William Birkin is a fictional character in the Resident Evil series. He is a top virologist working for the Umbrella Corporation and is responsible for the discovery of the G-Virus and development of the G-Virus project. He is also the husband of Annette Birkin and the father of Sherry Birkin. His involvement in the G-Virus project serves as a catalyst for the events of Resident Evil 2. He also has a supporting role in the prequel, Resident Evil 0, where he is involved in the events of the game from behind the scenes. His voice was provided by Diego Matamoros in Resident Evil 2 and by an unattributed actor in Resident Evil 0.
Background
Birkin joined the Umbrella Corporation in 1977 at the young age of 15. He was placed at the Umbrella Management Training Facility under James Marcus. There, he became a close acquaintance and rival of fellow researcher Albert Wesker, as they were both considered to be Marcus' top apprentices. They were involved in the development of the T-Virus project, until the facility was closed down in 1978.
Afterwards, he and Wesker were transferred to the Arklay Research Facility on July 31 1978, where they continued their T-Virus research and were made chief researchers of the facility. Birkin was proud of being the youngest researcher ever to work for Umbrella, until the arrival of Alexia Ashford, who was assigned to be chief researcher of Umbrella's Antarctic facility at the age of 10 in 1981. Although she worked in a different facility, Birkin became jealous of her, especially due to all the praise she was receiving from his co-workers. He became completely focused on his work and research, until the announcement of Alexia's death in 1983. Despite his rivalry with Alexia, his research yielded no results until he created the Hunter Bio-Organic Weapon (B.O.W.) around the mid-1990's.
The Birkin family. From left to right: William, Sherry and Annette.
He was "promoted" in 1988 to lead the T-Virus project (and completed the development of the Tyrant) after he and Wesker assassinated their former mentor, Marcus. By this time, Birkin was already married to his assistant, Annette and the marriage had already produced a daughter named Sherry (born in 1986). When he and Wesker were conducting an experiment with the NE-Alpha parasite (the prototype of the Nemesis project), they used a female specimen (Lisa Trevor) as a guinea pig. Lisa was the only test subject to fully accept the parasite. Noticing her strange survival rate, Birkin examined her body structure and discovered that the variation of the Progenitor Virus that was injected into her in 1967 had absorbed all the mutagenic organisms that she had been implanted with since then and mutated into a new virus, which Birkin named the G-Virus.
He received approval from Umbrella's president, Ozwell E. Spencer, to initiate the G-Virus Project. In 1991, Birkin and his wife were transferred to an Underground Research Facility established specifically for the project. Birkin also bribed the chief of the Raccoon Police Department, Brian Irons, to cover up the project, using his wife as the "middle man".
During the events surrounding the T-Virus outbreaks in the Spencer Estate, the Management Training Facility, and the Ecliptic Express, Birkin and Wesker were shocked to learn that their old mentor, Dr. Marcus, was alive and responsible for leaking the virus. Knowing that his career would be over if the truth behind the old conspiracy ever came out, Birkin found and activated the Training Facility's self-destruct system destroying all evidence of his involvement in the decade-old plot.
He completed his development of the G-Virus in September of 1998 and planned on using his final research in order to be promoted into Umbrella's executive board. However, he began to disagree with his superiors and planned on keeping his research to himself and sell it to the U.S. Government. He requested to have the Military intervene and retrieve him. However, the team that was sent never came and the Umbrella Special Forces Unit Alpha Team (led by HUNK, under orders from Spencer and Christine Henri) reached the lab before them to steal his work. After a tense standoff, the soldiers cut Birkin down with machine gun fire, stole his virus research and left him to die of multiple gunshot wounds. With his last dying breaths, he injected himself with a sample of the G-Virus and came back to life, albeit rapidly mutating into the horrendous monster known as G.
The G-Transformation
After his mutation into G, Birkin went after the USFU team that stole his samples and chased them into the sewers. The team was taken by surprise at the sight of the mutated Birkin and were totally slaughtered, their weapons having no effect on Birkin. During the ensuing carnage, several vials containing the T-Virus were smashed by Birkin and the virus was ingested by rats, serving as the cause of the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City. Of the USFU team that Birkin destroyed, only HUNK survived.
Around the 26th, he attacked survivors at his underground laboratory, rendering them unconscious and infecting some. An Umbrella Staff member at his lab: Monica, managed to retrieve a G-Virus sample and planned to take it to the surface and escape. However, before she could start the elevator, he attacked her, infecting her with an embryo, and escaped.
Several days later, on September 29th, Birkin wandered around the R.P.D. Precinct and encountered some of the surviving civilians, his daughter among them. Looking for a host to propagate his species, he implanted his embryos into a few victims (Ben Bertolucci and Chief Irons). However, only hosts with the same DNA structure were capable of accepting his embryos (in the "Claire A/Leon B" scenario, he is successful in implanting an embryo into Sherry), he also managed several times to call out Sherrys' name, which she mistook as her father being attacked by "the monster" (actualy himself).
Leon and Claire encountered G during their escape from the RPD Precinct. He mutated into five different forms while fighting them. In his first form, Birkin retained most of his human appearance, with the most notable difference being his drastically enlarged right arm (with an eye on its shoulder) and a deranged mind that relies entirely on instincts (see image). In his following mutation, he grew a new head (the old one forming part of his left chest) and grew claws from his right hand. By his third transformation, any semblance of a human being was completely gone, with the rest of his body having mutated along with his arm. In this form, he grew two additional arms, with his older arms forming part of his back, like wings. After sustaining enough damage from his battles with Leon and Claire, he transformed into his next form, in which he grew a new mouth from his chest and started walking on all fours. This form required G to constantly feed on other creatures, which resulted in his fifth and (as far as known) final mutation, in which he became a malleable lump of flesh with tentacles.
During all of these mutations, he chased after Leon and Claire from the sewers to the underground research facility and eventually, to an escape train, which Leon and Claire were riding. His presence in the train caused an Anti-Biohazard Detonating Mechanism to be activated. Leon, Claire and Sherry managed to stop the train and escape while G was inside. The train was destroyed, taking what was once William Birkin with it. Sometime after they left the site, Albert Wesker (now working for "The Organization") managed to salvage what was left of Birkin as a specimen.
Stages
First Form
Stage 1
Bears the greatest resemblance to the host, though its upper torso is far more muscular due to a sudden increase of muscle mass. The right arm is considerably swollen with muscle as a result of Birkin being sprayed with machine gun fire in this area (this may be due to the uncontrollable cellular reproduction that trademarks all viruses developed as derivatives of the Progenitor Virus) and a large tumor-like eyeball has developed within the shoulder; this is supposedely where the G-embryos are developed prior to oral implantation into a potential host. As this form does not possess any natural weapons (claws, fangs) with which to attack its foes, G instead makes use of its superhuman strength to tear a pipe from a guardrail to swing about and attack with. The monster can swing the pipe in a powerful two-swing attack, or raise it and bring the pipe crashing down with such force as to kill a character in one hit. Conversely, when Annette recollects William Birkin's transformation and his slaughter of the Umbrella Special Forces, G is shown slashing the soldiers with talons. When G first appears, though, no such claws are visible whatsoever; thus, one can assume that the talons were either lost in a process of devolution (contrary to the G-Virus's properties), or, more likely atrophied away following lack of use in any further combat (a process much more akin to the expected course of action of the G-Virus, due to its unpredictable abilities and volatile mutations). It should be noted, however, that G's arm mutates further after tearing off the guardrail, bulging grotesquely and gaining the spike of bone surmounting the eyeball in the shoulder.
Second Form. Notice Birkin's head and left arm visible on the beast's side.
Stage 2
Results in the carrier's visage and remains of its skull descending into the anterior of the thoracic cavity whilst the digits of the right hand sprout into massive talons comprised of bone. Two tiny, vestigial limbs also develop lateral to the abdomen underneath the original arms and a new rudimentary skull grows to take the place of the former; it is in this new cranium that an entirely new brain, far more animalistic and vicious, grows as a result of the transformation, replacing Birkin's true brain. This form is the first one to attack openly with its claws, and has a much higher offensive power than its first stage. The creature attacks with (1) a double swipe where it hook swings at you then backhands (2) single hook swipe (3) if you stand still it will stab straight and/or (4) if you stand still it will hook punch with its left hand. If the character is on low health, G will perform a gut stab incredibly similar to that of the Tyrant T-002 from the previous game. As a matter of fact, the second stage has often been compared to a Tyrant.
Third Form
Stage 3
Perhaps the least grotesque of the various forms that William Birkin assumes following the injection of the G-Virus into his body. The host by now has shed all of its integument-like skin, revealing its musculature, whilst hundreds of spike-like projections rise prominently into an apex from a point in its upper left thorax; the visage of William Birkin, on the other hand, slowly begins to merge and fade away into the abdomen. In addition to its right hand, the beast's left hand also possesses deadly talons now; in fact, the abomination has grown in height to nearly eight feet; thus, its primary arms have also elongated beyond normal human proportions. The vestigial arms of the prior stage, meanwhile, have also matured into functional limbs with talons, and the rudimentary head, aside from having completed its new, harder bone skull, now sports a lipless grin, bearing its razor sharp teeth, that makes it vaguely resemble a skinless form of the facial features of the Nemesis. Finally, a secondary, smaller eyeball-like tumor has developed in the left rectus femoris of the creature. This form is the only one that has bilateral symmetry, and to some, it resembles a demon in appearance.
Furthermore, when G is encountered after crashing through the ceiling shortly before its complete transformation into its hexapodal fourth form, the appearance of its third form has changed slightly. The spikes located on its chest have begun to open thus hinting to its fourth form.
Fourth Form
Stage 4
Involves the host mutating from a standing equilibrium as a bipedal to a hexapedal base on the ground involving the utilization of its four primary limbs to maintain movement. The skull and maxilla of the creature have elongated to accommodate its massive mandible, a gaping, circular cavity surrounded by rows of spike-like projections, which has now fused into the many spikes that formerly covered the thorax of the beast. Despite its appearance, however, this stage of G is extremely agile, able to sprint and leap all about a room with ease, and the aforementioned spikes around the mouth are more than capable of impaling its prey with extreme ease, given the superior agility and speed of the stage. However, in order to maintain its speed, it needs to constantly eat more.
Fifth and final Form
Stage 5
By far the most grotesque of all the forms that G has mutated into. After extreme physical trauma to G, it has become a shapeless blob of flesh, spikes, and tentacles, slowly dragging itself via attachment of its largest tentacles to a stationary object and subsequent use of its lesser tentacles to slime forth, an appearance that vividly evokes H.P. Lovecraft's description of a Shoggoth. It appears that by this stage, the G-Virus has evolved continually by merging with the beings it has devoured to sustain itself; this is evident as one can discern various zombies and other lifeforms protruding from the trunk of the creature. This final form was killed only after the train which it had invaded was consumed by a massive explosion following the automatic activation of its self-destruct sequence, as the damage it had sustained at cellular level was too high for even the G-Virus to counteract.
Since the G-Virus-infected William Birkin was killed at this point, it is unknown if it would have continued to mutate into further forms. Although it is likely that it would not, due to being merely a shapeless blob, there would be nothing left to mutate into. Most notably, even at this stage, the G has at least some rudimentary form of intelligence, as it recognized that the train it was on was about to self-destruct. Fortunately, with only split-seconds left on the timer, the train detonated leaving no time for the monster to escape.
It was only later discovered that even the massive blast of the train did not completely destroy G, as Ada Wong found the remains to contain the G-virus, which she then delivered to Albert Wesker.
In other media
In the first Resident Evil film, William Birkin makes an uncredited cameo appearance as the head of the Nemesis project and is portrayed by actor Jason Isaacs (who was also the film's narrator).
According to a commentary by Paul W. S. Anderson, Isaacs was planned to reprise this role in the sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but left the project for undisclosed reasons. An original character named Dr. Sam Isaacs (played by Iain Glen and named after the actor who played Birkin in the first film) was created to fulfill Birkin's role in the sequel.
The first stage of Birkin's mutation also has a cameo appearance in the opening of Resident Evil Outbreak. Birkin himself appears for a few moments in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, in a remake of one of their scenes from Zero, and some of his remains are found by Ada Wong during Death's Door.
William Birkin also appears in his mutated form in Resident Evil 1.5. During his appearances he cries several times 'Sherry'. It is unknown if his further mutations were planned to appear or if he was even infected via the same method.
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