Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Resident Evil from Netflix.
Netflix’s Resident Evil show is set in the mythology of the Capcom video game franchise and marks the return of cult antagonist Albert Wesker, albeit with a big origin twist. Albert Wesker was first introduced in the original Resident Evil game as a member of the Raccoon City STARS unit and explores Spencer’s mansion with Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, although it is later revealed that he works with Umbrella Corporation. Despite his apparent death, Wesker will return in several installments in which his loyalty, motives and thirst for power will be further explored in the Resident Evil universe.
Lance Reddick, known for his work in the “Wiretap” and “John Wick” franchises, became the last actor to bring Wesker to life. In the new Netflix series Resident Evil, Wesker moves with his half-grown daughters, Billy and Jade, to New Raccoon City in South Africa, where his secrets and Umbrella’s dark past are slowly revealed, which eventually leads to the release of the T-virus. The Netflix series also explores Jade’s struggle to survive in an apocalyptic future caused by Umbrella’s actions.
Showrunner Andrew Dubb stated that the Resident Evil show takes place in the timeline of the original Playstation games, which makes many wonder exactly how Albert Wesker is alive. Despite his resurgence in games, producer Masachika Kawata has confirmed in the past that the Resident Evil 5 finale killed Wesker forever, leading to theories that the show would remake parts of the games. Now that Resident Evil is being broadcast, Wesker’s origin twist is revealed, and he borrows a key element from the franchise’s previous adaptation.
What happened to the original Albert Wesker
Acting as a minor antagonist in various parts, Albert Wesker became the main villain in Resident Evil 5, centered on Chris heading to the fictional West African region of Kijuju to investigate a terrorist threat along with local BSAA agent Sheva Alomar. Chris will ruthlessly hunt down Wesker after learning about his involvement in the release of the Ouroboros virus and saving Jill’s life with a device that controls her mind and executes his orders. It is also revealed that Wesker was working with a company funding BSAA for his current experiments, and subsequently betrayed his allies by infecting them with ouroboros, mutating them into giant monsters so that Chris and Sheva would fight.
In the final chapters of Resident Evil 5, Chris and Sheva finally caught up with Wesker aboard a plane loaded with missiles full of the Ouroboros virus, and the pair were able to inject him with the virus before he could escape. When the two fight Wesker, the plane they are on crashes in the middle of a volcano, where Chris and Sheva engage him in a final battle. The two successfully weakened Wesker so much that he fell into the lava before launching a rocket from his helicopter to permanently suppress the mutated Wesker. Unlike his previous deaths, Resident Evil game producers have often confirmed that Resident Evil 5 is Wesker’s canonical demise.
How Albert Wesker Is Alive in Netflix’s Resident Evil
For most of Resident Evil, viewers continue to wonder how Albert Wesker is alive, with various hints, including Wesker often taking blood from his daughters for secret testing. The seventh episode of Resident Evil finally offers answers with a 2005 flashback showing a laboratory in the Mountains of Arkley with three Wesker clones, each with slight differences. It is also confirmed that they are clones of the original Wesker, and Reddick is wearing the iconic leather suit from Resident Evil 5 and hairstyle.
The remaining episodes of Resident Evil further explain the nature of the clones: one nicknamed “Bert” has been incarcerated in Umbrella since 2005, and the other surviving clone became the new Albert Wesker and lived a mostly free life while still working for Umbrella. and raising daughters. However, due to the cloning process, Albert suffered from degenerative aging problems, which he could resist by injecting himself with Jade and Billy’s blood, and the new head of Umbrella, Evelyn Marcus, also noted that the original Wesker “burned to the ground” in the volcano in the clear Resident Evil 5 callback.
How is cloning related to Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil films
Since Wesker’s revival in the Resident Evil show is credited with creating his own clones, this is the second major case in the franchise where a character returns from the dead using cloning. Paul V.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil films, which are significantly different from the games, focus on Milla Jovovich’s Alice, who fights to survive the zombie apocalypse and prevent Umbrella from further destroying the world.
