What Is Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation? A Primer For New Fans

The "Resident Evil" franchise has endured for 30 years now. Beginning as a popular horror survival video game made by Capcom in the Playstation era, it blossomed into a multimedia juggernaut. The movies turned it into one of the biggest horror franchises ever at the box office. Now, "Weapons" director Zach Cregger is rebooting the series for the big screen.

Cregger's new "Resident Evil" is connected to the games by taking place in the same universe, but it doesn't directly adapt any of the pre-existing stories. So, those who have seen it or plan to see it who are newbies may be wondering, what the heck is the Umbrella Corporation and why is it so important? That is a question that could lead one down a serious rabbit hole but we're going to offer up a basic primer for new fans.

Very basically, the Umbrella Corporation is the massive conglomerate behind all that is wrong in this universe. They're responsible for the zombies and monsters running around in the video games as well as the movies, thanks to various genetic experiments. It's part of the shockingly rich lore of the "Resident Evil" universe.

The origins of the Umbrella Corporation trace back to the 1960s and the eugenics movement. It was all about advancing human progress through genetics. The company's founding members were Oswell E. Spencer, Dr. Edward Ashford, and Dr. James Marcus, who were university classmates. Spencer is particularly important as his name adorns the Spencer Mansion from the original game, a hugely important location that lies on the edges of Raccoon City. It's where a lot of the experiments that resulted in the monsters that populate this universe took place.

The Umbrella Corporation, through the decades, evolved into a multi-headed beast. There were multiple facets of the company, including a pharmaceuticals division. The company's true goal set forth by its founders was hidden away from the public. Ultimately, they wanted to find a way to make a race of superhumans that could rule as godlike figures.

After years of research, it was determined that the tool to accomplish this was to be a virus, which was viewed as an instrument of change for humanity, rather than merely a harmful infection. That led to the creation of the T-Virus, which is the heart of all that is wrong in the "Resident Evil" universe. There are other virus strains, such as the G-Virus, and the viruses evolved a lot as the games went on, but it all starts with the T-Virus. Albert Wesker, who has been portrayed several times in live-action, was a key figure behind the development of the T-Virus, as well as a key protagonist in the games.

Umbrella's main goal was to fund a version of the virus that could advance human evolution. As a means of funding the Umbrella Corporation's lofty and expensive goals, the founders developed versions of the virus that were sold to governments as potential chemical weapons. Naturally, the virus eventually got out, leading to zombies and monsters overrunning Raccoon City. The world would never be the same. Despite nuking Raccoon City, containment proved impossible.

Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" movie had to incorporate some elements from the games, including the Umbrella Corporation. But that doesn't mean that he had to spend a ton of time diving into the lore behind this giant, evil corporation.

In the movies, the Umbrella Corporation was similarly depicted as evil and the driving force behind all that went wrong in the world. The opening of the 2002 "Resident Evil" movie, which beat the video game movie curse at the time, revealed that the Umbrella Corporation was the largest commercial entity in the United States. An opening bit of narration explains:

"Nine out of every ten homes contain its products. Its political and financial influence is felt everywhere. In public, it is the world's leading supplier of computer technology, medical products and healthcare. Unknown, even to its own employees, its massive profits are generated by military technology, genetic experimentation and viral weaponry."

In the movies, an info dump explains that this version of Umbrella was formed by professor James Marcus, who wanted to cure his young daughter Alicia of Progeria. This led to the discovery of the T-Virus, which seemed like a miracle cure but had adverse effects. Zombie-like effects. Marcus ended up at odds with his business partner, Dr. Alexander Isaacs, who became a major antagonist in the franchise.

The company's foundations and the origins of the T-Virus in the movies were changed, but the core idea remained the same. The T-Virus was supposed to be a miracle drug. It instead resulted in zombies and other horrific, mutated monsters. Those interested in a crash course can watch Milla Jovovich recap the entire "Resident Evil" franchise in under three minutes. It's a lot.

But this offers up a basic understanding of what Umbrella is and why it's so important to this franchise in all of its various incarnations. How it will evolve in Zach Cregger's universe remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be important, as it always has been.

"Resident Evil" is in theaters now.