The (also known as '''Umbrella, Inc.''') (傘株式会社) is a fictional biotech
Megacorp 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-130 water-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.
was one of Umbrella's most important researchers.'']]
The Umbrella Corporation was founded by Lord
Ozwell E. Spencer , a man descended from the
British Royal Family , in the
1960s . Two other people were prominently involved in the conception of Umbrella, Dr.
James Marcus and Sir
Edward Ashford , although it is apparent that Spencer was the driving force behind the formation of the company as Marcus and Ashford were far more interested in the potential uses of the newly-discovered
Progenitor Virus . When Edward Ashford passed away due to infection by the Progenitor Virus in
1968 , Spencer was able to largely sideline Marcus at the
Raccoon City facilities while he maintained control over the company for the next thirty years. Spencer would eventually grow distrustful of Marcus, worried that his research would allow the scientist to eventually supplant him as Umbrella's CEO.
''.]]
Lord Spencer arranged for the assassination of Dr. Marcus, a task that was duly carried out by two of Marcus' most brilliant and ambitious assistants,
William Birkin and
Albert Wesker . Birkin would subsequently take over all of Marcus' research, including the studies on the Progenitor Virus. Ten years later, Marcus was completely restored by the Queen Leech (see
James Marcus for more information regarding this event). Marcus would exact his revenge on Spencer and Umbrella by releasing the
T-Virus into the
Arklay Research Facility 's water supply, turning the facility personnel into zombies and leaving the laboratory and mansion in complete chaos, allowing for the team's extremely dangerous research specimens to escape into the surrounding area. Birkin and Wesker used this as a diversion for their own plans to leave Umbrella, taking their research with them. Wesker, having formed Raccoon City's elite
S.T.A.R.S. unit two years previous, would develop a plan to lure the team to the
Spencer Mansion to obtain battle data from the conflict that would surely follow. Spencer Mansion had been constructed above the actual laboratory to conceal it from negative interests such as the government and local populace, and was now crawling with infected researchers and experiments wandering it's halls. Although the
Tyrant was deployed, resulting in unforseen side-effects for Wesker, both the laboratory and the rampaging Tyrant were destroyed by S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team before making it's escape back to Raccoon City with a single Bravo Team survivor.
Wesker was forced to go into hiding for a number of months, using his operative
Ada Wong to carry out his objectives, including the recovery of Birkin's ultimate creation, the
G-Virus . Several months after the Arklay incident, William Birkin finally perfected the viral strain that he'd been toiling to achieve since obtaining Marcus' research so many years earlier, the
G-Virus . Birkin planned to use the virus to force the Umbrella Corporation into allowing him onto their executive board, but then changed his plans when he found that selling it directly to the
U.S. Government would prove far more beneficial. Umbrella deployed it's elite U.S.S. team (a para-military black-operations unit created for Umbrella's most clandestine purposes) in a desperate bid to stop Birkin from handing over his ultimate creation. Although Birkin was mortally wounded in the ensuing conflict, and the G-Virus was successfully recovered by Umbrella, he was able to inject the G-Virus into his own body and devastate most of the team before it could make it's escape. This event would be indirectly responsible for unleashing the T-Virus on Raccoon City. While the
Arklay incident had been relatively isolated and concealed from the public, and Umbrella's control over key government and law enforcement personnel had ensured that any record of what had occurred could be safely swept into obscurity, they were now faced with an entire city infected with the T-Virus and a trail leading directly back to the Umbrella Corporation. This would prove exceedingly difficult, even for Umbrella, to make simply disappear.
and anti-virus as seen in
Resident Evil .'']]
Umbrella's fortunes failed to improve after the
Raccoon City incident, the U.S. Government was forced to take extreme measures to ensure the spread of the
T-Virus was stopped for good. Mission Code XX was approved for immediate deployment, and Raccoon City was annihilated via an air-to-surface surgical missile strike. Contrary to popular belief, there was no cover-up following the incident. After escaping to the city limits with her fellow Umbrella researcher Linda, Yoko Suzuki's amnesia finally lifted, and all of the evil deeds she had witnessed and helped Umbrella keep secret came flooding back. With her newly regained memories, Yoko decided it was time the world was told the truth, and that doing so would start her down a better path. Linda and Yoko were brought forward as key witnesses to Umbrella's atrocities in the Supreme Court, and all was made known. Although not considered canon, in other forms of media, Umbrella arranged the bombing of Raccoon City, as opposed to simply allowing it to occur. 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 and even come out of the situation as the proverbial 'good guy' by helping relocate survivors, cleaning up after the incident, providing financial aid, etc.
incident.'']]
Shortly after the Raccoon City incident, the U.S. Government suspended Umbrella's market trading pending an investigation into their business practices. While this
Investigation must have already provided Umbrella with severe financial problems, several further disasters virtually ensured their eventual collapse. On
Sheena Island , undercover investigator,
Ark Thompson , operating on behalf of
Leon S. Kennedy , succeeded in destroying Umbrella's Tyrant production plant after Umbrella's senior executive assigned to the island unleashed the T-Virus on it's citizens. Shortly afterwards, when
Claire Redfield broke into Umbrella's Paris facilities in search of her brother, she was captured and sent to Umbrella's illegal prison camp on Rockfort Island. While there, she witnessed
Albert Wesker attack the island in search of the
T-Veronica Virus , another relative of the now infamous T-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. This, combined with the loss of so many of Umbrella's research and security personnel throughout each of the disastrous incidents, left Umbrella with little chance of reforming said operations or regaining the years of research lost thus far.
With trading suspended, Umbrella's shares quickly collapsed, and the company was virtually bankrupt. Umbrella became largely fragmented, with power struggles between senior executives becoming a constant occurrence. The U.S. STRATCOM was mainly involved in clean-up operations, such as the theft of the
T/G-Virus by former Umbrella executive in R&D, Morpheus D. Duvall, and his plans to create a new order based around his obsessive ideals of 'beauty'. By the early 21st century, the Umbrella Corporation's
Bankruptcy was absolute, and the U.S. government had completed the process of fully dismantling the remnants of the organization. However, in
Resident Evil 4 , it was revealed that Albert Wesker's grand scheme involves the resurrection of the Umbrella Corporation.
Though Umbrella was portrayed as a stereotypical "evil ''. On the other hand, the same game greatly bolstered the concept of an
Omnipotent corporation, introducing the company's private prison island. And while some of the zombie outbreaks seen in the Resident Evil series are caused by staggering incompetence and rogue operatives rather than overt maliciousness, Capcom has also stated that some viral outbreaks were indeed to test its effectiveness. It is also noteworthy that in ''
Resident Evil 3 '', the corporation released Nemesis with the sole intent of tracking down and murdering all surviving S.T.A.R.S. members.
Capcom themselves appeared to realize the increasing improbability of the
Cliché premise (and the pitfalls of sticking to it), and thus ''
Resident Evil 4 '' saw Umbrella's swift downfall, explained away in one or two sentences and not really mentioned since. This has been interpreted as Capcom sending the message that the evil megacorp is a "thing of the past" for the evolved series.
Nevertheless, examples of Umbrella's inability to control outbreaks resulting in pandemonium include:
- '' 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.
- '''' 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.
- '''', where Vincent Goldman releases the virus to eradicate the population of Sheena Island and any evidence against his own actions.
- '''', 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.
- In '' Resident Evil Zero '', the Umbrella's 'employee pledge' is stated as being ''"Obedience Breeds Discipline, Discipline Breeds Unity, Unity Breeds Power, Power is Life"''. It is unknown if this is the motto for the public or if it is used purely within the company, due to its ominous sound.
- In the 2002 film Resident Evil , Umbrella's slogan is ''"Umbrella Sheltering Your Family"''.
- In the , Umbrella's slogan is ''"Our Business is Life Itself."''
A contributing factor to Umbrella's success were their non-lethal commercial products. Such products include:
- : An apparently Ibuprofen -based Analgesic . May be an analog of the real drug Advil .
- : Another of Umbrella's three main public products. Aspirin based, it can be used as treatment for various common, daily illnesses.
- : Another Umbrella .
- : 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. Most likely the recurring item ''First Aid Spray'' that appears throughout the series. It is assumed that the T-Virus is used on this product to reaccommodate the damaged cells, though no side-effect has been shown from this product.
- : A non- by S.D. Perry , Valifin is a pediatric heart medication that has a side-effect of Renal Failure .
- : A non-, Regenerate is a skincare product that uses the T-Virus to reanimate dead skin cells, making the user appear younger.
- A non-canon weight pill mentioned in promotions for the second movie. This pill boasts the ability to burn up to 30 pounds per pill. Developed using the T-Virus.
There are also a multitude of other products seen briefly throughout all of the ''Resident Evil'' games including,
Soft Drinks ,
Cosmetics , and
Firearms .
''.]]
- ''', 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 .
- : 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 assassination in 1988 . An investigative unit was sent in 1998 to inspect the facility for reopening purposes.
- '''Unnnamed deceased boyfriend, worked for before transferring to Arklay Research Facility. William Birkin used to visit this branch to conduct a monthly training seminar.
- ''' 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.
- : A facility hidden within an abandoned factory in Raccoon City, used to chemically destroy dead and unusable specimens. Potent contributor to the release of the virus into the city.
- : A large facility used to test the combat capabilities of BOWs. An experimental serum was developed there to combat the T-Virus.
- : 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.
- : Located in the area of what used to be Raccoon City , this facility was built after the area was destroyed and gated off. Not much is known about this facility. But what is known is that Umbrella conducts testing and research there and monitors the gated area and surrounding area for any possible biohazard threats or trespassers.
- '''. This facility is noted to conduct experiments on viral weaponry. When the T-Virus escapes through the air ducts a super Computer (known as the Red Queen) shuts down the facility trapping anyone within.
- (movie continuity '''Only'''): A research facility located outside of possibly Chicago . The facility is known to experiment on animals and possibly humans. 3 weeks after the T-virus Outbreak in Raccoon City, Umbrella began testing a new virus on their first human subject Alice .
- : 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 (mr X's).
- : The headquarters of Umbrella in Europe. Claire Redfield infiltrates this facility briefly, only to be captured by its chief of security, Rodrigo Juan Raval.
- : The facility responsible for the creation of the NE-T parasitic organism that allowed for the production of the Nemesis .
- : A solitary island which served as the site of Alfred Ashford's private residence and palace after he purchased the land and drove the villagers out. It also housed an "inescapable" prison camp, a military training facility for the Umbrella Special Forces Unit (including a lab used to create BOWs) and an airport.
- : 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.
- : A waste disposal facility on an unnamed island in the Atlantic Ocean. It was to this facility that Umbrella sent some of its worst failed experiments to be disposed of, but for unknown reasons the facility shut down. It was used as a base of operations by renegade Umbrella executive Morpheus D. Duvall.
''The Umbrella Corporation'' owned two different
Private Paramilitary units, each established for a different purpose.
The (also known as the '''Umbrella Security Service''') specialize in dealing against
Corporate Terrorism and
VIP abductions. Their members were trained in Umbrella's own
Military Training Facilities . Their operatives wear black
Chemical protection suits and
Gas Mask s that protects against
Viral Outbreak s.
''Delta Team'' is comprised of only two members, which were sent by
Wesker and
William Birkin to recover the
Ecliptic Express , but were killed by Marcus'
Leech es.
''Alpha Team'' is comprised of at least six members, including
HUNK . Alpha Team was given orders by Christine Henri and
Ozwell E. Spencer to steal the
G-Virus from Birkin. However, the
Mission went awry when Birkin transformed himself with G and only HUNK managed to
Survive and complete his mission. Other, lone operatives, such as Rodriguez, have also been depicted.
See Also: Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service
The second unit was the , comprised of former war criminals and mercenaries trained to handle "accidental" viral outbreaks.
A group of special ops shock troopers trained to execute some of Umbrella's most critical missions during viral outbreaks. They were colloquially known as "Cleaners" or "Undertakers". At least one group consisting of dozens of armed members exists and it was sent on a mission to Sheena Island to eliminate any survivors of an outbreak that occurred in there. This unit uses hazmat protection attire similar to that of the USFU and carry assorted weapons. No other squad of this paramilitary group is known (save the one involved on the Sheena Island incident).
- An 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 .
- Umbrella and its UBCS logo shares a nearly identical design to that of the shoulder sleeve insignia patch for the US Eighth Army .
