Few insignias in gaming, or pop culture in general, carry the gravitas of the umbrella logo from the Raccoon City incident, Umbrella's legacy continued in the form of leaked data/tech sold on the black market and by angry associates, like Albert Weaker, carrying the company's misanthropic mission forward. Seemingly unstoppable, Umbrella represents the power of a true plutocracy, but where did all that cash come from? How was Umbrella able to finance the costly horror?
Resident Evil's Umbrella initially got off the ground thanks to the familial wealth of its founders and their patrons. Lord Oswell E Spencer, James Marcus, and Edwrad Ashford founded the company in 1968 as a front for eugenics research. The company itself ran legal operations, with a specific focus in pharmaceuticals, but the vision of its founders was to find a means to improve the feeble human race. The capital they gained helped Umbrella begin, but it alone did not create the company's mass fortune.
Umbrella became what it did because of the discovery of the progenitor virus. Umbrella's founders discovered the virus in the 1960s while doing research in West Africa. They believed it could be the answer to man's evolution because it bestowed enhanced abilities onto those it infected. Once found, all of Umbrella's activities began to focus on research into the virus. For instance, Umbrella established research sites and tourism firms to legally transport virus samples from Africa, since the flower that produced the virus could only properly grow in its native soil. While initially costly, the research enabled Umbrella to grow as the resulting discoveries, including new viruses and vaccines to said viruses, could be sold to military groups around the world.
How Umbrella Became A Mega-Corporation
Umbrella expanded quickly thanks to the progenitor virus research, but it wasn't until the 1980s that the company became a true mega-corporation. At the end of the 1970s, James Marcus and Umbrella scientist William Birkin made significant discoveries tied to a new strain of the progenitor virus, called the T-virus (also known as Tyrant). The virus caused those it infected to become cannibalistic monsters – making the virus an effective tool in warfare. The only problem with the virus was the high immunity rate, around 10%. So, as a workaround, the company began animal trials. These trials eventually lead to chimeric creations called bio-organic weapons (b.o.w.s) which would be sent into the combat to kill those immune to the T-virus. Following the financial success of these experiments, the company grew exponentially, with regional subsidiaries like Umbrella USA and Umbrella Europe being formed. The Umbrella corporation, as fans have come to know it, was born.
Umbrella eventually found itself dismantled following the Raccoon City incident with its eugenics-based mission being carried on through other groups and s, but, as fans know, after Resident Evil 7 Umbrella has returned under the name Blue Umbrella. Created by former of Umbrella USA, Blue Umbrella purports to be on the side of good: focusing on destroying viral threats rather than creating them. However, there is a ton of mystery about this group and questions about their finances still need to be answered.
Resident Evil's timeline is an absurd mess, but one constant is clear: Umbrella knows how to get rich off infecting people. Blue Umbrella may be on the road to changing the connotation of the term but, given the company’s diabolical history, it seems unlikely. Even if Chris Redfield is a principle member of Blue Umbrella, he has been duped before. Do not underestimate Umbrella's ruthless ability to make money.
