Oswell E. Spencer, Earl Spencer

I was to become a god! Creating a new world, with an advanced race of human beings...however, all was lost with Raccoon City... Despite that setback, your creation still holds great significance...

Ozwell E. Spencer was a character shrouded in much mystery. He was most notably recognized as the CEO of the Umbrella Corporation, the owner of a medieval-style mansion and castle, and the luxury cruiser, the "Spencer Rain". Spencer, a man descended from the British Royal Family, was initially the main antagonist of the Resident Evil storyline, first mentioned as one of the mysterious founders of Umbrella in Resident Evil:Code Veronica and his personality being molded by documents found in further installments that showed him as a treasonous, megalomaniac and ambitious individual. Spencer's personality is actually shown to be extremely similar to that of Albert Wesker who succeeded him as the main antagonist, especially in Resident Evil 5, when it is revealed that he murdered Spencer, and Wesker becoming the main threat. Like Wesker, Spencer had a vision to remake the world and lead it into a new era, as the world's current state was less than ideal to Spencer. Wesker would eventually take on Spencer's plans and use them to perfect his own. Spencer is also believed to have been the mastermind behind the Raccoon City incident, because while he didn't caused it, Wesker became very suspicious of Spencer for the former setting up a research facility in such a fertile place for the widespread of a biohazard(the Arklay Research Facility), in case it happened. Spencer indeed wished for that in order to test Umbrella's B.O.W., which came to life when James Marcus returned. However, like Wesker, his ego betrayed him, and the Raccoon City incident survivors, along with Wesker would prove to be his downfall and that of his "tool" that was Umbrella.

History


While Spencer is most notable known for his role as the president of the Umbrella Corporation, he was also one of the three scientists that discovered the Progenitor virus. Accompanied by his esteemed colleague and good friend Edward Ashford and prominent researcher James Marcus, Spencer was able to make the ground breaking find on December 4th, 1968. After much experimentation with the virus, Spencer was given a vision for the future of the world, which over the years manifested into Project W, a top secret Umbrella project that would become the reason for every action Spencer took.

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 test-subjects. George was imprisoned within the walls of the Mansion he built. Able to remember most of the traps and passages he created, he managed to escape. However, he could not leave the grounds due to the guards and so hid in the caves below the estate. All known information about him stopped after he ceased writing in his diary in December, some time after falling down a hole, where a grave had been prepared for him by Spencer.

Also occurring in 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 Tyrant virus by introducing the Progenitor virus to a Leech, Spencer began to grow paranoid of Marcus' new found reputation. Ultimately, Spencer ordered Marcus' former apprentices, Albert Wesker and William Birkin, to assassinate him. In the aftermath, Spencer appointed Birkin to take over the tyrant 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
When one buries a treasure, one should not behind a map...

When the Zombie outbreak affected Raccoon City, Spencer ordered that all of Umbrella's data be backed up to the U.M.F.-013 computer core, an act which was carried out and overseen by his loyal employee, Sergei Vladimir. Sergei and an unidentified Umbrella official carried the computer core out of the city via helicopter. Sergei remarked how the executive thought of him as reckless, to which the executive responded that Sergei wasn't exactly stable in stealing the computer core from his own company, despite the fact Spencer himself gave the order. Sergei then pondered upon his vision for the future and Umbrella rising from the ashes of what was about to occur. Spencer later received word that Raccoon City had been wiped out by the United States Government and made an entry about it in his journal.

Following the aftermath of the incidents in the Arklay Mountains and Raccoon City, Spencer brought forth top lawyers and false witnesses to the Supreme Court to shift blame for the events of Raccoon City to the Government, which kept Umbrella afloat for another five years. In actuality, US governers were involved with Umbrella's dealings. Ultimately, Albert Wesker sealed Umbrella's fate by submitting all of Umbrella's secret information (B.O.W.s, Viral Samples, Tactical Training, etc.). The information had been downloaded onto a special disk from the U.M.F.-13, one of Umbrella's biggest archives. Wesker even went so far as to personally testify against Spencer, detailing what role he had in the events of Raccoon City. Immediately afterwards, 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. Wesker vowed to meet Spencer again before the conclusion of the drama transpiring and to reveal to him the history he would "write for this world".

Death
Now my candle burns dimly! Ironic, isn't it? For one who has the right to be a god! To face his own mortality...



In the following years Spencer went into hiding, making sure he had little contact with the outside world. His hiding place had been his European estate, a castle along the coast of an undisclosed ocean. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine were given information from a reliable source on Spencer's location, hoping to arrest Spencer and get information on Wesker's whereabouts. Minutes before they arrived, Wesker himself paid a visit to Spencer, who was expecting him, much to Wesker's shock. Wesker realized that Spencer had been in control of everything that had been occurring over the years, even his own actions, and the two discussed Wesker's origins. Wesker was the result of genetic experimentation with the Progenitor virus along with thousands of others, known as the "Wesker Children". Spencer revealed that his goal was to create a new breed of humans -Albert included- and thus become a god over a new world. However, Albert was the only one that survived out of other individuals who were "manufactured" such as him, and the research itself was destroyed along with Raccoon City. As Spencer stood from his wheelchair to confront Wesker face to face, Wesker violently thrusted his hand through Spencer's chest, whispering to him that the right to become a god was now his, and had never been Spencer's. Wesker viciously removed his hand from his chest, allowing him to topple down on the steps of the chamber. As Jill and Chris entered the room, they unexpectadly found Spencer's corpse, with Wesker turning to face them and smiling.

Appearance


In his only confirmed appearance in Resident Evil 5, he was shown to be an elderly man with completely white hair, well into his late 80s (as his confirmed birth date is 1917), as well as breathing very heavily while he spoke. He also appeared sitting in a wheelchair, which he was connected to through wires from a console. Although speculated on for many months as to whether or not Spencer had truly made an appearence, a page on the popular Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu," revealed it officially.

Trivia
Spencer's voice was remarkably similar to Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars series. In a guest panel for Devil May Cry, Reuben Langdon and Daniel Southworth stated that Adam Clark (Spencer's voice actor) was a huge fan of the Star Wars series.

A lot of speculation remains about Spencer and the Unnamed Umbrella Officer, that was evacuated from Raccoon City in the helicopter that also contained Sergei Vladimir, U.M.F.-013 and (although unaware by Sergei) Ada Wong, are indeed the same person. Facts that support this are the executives' full face remain hidden (common due to Spencer's already mysterious nature in order to create speculation), the fact that he, like Spencer, is connected to a life support machine along with also appearing somewhat elderly and due to his dialogue with Sergei that gives the impression that he is superior to Sergei. However, as mentioned above, Spencer's notebook mentions that he received word about the destruction of Umbrella, which probably means that he was not present. Also the fact that Capcom never officially stated until now that the man was indeed Spencer also reinforces the idea that the two are different persons. Plus the dialogue with Sergei works in a two-way-conduct. It could be Spencer, and although he trusted Sergei and appreciated his loyalty he considered his behavior reckless, or if indeed was a different person, he simply saw Sergei as a reckless individual, despite the fact that Spencer himself gave the order.In any case, Spencer's only true confirmed appearance remains in Resident Evil 5.