Umbrella Corporation

Umbrella Corporation
	Umbrella logo.
Company type	Fictional — Public
Industry	Pharmaceuticals; Biological weapons
Founded	Europe (1968)
Headquarters	Europe; United States; Antarctica
Key people	Ozwell E. Spencer; Dr. Edward Ashford; James Marcus; William Birkin; Albert Wesker
Products	Adravil; Aqua Cure; Safsprin; Tyrant B.O.W.; Viral Weaponry; Regenerate

The Umbrella Corporation (also known as Umbrella, Inc.) (傘株式会社) is a fictional biotech company set in the Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan) videogame series. It operates ruthlessly as a major international player in a number of markets including pharmaceuticals, medical hardware, defense, and computers along with more clandestine operations utilizing genetic engineering and bioweaponry.

A subsidiary of Umbrella operates as a private military company. This division of the corporation maintains a highly trained security force capable of rescue, reconnaissance, and para-military operations. Complementing this security force is an air wing, which maintains a fleet of AV-8B Harrier VTOL jump jets, C-130water-landing capable cargo planes, CH-53 Sea Stallion cargo helicopters, Hughes H-6 "Little Bird" attack helicopters, and other military-grade craft. The corporation utilizes these resources in order to secure and protect its assets, as well as its high profile employees.

History of Umbrella

Formation

Umbrella is stated as having been founded by Lord Ozwell E. Spencer, a man descended from the British Royal Family, in 1960's. Two other people were prominently involved at the conception of Umbrella, Dr. James Marcus and Sir Edward Ashford. Though it is apparent that Spencer was the driving force behind the formation of the company, Marcus and Ashford were far more interested in the potential uses of the newly-discovered Progenitor Virus. When Edward Ashford passed away of natural causes in 1968, Spencer was able to largely sideline Marcus at Raccoon City facility while he maintained control over the company for the next thirty years. Spencer would eventually grow distrustful of Marcus, scared that his research would allow the scientist to eventually supplant him at the top of Umbrella.

Spencer ordered for his execution, a task that was duly carried out by William Birkin and the young, ambitious Umbrella operative Albert Wesker. Birkin would subsequently take over Marcus' research. Ten years later, as depicted in Resident Evil Zero, Marcus was completely restored by the Queen Leech. Marcus would exact his revenge against Spencer and Umbrella by unleashing the T-Virus into the Arklay Laboratory's water supply, turning the researchers, guards and experiments there into zombies. Birkin and Wesker used this as a diversion for their own plans to leave Umbrella, taking their research with them.Wesker would develop a plan to lure the Raccoon City division of S.T.A.R.S. to the Spencer Mansion, a home for Umbrella workers built to conceal the Arklay laboratory. Though the Tyrant was deployed, both the laboratory and the Tyrant were destroyed by S.T.A.R.S.

Wesker was forced to go into hiding for a number of months, using his operative Ada Wong to carry out the important mission of recovering Birkin's ultimate creation, the G-Virus. Several months after the Arklay incident, William Birkin finally perfected the virus that he had been working on ever since he took over Marcus' research, the G-Virus. Birkin planned to use the virus to force Umbrella into allowing him onto their executive board, but then changed his plans when he decided to sell it directly to the U.S. Government. A special forces squad was dispatched to stop Birkin, and though mortally wounded, he was able to use the G-Virus on himself and eliminate the squad. This would go on to indirectly unleash the T-Virus on Raccoon City. While the Arklay incident was relatively isolated, and Umbrella's control over Raccoon City ensured that any record of what went on there would be destroyed, they were now faced with an entire city infected with the virus that they were responsible for.

Decline and Collapse

Umbrella's fortunes failed to improve after the Raccoon City incident, forcing the U.S. Government to take drastic measures to stop the virus from spreading. They launched a nuclear strike against the city and, contrary to popular belief, there was no cover-up following the incident. While this has not been explained in its entirety, there are two likely explanations: firstly, the efforts of Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and the other surviving S.T.A.R.S. members to expose Umbrella may well have been a contributing factor, and secondly, as shown in one of the secret endings of Resident Evil: Outbreak, one of the 'survivors' uploaded proof of the atrocity to the internet, which could have been responsible for the investigation. Though they are not considered canon, the movies show that Umbrella arranged the nuclear strike, as opposed to simpily being aware of it. It is also heavily implied in both the movies and novels that Umbrella, which has great political influence, was able to cover up the entire incident.

Shortly after the Raccoon City incident, the U.S. Government suspended Umbrella's trading pending an investigation into their business practices. While this investigation must have already provided Umbrella with problems, several further disasters virtually ensured their eventual collapse. On Sheena Island, an undercover investigator linked with Leon S. Kennedy succeeded in destroying Umbrella's Tyrant plant after an Umbrella executive unleashed the T-Virus on the island. Shortly afterwards, when Claire Redfield broke into Umbrella's Paris Headquarters to look for her brother, she was captured and sent to the Umbrella prison on Rockfort Island. While there, she witnessed Albert Wesker attack the island in search of the T-Veronica Virus. Escaping the island, she found herself trapped at the South Pole Facility, where Edward Ashford's granddaughter, Alexia Ashford, awoke from a self-induced coma with a desire to establish a new order. With the destruction of Sheena Island, Rockfort Island and the South Pole Facility, most of Umbrella's illegitimate operations had been shut down.

With trading suspended, Umbrella share prices quickly collapsed, and the company was virtually bankrupt. By the time of Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Umbrella was largely fragmented, with the U.S. STRATCOM mainly involved in clean-up operations, such as the theft of the T-Virus and G-Virus by former Umbrella executive in R&D, Morpheus D. Duvall, and his plans to create a new order based around 'beauty'. By the start of Resident Evil 4, the U.S. government had completed the process of dismantling Umbrella, and it went bankrupt after its stock shares dropped significantly following the truth about the company. However, in the game, it was revealed that Albert Wesker has plans to revive the company, and according to staff working on Resident Evil 5, this is likely to form the main part of the story.

Umbrella in the 'Evil Company' Archetype

Though Umbrella was originally portrayed as a stereotypical 'evil corporation', similar to Weyland-Yutani from the Alien series, it was given an elaborate backstory and presence that stretches back to the turn of the century in Resident Evil Code: Veronica. It should be noted, however, that all of the zombie outbreaks seen in the Resident Evil series are caused by staggering incompetence rather than overt maliciousness, at no point do they ever deliberately scatter any of their viruses, and in none of the games are they the direct villains (with the possible exception of Resident Evil 3, where they released Nemesis with the sole intent of tracking down the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members).

Such examples of Umbrella's inability to control outbreaks resulting in pandemonium would be:

Resident Evil 0, which dealt with the outbreak caused by James Marcus in revenge for his 'death' at the hands of Umbrella.
Resident Evil, which dealt with the members of S.T.A.R.S. being used as cannon fodder to gather battle data about the performances of bio-weapons and irregular mutants.
Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and the Resident Evil: Outbreak series, which show what happened after an ostensibly failed attempt (the Umbrella operative 'Hunk' eventually delivered the virus) made by Umbrella Special Forces Unit to recover the G-Virus from William Birkin.
Resident Evil: Survivor, where Vincent Goldman releases the virus to eradicate the population of Sheena Island and any evidence against his own actions.
Resident Evil: Dead Aim, where a rogue scientist, Morpheus D. Duvall, stole samples of Umbrella's prototype viruses, unleashed some of them aboard a luxury cruiser, property of Umbrella, and used several others to threaten the U.S. and China.

Company Motto

In Resident Evil Zero, the Umbrella's company motto is stated as being "Obedience Breeds Discipline, Discipline Breeds Unity, Unity Breeds Power, Power is Life". However, in the non-canonical Resident Evil movies, its motto is "Our Business is Life Itself."

Products

A contributing factor to Umbrella's success were their non-lethal pharmaceutical products. Such products include:

Safsprin and Adravil: Two of Umbrella's three main public products. Aspirin based, they can be used as treatment for various common, daily illnesses.

Aqua Cure: Umbrella's crowning public achievement, Aqua Cure is an ointment used on open wounds that made the company famous worldwide. It is considered to be Umbrella's primary public product and is very effective. This is probably the recurring item First Aid Spray that appears throughout the series.

Valifin: A non-canon medication mentioned in the novelization Resident Evil: Zero Hour by S.D. Perry, Valifin is a pediatric heart medication that has a side-effect of renal failure.

Known Facilities

North America

Arklay Research Facility: A research facility located in Raccoon Forest, camouflaged by a mansion designed by George Trevor for Ozwell E. Spencer. Umbrella conducted most of its T-Virus experiments there, including the creation of the Tyrant.

Umbrella Research Center: Also known as the Management Training Facility, this building was managed by James Marcus for the purpose of training future Umbrella employees. It was officially closed down in 1978, though Marcus continued his research there until his assasination in 1988. An investigative unit was sent in 1998 to inspect the facility for reopening purposes.

Unnamed Chicago Research Facility: The facility John, Ada Wong's deceased fiancee, worked for before transfering to Arklay Research Facility.

Raccoon City Underground Laboratory: A facility established during the late 1980's for the sole purpose of William Birkin's G-Virus project. It can only be entered through a cable car system within Raccoon City's sewers, and is also connected to the Management Training Facility.

Disposal Facility: A facility hidden within an abandoned factory in Raccoon City, used to chemically destroy dead and unusable specimens.

Raccoon City Corporate Headquarters: A large facility used to test the combat capabilities of BOWs. An experimental serum was developed there to combat the T-Virus.

Raccoon City Hospital: Umbrella maintained a small laboratory in the basement of the city hospital. This lab contained MA-124 Hunters in containment tanks, as well as equipment capable of synthesizing a vaccine against the T-Virus.

Classified Research and Testing Facility: Located in the area of what used to be Raccoon City, this facility was built after the area was destroyed by a nuclear and gated off. Not much is known about this facility, save the fact that Umbrella conducts testing and research there, as well the monitoring the gated area and surrounding area for any possible biohazard threats or trespassers.

Other

Sheena Island: A small European island privately owned by Umbrella. It housed a community of researchers working for the company and was secretly the site of a Tyrant Plant which was mass-producing the T-103 models.

Umbrella Medical, Paris: The headquarters of Umbrella in Europe. Claire Redfield infiltrates this facility briefly, only to be captured by its chief of security, Rodrigo Juan Raval.

Umbrella Europe Sixth Laboratory: The facility responsible for the creation of the NE-T parasitic organism that allowed for the production of the Nemesis.

Rockfort Island: A prison complex off the coast of South America. It also houses military and laboratory facilities; Umbrella Special Services Agent HUNK was trained there. It served as home to Alfred Ashford, descendant of one of the original founders of the company.

Umbrella Antarctic Facility: A facility established by Alexander Ashford for his Code: Veronica project. Later, Alexia Ashford, an offspring of the project, used the facility for her T-Veronica research.

Other uses of the term "umbrella corporation"

An umbrella corporation is an agency which supports several member organizations, usual working in a specific program area.
Citigroup, the largest financial firm in the world, is an umbrella corporation in terms of the definition of the phrase and the fact that its logo is a red umbrella, originally from the firm's roots in the Travelers Group.
Interestingly, and perhaps ominously, the design for the shoulder sleeve insignia patch for the US Eighth Army is nearly identical to that of the fictional Umbrella.