Rudolf Wernicke

## Rudolf G. Wernicke

### Place of Death

Underground Laboratory, Mount Massive Asylum, Leadville, Colorado, United States

### Cause of Death

Violently dismembered and ripped to shreds from the inside.

### Last Words

"Gott im Himmel. You have become the host."

## Villain Information

### Crimes

Mass Unethical Experimentations
Conspiracy
Corruption

### Goals

Complete Project Walrider.
Destroy The Walrider by killing the host, Billy Hope with the help of Miles Upshur.
 (Both Succeeded)
Kill Miles Upshur and prevent his evidence from reaching the outside world.
 (Failed)

## Miscellaneous Information

### Appearances

*Outlast*
*Outlast: Whistleblower* (Mentioned)

### Type of Villain

Remorseful Scientist

> ***"Nothing is supernatural."** - One of Dr. Wernicke's most iconic lines, responding to the interviewer's question surrounding The Walrider and Project Walrider.*
>
>

**Rudolf Gustav Wernicke**, also known as **Dr. Rudolf Wernicke**, **Dr. Wernicke** or as **The Doctor**, is a major antagonist in the *Outlast* series, appearing as the overarching antagonist in the 2013 survival horror video game, *Outlast* while appearing as a mentioned, unseen antagonist in its 2014 DLC expansion, *Outlast: Whistleblower*.

He is a senile former Nazi, responsible for founding and creating Project Walrider which was a highly illegal experiment in an attempt to conjure The Walrider, a demonic creature originating from German folklore, into the real world. Currently, he is a scientist and doctor of The Murkoff Corporation, overseeing and leading the project as its head scientist at Mount Massive Asylum.

He was portrayed and voiced by Canadian actor, Marcel Jeannin.

## Story

### Background

Rudolf Gustav Wernicke was born on October 20th, 1918 in Munich, Germany. He was a highly intelligent, gifted person as a young man, achieving fame within the mathematic and scientific communities because of a paper written with early computing pioneer, Alan Turing where they both collaborated to create the early designs that would eventually become The Morphogenic Engine. It was highly implied that the two were involved in a homosexual relationship during their brief relationship.

Because of his intellectual mind, he was eventually recruited into Nazi Germany as a scientist where he used his skillset in service for Nazi Germany, continuing his experimentations and endeavours which includes Project Walrider.

During World War II, Wernicke achieved minor success in his experiment, successfully creating an apparition of The Walrider through the use of nanotechnology. His associates and colleagues alike, believing it to be spiritual or supernatural, committed suicide and subjected themselves to harsher experiments in the belief that "an afterlife had been empirically promised to them" because of what they had witnessed. Wernicke chose to let themselves follow false beliefs and hopes, later calling them fools.

Following the defeat and fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, Wernicke was recruited by the United States government as a part of Project Paperclip which was a US operation created to recruit and offer employment to German and Austrian specialists, thus denying their services to potential enemies of the US. Wernicke emigrated to the US in 1949 with a visa from the state department where he conducted decades of government research in Los Alamos.

In the late 20th century, Wernicke retried to New Mexico where he pursued landscape photography and cared for his cats.

Years later, in the early 2000's, Wernicke moved to Colorado where he pursued "charitable work" for the infamous Murkoff Corporation however he was really recruited to continue and complete Project Walrider at Mount Massive Asylum in the Underground Laboratory because of its enormous profit potential to the company. In 2003, Wernicke's death was faked by the company with a death certificate fabricated to cover up his "death".

Wernicke continued his experiments in the Underground Laboratory, working closely with William "Billy" Hope, a patient of Project Walrider, who was proving promising for the completion of the project. During the experimentation, Hope developed a warm fatherly relationship towards Wernicke, believing him to be his father.

Among all the other patients of the asylum, the question "what kind of experiments does a dead doctor perform on living patients?" is constantly asked as he is widely believed to be deceased among the asylum's patients. The patients do recognise Wernicke as the man behind the creation of Project Walrider.

In September 2013, Hope successfully activates the engine, becoming the first official host of The Walrider and simultaneously deeming Project Walrider a success. However, Murkoff failed to contain and control it causing a mass collapse of the entire asylum. The patients were unleashed, viciously murdering everyone in their path while The Walrider ripped everything and everyone to shreds in a deep fuelled rage by Hope. During the chaos, Wernicke was kept alive by Hope as Wernicke remained in the safety behind reinforced glass in his office while everyone else was brutally killed around him.

### Outlast: Whistleblower

#### Chapter One: Underground Laboratory

While Waylon Park roams throughout the underground laboratory, he overhears numerous doctors and researchers mention Wernicke by name, commenting on the peculiarity of his theories and claims concerning the project and its goals.

### Outlast

#### Chapter Three: Sewers

When Miles Upshur enters a room during his exploration of the sewers, he finds a patient in the corner of the room who briefly mentions Dr. Wernicke, asking the infamous question "what kind of experiments does a dead doctor perform on living patients?". Miles records the patient's ramblings on his camcorder, remarking in his notes "what is Project Walrider?".

#### Chapter Four: Male Ward

As Miles traverses through the basement of the Male Ward, he overhears the mutterings of various patients behind closed curtains mentioning Dr. Wernicke, remarking that he's "waiting for them there".

When Miles is being chased by the group of Variants through the basement of the Male Ward, they scream and yell Dr. Wernicke's name numerous times as they pursue him.

#### Chapter Seven: Return to Administration Block

Upon entering the theatre, a film plays on the screen from the projector above detailing an exit interview for Dr. Wernicke in the early to late 1980's. Wernicke remarks on his experiments, The Morphogenic Engine and Project Walrider as he answers the interviewer's questions in an obscure and mysterious manner. After the interview ends, Miles remarks in his notes about his thoughts on Wernicke, coining Wernicke as "Dr. Strangelove anemic brother".

#### Chapter Eight: Underground Laboratory

Following the gruesome death of Chris Walker at the hands of The Walrider, Miles hears Wernicke's voice from down the corridor ushering him into his room so he can explain everything. Once Miles enters the room, the door closes behind him as Wernicke reveals himself to be alive and not deceased as it was led to believe however he has been restrained to a wheelchair because of his fragile and elderly state. Wernicke goes on to monologue and explain everything concerning Project Walrider and The Walrider itself, revealing it is not supernatural but instead a cluster of nanomachines controlled by a singular host. He then sends Miles to kill Billy Hope and destroy The Walrider by deactivating his life support. Wernicke opens the door and Miles leaves to fulfil his final mission.

Following the death of Billy Hope, a heavily weakened Miles limps his way to the exit however upon reaching a set of double doors, he finds a group of armed Murkoff private military contractors accompanied by Dr. Wernicke who assassinate and gun down Miles, on Wernicke's orders to prevent his evidence from ever reaching the outside world and exposing The Murkoff Corporation. Once Miles seemingly dies, Wernicke comes to the realisation that Miles has become the new host of The Walrider, expressing his shock and horror. The Walrider then emerges before violently and viciously slaughtering everyone in the room as they helplessly scream in terror and agony.

Whether Wernicke is one of the many victims that are slaughtered at the hands of The Walrider is left ambiguous however considering the unlikelihood of escaping the scene and the lack of no protection or security, it's highly likely that Wernicke met his painful, gory end at the hands of The Walrider, violently ripped to pieces from the inside, ironically being killed by the same thing he dedicated his entire life to.

## Appearance

Wernicke is only ever seen physically in his senile, fragile state so the appearance and physical description of Wernicke's younger self is left relatively unknown however his appearance in the present time is detailed below.

Because of Wernicke's elderly and fragile state, he has been restrained to a wheelchair where a life support system has been fitted to the back of the wheelchair to provide oxygen to him. Oxygen pipes have been added to Wernicke's clothes and under his nose in an attempt to keep him alive. Wernicke possesses the appearance of an incredibly slim, Caucasian male with noticeable wrinkles on his hands and face. He is completely bald, showing a clean shaven, round head. His lips appear to droop down on the left side while his left eye appears cloudy and blurry.

When Miles encounters Wernicke in the underground laboratory, Wernicke is seen in a light blue doctor/scientist attire, consisting of a long-sleeved lab coat, trousers and standard black dress shoes which are neatly tied.

## Relationships

### Allies

* **Alan Turing** *(Deceased)* - Former Professional Partner & Presumed Romantical Partner
* **Adolf Hitler** *(Deceased)* - Former Employer/Boss
* **William "Billy" Hope** *(Deceased)* - Paternal Figure

## Appearances

 *Outlast: Whistleblower* | **Mentioned Unseen Antagonist** | - Mentioned in the *Underground Laboratory* chapter by a few scientists and doctors.
- Never seen or heard from in any fashion for the rest of the game.

## Quotes

### Outlast

#### Chapter Seven: Return to Administration Block

> - ***"The films are real...None...Yes, the autopsies revealed that the tumours were pure lead...I have my theories. My homeland in those years. It's impossible to understand the things we felt, what we believe. The overwhelming fear, ecstatic rage. English words are insufficient. More than hope. A human mind in that environment is capable of extraordinary things...A proximity to death. To overwhelming madness. Only a test subject who had witnessed enough horror was capable of activating the engine...No...Nothing is supernatural."*** *- Wernicke's first lines in Outlast during The Wernicke Exit Interview, discussing Project Walrider and his past.*
>
>

#### Chapter Eight: Underground Laboratory

> - ***"Over here. Please! I must try to explain."*** *- Wernicke beckoning Miles to come to him so he can explain everything.*
>
>
> - ***"I know, I know, I...I'm supposed to be dead. But no, no such luck. I am older than sin but somehow the only one left because of Billy. He takes care of me...he may think I'm his father. He certainly loves me, the poor idiot. Do you know what this symbol represents? It warns of a nano hazard, microscopic machines, technology we have had for decades but never mastered. Murkoff discovered in my research a workaround. Turning the cells in a human body into nano factories, it's the natural function of cells to produce molecules but through psychosomatic direction, we engineered the precise molecules necessary. Mind over body. It was foolish and wrong to think we could control it. To use madmen to make something so strong. You have to stop him, to murder Billy. Turn off his life support, his anaesthesia. You have to undo what I've done. No can get out of this place while he lives. You must kill him!"*** *- Wernicke's speech to Miles, explaining The Walrider, the project and the remorse he feels because of his actions.*
>
>
> - ***"We achieved something like this in 1944. Those fascists thought it was spirits and I let them believe it. Let them kill themselves thinking there was some kind of afterlife now empirically promised to them. Fools. Poor Alan, he would weep to see what I've built from his dreams. Billy doesn't mean harm. He's a child with a damaged mind granted the powers of a god. It would make any of us into a monster. You must end this...we all must die here. Murkoff knew the danger and they didn't care. In the corporation's mind, we were all just dollar amounts in a ledger. The profits Project Walrider promised overshadowed whatever pitiful balance a few doctors and patients amounted to. He will spread if you don't stop him. The Morphogenic Engine is self perpetuating, I pray to God you have the strength to end it here with your death. More than anything, I want to rest. Billy will not let me die. You could never imagine how cruel this is. I only want to die."*** *- Wernicke reminiscing his time with Nazi Germany while commenting on the evil and greed of The Murkoff Corporation.*
>
>
>
> *- **"Gott im Himmel. You have become the host."** - Dr. Rudolf Wernicke's last words before his unknown fate.*
>
>

## Gallery

### Screenshots

#### Outlast

##### Chapter Eight: Underground Laboratory

Miles finds Wernicke alive in his office shortly following the death of Chris Walker.Close-up of Wernicke's face.Wernicke, with his back turned, talking to Miles about his regrets and remorse for his actions.Wernicke, accompanied by a group of Murkoff PMC's, shortly before the assassination of Miles.
## Trivia

* While it isn't confirmed, it's highly implied that Wernicke is homosexual.
* Several times throughout *Outlast*, Wernicke's first name, "Rudolf", is commonly misspelled as "Rudolph" in various documents. This is most likely a mistake overlooked by the developers and "Rudolf" remains the correct spelling of his name.
* Miles jokingly compares Wernicke to the likeness of *Dr. Strangelove* because the two are former Nazis that sit in a wheelchair.