Umbrella Corp.

Founding

The Umbrella Corporation was founded by Ozwell E. Spencer in 1968. Dr. James Marcus and Lord Edward Ashford (explained in Resident Evil 0) were also involved in the formation of the company, but they were far more interested in the potential uses of the "Progenitor Virus" (the base for the T-Virus), a new type of virus the three men had discovered during the 1960s in a jungle near Africa.

Umbrella had many research facilities and different kinds research being done on various viruses G-virus, T-Virus, Nemesis parasite. It was said by researcher Albert Wesker that the military potential of the T-virus would never make up for the cost of research and production, and that the Arklay facility seemed to be deliberately placed in an area where any leak would cause an uncontrollable outbreak.

Spencer eventually started o dislike Marcus due to Marcus being in his way to keep his position as Umbrella corporation key figure.

Downfall

Umbrella's state was failing to improve after the release of the T-Virus in Raccoon City. The US government annihilated the city with a nuclear missile. This was done with the help from Spencer so he could cover it up. Umbrella Corporation used legal proceedings to escape from any problems even after they had witnesses against them. After the Raccoon City incident the Us government started to investigate Umbrellas business practices. Several more problems ensured umbrella’s downfall.

On an island called Sheena an Umbrella senior executive. (Vincent Goldman), unleashed the T-Virus on its citizens to cover up his business on the island. A survivor of the Raccoon City incident helped stop Goldmans plans.

The Umbrella Corporation has many military soldiers, for many purposes.

Umbrella's viral legacy

Almost a year after Resident Evil 4 Umbrella's t-Virus was used in a bioterrorism attack on Harvardville Airport, resulting in a mass infection of the entire terminal. However this time it was caused by a company known as Wilpharma. One of its key employees Frederic Downing, had stolen both the T and G virus samples from his previous employer Umbrella, and fled Raccoon City.

Umbrella's other monstrosity, the G-virus was also used in the same outbreak, and was injected into the body of Curtis Miller. Curtis wanted the information about the Raccoon City outbreak released, so everyone who had wronged him and his deceased family would be arrested. Unknown to him Frederic Downing was using him to collect G-virus combat data for a buyer wanting the T and G-virus’s. However the conspiracy was uncovered by the efforts of Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield and the S.R.T, during the deadly outbreak.

Due to Umbrella's use of medicines developed by other pharmaceutical companies, the Global Pharmaceutical Organization worked to prevent further harm from being done to the names of innocent pharmaceutical organizations, and to prevent the further distribution of B.O.W's, by forming the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, or "B.S.A.A.", after Umbrella's collapse in 2003. Among the eleven founding members were none other than Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine.

Company Motto & Slogan

According to James Marcus, the Umbrella's 'employee pledge' is stated as being "Obedience Breeds Discipline, Discipline Breeds Unity, Unity Breeds Power, Power is Life". It is unknown if this is the motto for the public or if it is used purely within the company, due to its ominous sound. In the game Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Albert Wesker states that Umbrella's motto was "Preserving the health of the people". This also appears on Umbrella's official website in the non-canon Inserted Evil ARG.

Products

A contributing factor to Umbrella's success were their non-lethal commercial products. Such products include:

• Adravil: A paste-based drug with the motto of "Quick and Easy Relief: Adravil". It may be a reference to the real drug Advil.

• Safsprin: An apparent Aspirin-based brand. This brand's motto is "The Common Cure".

• Uspirim: Another Umbrella Aspirin-based product, introduced in Alyssa Ashcroft's good ending in Resident Evil Outbreak.

• Aqua Cure: Umbrella's crowning public achievement, Aqua Cure is an ointment used on open wounds that made the company famous worldwide. It is considered to be Umbrella's primary public product and is very effective. It is most likely the recurring item "First Aid Spray" that appears throughout the series. It is assumed that the t-Virus is used on this product to re-accommodate the damaged cells, though no side-effect has been shown from this product.

• Valifin: A non-canon medication mentioned in the novelization Resident Evil: Zero Hour by S.D. Perry, Valifin is an experimental pediatric heart medication that has a side-effect of renal failure.

It is interesting to note that according to Rebecca Chambers in the Resident Evil Remake, most of the products are "home grown in Raccoon City".

It is also interesting to note that all herbs are from Raccoon City. This suggests Umbrella cultivated these herbs, explaining how they ended up in an Umbrella base in Antarctica.

• Sporting Int. Magnum Custom Edition A mix between a Desert Eagle and a Colt M1911, it uses .50AE rounds.

• Incinerator Unit A gun that uses some parts of the Colt M4A1 Carbine and fires a long range flame.

• Semi-Automatic Anti-Tank Rifle A large rifle used to destroy light armored vehicles. It can punch through 3 cm. of reinforced steel.

• Spark Shot A gun that fires electric shocks to control experimental animals.

• Mine Thrower A gun with specialized darts that will detonate if something pass near them, or attach themselves to a creature.

• Elite Python A modified version of the Colt Python made by Umbrella.

• Linear Launcher A Shoulder-Mounted cannon that fires extremely powerful blast of plasma.

• Charged Particle Rifle A gun that charges particles with negative or positive shocks that can electrocute somebody or deactivate electric shields and damage electric artifacts due to the EMP emitted by it.
• Umbrella Magnum This model is actually a Raging Bull .44 Magnum, it is called the Magnum Revolver

There are also a multitude of other products seen briefly throughout all of the Resident Evil games including, soft drinks, cosmetics, and glasses. In Resident Evil Outbreak in Hellfire scenario, a special item can be found called "Umbrella noodle", when found it gives the description : "Umbrella, Inc. makes food too...Tastes pretty good too" stating that Umbrella also manufactured food of its own brand.

Known facilities

North America

• Arklay Laboratory: A Laboratory located in Raccoon Forest, way up in the Arklay Mountains camouflaged as a mansion designed by George Trevor for Oswell E. Spencer. Umbrella conducted most of it's t-Virus experiments there, including the creation of the Tyrant.

• Umbrella Research Center: Also known as the Umbrella Research Center, this building was managed by James Marcus for the purpose of training future Umbrella employees. It was officially closed down in 1978, though Marcus continued his research there until his assassination in 1988. An investigative unit was sent in 1998 to inspect the facility for reopening purposes.

• Unnamed Chicago Laboratory: The facility John Clemens, Ada Wong's deceased boyfriend, worked for before transferring to Arklay Laboratory. William Birkin used to visit this branch to conduct a monthly training seminar.

• Raccoon City Underground Laboratory: A facility established during the late 1980s for the sole purpose of William Birkin's G-virus project. It can only be entered through a cable car system within Raccoon City's sewers, and is also connected to the Research Center.

• Incineration Disposal Plant P-12A: A facility hidden within an abandoned factory in Raccoon City, used to chemically destroy dead and unusable specimens. Potent contributor to the release of the virus into the city.

• Raccoon City Corporate Headquarters: A large facility used to test the combat capabilities of B.O.W.s. An experimental serum was developed there to combat the t-Virus.

• Raccoon General Hospital: Umbrella maintained a small laboratory in the basement of the city hospital. This lab contained Hunters in containment tanks, as well as equipment capable of synthesizing a vaccine against the t-Virus.

• Classified research outpost: Located in the area of what used to be Raccoon City, this facility was built after the area was destroyed and gated off. Not much is known about this facility. But what is known is that Umbrella conducts testing and research there and monitors the gated area and surrounding area for any possible biohazard threats or trespassers.

Europe

• Sheena Island: A small European island privately owned by Umbrella. The Island was commanded by the ruthless Umbrella Executive Director, Vincent Goldman. It housed a community of researchers working for the company and was secretly the site of a Tyrant Plant which was mass-producing the T-103 models.

• Umbrella Medical, Paris: The headquarters of Umbrella in Europe. Claire Redfield infiltrates this facility briefly, only to be captured by its chief of security, Rodrigo Juan Raval. Christine Henri is likely the Research and Development Head Manager of this division.

• Umbrella Europe Sixth Laboratory: The facility responsible for the creation of the NE-α Type parasitic organism that allowed the creation of Nemesis-T Type. Part of the Umbrella Europe branch in Paris.

• Caucasus Laboratory: An Umbrella facility disguised as a oil factory. It was at this facility that the T.A.L.O.S project was completed and later destroyed by Chris and Jill. The facility was also one of the locations where the Red Queen computer was held.

Other

• Rockfort Island: A solitary island which served as the site of Alfred Ashford's private residence and palace after he purchased the land and drove the villagers out. It also housed an "inescapable" prison camp, a Military Training Center for the Umbrella Security Service Unit (including a lab used to create B.O.W.s) and an airport.

• Antarctic Base: A facility established by Alexander Ashford for his Code: Veronica project. Later, Alexia Ashford, an offspring of the project, used the facility for her t-Veronica virus research.

• Umbrella Disposal Facility: A waste disposal facility on an unnamed island in the Atlantic Ocean. It was to this facility that Umbrella sent some of its worst failed experiments to be disposed of, but for unknown reasons the facility shut down. It was used as a base of operations by renegade Umbrella executive Morpheus D. Duvall.

• Umbrella Africa Laboratory: This facility was set up in the late 1960s by Umbrella Chemical, Inc. in secrecy. Built within the underground ruins of the Ndipaya Kingdom, only high-ranking Umbrella researchers and the remaining Ndipaya knew of its existence. After it closed down in 1998, the pharmaceutical enterprise, Tricell, Inc., under the guidance of Albert Wesker, claimed the abandoned facility and began creating their own, further underground. It was here where they further developed the Progenitor virus and began work on the "Uroboros Project".

Paramilitary units

Umbrella owned and utilized several paramilitary units to ensure the stability of the company during their viral experimentation.

Umbrella Security Service (Special Forces)

They are trained at the Rockfort Island Facility.

They are normally dressed in solid grey color, wearing protective vests and gas masks. They report to the highest ranking offices of Umbrella. They are very secretive and keep a small size. They are ex military, highly trained and so are not considered expendable.

Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service

Many of the squads are placed in Raccoon City to search for survivors and help contain the zombie plague. They were also employed to gain reliable data on Umbrellas biological weapons.

The UBCS was founded by former Soviet Colonel Sergei Vladimir. The service is mainly composed of "nightmen", mostly former mercenaries and war criminals recruited by Umbrella and trained to deal with "problems caused by illegal products."

Supervisors

The Supervisors are part of an internal espionage organization within Umbrella meant to monitor suspicious activity among its own employees. Supervisors are usually placed throughout the corporation and maintain the image of normal employees in order to help them conduct their spy activities. Several Supervisors were placed among the UBCS. Their orders range from spying on fellow employees and destroying evidence to cleanup operations, including assassinations if required.

Umbrella Trashsweepers unit

Cleaners appear to have uniforms similar to those of Umbrella's Special Forces Unit, with body armor, gas masks, and gray battle dress uniforms. Their role is to destroy all evidence of a viral outbreak, including survivors.

Monitors

The Monitors are introduced in Resident Evil 3 and further fleshed out by documents in The Umbrella Chronicles. They are also known as "Observers" in the book Resident Evil: Archives. The Monitors are part of an internal espionage organization within Umbrella meant to monitor suspicious activity among its own employees, also known as Monitor.

Monitors are usually placed throughout the corporation and maintain the image of normal employees in order to help them conduct their spy activities. Several Monitors were placed among the U.B.C.S., one of whom was Nicholai Zinoviev. Their orders range from spying on fellow employees and destroying evidence to cleanup operations, including assassinations if required.

The UT unit

The game Resident Evil Survivor includes a special force of shock troopers known as the Umbrella Trash Sweepers, also known as the Undertakers or Cleaners. Cleaners appear to have uniforms similar to those of Umbrella's Special Forces Unit, with Kevlar vests, gas masks, and gray BDUs (battle dress uniforms); however, they are clearly inhuman.

They have unnaturally long arms, they are incapable of speech, and when they are killed, they dissolve into green ichor. According to the game, their role is to destroy all evidence of a viral outbreak, including survivors. The Brady strategy guide describes them as "robotic special forces troops" which dissolve when destroyed so as not to leave evidence of their existence.