Resident Evil

Once you reach the abandoned laboratory beneath the Spencer estate, you will encounter the remnants of another horrifying Umbrella experiment. Looking like grotesque, half-charred alien corpses, these spindly, spider-like humanoids scrabble around on the walls and ceilings in the very heart of the facility, even scuttling through air ducts to get from one room to another. Known as Chimeras (after the monster from Greek mythology that was made up of different animal parts), these B.O.W.s are, as their name suggests, the product of genetic synthesis between two creatures – in this case, a hybrid between human and arthropod.

In the early days of t-Virus research, Umbrella tested the virus on various animals to determine which, if any, would be suitable as bioweapons. However, the results of these experiments usually had very low intelligence and insufficient increases in strength, which prevented them from being considered reliable weapons. A new project was initiated, aiming to graft insect DNA into human embryos. Homeless women were abducted by Umbrella agents and forcibly impregnated with the modified embryos. Out of various insect-human hybrids that were envisioned as possible bioweapons, it was a fly-human hybrid – the Chimera – that was chosen for continued study. Both species were successfully merged thanks to the mutagenic properties of the t-Virus, which promotes abnormal evolution. The birthed prototype grew rapidly, at roughly the same rate as a fly’s growth cycle, and it became an adult after emerging from its pupal stage. From this, several clone subjects were cultured.

The model from the original 1996 Resident Evil doesn’t really make it clear what, exactly, the Chimera is supposed to be, but the accompanying artwork (right) shows a wretched bipedal creature with a strange spider-like face and mismatched hands – one ending in a sickle and the other in spiky human fingers. The 2002 remake makes the Chimera even more ghoulish and threatening. As a genetic hodgepodge between human and insect, it has extra bug legs, a pair of stunted wings that are useless for flight, an incomplete exoskeleton that exposes areas of raw muscle and tissue, and rib bones that protrude from its body. Countless maggots also grow on and inside its body, possibly a result of asexual reproduction.

Lightweight and physically strong, the Chimera can latch onto and move along ceilings with the strength of its sharp claws and powerful limbs. It can covertly crawl over its prey’s head before making a surprise attack from above. However, although it has a rapid growth rate (it only takes 2-4 days to reach adulthood) and significant combat capabilities, the Chimera’s intelligence proved far too low to be put to practical use as a bioweapon. The Chimera may be a failed experiment, but as a test run, it paved the way for more successful human-animal-virus hybrids such as the Hunter.