Oswell E. Spencer, Earl Spencer

Ozwell E. Spencer is a fictional character from the Resident Evil series. Although Spencer's character is shrouded in much mystery, he is most notably recognized as the president of the Umbrella Corporation. Furthermore, he is the owner of the Spencer Mansion and Spencer Rain, two prominent settings in the Resident Evil series.

Background




While Spencer is most notably known for his role as the president of the Umbrella Corporation, he was also one of the first three scientists to discover the Progenitor Virus. Accompanied by his esteemed colleagues, Edward Ashford and James Marcus, Spencer was able to make the groundbreaking find on December 4th, 1968.

While driven by their insights to create a powerful viral biological weapon, Spencer and his colleagues established the Umbrella Corporation, a company that appeared to create pharmaceutical products, to disguise their sinister motives. Around the same time, Spencer hired the well-known architect George Trevor to design a special mansion in the Arklay Mountains, which would camouflage a secret research laboratory complex in the Mansion’s basement. After realizing that George may disclose of the secrets of the mansion in the future, Spencer had his wife Jessica and their daughter Lisa kidnapped and used as Progenitor Virus-tests. George was imprisoned within the walls of the Mansion he built. Unable to remember most of the traps and passages he created, he managed to escape. Howether, he could not leave the grounds due to the guards and so hid in the caves below the estate. Eventualy, he would die after falling down a hole, and his body used for t-Virus testing, eventualy becoming the "Crimson Head Elder".

Later that year, Spencer established the Umbrella Management Training Facility for further research of the Progenitor Virus, and appointed co-founder James Marcus as the first general manager. After Marcus successfully created the T-virus by introducing RNA from the Progenitor Virus to the DNA of a leech, Spencer began to grow paranoid of Marcus’ new found reputation. Ultimately, Spencer ordered Marcus’ former apprentice, Albert Wesker, to assassinate him. In the aftermath, Spencer appointed William Birkin to take over the T-virus project. Following the mysterious death of Ashford, Spencer was left as the sole remaining founding member of the Umbrella Corporation, and easily able to monopolize the company for himself.

Spencer's Fate
Following the aftermath of the Arklay Mountains and Raccoon City incident, Spencer brought forth top lawyers and false witnesses to the Supreme Court to make the events of Raccoon City look like a Government Conspiracy, which kept Umbrella afloat for another five years. Ultimately Albert Wesker seals Umbrella's fate by submitting ALL of Umbrellas’ secret information (BOWs, Viral Samples, Tactical Training, etc.). The information had been downloaded onto a disk from the Red Queen, one of Umbrellas’ super computers. Wesker even went so far as to personally testify against Spencer, detailing what role he had in the events of Raccoon City. Immediately afterward Umbrella's business license is revoked and a global manhunt is started in the goal of finding Spencer, who mysteriously vanished following Umbrella's destruction.

Death's Door
The mysterious man in the Death's Door scenario is thought by fans, to be implied to be Spencer himself. Things such as the avoidance of showing a face, which is commonly done on the lead villain to make a suggestion. One main example would be that he waited until the very last moment to leave, along with how it was important for him to be on the same transport as the U.M.F-013, which contained all Umbrella information, something important to him. Yet another is of how he spoke to Sergei Vladimir, a Colonel, as if he was higher than Sergei. However, due to no direct evidence, this can only count as Speculation.

Trivia
An interview with Ken Lally, The motion capturer for Albert Wesker can be found http://www.rehorror.net/v20/interview-with-ken-lally-wesker-motion-capturer-re5, in which he confirms that the old man in Resident Evil 5 is in fact Ozwell Spencer in the mansion talking with Wesker.