Ozwell E. Spencer
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Ozwell E. Spencer is a fictional character in the Resident Evil series. A man of European nobility (most likely British due to his name), he is one of the three founding members of the Umbrella Corporation and president of the company as of '. Although, he has never made an actual physical appearance in the games, he has been mentioned in numerous documents and by other characters throughout the series (notably in George Trevor's diary). He is the original owner of the mansion which served as the setting of the original Resident Evil (commonly, but unofficially, referred as the Spencer Mansion). The Spencer Rain cruise ship (the setting of ') was named after him as well. He is the mastermind behind many of the tragic events surrounding those who worked for his company.
Background
Spencer was one of the three men who discovered the Progenitor Virus (a new type of RNA virus) along with Edward Ashford and James Marcus on December the fourth, sometime in the 1950s. The three established the Umbrella Corporation, a manufacturer of biological weapons that posed as a pharmaceutical company. During that same year, he established the Arklay Research Facility located in the outskirts Raccoon City and camouflaged the lab as a mansion. He murdered the mansion's architect, George Trevor, and used his wife and daughter (Jessica and Lisa) as test subjects for the Progenitor Virus, in order to eliminate anyone who might have known about the mansion's secrets.During the following year, he established the Umbrella Management Training Facility (also located at the Arklay Mountains) for further research of the Progenitor Virus and appointed co-founder James Marcus as the first general manager. Marcus helped create the T-Virus by combining the Progenitor Virus with leech DNA. Even though Marcus and Spencer worked in separate facilities, the two had a mutual rivalry and considered each other a threat to their respective positions, with Marcus having his own supporters. In 1988, when Spencer was making his own progress with the T-Virus, he ordered Albert Wesker (one of Marcus' former apprentices) to assassinate Marcus and appointed William Birkin to take over the T-Virus project. As the only living founder of the Umbrella Corporation, he has monopolized the company's entire business for himself.
It is also speculated that it was Spencer who ordered the deployment of Umbrella troops, the T-103 Tyrant and the Nemesis during the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. He probably also ordered the assassination of William Birkin to secure the G-Virus, as Birkin was planning to sell it to another prospective employer.
Spencer's Fate
When the truth about the Umbrella Corporation's viral experiments were revealed to the public, the U.S. government put an indefinite suspension of business decree to Umbrella, essentially putting the company out of business (as narrated in Resident Evil 4). It is unclear what became of Spencer after losing his company, as it is never established whether he was arrested or managed to avoid any charges. His fate in the post-Umbrella Resident Evil timeline could be one of the most speculative subjects among fans of the series, especially due to the already mysterious nature of the character.- "Presumably talking": Knowing how the Resident Evil franchise developing group Capcom works, it is very possible the inclusion of Spencer as a main or secret/unexpected antagonist in a future game. This frequent syndrome of converting a very mentioned character into a powerful villain has woke up rumors about Spencer being put as part of the unreleased Resident Evil 5 storyline. Of course, this is mere especulation and has no proof of being a valid point.
Spencer's possible appearance
Although not confirmed, a photo that a player can obtain in Marcus's office (in Resident Evil 0) shows a young James Marcus (on the right side of the photo) and two more persons next to him. They are believed to be Edward Ashford and Ozwell E. Spencer. Another noteworthy fact is the Spencer Family symbol that can be found in various important objects around the Arklay Research Facility (Namely two metal objects, a gold emblem, a key, and a jewelry box).Trivia
- Ozwell Spencer is the biggest mystery in the Resident Evil series to date. Although he has not made a single appearance in-game, his influence is widespread, and his actions against James Marcus and William Birkin led to the T-Virus outbreak that destroyed Raccoon City.
- The counter part of Alice in the first Resident Evil movie, the male antagonist, also goes by the name of Spence. Most likely a tribute to Ozwell E. Spencer, unless they were meant to be the same person due to the movies twisted and turned representation of the story. Or perhaps it is just a coincidence that the names are the same.
See also
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