James Marcus

**James Marcus**is the main antagonist of *Resident Evil Zero.*He was one of the founding members of the Umbrella Corporation and the creator of the original T-Virus. He was responsible for the T-Virus outbreak in the Arklay Mountains.

## History

### Background

Born in around 1918, James Marcus befriended Edward Ashford during his studies at school, where he quickly proved himself in biology and virology. After leaving school, Marcus and Edward became research partners, and began purusing research into the Progenitor Virus and enlisted the aid of one of Edward's close friends: Lord Oswell E. Spencer, who proved enough funding that they discovered the virus in 1967.

Marcus and Spencer believed that it could be used to create a powerful biological weapon for military use, while Edward was simply interested in his research, no matter what the consequences. To mask their research and motives, the trio formed the Umbrella Corporation, drawing massive profits and political authorization for them to continue their research. All of their sinister intentions were camouflaged with the image of a belevolent, trustworthy and highly-respected pharmaceutical company which itself gained prominence.

In 1968, Marcus reached the position of General Manager and R&D Director, and was appointed Head of the Umbrella Research Center in the Arklay Mountains. While Edward assisted him, Spencer took over Umbrella's financial duties. Edward later died after contracting the Progenitor Virus. Marcus continued his research in the virus and in January 1978, he managed to create the T-Virus by combining leech DNA with the Progenitor Virus, which in turn would lead to further research into the Progenitor Virus and the later discovery of the G-Virus and creation of Umbrella's line of B.O.W.'s. This remarkable find gave Marcus much attention and prestige from his fellow researchers, though Spencer, intimidated by his findings, began to grow increasingly paranoid of Marcus.

Later that same year, taking a break from his research, Marcus took two of his most promising researchers; William Birkin and Albert Wesker. While teaching them to be responsible researchers, Marcus intended to use his findings to gain a place on the company's Board of Directors. In July, before Marcus could present his findings, Spencer intervened, by officially shutting down the Umbrella training facillity and transferring the T-Virus project's development to the nearby Arklay Mountains.

Even though the training facility was closed down, Marcus continued to work there. During the 1980's, Marcus was all but confined to the training facility. Continuing the virus' experimentation such as creating the first T-based B.O.W.'s including Plague Crawlers, Lurkers and Eliminators, and learning of the T-Virus' potential. Soon, Marcus' isolation took it's toll on him mentally, eventually using his own assistants as guinea pigs for his leech experiments.

Spencer's paranoia peaked, and he ordered Wesker and William to assassinate Marcus while he least expected it. This occured one day in 1988 when two Umbrella Security Service commandos stormed into Marcus' laboratory and gunned him down. Wesker and William taunted Marcus while he bled to death, as the assaliants departed, Marcus' body was disposed of, thrown in the waters of the facility's sewage plant. However, at the time of the assassination, Marcus was conducting a experiment on a live leech, which escaped from it's containment unit after it broke by gunfire. The leech entered his body via his mouth and bonded with his DNA, allowing him to slowly regenerate into something no longer human. In terms of appearance, Marcus was reborn with the physical characteristics of himself in his early 20's. With time, Marcus learned to control and expertly manipulate the leeches, considering them his "children". Meanwhile, the assassination was kept quiet by Umbrella, particularly by Wesker and William. Spencer engaged a little revisionist history, claiming that he had discovered the T-Virus and Marcus was only working on it, before being "fired" for abusing his power.

### Resident Evil 0

The reborn Marcus, consumed with hatred, vowed vengeance on Spencer and Umbrella for their attempt on his life that costed his humanity. To this end, Marcus unleashed the T-Virus upon the Arklay Laboratory and the Research Center, and then attacked the Ecliptic Express, a personal company train devoted to luxuriously transporting Umbrella employees. All of the train's inhabitants were killed and transformed into Zombies due to the high concentrations of the T-Virus Marcus unleashed. Marcus effortlessly shirked off U.S.S. commando attempts to clean up the source of the biohazard. In control of the situation, Marcus displayed a video transmission across the training facility, where Wesker and William remained in hiding from the Zombie population, threatening his murderers that they would pay for their act of betrayal.

When S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team officer Rebecca Chambers and Ex-USMC Second Lieutenant Billy Coen were lost in the forests of Arklay, hunted by B.O.W.'s, they soon encountered several creatures that mimicked Marcus during their search of the train and training facility. Eventually, Rebecca and Billy confronted Marcus himself, in an underground location under the facility. After revealing details regarding his mortal demise, Marcus uncontrollably mutated into a leech-like monster after the Leech Queen began to control his body. Although the new creature was impervous to small-arms fire, Rebecca and Billy managed to defeat it by exposing it to sunlight; it's one weakness, and Billy finished off what remained of Marcus with a single bullet.