen as Alex's "vessel". Alex successfully transferred a copy of her mind into Natalia, then committed suicide. However, right before killing herself she experienced fear and revived as a deformed monster because of t-Phobos. Six months later, Monster Alex was killed by the combined efforts of Barry Burton and Claire. Sein Island was cleared out by the BSAA and the only known surviving samples of t-Phobos existed only in the bodies of Claire, Moira, and Natalia.
While Alex's implanted consciousness was initially repressed by Natalia, news of a bioterror attack on the city of Tall Oaks caused the mind of Alex to resurface in the girl. "Alex" lived on.
Effects
The neural transmitter noradrenaline, also called norepinephrine
t-Phobos was a mutant variant strain of the t-Virus that was highly refined over a long period of time. It is unknown if any outside agents or genes were ever introduced to the virus during its development. Its abilities were mostly present within the t-Virus itself. These abilities were merely made more or less prominent in t-Phobos. The main difference with Phobos was that it was much less lethal and that its virulency was decreased to such an extent that it could forever remain dormant inside of a human host. This dormancy changed depending on whether or not a specific trigger was introduced to start widespread infection and rewriting of host cells. This is similar to the A-Virus.
t-Phobos became active when coming into contact with certain chemicals released by the adrenal glands in human hosts. The chemicals t-Phobos responded to were specifically those responsible for extreme human fear and stress. These chemicals included adrenaline, noradrenaline, and possibly cortisol. A connection between this and Beta Hetero Nonserotonin (a chemical used in the creation of the Hypnos-T Type) is possible, but unlikely. It is not known if these chemicals triggered the infection process in general or just the process of extreme mutation; regardless, t-Phobos hosts would only begin to display symptoms of infection once the virus was triggered. Only extreme psychological stress could trigger the virus - mild fear had no effect on it. A host to t-Phobos would only begin to mutate once they entered a state of panic. This state was called "pathogenesis". Special sensor bracelets were used on later t-Phobos trials in order to display the emotional state of test subjects.
These chemicals not only triggered the virus, but their continued exposure could cause the virus to rewrite cells at faster and faster speeds, resulting in excessive mutation and a breakdown of the host's genetic structure. If a male human host to t-Phobos experienced unregulated intense fear, they would mutate into a type of creature generally called an "Afflicted". Female human hosts instead died in a state of agony following the unregulated activation of the virus (as seen in Gina Foley or Moira Burton in the events leading up to the "Bad Ending"). The intense mutations seemed to cause a great deal of physical stress to the host (the transformation process was incredibly painful as well) and for whatever reason female hosts were unable to survive this stress. It is possible that t-Phobos targeted some aspect of female anatomy in a lethal way. This meant that every woman who failed to adapt to the virus died in extreme agony, with no female Afflicted being known to exist (aside from one special case).
If the host never experienced extreme fear at all then the virus would remain dormant forever. although mutation in the virus changing that is possible. This was the case in at least one individual - Claire Redfield, whose past experiences with Bio Organic Weapons had numbed her to the effects of extreme fear, rendering the virus indefinitely inert in her body. It may be possible that the dormant virus could randomly mutate over time and activate on its own, however.
A symptom unique to t-Phobos that seemed to be universal in hosts that experienced irregular mutation was mania and euphoria. After succumbing to their own fear and activating the virus, the hosts would ironically lose their sense of fear and become overwhelmed with ecstasy.
Due to improvements made to the virus, less than 2% of t-Phobos test subjects were capable of mounting an effective immune response to the virus. The chances of a human gaining immunity to t-Phobos were very slim, which increased the virus' efficiency. t-Phobos seemed to also have a lessened effect on the environment - even after contaminating the water supply of Sein Island, there were still many wild animals and plants unaffected by the virus. This is likely in large part due to Alex having the virus' virulency lessened and to the reliance of t-Phobos on pituitary-derived chemicals.
t-Phobos became active when coming into contact with certain chemicals released by the adrenal glands in human hosts. The chemicals t-Phobos responded to were specifically those responsible for extreme human fear and stress. These chemicals included adrenaline, noradrenaline, and possibly cortisol. A connection between this and Beta Hetero Nonserotonin (a chemical used in the creation of the Hypnos-T Type) is possible, but unlikely. It is not known if these chemicals triggered the infection process in general or just the process of extreme mutation; regardless, t-Phobos hosts would only begin to display symptoms of infection once the virus was triggered. Only extreme psychological stress could trigger the virus - mild fear had no effect on it. A host to t-Phobos would only begin to mutate once they entered a state of panic. This state was called "pathogenesis". Special sensor bracelets were used on later t-Phobos trials in order to display the emotional state of test subjects.
These chemicals not only triggered the virus, but their continued exposure could cause the virus to rewrite cells at faster and faster speeds, resulting in excessive mutation and a breakdown of the host's genetic structure. If a male human host to t-Phobos experienced unregulated intense fear, they would mutate into a type of creature generally called an "Afflicted". Female human hosts instead died in a state of agony following the unregulated activation of the virus (as seen in Gina Foley or Moira Burton in the events leading up to the "Bad Ending"). The intense mutations seemed to cause a great deal of physical stress to the host (the transformation process was incredibly painful as well) and for whatever reason female hosts were unable to survive this stress. It is possible that t-Phobos targeted some aspect of female anatomy in a lethal way. This meant that every woman who failed to adapt to the virus died in extreme agony, with no female Afflicted being known to exist (aside from one special case).
If the host never experienced extreme fear at all then the virus would remain dormant forever. although mutation in the virus changing that is possible. This was the case in at least one individual - Claire Redfield, whose past experiences with Bio Organic Weapons had numbed her to the effects of extreme fear, rendering the virus indefinitely inert in her body. It may be possible that the dormant virus could randomly mutate over time and activate on its own, however.
A symptom unique to t-Phobos that seemed to be universal in hosts that experienced irregular mutation was mania and euphoria. After succumbing to their own fear and activating the virus, the hosts would ironically lose their sense of fear and become overwhelmed with ecstasy.
Due to improvements made to the virus, less than 2% of t-Phobos test subjects were capable of mounting an effective immune response to the virus. The chances of a human gaining immunity to t-Phobos were very slim, which increased the virus' efficiency. t-Phobos seemed to also have a lessened effect on the environment - even after contaminating the water supply of Sein Island, there were still many wild animals and plants unaffected by the virus. This is likely in large part due to Alex having the virus' virulency lessened and to the reliance of t-Phobos on pituitary-derived chemicals.
Adaption
The two main bottlenecks of Progenitor Virus adaption - the lethality of the virus and the speed and intensity of mutations - were solved in t-Phobos. The lethality of the virus, including the extensive metabolic demands of the t-Virus and the necrosis symptom, was lessened in t-Phobos. The severe mutations could be regulated using the trigger for the virus - the chemicals responsible for the sensation of fear. A host to t-Phobos that was able to "conquer" fear would be able to reach the pathogenesis stage of infection without becoming a monster. These hosts would become superhumans comparable to those created by other strains of the Progenitor Virus. This was the true purpose behind t-Phobos development - to find and evolve a person with extraordinary mental strength.
If a person infected with t-Phobos experienced intense fear pathogenesis would begin; but if said host was able to quickly calm themselves the relevant chemicals would stop being secreted. In this way t-Phobos would be given just enough chemical exposure to trigger but not enough to act rapidly in the body. This slowed infection would allow the host to gradually adapt.
If a person infected with t-Phobos experienced intense fear pathogenesis would begin; but if said host was able to quickly calm themselves the relevant chemicals would stop being secreted. In this way t-Phobos would be given just enough chemical exposure to trigger but not enough to act rapidly in the body. This slowed infection would allow the host to gradually adapt.
This kind of adaption was seen in Moira Burton. Moira had a deep-seated fear of guns due to a traumatic incident in her childhood. When Claire Redfield was under attack by the mutated form of Neil Fisher, Moira forced herself to use a gun to save Claire. This experience was enough to trigger the virus. But Moria naturally had a high degree mental strength allowing her to remain calm even in life-threatening situations and was accustomed to hiding emotions that she perceived as weaknesses. In her resolve to save her friend Moira was able to calm herself and overcome her phobia. This allowed her to adapt to the virus. When she was later trapped underneath debris Moira was able to survive being crushed in addition to a large explosion presumably due to the virus enhancing her regenerative potential. She was still left in a weakened state however and needed to be rescued by Evgeny Rebic. Moira also seemed to lack other superhuman traits associated with Progenitor Virus adaption, and so her overall state seemed to be imperfect.
|
Ten-year-old Natalia Korda was able to completely adapt to t-Phobos, making her the ideal candidate for Alex's mind-transfer procedure. Natalia was present during the Terragrigia Panic (a city-sized outbreak of the t-Abyss Virus) when she was only three years old. Natalia witnessed the deaths of her parents and later the destruction of the city when she was rescued by TerraSave. She spent the next seven years of her life living in a TerraSave facility, which is what led to her forced involvement in the t-Phobos trials.
Natalia's experiences drastically altered her emotional development - she was in a peculiar state of "paralyzed fear". This did not seem to largely impact her behavior in a noticeable way aside from her becoming introverted and lacking "emotional ups and downs". In addition to not being capable of feeling fear Natalia also developed extremely strong willpower. As Natalia was unable to feel fear, it is not known exactly how the virus would trigger in her body in the first place. It may be that in someone who is unable to feel fear, the virus instead reacts with other chemicals released during stressful situations which are capable of triggering the virus. Natalia did not change in appearance or gain any kind of noticeable powers following the activation of her virus. She developed the ability to sense things no one else could, but this is implied to be a side effect of the mind transfer procedure performed on her by Alex. |
In the noncanonical "Bad Ending" of Revelations 2, Natalia was strangled to death by the mutated form of Alex Wesker. After only several seconds of being dead Natalia came back to life as a superhuman. By this it is believed that a full adapter to t-Phobos will not develop powers until after death. It is almost certain then V-ACT is a factor in this.
V-ACT is a natural effect seen in Progenitor Virus infection where excessive host damage causes new, more dramatic mutations. While it was a known phenomenon before 1998, it was actually named when the Crimson Head Prototype 1 was discovered. t-Wesker, like t-Phobos, required that an adaptive host die prior to the virus transforming them into a superhuman. It is theorized that t-Wesker is based on the same strain of the virus taken from the body of the Crimson Head Prototype 1. As Alex was the head of the Wesker Project and was infected with t-Wesker itself, it stands to reason that she may have actually included elements of t-Wesker in t-Phobos (or even that t-Phobos was directly based on t-Wesker), leading to the same V-ACT requirements. If this is the case, it is unknown if t-Phobos adapters also inherited the same imperfections and instabilities that a t-Wesker adapter would.
V-ACT is a natural effect seen in Progenitor Virus infection where excessive host damage causes new, more dramatic mutations. While it was a known phenomenon before 1998, it was actually named when the Crimson Head Prototype 1 was discovered. t-Wesker, like t-Phobos, required that an adaptive host die prior to the virus transforming them into a superhuman. It is theorized that t-Wesker is based on the same strain of the virus taken from the body of the Crimson Head Prototype 1. As Alex was the head of the Wesker Project and was infected with t-Wesker itself, it stands to reason that she may have actually included elements of t-Wesker in t-Phobos (or even that t-Phobos was directly based on t-Wesker), leading to the same V-ACT requirements. If this is the case, it is unknown if t-Phobos adapters also inherited the same imperfections and instabilities that a t-Wesker adapter would.

"Phobos Humans" like Natalia in the Bad Ending would have enhanced strength and regenerative abilities. Natalia was able to rip out the "heart" of the mutated form of Alex with her bare hand with almost no effort, despite her only being a child. Like adapters to t-Wesker, Uroboros, and Progenitor itself, Phobos Humans retained their human form aside from a distinguishable eye mutation of the eye. Phobos eyes had red or yellow irises that glowed red when the Phobos Human felt extreme emotion, although they lacked the slit pupils normally associated with viral adaption.
As Alex was trying to find a way to escape death, it is likely that Phobos Humans would also be biologically immortal. t-Wesker Humans like Albert still aged, so it is unknown if Alex actually managed to forever avoid this outcome with her virus.
As Alex was trying to find a way to escape death, it is likely that Phobos Humans would also be biologically immortal. t-Wesker Humans like Albert still aged, so it is unknown if Alex actually managed to forever avoid this outcome with her virus.
Afflicted
Alex imprisoned many of the locals on Sien Island in secret for the purpose of experimentation. These experiments were done in order to advance development of both t-Phobos and the mind transfer procedure. Many test subjects were infected with t-Phobos and then tortured until their stress levels were high enough to trigger the virus. While many of these subjects died, the virus was refined in the process to a point where its lethality was extremely low. The test subjects that survived the experiments became feral monsters. Due to the signs of obvious torture on their bodies they became known as "Afflicted". Many Afflicted were eventually released from captivity, and the remaining villagers who were not killed by the Afflicted were transformed into monsters themselves as Alex tainted the water supply of the island with t-Phobos.
While the Afflicted failed to adapt to the virus, the lessened lethality of t-Phobos allowed them to resist the necrosis symptom usually synonymous with t-Virus strains. t-Phobos also solved the issue of hosts having a heightened metabolism. This meant that Afflicted bodies were not generally damaged by the virus, preventing them from becoming mere Zombies. Their fine motor control was left intact, allowing them to run and jump.
Due to the weakened nature of t-Phobos, Afflicted bodies did not change form much following their transition into monsters. They could be said to be more human than most other mutants affected by Progenitor Viruses and were in a state very comparable to the Keeper. The only visible changes made by t-Phobos to their physiology were superficial deformities such as a slight yellowing of the skin, some swelling, and the development of superhuman eyes (with an appearance identical to the eyes of Phobos humans). Their skin discoloration could be a symptom of jaundice, which could be a side effect of their abnormal metabolism (see Rotten below).
The main distinguishing visible features of Afflicted came not from the virus, but from the severe marks of torture on their bodies - All Afflicted encountered were covered in torture marks, which were either self-inflicted or from Alex's fear experiments (meaning most Afflicted were released test subjects and not the result of secondary infection). They often had pieces of metal jammed into their limbs. The skin of Afflicted was usually constricted and pulled back by barbed wire. Most Afflicted had an open cut that ran along the spine, likely made so researchers could monitor or even manipulate the nervous system as they were tortured.
Beyond the superficial changes to their bodies, the Afflicted were actually heavily altered on the cellular level. Afflicted tissue was extremely durable ("due to their virus-induced cellular activation"), to a point where they could withstand gunfire to some extent. Their strength was greater than that of a human being. They also appeared to have heightened immune systems, as their open wounds did not lead to lethal bacterial infections.
Brain cell rejection in the Afflicted was not totally avoided, and the neo-cortex of Afflicted brains degraded to a point where they became animalistic ("as human beings, they're as good as dead"). Many Afflicted were also damaged mentally due to Alex performing mind transfer experiences on them: the process of transferring memories into their brains created too much mental strain on them, driving them to madness. The torture inflicted on the test subjects also contributed to their mental deterioration and insanity. These three factors caused Afflicted to lose any sense of reason and the heightened aggression symptom of the virus led them to attack and kill human beings like starving animals.
While they lacked higher-level cognition and were generally beast-like, the Afflicted retained enough intelligence to use and create weapons, tools and clothing. They seemed to be able to differentiate normal humans from other Afflicted and were never seen attacking their fellow mutants. In spite of this, the Afflicted never displayed any noticeable social behavior. It is not known why they preferred to kill normal humans. They were attracted to loud noises, which could just be a result of curiosity.
Afflicted often laughed and shouted gibberish due to being overcome with mania and euphoria. Many of the Afflicted developed macabre habits such as keeping body parts taken from their victims as trophies. They would carry eyes in pouches (these eyes lacked the changes made in Afflicted eyeballs, meaning they were plucked from human victims), wear necklaces made from fingers or toes, and wear coats with human skin sewn into them.
Due to the Afflicted being kept in dark cells while they were confined in Sein's prison, many of them developed photophobia (intolerance to bright lights). Their bloodshot eyes could also be evidence that they developed iritis - inflammation of the iris, which can lead to light sensitivity. This is supported by Irina Rebec Afflicted contracting partial blindness as a symptom of t-Phobos infection. Afflicted could be easily stunned by shining a flashlight into their eyes, which caused them great pain or irritation.
While they lacked higher-level cognition and were generally beast-like, the Afflicted retained enough intelligence to use and create weapons, tools and clothing. They seemed to be able to differentiate normal humans from other Afflicted and were never seen attacking their fellow mutants. In spite of this, the Afflicted never displayed any noticeable social behavior. It is not known why they preferred to kill normal humans. They were attracted to loud noises, which could just be a result of curiosity.
Afflicted often laughed and shouted gibberish due to being overcome with mania and euphoria. Many of the Afflicted developed macabre habits such as keeping body parts taken from their victims as trophies. They would carry eyes in pouches (these eyes lacked the changes made in Afflicted eyeballs, meaning they were plucked from human victims), wear necklaces made from fingers or toes, and wear coats with human skin sewn into them.
Due to the Afflicted being kept in dark cells while they were confined in Sein's prison, many of them developed photophobia (intolerance to bright lights). Their bloodshot eyes could also be evidence that they developed iritis - inflammation of the iris, which can lead to light sensitivity. This is supported by Irina Rebec Afflicted contracting partial blindness as a symptom of t-Phobos infection. Afflicted could be easily stunned by shining a flashlight into their eyes, which caused them great pain or irritation.
Rotten
While tissues of Afflicted bodies were stronger than those of humans due to their cells being transformed by t-Phobos, they also inherited a fatal weakness in the form of a peculiar abnormality - their new cells and tissues had an extremely slow, almost nonexistent metabolism. The normal t-Virus does the exact opposite - t-Zombies have a high metabolism that renders them in a state of constant starvation which leads to necrosis. It may be that in her efforts to remove this fault from the t-Virus, Alex actually impaired host metabolism to some extent to balance out the negative symptoms, and this impairment was exaggerated in in hosts that failed to adapt to t-Phobos.
As they were not very metabolically active, the Afflicted could not regenerate from damage. Not only do did they lack the enhanced regenerative abilities of other mutants, but their bodies also could not perform the most basic of tissue repairs every normal human body can. This means that Afflicted cells would fail to be naturally replaced over time, and they lacked the ability to efficiently replenish what energy their cells had. After expending the last of their energy, the tissues throughout the body would begin to rot. This also made them unable to regenerate the open wounds left on them from their torture sessions.
After six months had passed on Sein Island, the rough environmental conditions on the island caused the Afflicted to become weathered and decayed to a point where they resembled corpses. In this state, they were known as Rotten.
As they were not very metabolically active, the Afflicted could not regenerate from damage. Not only do did they lack the enhanced regenerative abilities of other mutants, but their bodies also could not perform the most basic of tissue repairs every normal human body can. This means that Afflicted cells would fail to be naturally replaced over time, and they lacked the ability to efficiently replenish what energy their cells had. After expending the last of their energy, the tissues throughout the body would begin to rot. This also made them unable to regenerate the open wounds left on them from their torture sessions.
After six months had passed on Sein Island, the rough environmental conditions on the island caused the Afflicted to become weathered and decayed to a point where they resembled corpses. In this state, they were known as Rotten.
(Rotten textures, which are actually reused from the ancient-corpse C-Zombies from RE6. The eye and tooth jewels are even from a puzzle in RE6.)
Rotten were almost biologically identical to Zombies. Their skin decayed to such an extent that it turned grey or came off altogether, and their bodies took on a skeletal appearance with many bones becoming visible. Their eyes turned milky white, the cartilage of their noses fell off, and their teeth decayed. Despite this, they managed to retain most of their enhanced muscle tissue, and so their strength and athletic abilities were not hindered by this decay. It could be that only some tissues within their bodies had impaired metabolism.
Rotten appeared to be in an almost brain-dead state, like Zombies. They no longer used weapons and relied solely on striking and biting when they sensed prey. While they were just as aggressive as Afflicted and sought to strike and bite other animals like humans, it is unknown if they did so out of hunger like regular Zombies. While their leg muscles remained intact (they had "no decline in athletic performance"), they moved at a slow pace with clumsy movements. This combined with their low intelligence likely meant that their brains were rotted.
Rotten appeared to be in an almost brain-dead state, like Zombies. They no longer used weapons and relied solely on striking and biting when they sensed prey. While they were just as aggressive as Afflicted and sought to strike and bite other animals like humans, it is unknown if they did so out of hunger like regular Zombies. While their leg muscles remained intact (they had "no decline in athletic performance"), they moved at a slow pace with clumsy movements. This combined with their low intelligence likely meant that their brains were rotted.
Special Afflicted
While there was a great deal of biological uniformity among most of the Afflicted on Sein Island, some individuals turned into monsters with forms that further deviated from human beings. The reasons for these abnormalities were due to various factors, including the introduction of exterior agents and the actual nature of the host.
Iron Heads
Iron Heads were the most common of the special Afflicted. They were named for the iron, triangular masks they wore, which were likely torture devices. The skin around their neck and shoulders was missing, leading up to the head, implying a lack of skin on the head too. This lack of skin may be attributed to them tearing away from the restraints that held them by the neck. Iron Heads were based on particularly strong human men who worked in the island's old ore quarry, who Alex subjected to the same experiments as other Afflicted hosts. The virus seemed to accentuate their natural size and strength. They towered over other Afflicted and their large muscles allowed them to carry two-handed weapons made from scrap that were too heavy for normal humans to lift. They were also much more durable than regular Afflicted, but they moved at a slower pace. Their torture involved parts of their bodies being cut up and metal tools were attached to keep their bodies together. These metal parts may have even contributed to their durability.
Vulcan Blubbers
Vulcan Blubbers were special Afflicted that were less common than Iron Heads. They were enormous creatures covered in blubber-like fat, which gave them a great degree of protection from trauma. Their cognitive functions were less damaged than regular Afflicted as well, and they were capable of using a more complex weapon - a makeshift canon capable of shooting shells that the Vulcan Blubber ignited with a torch made of human remains. Their use of fire in addition to their physical appearance is what led to their name ("Vulcan" was the name of the Greek god of fire).
The reason Vulcan Blubbers were so much larger and stronger than humans and Afflicted was because of them being "likely biologically altered with various drugs in addition to the virus". The drugs may have been some kinds of steroids, the effects of which would be accentuated by t-Phobos. This means that Vulcan Blubbers were very similar to the monster Pluto, who was also created using a t-Virus and steroids. These drugs were likely introduced to the test subjects to allow them to stay awake and aware throughout their torture sessions, preventing them from passing out from the pain. It is also possible that they were actually B.O.W.s and that the drugs were introduced in order to create Afflicted with enhanced combat abilities.
The reason Vulcan Blubbers were so much larger and stronger than humans and Afflicted was because of them being "likely biologically altered with various drugs in addition to the virus". The drugs may have been some kinds of steroids, the effects of which would be accentuated by t-Phobos. This means that Vulcan Blubbers were very similar to the monster Pluto, who was also created using a t-Virus and steroids. These drugs were likely introduced to the test subjects to allow them to stay awake and aware throughout their torture sessions, preventing them from passing out from the pain. It is also possible that they were actually B.O.W.s and that the drugs were introduced in order to create Afflicted with enhanced combat abilities.
(Third image on the right is the Vulcan Blubber's torch, which partly consists of organic materials such as skulls.)
Monster Pedro
Pedro Fernandez was a member of TerraSave and part of the group that was kidnapped and injected with t-Phobos by Alex Wesker. He had the physical abilities of an athlete along with mechanical engineering expertise. Pedro was "timid and prone to panic", which made him "unsuited for work at a bioterror site". When he, Claire Redfield, and Moira Burton were under siege by a horde of Afflicted in the Wossek pub on Sein Island, he began to panic. He was unable to "bear the stress of a pervasive fear of death", and after being grabbed from behind by an Afflicted his fear reached a critical level causing the virus in his body to activate. Pedro mutated into a unique Afflicted with abnormal strength and immediately attacked the other TerraSave members. Mutant Pedro remained on the island for six months until he was finally killed by Barry Burton.
Unlike typical Afflicted but like the Vulcan Blubbers, Pedro grew in size following mutation. Steam came off of his body when he first began to expand in size, indicating intense body heat caused by the rapid transformation. As he transformed his veins became inflamed and blood poured from his mouth and eyes. His right arm grew particularly large, either due to enlarged muscles or swelling. His durability and strength post-transformation reached astonishing levels and he was able to swing a heavy drill as a deadly weapon with ease. He could use it to destroy walls or impale humans and his movements were not hindered while using it. Unlike normal Afflicted, his metabolism seemed to be somewhat more functional, as he remained active for months without his body deteriorating.
The most astonishing change to Pedro's biology was the development of six gigantic eyeballs all over his body - he developed two eye grows on his right arm, one eye on his left arm, one on his back, one on his belly, and one eye on his right leg. These yellow eyes ripped through his skin, leaving Pedro covered in blood. When the eyes were shot at, yellow liquid of unknown purpose poured out from them. These eyes gave Mutant Pedro 360-degree vision of his surroundings. His right original eye also seemed to bulge out of its socket, either due to expansion or to something pushing it out from within.
While Mutant Pedro's body was extremely resilient and resistant to pain, his eyeball growths were relatively fragile. When Barry shot at the eyes they would pop and cause Pedro debilitating pain. The destruction of all six eyeball growths actually led to the death of Mutant Pedro. This could be because of sensitive connective tissue beneath the eyes that led to his brain or due to blood loss from the gaping wounds left behind.
Unlike typical Afflicted but like the Vulcan Blubbers, Pedro grew in size following mutation. Steam came off of his body when he first began to expand in size, indicating intense body heat caused by the rapid transformation. As he transformed his veins became inflamed and blood poured from his mouth and eyes. His right arm grew particularly large, either due to enlarged muscles or swelling. His durability and strength post-transformation reached astonishing levels and he was able to swing a heavy drill as a deadly weapon with ease. He could use it to destroy walls or impale humans and his movements were not hindered while using it. Unlike normal Afflicted, his metabolism seemed to be somewhat more functional, as he remained active for months without his body deteriorating.
The most astonishing change to Pedro's biology was the development of six gigantic eyeballs all over his body - he developed two eye grows on his right arm, one eye on his left arm, one on his back, one on his belly, and one eye on his right leg. These yellow eyes ripped through his skin, leaving Pedro covered in blood. When the eyes were shot at, yellow liquid of unknown purpose poured out from them. These eyes gave Mutant Pedro 360-degree vision of his surroundings. His right original eye also seemed to bulge out of its socket, either due to expansion or to something pushing it out from within.
While Mutant Pedro's body was extremely resilient and resistant to pain, his eyeball growths were relatively fragile. When Barry shot at the eyes they would pop and cause Pedro debilitating pain. The destruction of all six eyeball growths actually led to the death of Mutant Pedro. This could be because of sensitive connective tissue beneath the eyes that led to his brain or due to blood loss from the gaping wounds left behind.
Pedro was constantly in a state of extreme aggression and euphoria. He suffered less brain damage than other Afflicted and even managed to retain a very small sense of his former self. He was largely confused and displayed a mix of emotions, from joy to rage to sadness; but he no longer felt fear. He called out to his former colleagues even when they were no longer around him. He constantly attempted to resist his impulses to kill, but to no avail. It is possible that because Pedro was not tortured or subjected to mind transfer experiments, he did not suffer the same degree of mental deterioration as other Afflicted.
The reason Pedro's symptoms were so much more dramatic than normal Afflicted is said to be because he showed some resistance to the onset of symptoms. Despite his cowardly nature, he was able to resist falling into a state of panic long enough for the virus to begin rewriting his cells properly. This led to him being able to withstand more dramatic mutations without suffering metabolic irregularities.
Pedro's eyeball growths could have been due to a latent mutation tendency in all Progenitor-family viruses, much like the symptom most common in G-Virus infection. According to a theory given by News Bot, Pedro's eyeballs could have been a manifestation of his fear of being surround by Afflicted at the pub, giving him vision of everything around him. This theory ties into Albert Wesker's thoughts on mutation along with t-Phobos' strong links to the mental state of hosts.
The reason Pedro's symptoms were so much more dramatic than normal Afflicted is said to be because he showed some resistance to the onset of symptoms. Despite his cowardly nature, he was able to resist falling into a state of panic long enough for the virus to begin rewriting his cells properly. This led to him being able to withstand more dramatic mutations without suffering metabolic irregularities.
Pedro's eyeball growths could have been due to a latent mutation tendency in all Progenitor-family viruses, much like the symptom most common in G-Virus infection. According to a theory given by News Bot, Pedro's eyeballs could have been a manifestation of his fear of being surround by Afflicted at the pub, giving him vision of everything around him. This theory ties into Albert Wesker's thoughts on mutation along with t-Phobos' strong links to the mental state of hosts.
Gabe
Gabriel "Gabe" Chavez was another of the TerraSave members used in the t-Phobos trial. He was an intelligent ex-member of the military who was previously dispatched to Kijuju during the Las Plagas bioterror incident.
After repairing a helicopter and attempting to use it to rescue his colleagues, Alex Wesker remotely sabotaged the vehicle. As the helicopter began to spin out of control, Gabe began to feel intense fear, activating t-Phobos. His arm began to convulse, expand, and become discolored. Gabe, overcome with panic, tried to cut his arm off. He then started to manically laugh, indicating the mania symptom of t-Phobos was starting to set in. In the next moment the helicopter crashed into the side of a building and exploding. Gabe's body was incinerated, ending his life and halting the transformation process.
Six months later, Barry Burton and Natalia Korda came across his charred remains. While the helicopter wreckage was still lodged into the building, Gabe's corpse was on the street below, near the door to the building, leaning against a car. It appears that Gabe, while on fire, managed to leave the building and lie down before dying. His left arm was incredibly deformed - it was dominated by a gigantic growth that forced his hand into a twisted position on a different part of his arm. The knife he attempted to use to cut off his arm was still lodged within it.
Like Pedro, Gabe was likely able to undergo a more dramatic mutation due to his ability to resist falling into fear. If the mutation in his arm was likely going to affect his entire body, then he seemed to have been actually undergoing a mutation far more severe than Pedro did. This is likely because Gabe had extensive military and bioterror experience, giving him a better handle on his emotions and allowing the virus to work even more to the extent of its abilities in his body.
After repairing a helicopter and attempting to use it to rescue his colleagues, Alex Wesker remotely sabotaged the vehicle. As the helicopter began to spin out of control, Gabe began to feel intense fear, activating t-Phobos. His arm began to convulse, expand, and become discolored. Gabe, overcome with panic, tried to cut his arm off. He then started to manically laugh, indicating the mania symptom of t-Phobos was starting to set in. In the next moment the helicopter crashed into the side of a building and exploding. Gabe's body was incinerated, ending his life and halting the transformation process.
Six months later, Barry Burton and Natalia Korda came across his charred remains. While the helicopter wreckage was still lodged into the building, Gabe's corpse was on the street below, near the door to the building, leaning against a car. It appears that Gabe, while on fire, managed to leave the building and lie down before dying. His left arm was incredibly deformed - it was dominated by a gigantic growth that forced his hand into a twisted position on a different part of his arm. The knife he attempted to use to cut off his arm was still lodged within it.
Like Pedro, Gabe was likely able to undergo a more dramatic mutation due to his ability to resist falling into fear. If the mutation in his arm was likely going to affect his entire body, then he seemed to have been actually undergoing a mutation far more severe than Pedro did. This is likely because Gabe had extensive military and bioterror experience, giving him a better handle on his emotions and allowing the virus to work even more to the extent of its abilities in his body.
Monster Alex
After Alex Wesker implanted a copy of her own mind into Natalia Korda, she shot herself in the head. With a successor assured and her own health failing, Alex saw no need to continue in this world. Despite this, just before killing herself, Alex felt fear over the prospect of dying (a fear she thought she had conquered). This was just enough to trigger t-Phobos in her body, which she had injected into herself sometime prior to prove her own mental worth. Even though her brain was fatally damaged by the bullet, not every body tissue dies with the brain all at once, and the virus had enough time to spread and rewrite her living cells and cause excessive mutation. Alex's life was preserved thanks to the enhancements the virus made to her body in the process, and she became a misshapen monster.
As an Afflicted-like monster, Alex suffered brain damage that was further accentuated by the damage caused by her suicide attempt. In this unstable state she began to doubt her original plan to be replaced. She lost her resolve and was no longer content to die. She convinced herself that the mind transfer was a failure, and that Natalia was a "false" Alex. She also resented Natalia for not being physically degraded by the virus like Alex. In her hatred of Natalia, she began to create B.O.W.s with the Uroboros Virus for the sole purpose of tracking Natalia down and killing her. When Natalia awoke from a 6-months-induced sleep (this time was necessary for the transfer procedure to work), Alex stalked the girl along with her newfound protector, Barry Burton.
As an Afflicted-like monster, Alex suffered brain damage that was further accentuated by the damage caused by her suicide attempt. In this unstable state she began to doubt her original plan to be replaced. She lost her resolve and was no longer content to die. She convinced herself that the mind transfer was a failure, and that Natalia was a "false" Alex. She also resented Natalia for not being physically degraded by the virus like Alex. In her hatred of Natalia, she began to create B.O.W.s with the Uroboros Virus for the sole purpose of tracking Natalia down and killing her. When Natalia awoke from a 6-months-induced sleep (this time was necessary for the transfer procedure to work), Alex stalked the girl along with her newfound protector, Barry Burton.
(Note the sketches on the far right of the above art, which show the proportions of Alex's mutated limbs and the positioning of her body)
As Alex failed to conquer her fear of death, t-Phobos caused intense mutations in her body. Her body became deformed and was severely damaged. Her preexisting terminal illness seemed to contribute to her bodily damage, and she had to use a respiratory device (her sickness as a human involved coughing fits). Her skin was pale and torn in several areas; half of the skin on her face was totally missing. This implied that she suffered necrosis. She had stitching all over her body which implied that she had to sew parts of herself back together. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her condition was continuing to deteriorate over time, and she had to perform operations on herself to help her body cling to life.
Alex’s limbs extended greatly due to an increase in growth hormone and were extremely disproportionate to her body. She appeared to develop an extra joint in each limb. While her figure was normally covered by a cloak, concept art reveals her legs were so deformed that her body was forced downward to accommodate them, creating the illusion she had a hunchback. Abnormal growth also led to boney protrusions to extend from the spine and sprout outside the back, similar to spinous processes. Her eyes resembled those of adapters such as Albert Wesker more-so than other t-Phobos hosts - she developed red irises and slightly slit pupils.
Despite her thin and frail appearance, the virus did give her enhanced strength - she could easily overpower normal humans and sent Barry Burton flying into the air with a flick of her arm. She was never shown to be shot at or harmed by external stimuli but her recovering from shooting herself in the head would imply that she did have superhuman regenerative abilities.
Alex retained much of her personality and intelligence post-transformation, but her brain was still damaged. She developed behavioral quirks common to Afflicted, such as mania, and she often went into laughing fits.
It is not known why Alex was able to survive t-Phobos activation - all other known female hosts who failed to conquer fear were killed outright by the virus. It may be that Alex's preexisting infection with t-Wesker allowed her to survive mutations caused by other viruses; there are several precedents for this, such as the Licker βs being able to survive infection with the Progenitor Virus due to their previous infection with the t-Virus, and even Alex being able to later survive an Uroboros infection (see below). It may also be that her dying just as the virus activated protected her from some of the damaging effects of the virus, at least far enough for her body to withstand being destroyed by it. Her immune system may have been unable to mount an attack on the virus, which would prevent her body from undergoing a fatal autoimmune response.
Alex’s limbs extended greatly due to an increase in growth hormone and were extremely disproportionate to her body. She appeared to develop an extra joint in each limb. While her figure was normally covered by a cloak, concept art reveals her legs were so deformed that her body was forced downward to accommodate them, creating the illusion she had a hunchback. Abnormal growth also led to boney protrusions to extend from the spine and sprout outside the back, similar to spinous processes. Her eyes resembled those of adapters such as Albert Wesker more-so than other t-Phobos hosts - she developed red irises and slightly slit pupils.
Despite her thin and frail appearance, the virus did give her enhanced strength - she could easily overpower normal humans and sent Barry Burton flying into the air with a flick of her arm. She was never shown to be shot at or harmed by external stimuli but her recovering from shooting herself in the head would imply that she did have superhuman regenerative abilities.
Alex retained much of her personality and intelligence post-transformation, but her brain was still damaged. She developed behavioral quirks common to Afflicted, such as mania, and she often went into laughing fits.
It is not known why Alex was able to survive t-Phobos activation - all other known female hosts who failed to conquer fear were killed outright by the virus. It may be that Alex's preexisting infection with t-Wesker allowed her to survive mutations caused by other viruses; there are several precedents for this, such as the Licker βs being able to survive infection with the Progenitor Virus due to their previous infection with the t-Virus, and even Alex being able to later survive an Uroboros infection (see below). It may also be that her dying just as the virus activated protected her from some of the damaging effects of the virus, at least far enough for her body to withstand being destroyed by it. Her immune system may have been unable to mount an attack on the virus, which would prevent her body from undergoing a fatal autoimmune response.
Unlike other Afflicted, Alex retained her sense of fear. After coming face-to-face with Natalia and briefly encountering Natalia's implanted Alex personality, Alex became overwhelmed with fear - a better, healthier, potentially superhuman Alex now existed at the same time as her. She knew this Alex would want to kill her and she fled into her lair beneath the mines on Sein Island. There she injected herself with the Uroboros Virus as Natalia and Barry closed in on her, so that she could become more powerful and overcome her fear. While Uroboros was hyper-lethal to the vast majority of humans, Alex's mutated body was capable of temporarily suppressing the cysts formed from the Uroboros Virus and preventing them from devouring her flesh from the inside out. She transformed into a more dangerous monster as a result of both t-Phobos and Uroboros acting in her body, becoming an unstable amalgamation of the effects of both viruses.
The effects of Uroboros are not totally covered here - to fully understand how this virus functions, visit Virus Analysis: Uroboros. In short, Uroboros causes most hosts who do not adapt to it to become enveloped in cysts/pustules that grow from the inside of the body. These cysts form into tendrils that eat the host and use them to facilitate their own growth. Uroboros also grants amazing regenerative prowess to those who adapt. The only way to kill masses of pustules or a mutated human carrying said pustules would be to destroy the mutated heart of the host - an orange core. Intense heat is one of the only things that can destroy the pustules themselves.
Uroboros Alex's body did not change much in form; the majority of her deformities were preexisting from her previous mutation. The main observable difference in her body was that she grew much larger: especially her spine, which extended beyond her torso and became visible in her midsection. While she could stand upright to some extent, her lanky body could generally only move efficiently when she crawled on her arms and legs. Her agility was enhanced to such an extent that she could jump and climb like a Licker, and she could hide in air vents to ambush her enemies. She was also able to "spit" clouds of smoke using her ventilator, which was still attached to her body. Her heart, which transformed into an Uroboros core, emerged from her chest and elongated neck and served as a vulnerable weak point. Besides this, her body was heavily resistant to most trauma. She seemed to be mentally unaffected by Uroboros and she continued to be able to speak.
The effects of Uroboros are not totally covered here - to fully understand how this virus functions, visit Virus Analysis: Uroboros. In short, Uroboros causes most hosts who do not adapt to it to become enveloped in cysts/pustules that grow from the inside of the body. These cysts form into tendrils that eat the host and use them to facilitate their own growth. Uroboros also grants amazing regenerative prowess to those who adapt. The only way to kill masses of pustules or a mutated human carrying said pustules would be to destroy the mutated heart of the host - an orange core. Intense heat is one of the only things that can destroy the pustules themselves.
Uroboros Alex's body did not change much in form; the majority of her deformities were preexisting from her previous mutation. The main observable difference in her body was that she grew much larger: especially her spine, which extended beyond her torso and became visible in her midsection. While she could stand upright to some extent, her lanky body could generally only move efficiently when she crawled on her arms and legs. Her agility was enhanced to such an extent that she could jump and climb like a Licker, and she could hide in air vents to ambush her enemies. She was also able to "spit" clouds of smoke using her ventilator, which was still attached to her body. Her heart, which transformed into an Uroboros core, emerged from her chest and elongated neck and served as a vulnerable weak point. Besides this, her body was heavily resistant to most trauma. She seemed to be mentally unaffected by Uroboros and she continued to be able to speak.
The more Uroboros Alex was damaged in combat the more active the Uroboros Virus became. Pustules began to poke out of her skin. When she was momentarily incapacitated after a prolonged battle, the pustules grew uncontrollably. Alex then turned into her second form. Her skin turned black as Uroboros permeated her skin, and more and more pustules began growing out of her entire body. Her eyes also began to glow red very brightly. Eventually the pustules would have completely consumed her, and the resulting mass would begin absorbing the many corpses and creatures on Sein Island to grow in size, potentially creating an Uroboros Aheri and starting a catastrophic Uroboros outbreak. This was prevented when Claire Redfield shot a rocket at her - the heat it generated instantly incinerated her Uroboros-tainted tissue and destroyed her core, killing her.
Monster Neil
Neil Fisher was an executive member of TerraSave and a secret plant for FBC commissioner Morgan Lansdale. He betrayed his TerraSave colleagues by giving them up to Alex Wesker for use as test subjects in return for a sample of the Uroboros Virus. Alex betrayed Neil and instead injected him with Uroboros, causing him to transform into a monster that was killed by Moira Burton and Claire Redfield.
Prior to this, Neil accompanied the group of TerraSave members on the island while hiding his true intentions. He was given a fear-monitoring bracelet like the others, but it never indicated that he was ever in a state of fear. This is because of his ability to remain calm and collected under any circumstances and his foreknowledge of the outbreak. While the bracelet was a part of his cover, it is believed he may have been injected with t-Phobos like the others to potentially serve as a backup host in case none of the other test subjects proved worthy. If this is the case, then the t-Phobos Virus inside of him would have interacted with Uroboros and both strains would have had an effect on his transformation. While most sources only attribute his transformation to Uroboros, random mutation was eliminated from the Uroboros Virus. Uroboros was incapable of turning humans into monsters - it either turned hosts into superhumans or devoured them with viral cysts. Neil's monstrous form also greatly resembled a Tyrant creature (he is actually called a "Tyrant" in concept art, proving that this resemblance was intentional), and Tyrants are always the result of t-Virus infection. Uroboros did not contain the t-Virus, but t-Phobos is a direct derivative of it.
Monster Neil is mainly covered in this analysis, and not in Virus Analysis: Uroboros. But it is best kept in mind that it is possible that Uroboros did manage to turn him into this creature without the help of t-Phobos.
Neil was able to survive the strict compatibility requirements of Uroboros thanks to him having rare genes that made him "as close to those of a compatible person as possible", like Uroboros Mkono. His possible infection with t-Phobos may have also aided his survival chances much like it did for Alex. He retained all of his intelligence (unlike the Afflicted) and the ability to speak, but he lost nearly all of his sense of reason and was overwhelmed with mania, euphoria, and "a powerful impulse to kill", further supporting the idea he was infected with t-Phobos as well. This psychosis led him to revel in the power Uroboros granted him even as his body went through an excruciating transformation. He continued to justify his actions and speak of his former master Morgan as he fought Claire and Moira, showing his strong sense of loyalty.
Monster Neil grew several times his original size. He had the appearance of an especially muscular Tyrant. His muscles bulged beyond what would ordinarily be considered possible. The skin on his left arm was ripped apart and many bones grew and pointed outward from his left side. Uroboros pustules swarmed along his chest and the left side of his face, with some of them going into his eye cavity (with the eye itself partially flooded with Uroboros liquid). Like Tyrants, his skin turned grey, he lost all of the hair on his head, many of his blood vessels were enlarged or inflamed, and his lips disappeared. As his muscle and size would indicate, Neil had amazing strength, agility, and durability.
Like Alex, Neil was able to only temporarily and partially suppress the growth of the Uroboros cysts to maintain his humanoid form and being damaged caused the pustules to consume him faster. Over time the pustules began to spread and completely consumed his left arm and more of his chest. Neil could control the pustules covering his arm and he used it as a grappling hook. He was able to fling clumps of Uroboros pustules at his enemies, which independently attacked human prey like those spawned by Uroboros Aheri.
Due to Uroboros, Neil developed an abnormal aversion to any kind of heat, and his body temperature tended to rise uncontrollably. Even prior to Uroboros cysts growing over his arm heat of any kind was debilitating to him. The heat of a flashlight was enough to bother him. It may be that Uroboros matter permeated his skin and made it susceptible to heat. It could even be that his bulging muscles were actually Uroboros pustules that were kept from consuming his skin, much like Revenants, and that the heat was damaging them. His body seemed to generate heat on its own as well, possibly a result of his excessive cellular activity. When Neil was exposed to high temperatures he began to overheat - at this point he would panic and begin looking for any source of water. His heart, which had transformed into an Uroboros core, emerged from his chest when he was overheated. It served as a fatal weak point but would submerge again when Neil managed to cool off. Claire and Moira exploited these weaknesses to kill Monster Neil. His body may have been incinerated when the tower he was in was partially destroyed.
Prior to this, Neil accompanied the group of TerraSave members on the island while hiding his true intentions. He was given a fear-monitoring bracelet like the others, but it never indicated that he was ever in a state of fear. This is because of his ability to remain calm and collected under any circumstances and his foreknowledge of the outbreak. While the bracelet was a part of his cover, it is believed he may have been injected with t-Phobos like the others to potentially serve as a backup host in case none of the other test subjects proved worthy. If this is the case, then the t-Phobos Virus inside of him would have interacted with Uroboros and both strains would have had an effect on his transformation. While most sources only attribute his transformation to Uroboros, random mutation was eliminated from the Uroboros Virus. Uroboros was incapable of turning humans into monsters - it either turned hosts into superhumans or devoured them with viral cysts. Neil's monstrous form also greatly resembled a Tyrant creature (he is actually called a "Tyrant" in concept art, proving that this resemblance was intentional), and Tyrants are always the result of t-Virus infection. Uroboros did not contain the t-Virus, but t-Phobos is a direct derivative of it.
Monster Neil is mainly covered in this analysis, and not in Virus Analysis: Uroboros. But it is best kept in mind that it is possible that Uroboros did manage to turn him into this creature without the help of t-Phobos.
Neil was able to survive the strict compatibility requirements of Uroboros thanks to him having rare genes that made him "as close to those of a compatible person as possible", like Uroboros Mkono. His possible infection with t-Phobos may have also aided his survival chances much like it did for Alex. He retained all of his intelligence (unlike the Afflicted) and the ability to speak, but he lost nearly all of his sense of reason and was overwhelmed with mania, euphoria, and "a powerful impulse to kill", further supporting the idea he was infected with t-Phobos as well. This psychosis led him to revel in the power Uroboros granted him even as his body went through an excruciating transformation. He continued to justify his actions and speak of his former master Morgan as he fought Claire and Moira, showing his strong sense of loyalty.
Monster Neil grew several times his original size. He had the appearance of an especially muscular Tyrant. His muscles bulged beyond what would ordinarily be considered possible. The skin on his left arm was ripped apart and many bones grew and pointed outward from his left side. Uroboros pustules swarmed along his chest and the left side of his face, with some of them going into his eye cavity (with the eye itself partially flooded with Uroboros liquid). Like Tyrants, his skin turned grey, he lost all of the hair on his head, many of his blood vessels were enlarged or inflamed, and his lips disappeared. As his muscle and size would indicate, Neil had amazing strength, agility, and durability.
Like Alex, Neil was able to only temporarily and partially suppress the growth of the Uroboros cysts to maintain his humanoid form and being damaged caused the pustules to consume him faster. Over time the pustules began to spread and completely consumed his left arm and more of his chest. Neil could control the pustules covering his arm and he used it as a grappling hook. He was able to fling clumps of Uroboros pustules at his enemies, which independently attacked human prey like those spawned by Uroboros Aheri.
Due to Uroboros, Neil developed an abnormal aversion to any kind of heat, and his body temperature tended to rise uncontrollably. Even prior to Uroboros cysts growing over his arm heat of any kind was debilitating to him. The heat of a flashlight was enough to bother him. It may be that Uroboros matter permeated his skin and made it susceptible to heat. It could even be that his bulging muscles were actually Uroboros pustules that were kept from consuming his skin, much like Revenants, and that the heat was damaging them. His body seemed to generate heat on its own as well, possibly a result of his excessive cellular activity. When Neil was exposed to high temperatures he began to overheat - at this point he would panic and begin looking for any source of water. His heart, which had transformed into an Uroboros core, emerged from his chest when he was overheated. It served as a fatal weak point but would submerge again when Neil managed to cool off. Claire and Moira exploited these weaknesses to kill Monster Neil. His body may have been incinerated when the tower he was in was partially destroyed.
Non-Human Mutants
As a t-Virus, t-Phobos was able to infect a wide variety of organisms. It is unknown if a trigger for infection was needed in all non-human hosts, although it seemed to at the very least be necessary in dogs.
Besides her experiments with fear, immortality, and the transference of the human mind, Alex also performed bioweapon experiments with t-Phobos and Uroboros. When t-Phobos leaked and the island was overrun with Afflicted, many such experiments escaped confinement and roamed free. This was likely done on purpose to trigger fear in test subjects brought to the island.
Besides her experiments with fear, immortality, and the transference of the human mind, Alex also performed bioweapon experiments with t-Phobos and Uroboros. When t-Phobos leaked and the island was overrun with Afflicted, many such experiments escaped confinement and roamed free. This was likely done on purpose to trigger fear in test subjects brought to the island.
Cysts and Sploders
The locations where t-Phobos experiments took place, such as Sein Island's prison, were kept in unsanitary conditions, possibly to give them a dreadful atmosphere for the sake of the test subjects being tortured there. These conditions led to the development of a type of slime mold (myxomyccete) in those areas. When t-Phobos leaked, this slime mold became infected with the virus and mutated into a dangerous new species. This species began to parasitize some of the Afflicted in the area. While it primarily grew inside the body, the mutated slime mold would sometimes erupt from the head of Afflicted, where it could be mistaken for a massive pustule. Because of quality, colonies of the mutated slime mold were called "Cysts".
Cysts seemed to need to leech nutrition from living human bodies. While they may have been based on a naturally parasitic species of slime mold (Plasmodiophomycetes), they may just have well as have turned parasitic following infection with the virus. The positioning of the slime mold on the heads of Afflicted could imply that they fed on the neurotransmitters that trigger t-Phobos infection - as a slime mold, Cysts would not be able to generate the behavioral steroids necessary to trigger the virus at all, although it is possible that fear is only necessary as a trigger in animal hosts. Despite this paratisization, Cysts were largely non-harmful to the superhuman bodies of Afflicted until they grew too large.
Cysts were very large due to an increase in protoplasmic flow. In addition to the jelly-like "mucus" inside of their "bodies", Cysts also developed large amounts of "fungus-derived gas", which was highly volatile. When a Cyst wasn't attached to a human body it would grow on surfaces like the floor waiting until a potential host approached it. When agitated by external stimuli like the movement of people or by being damaged, its mucus would become stimulated and the pressure of the gas inside of it would increase. The colony would then expand like a balloon to several times its original size. A Cyst would then burst, creating a small explosion that would scatter the slime mold all around them. This behavior was how Cysts managed to spread to human bodies - if the Cyst managed to hit a nearby human or Afflicted with the explosion, it could then parasitize them. In this way Cysts functioned like organic landmines. In addition to the damage of the explosions they created, Cysts were also highly toxic to the human body in and of themselves. It is likely that only an enhanced organism, like an Afflicted, could survive the parasitization process. The mucus thrown around by a Cysts exploding was also a hazard to human eyes and could temporarily obscure a person's vision.
When a Cyst emerged from an Afflicted's head, it became susceptible to gunfire from survivors that battled the Afflicted. Once an attached Cyst was shot, it would immediately burst, instantly destroying the brain of the Afflicted in the explosion and killing it. A Cyst killed this way would still manage to scatter itself around the immediate environment, leading to the development of new Cyst "landmines".
Oddly, a bright beam of light could kill Cysts without causing them to detonate.
Sometimes, when an Afflicted with Cysts inside of its body died, the slime mold would rapidly grow throughout the body in an attempt to create a "Sploder". After only moments of being dead, an Afflicted body would suddenly become covered in slime mold from the waist up, with the flesh of the body and the Cyst protoplasm fusing into a single organism. The resulting Sploder would then stand up and slowly walk towards any nearby humans, with its nervous system seemingly being controlled by the slime mold. It is unknown if this behavior was driven by instinct, intelligence, or some other unknown factor, although the video below may be relevant. Their movements were sluggish due to their abundance of Cyst gasses trapped in their bodies.
When a Sploder was within the appropriate proximity of a human, it would expand and explode using the same mechanism used by Cysts. The resulting blast would be much larger than that of a Cyst due to the size of the slime mold, resulting in more slime mold being propelled around it. The explosion also launched poisonous body fluids, making them all the more dangerous. By controlling and weaponizing a dead Afflicted, the slime mold could ensure that it continued to proliferate even when its host was dead.
The mutated slime mold shares much in common with parasitic fungi that affect the behavior of insects. It also shares much in common with the plants that create Green Zombies.
When a Sploder was within the appropriate proximity of a human, it would expand and explode using the same mechanism used by Cysts. The resulting blast would be much larger than that of a Cyst due to the size of the slime mold, resulting in more slime mold being propelled around it. The explosion also launched poisonous body fluids, making them all the more dangerous. By controlling and weaponizing a dead Afflicted, the slime mold could ensure that it continued to proliferate even when its host was dead.
The mutated slime mold shares much in common with parasitic fungi that affect the behavior of insects. It also shares much in common with the plants that create Green Zombies.
Orthrus
Alex's fear experiments were not limited to human test subjects - dogs were also injected with t-Phobos, then tortured by Sein's researchers until the virus was activated by stress and fear, changing the dogs into monsters. Such a creature was called "Orthrus".
Each dog test subject had an incision across its spine like the Afflicted, likely for the same reason - to monitor their nervous systems. Metal parts were packed into the opening along their spines, making them bulky and especially heavy. Many poles or spikes stuck out of their backs. Most strikingly, the dogs were almost entirely decapitated, with seemingly only the neck bone left intact so as to keep the dogs alive. To keep gravity from pulling their heads off, metal pipes were forced into their mouths and through their bodies. Their heads mostly died, with only the brain being left intact. Their eyes rotted away or were gouged out. Their heads were covered in a sack, preventing any other distinguishing features from being observable. Their tails were also partially amputated. Due to how heavily mutilated they were, it is unknown what kind of dog these creatures were based on, other than it being a large breed.
Orthrus creatures had no fur, and it is unknown if this was a symptom of the virus, or something done to the dogs by their creators. Like the Afflicted their skin was swollen and discolored. Much like other dogs infected with other strains of the t-Virus, Orthruses did not loss any of their natural strength, speed, or agility, but became stronger and much more savage. While they were predatory towards humans and obsessively chased them, their mouths were not operable. To compensate for this, the researchers that created them forced beartraps into the severed necks of the dogs to serve as "teeth". By lifting their heads up, their necks (and the beartraps with them) would open up, so that they could "bite" down on prey pinned beneath them. After being chewed by the beartrap, their food then had a clear passage into the stomach.
Orthruses did not degrade even after six months of being in the wild. They may have avoided the drop in metabolism seen in Afflicted hosts. It may also be that the dogs were already in a Rotten stage. The dogs would often be found sleeping when idle, which could have been how they conserved enough energy to remain operational for so long.
It is unknown why Alex had the Orthruses created. They may have been:
In mythology, Orthrus was a two headed dog and the brother of Cerberus. He guarded the cattle of the giant Geryon before being slain by Heracles.
Each dog test subject had an incision across its spine like the Afflicted, likely for the same reason - to monitor their nervous systems. Metal parts were packed into the opening along their spines, making them bulky and especially heavy. Many poles or spikes stuck out of their backs. Most strikingly, the dogs were almost entirely decapitated, with seemingly only the neck bone left intact so as to keep the dogs alive. To keep gravity from pulling their heads off, metal pipes were forced into their mouths and through their bodies. Their heads mostly died, with only the brain being left intact. Their eyes rotted away or were gouged out. Their heads were covered in a sack, preventing any other distinguishing features from being observable. Their tails were also partially amputated. Due to how heavily mutilated they were, it is unknown what kind of dog these creatures were based on, other than it being a large breed.
Orthrus creatures had no fur, and it is unknown if this was a symptom of the virus, or something done to the dogs by their creators. Like the Afflicted their skin was swollen and discolored. Much like other dogs infected with other strains of the t-Virus, Orthruses did not loss any of their natural strength, speed, or agility, but became stronger and much more savage. While they were predatory towards humans and obsessively chased them, their mouths were not operable. To compensate for this, the researchers that created them forced beartraps into the severed necks of the dogs to serve as "teeth". By lifting their heads up, their necks (and the beartraps with them) would open up, so that they could "bite" down on prey pinned beneath them. After being chewed by the beartrap, their food then had a clear passage into the stomach.
Orthruses did not degrade even after six months of being in the wild. They may have avoided the drop in metabolism seen in Afflicted hosts. It may also be that the dogs were already in a Rotten stage. The dogs would often be found sleeping when idle, which could have been how they conserved enough energy to remain operational for so long.
It is unknown why Alex had the Orthruses created. They may have been:
- Pre-human experiments. The Traveler heard "beastly growls" on Sein Island as early as 2008.
- A way to test how t-Phobos affected creatures other than humans (this is supported by the Giant Whip Spider, seen below)
- B.O.W.s, meant to be used to instill fear in other test subjects.
In mythology, Orthrus was a two headed dog and the brother of Cerberus. He guarded the cattle of the giant Geryon before being slain by Heracles.
Giant Whip Spider
(Above image taken from Crimson-Head.com's Revelations 2 Concept Guide)
Whip spiders, also known as tailless whip scorpions, are eight-legged arthropods that use their front legs like arms. Despite their names, they are not actually spiders or scorpions, but are a separate order (Amblypygi) that also falls under the arachnid class. They do not produce venom (making them harmless to humans) or spin webs but use the claws on their long front legs (from which comes the "Whip" in their name) to grab prey.
On Sein Island, many whip spiders were infected with t-Phobos and transformed into creatures called "Giant Whip Spiders". Whip spiders prefer warm, tropical environments and are therefore not native to the cold climate of Sein Island. Rather, Alex is believed to have brought them to the Island for use in her experiments. She may have wanted to test the effects of t-Phobos on a variety of lifeforms. Whip Spiders are known for having a frightening appearance, and so Alex may have used them to invoke fear in test subjects. They may have not even been a result of primary injection - rather, Alex may have used them purely to torment humans, and during the outbreak they mutated as a result of secondary infection.
It is unknown if the infection process in the Giant Whip Spiders was reliant on fear-related chemicals like it was for mammalian hosts. The lack of any kind of relevant transmitters in the slime mold that became the Cysts may support the idea that only some creatures need to trigger the virus with fear. It may also be that the virus did activate in response to the whip spiders becoming agitated - as noted by Doktor Wunderbar, the chemical equivalent to adrenaline and noradrenaline for arthropods is octopamine. It is possible that octopamine is capable of triggering the virus. This could have even been the reason behind Alex's experiments on the Whip Spiders - to test how fear-related chemicals found in other organisms affected the virus.
Giant Whip Spiders underwent the same physical changes that standard t-Virus-infected arthropods did: they grew many times larger than their original size while not generally changing in appearance; they retained the ability to breed; and they became much more aggressive (their "predation ecology" changed so that they attacked creatures bigger than themselves, such as humans). After escaping confinement, they bred in the wild in large numbers and many specimens infested the island for many months. While whip spiders are nocturnal, Giant Whip Spiders were seen hunting in the daytime. This could have been a result of their increased aggression.
Giant Whip Spiders were much smaller than other infected arachnids like Web Spinners and the Stinger and were individually very weak. A single bullet, a hit from a blunt weapon, or a single knife slash was capable of breaking a Giant Whip Spider into pieces. The reason they developed so poorly, relatively speaking, may have been due to Whip Spiders lacking pituitary-derived chemicals, or to the altered nature of t-Phobos itself. The virus did not produce any kind of venom glands in the Whip Spiders, leaving them without venom or any kind of ranged attack like those used by Web Spinners and Giant Spiders. With simplistic attacks, very weak bodies, and no intelligence for following orders, Giant Whip Spiders seemed to have very low practicality as bioweapons. They were nonetheless dangerous to humans while attacking in swarms and could crawl on any surface to creep up silently on prey
According to Evgeny Rebic, Giant Whip Spiders were safe to eat as long as their corpses were sufficiently cooked. This implies that heat could kill the virus in their bodies. It is also possible that Evgeny was infected with t-Phobos already and did not experience the fear needed to activate the virus.
On Sein Island, many whip spiders were infected with t-Phobos and transformed into creatures called "Giant Whip Spiders". Whip spiders prefer warm, tropical environments and are therefore not native to the cold climate of Sein Island. Rather, Alex is believed to have brought them to the Island for use in her experiments. She may have wanted to test the effects of t-Phobos on a variety of lifeforms. Whip Spiders are known for having a frightening appearance, and so Alex may have used them to invoke fear in test subjects. They may have not even been a result of primary injection - rather, Alex may have used them purely to torment humans, and during the outbreak they mutated as a result of secondary infection.
It is unknown if the infection process in the Giant Whip Spiders was reliant on fear-related chemicals like it was for mammalian hosts. The lack of any kind of relevant transmitters in the slime mold that became the Cysts may support the idea that only some creatures need to trigger the virus with fear. It may also be that the virus did activate in response to the whip spiders becoming agitated - as noted by Doktor Wunderbar, the chemical equivalent to adrenaline and noradrenaline for arthropods is octopamine. It is possible that octopamine is capable of triggering the virus. This could have even been the reason behind Alex's experiments on the Whip Spiders - to test how fear-related chemicals found in other organisms affected the virus.
Giant Whip Spiders underwent the same physical changes that standard t-Virus-infected arthropods did: they grew many times larger than their original size while not generally changing in appearance; they retained the ability to breed; and they became much more aggressive (their "predation ecology" changed so that they attacked creatures bigger than themselves, such as humans). After escaping confinement, they bred in the wild in large numbers and many specimens infested the island for many months. While whip spiders are nocturnal, Giant Whip Spiders were seen hunting in the daytime. This could have been a result of their increased aggression.
Giant Whip Spiders were much smaller than other infected arachnids like Web Spinners and the Stinger and were individually very weak. A single bullet, a hit from a blunt weapon, or a single knife slash was capable of breaking a Giant Whip Spider into pieces. The reason they developed so poorly, relatively speaking, may have been due to Whip Spiders lacking pituitary-derived chemicals, or to the altered nature of t-Phobos itself. The virus did not produce any kind of venom glands in the Whip Spiders, leaving them without venom or any kind of ranged attack like those used by Web Spinners and Giant Spiders. With simplistic attacks, very weak bodies, and no intelligence for following orders, Giant Whip Spiders seemed to have very low practicality as bioweapons. They were nonetheless dangerous to humans while attacking in swarms and could crawl on any surface to creep up silently on prey
According to Evgeny Rebic, Giant Whip Spiders were safe to eat as long as their corpses were sufficiently cooked. This implies that heat could kill the virus in their bodies. It is also possible that Evgeny was infected with t-Phobos already and did not experience the fear needed to activate the virus.
Glasp
Glasps were insectoid creatures created by t-Phobos. They were roughly human-sized, with eight limbs and multiple sets of wings. It is unknown if they could see as they lacked any kind of noticeable eyes. They were capable of flight, but due to their large size they only seemed to hover a short distance above the ground. It is not known if they were capable of crawling on the ground. While slow-moving, they could quickly dash to the sides to avoid incoming projectiles like bullets. They had a vaginal-like opening beneath them from which they gave live birth to their offspring. They were likely ovoviviparous (their eggs were hatched inside of their bodies) like Web Spinners. As all known Glasps were capable of giving birth, they could have been asexual or hermaphrodites.
Glasp limbs were incredibly strong and tipped with hook-like nails. When within grabbing-distance, a Glasp could bind an adult human with its limbs while leaving no possibility of escape. It would then strangle or even break the spine of its prey with extreme ease. Once its prey was either killed or paralyzed, a Glasp would deposit its offspring onto the body of the human, be they dead or simply paralyzed, which would presumably feed on the fresh meat to fuel their growth into adults. It is unknown if the adult Glasps themselves fed on flesh; it may be that they, like some insects such as gypsy moths, only fed while in a larval state, and spent their entire adult state breeding until they ran out of energy and died.
Glasps had pores on the tops of their bodies that continuously emitted a smoke-like gas that was created within their bodies. This gas contained a special chemical component that had a variety of effects. Most impressively, the gas could diffract ambient light, causing a Glasp's entire body to perfectly blend in with its surroundings, making it invisible. While Glasps were slow-moving, they used their gasses to stealthily close the distance between themselves and prey. A Glasp's tendency to grab prey with its legs, combined with its ability to become see-through when camouflaged, likely led to their name - "Glasp" was possibly supposed to be a portmanteau of "Grasp" and "Glass".
When Glasps were in close proximity to other animals (like human prey), the gas they created caused abnormalities in the animals' optic nerves, leading to blurriness of vision and the illusion that the space in front of them was distorted. While this further helped to incapacitate their prey, human targets could make note of when a Glasp was near based on when their vision became blurred. This effect only lasted so long as the eyes were being hit by the gas.
Glasp limbs were incredibly strong and tipped with hook-like nails. When within grabbing-distance, a Glasp could bind an adult human with its limbs while leaving no possibility of escape. It would then strangle or even break the spine of its prey with extreme ease. Once its prey was either killed or paralyzed, a Glasp would deposit its offspring onto the body of the human, be they dead or simply paralyzed, which would presumably feed on the fresh meat to fuel their growth into adults. It is unknown if the adult Glasps themselves fed on flesh; it may be that they, like some insects such as gypsy moths, only fed while in a larval state, and spent their entire adult state breeding until they ran out of energy and died.
Glasps had pores on the tops of their bodies that continuously emitted a smoke-like gas that was created within their bodies. This gas contained a special chemical component that had a variety of effects. Most impressively, the gas could diffract ambient light, causing a Glasp's entire body to perfectly blend in with its surroundings, making it invisible. While Glasps were slow-moving, they used their gasses to stealthily close the distance between themselves and prey. A Glasp's tendency to grab prey with its legs, combined with its ability to become see-through when camouflaged, likely led to their name - "Glasp" was possibly supposed to be a portmanteau of "Grasp" and "Glass".
When Glasps were in close proximity to other animals (like human prey), the gas they created caused abnormalities in the animals' optic nerves, leading to blurriness of vision and the illusion that the space in front of them was distorted. While this further helped to incapacitate their prey, human targets could make note of when a Glasp was near based on when their vision became blurred. This effect only lasted so long as the eyes were being hit by the gas.
The Revelations 2 Ultimania guide says that Glasps were "probably a winged insect that mutated, evolved and reproduced, continuing to change through multiple generations in short cycles". If this was true, then it would account for why Glasps did not closely resemble any kind of real insect. This is comparable to the Giant Moths that were encountered beneath Raccoon City, which changed form each generation as they rapidly reproduced. However, Glasps have a remarkable trait that seems to conflict with this possibility - they appear to be part human, with parts of a woman's body growing from each adult Glasp. In fact, the distinctly insect parts of the Glasp appeared to grow from the body of a normal human. This would imply that not only were Glasps human-insect chimeras, but that they used to be normal human beings.
The human traits of a Glasp were most noticeable when viewing it from behind (and visible in the texture above):
It may be that Glasps were created as a result of Alex's researchers fused adult women with insect DNA using t-Phobos as a bonding agent, like the MA-120 Hunters. Since women die from typical t-Phobos infection, female test subjects may have been used this way to circumvent that issue. Glasps were likely meant to thematically allude to Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, only with a woman instead of a man to reflect Alex's possible resentment of Greta for abandoning Gregor. Glasps may have also been meant to represent Alex's fear of dying or becoming a monster like her own "brother", Albert Wesker.
If the explanation proposed by the Ultimania guidebook is correct, it may be that the human traits seen on Glasps bodies were due to human DNA being present in the virus. This would be comparable to Wall Blisters. It is also possible that Glasps were insects that fed on human bodies infected with t-Phobos, and that human genes were piggybacked into their bodies. This would be comparable to the Drain Demios creatures.
The human traits of a Glasp were most noticeable when viewing it from behind (and visible in the texture above):
- The back of a Glasp's head possessed a human face, which lacked eyeballs and showed no signs of life. This face even had strings of hair above it, which drooped down over the face of the insect part of the Glasp.
- A woman's breasts were visible just below the face of a Glasp.
- The large spores on the top of a Glasps body actually seemed to be the remains of a mutated human belly.
- The two hind legs on a Glasp appeared to be human legs, but with the joints bent backwards.
- A Glasps underside birthing cavity appeared to run along the spine of the former human. Its appearance was similar to that of the openings made on the backs of Afflicted, which strongly suggests that Glasps may have formerly been test subjects.
- Glasps also had red blood, unlike insects but like humans and other hemoglobin-carrying animals. This is most likely not an oversight on the part of the game developers either, as the Giant Whip Spiders in the same game have insect blood. Red blood or some other kind of liquid pours from the birthing cavity of Glasps when they give birth as well.
It may be that Glasps were created as a result of Alex's researchers fused adult women with insect DNA using t-Phobos as a bonding agent, like the MA-120 Hunters. Since women die from typical t-Phobos infection, female test subjects may have been used this way to circumvent that issue. Glasps were likely meant to thematically allude to Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, only with a woman instead of a man to reflect Alex's possible resentment of Greta for abandoning Gregor. Glasps may have also been meant to represent Alex's fear of dying or becoming a monster like her own "brother", Albert Wesker.
If the explanation proposed by the Ultimania guidebook is correct, it may be that the human traits seen on Glasps bodies were due to human DNA being present in the virus. This would be comparable to Wall Blisters. It is also possible that Glasps were insects that fed on human bodies infected with t-Phobos, and that human genes were piggybacked into their bodies. This would be comparable to the Drain Demios creatures.
Glasp offspring were called "Camouflaged Larvae", or "Mimicry Larvae" (the English version of Revelations 2 just calls them "Insect Larvae"; thanks to Nora for translating the Japanese version). They lacked any wings but had the same grey coloration and hooked limbs that adult Glasps had. They were likely nymphs: insect offspring that are born with the form of an adult and simply grow in size and develop wings instead of entering a pupa. Camouflaged Larvae abdomens were similar in appearance to those of adult fleas; while this could indicate that Glasps were related to fleas, the presence of wings on adult Glasps means they likely were not totally based on them.
While many Camouflaged Larvae would be released on the fresh kills of Glasps, some could be found in solitary locations by themselves - possibly lost individuals or ones on the verge of becoming adults. These individuals were always camouflaged and invisible, as their name suggests, much like adult Glasps. This is in spite of the fact that Camouflaged Larvae lacked any kind of visible pores on their bodies. It may be that their skin alone was able to produce the same effect as the gas: as all Larvae in an invisible state were stationary, it may be that they only needed the gas in order to maintain their camouflage while moving. It may also be that they did not need noticeable pores to expel enough gas to hide their smaller bodies. Camouflaged Larvae were passive towards living humans, which likely meant they preferred dead flesh and lacked the means to attack and kill in their juvenile state.
Camouflaged Larvae lacked the same human features that adult Glasps had (aside from their human-like mouths and teeth). This could be because only the original Glasps were based on humans. If this was the case then the vestigial human remnants on the adult Glasps would be more like flesh that did not fully mutate, and not anything genetic that could be passed down to other generations. However, even after six months roaming free on Sein Island all of the adult Glasps still possessed human qualities. This could imply that their reproduction was flawed, and that their offspring were incapable of reaching adulthood. It is also possible that the more human-like traits developed when the larvae developed into adults, much like Drain Deimos offspring
While many Camouflaged Larvae would be released on the fresh kills of Glasps, some could be found in solitary locations by themselves - possibly lost individuals or ones on the verge of becoming adults. These individuals were always camouflaged and invisible, as their name suggests, much like adult Glasps. This is in spite of the fact that Camouflaged Larvae lacked any kind of visible pores on their bodies. It may be that their skin alone was able to produce the same effect as the gas: as all Larvae in an invisible state were stationary, it may be that they only needed the gas in order to maintain their camouflage while moving. It may also be that they did not need noticeable pores to expel enough gas to hide their smaller bodies. Camouflaged Larvae were passive towards living humans, which likely meant they preferred dead flesh and lacked the means to attack and kill in their juvenile state.
Camouflaged Larvae lacked the same human features that adult Glasps had (aside from their human-like mouths and teeth). This could be because only the original Glasps were based on humans. If this was the case then the vestigial human remnants on the adult Glasps would be more like flesh that did not fully mutate, and not anything genetic that could be passed down to other generations. However, even after six months roaming free on Sein Island all of the adult Glasps still possessed human qualities. This could imply that their reproduction was flawed, and that their offspring were incapable of reaching adulthood. It is also possible that the more human-like traits developed when the larvae developed into adults, much like Drain Deimos offspring
Further Note on t-Phobos Symptoms and Female Hosts
Despite the speed of the irregular transformations caused by t-Phobos being incredibly high, there were cases where a person would develop symptoms and mutate over a long period of time. This has been known to occur at least two times, and in both cases the host was a woman. Both women gradually lost their mental faculties and ability to write coherently, likely as a result of brain damage.
One of the women, Irina Rebec, experienced necrosis and intense itching. These are all symptoms synonymous with t-Virus infection, although the necrosis symptom was thought to be removed in t-Phobos. It may be that women hosts to t-Phobos that fail to adapt do experience necrosis, which ends up being fatal. Male Afflicted hosts do eventually rot over time, but this is due to their metabolism being dysfunctional and their bodies being unable to replace cells at a normal rate. As this was the original reason for Zombies rotting in Resident Evil, it may be that the women were just unable to store what energy they did have long enough to delay a Rotten transformation. Alex also suffered necrosis following activation of the virus in her body, supporting the idea that this was common in women hosts.
Irina also experienced incredible pain before dying, which is consistent with how it is said other women feel following activation of the virus. Irina eventually lost her eyesight, which could be a consequence of the visual processing centers of her brain dying off.
One of the women, Irina Rebec, experienced necrosis and intense itching. These are all symptoms synonymous with t-Virus infection, although the necrosis symptom was thought to be removed in t-Phobos. It may be that women hosts to t-Phobos that fail to adapt do experience necrosis, which ends up being fatal. Male Afflicted hosts do eventually rot over time, but this is due to their metabolism being dysfunctional and their bodies being unable to replace cells at a normal rate. As this was the original reason for Zombies rotting in Resident Evil, it may be that the women were just unable to store what energy they did have long enough to delay a Rotten transformation. Alex also suffered necrosis following activation of the virus in her body, supporting the idea that this was common in women hosts.
Irina also experienced incredible pain before dying, which is consistent with how it is said other women feel following activation of the virus. Irina eventually lost her eyesight, which could be a consequence of the visual processing centers of her brain dying off.