Warning: May contain graphic imagery (autopsy diagram).
Ever since RE9 came out, I’ve been wondering why Victor looks the way he does, , what that scar on his chest is, etc. Unfortunately, the game itself gives almost no information about his character, his past, or how he ended up like this. All we know is his age, that he’s been running Rhodes Hill since 2004, and that he is a massive Spencer fanboy. However, the Tyrant and Nemesis articles on the Resident Evil Wiki provided exhaustive answers to most of my questions, and today I’d like to share this knowledge with you. Because I keep seeing people in the fandom who don’t seem to fully understand what the Nemesis parasite is and what its purpose actually is.
The NE-parasite is an organism that is implanted into a host infected with the T-virus. Essentially, Victor is a Tyrant with an NE-γ parasite, possessing all the traits characteristic of Tyrants. The T-virus causes dermatological necrosis and an overproduction of growth hormone. This accounts for his abnormally tall height and pale, cracked skin.
His skin isn’t dry at all; it’s actually slightly moist. Fluid (most likely lymph) and even blood ooze from the cracks. Those bleeding cracks on his lips aren't scars, as it might seem. It’s more noticeable on his texture map.
The Nemesis parasite also secretes chemicals that corrode the skin, causing it to become covered in brown staining. These secretions also have regenerative properties, which further enhance the existing regenerative abilities of the Tyrant.
Victor has similar brown staining on the back of his neck and shoulders. The skin there is uneven, looking almost burned. This means, the closer to the parasite, the more damaged the skin is by its secretions, because his lower back looks perfectly fine.
In this photo, Victor is already infected. Along with his towering height, he has golden eyes with red sclera, and his skin is pale as chalk, though not yet as heavily damaged. Apparently, his skin condition grew progressively worse over the years. A scar on his throat is also visible.
This means we don’t have any images of Victor before his infection. We can only guess at his human height and appearance, but I still think he was quite tall in life - around 1.9 meters (6'3").
While writing this post, I also noticed a scar above his lip on the right side. Twenty years later, that exact same scar is still there, but it's more noticeable. (Probably something from his past life. Wrecked his bike and kissed the asphalt? This is why you wear a helmet.)
I have two theories about the scar on his body. Either it's the result of an organ transplant, because tyrants need heart replacements due to their increased muscle mass.
Or it’s an autopsy suture. If so, that means Victor was already dead by the time the parasite was implanted in him, meaning there’s no way he could have infected himself. Which raises even more questions. How did this happen to him? What did he die of? The guy is literally Frankenstein’s monster. He was dead, his body was dissected, and then he was reanimated by injecting the T-virus and the NE-γ parasite.
Apparently, Victor is infected with the same T-virus strain as the other zombies in the game. This strain doesn't have a name, nor is there any detailed information about it. All we know is that it allows the infected to partially retain their consciousness and personality traits. Just like the cleaning lady endlessly wiping down mirrors in the restroom or the chef chopping meat, the reanimated Victor became fixated on his last action: fulfilling Spencer's ideas. That being said, his intelligence wasn't impaired, and he managed to fully preserve his former personality thanks to the NE-γ parasite.
His teeth deserve a special mention. They look like a firecracker went off in his mouth; he also has extra fangs on his upper jaw and one extra incisor on the lower one. Were they always like that, or is it a result of mutation? I still lean toward his teeth looking this way specifically because of the T-virus. This unnamed strain affects teeth in a certain way:
• The infected cop at the beginning spits out his teeth;
• Killed zombies eventually mutate into "Blister Heads" with multiple teeth on their palate.
So Victor's teeth likely deformed during mutation when his bones grew and rapidly increased in size. Also, these are his real teeth, not prosthetics- they just have gold veneers on them. In some places, the coating has worn off, revealing the enamel underneath.
His forked tongue, however, feels like it was caused by the parasite. The parasite also affected his senses, sharpening his sense of smell.
Due to his massive height (2.25 m / 7'4"), he definitely has joint problems, since the increased body weight must put a massive strain on them. You can see in the game that Victor moves a bit stiffly, especially in the scene where he kicks down the door after a fleeing Grace.
I’ll make a separate post about his eyes and the peculiarities of his vision. Here I'll just say briefly: he has very serious problems with his eyes.
And one more fascinating fact about those infected with the T-virus:
t-Virus mutants are almost unanimously infertile, while "G" mutants are capable of asexual reproduction.
So, on top of everything else, Victor is sterile. But don't celebrate just yet - having unprotected sex with him is a terrible idea. Short answer: he is contagious. More on that in another post as well.
Now, let’s look closer at the Nemesis. First, answer this question: where exactly is Victor's parasite located? If you think it’s in his chest, the text below is written specially for you.
First, let's figure out what the Nemesis actually is and what it's used for. Time for a nerdy lore.
Nemesis Project staff created this species as a work-around for brain damage and mental degradation, a common result of t-Virus infection.
The inspiration of the project was that of Las Plagas, a parasitic species present in regional Spanish folklore which would hook itself to the spinal cord to control or influence the host, and break out through the neck to defend themselves if need be. The NE-α were genetically engineered to mimic these qualities.
Upon entering the bio-weapon's spinal cord, it hijacks the T-virus-infected cells, grows, and forms its own brain near the medulla oblongata. Simultaneously, it invades the central nervous system, destroying the host's frontal lobe and altering the neural circuits to link all remaining brain functions with their own. In this way, Nemesis takes over the host's thoughts and completely controls its body.
Meaning, the entire purpose of the Nemesis is to control the host's mind. Unlike the Plaga, which is injected into a living human, the Nemesis is implanted into a T-virus-infected body specifically to prevent intellectual decay. Implanting it into the chest simply makes absolutely no sense.
Another difference between the Nemesis and a Plaga is that it attaches to the brainstem. A Plaga, on the other hand, settles in the human body just below the heart between the lungs, where it anchors into the host's spinal cord to hijack the nervous system. This is likely where the misconception that Victor's parasite is located in his chest comes from.
Going back to the scar on Victor’s body and its origin. Just like the Plaga, the NE parasite is introduced into the host's body at an embryonic stage. You don't need to cut open the abdomen for this; a regular injection is more than enough.
Unfortunately, there is no information in the game about this new Gamma-type parasite. Its mechanism can only be inferred through external signs and Victor's behavior. So, everything written below is purely my own speculation and headcanon.
The main difference with NE-γ is that it's an upgraded version of the parasite that doesn’t suppress the host's brain, but rather works in symbiosis with it. At least until the host suffers severe injuries.
In the original "Nemesis" project, the parasite took full control of the body, turning the host into a controlled killing machine. The NE-γ is likely modified to act merely as a "bio-processor" for regeneration and physical strength, leaving the cerebral cortex completely intact.
In addition to that, it also acts as a sort of barrier between the T-virus in the body and the brain, protecting it from decay.
Actually, intelligent Nemeses have been mentioned in the games before:
Restarting the Nemesis Project, Umbrella Europe requisitioned several of the new T-103 clones to serve as test subjects. The NE-α parasites implanted within their bodies succeeded in hijacking brain functions without killing the hosts. Soon after this procedure, however, at least two of the Nemesis-T Types demonstrated completely unexpected senses of ego and self-awareness, and made an attempt to escape from their laboratory.
Apparently, after seizing Umbrella's assets, The Connections refined the parasite, creating the Nemesis-γ, which allowed for the complete preservation of cognitive brain functions. Furthermore, as noted in the catalog, this model is less expensive to produce and is mass-manufactured. Which means that somewhere in the Resident Evil universe, other intelligent Nemeses like Victor must exist.
Victor was able to retain his personality after infection. This leads me to conclude that the NE-γ doesn't perform such drastic rewirings of the nervous system; it simply attaches to the brainstem and responds to commands.
But that doesn't mean it has zero influence on the host. You can witness the parasite at work during the helicopter scene when Zeno tasks Victor with dealing with Leon. Those facial twitches from Victor aren't just irritation or a nervous tic - it's the direct influence of the Nemesis. Victor is clearly unhappy that Zeno is dumping his workload onto him, but he cannot disobey or exert his own will.
Frankly, this capacity of the parasite to obey orders raises a whole bunch of questions for me about how it actually works. I mean, I can picture them showing Nemesis photos of S.T.A.R.S. members and telling him to kill them, after which he just goes and gets the job done. But Victor is a far more intelligent being, with his own will and desires. What if he refuses and starts resisting an order? Can he even resist at all?
How strong is this mind control over Victor? Do any orders from any person work? Or does he only obey Zeno? And what forms the basis of this connection? If the Nemesis was designed after the Plaga, where a dominant strain could control other parasites, does that mean the same principle applies here? Meaning, Zeno would have to host a different parasite that Victor's Nemesis perceives as dominant.
I know that Tyrants were capable of being trained and could execute a limited range of commands:
T-103 models were used as bodyguards, assassins sent to hunt specific individuals, Umbrella agents sent to acquire important objects, and hard-muscle for tackling armed opposition.
But I haven't been able to find any info on how Nemeses are trained or programmed.
So many unanswered questions. But what a vast field for imagination (Zedeon shippers, I'm giving you some food for thought here).
Still, my personal take is that Zeno injected himself with - if not a parasite - some kind of substance that Victor's Nemesis reacts to. This allows for a limited level of control. The parasite probably only recognizes commands related to tracking and neutralizing targets, while the host retains relative autonomy otherwise. So, it's not the total mind control, as it might initially appear.
By the way, Zeno lost his powers after injecting Elpis, which means his control over the Nemesis was lost too. That’s why Victor kills him so easily at the end. Perhaps up until that moment, Victor was held back from killing Zeno by a set of commands programmed during his initial infection - along the lines of "do not turn against your boss," etc. But now, all the restrictors were gone, Zeno no longer held power over him, and his head flew right off his shoulders.
Before this, I intentionally sidestepped the topic of regeneration. Yes, the Nemesis speeds up wound healing, but the consequences aren't exactly pleasant. If an injury is too severe and the Nemesis can't keep up, it can trigger uncontrollable mutation and a subsequent loss of sanity.
However, the effects of continual t-Virus exposure means that the more times Nemesis-T is injured, the greater it will mutate. Unlike most Tyrant series who usually develop thicker skin and clawed arms, the Nemesis Alpha's tentacles became larger to serve as a weapon, but at the cost of damaging the brain-stem.
In the finale, we see Victor with a torn arm and a crushed head. A few gashes stand out on his forehead, and judging by the amount of blood covering his face, the wounds are pretty deep. His brain definitely took a hit in the process. I’d even venture to guess that Victor actually died in that crash and was reanimated by the parasite. The Nemesis completely invaded the cerebral cortex, copying his personality traits and hijacking control of the body. So the person we see is no longer truly Victor. He’s more like a pale shadow of himself.
Essentially, the same thing happened to him as to Marcus, whose body was absorbed by Queen Leech.
The Plaga works on the same principle:
Unless the host's brain is destroyed or compromised, the plagan influence is not absolute, allowing them to continue their daily routines.
Victor's brain was clearly damaged, and the parasite took over its functions. That explains his bizarre behavior in the finale. He speaks and acts differently than he does in the rest of the game, and even his facial expressions change.
If he retained any remnants of humanity before, the moment that tentacle sprouted, he ceased to be himself. His voice distorts and starts sounding monstrous. And as the boss fight progresses, the more tentacles rip out of him, the more his speech degrades. At first, he throws out more or less coherent lines, but as he transitions into phase two, he can barely get the words out and mostly just roars like a beast. By the end, he completely loses the ability to speak, and his eyes roll around chaotically like a zombie's, proving his brain has suffered irreparable damage.
I cracked up when I heard some YouTube breakdown claim that Victor was fully conscious at that moment. Right, sure - just look at this guy, he's totally fine.
To sum it up, the parasite that had been sitting quietly in the back of Victor's head sprouted (like a potato) through his neck after he was wounded, bursting out of his shoulder as a tentacle and destroying his brainstem in the process. As a result, we get a completely unhinged Victor, screaming absolute nonsense about leading humanity, sacrifices, and evolution. Seriously, what kind of "sacrifices" come from an antiviral?
And why did he destroy the ARK with all the Elpis supplies if he was going to use it to cause chaos in the world?
Or is it just the Nemesis doing a terrible job of mimicking his behavior?
I notice the fandom treats the Nemesis way too lightly, like it’s just some cute little thing safely nestled in Victor’s chest, wriggling with excitement. When in reality, it's more like a ticking time bomb planted directly in your brain, ready to go off if you aren't careful enough. And under normal circumstances, it can be used to control you.
And all of this brings us to the ultimate question: could Victor have infected himself? But I’ll save that analysis for a separate post.
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