Resident Evil

In the early days of t-Virus development, when Umbrella’s research was moving away from viral weaponry toward genetically-altered animals, the virus was administered to various creatures, seemingly at random, to narrow down the most efficient test subjects. Since gene manipulation can be performed more easily on organisms with primitive body structures, research using insects and spiders was actively conducted for some time. Spiders that withstood the rewriting of their DNA grew enormous and became known as Web Spinners.

The Web Spinner was intended to be deployed to war zones, where it would use its venom to injure combatants before eating them. Although its increase in size was impressive, it was ultimately deemed to have no practical value as a bioweapon, as its lack of intelligence made it uncontrollable and therefore a potential danger to its owners. The B.O.W. also wasn’t as physically strong as Umbrella had hoped. As such, this B.O.W. was discontinued, and research was terminated. Most of the Web Spinners were disposed of by the scientists at the Arklay Laboratory, but a few subjects were kept for data purposes.

In time, however, some of the Web Spinners were left unattended and managed to escape. In Resident Evil Remake, they can be found mainly in the Dormitory and the tunnels beneath the Spencer estate. Despite the name, they don’t actually spin webs, perhaps because they have grown so large under the virus’s influence. Instead, they cling to ceilings and walls, patiently waiting for food to come along. If prey passes beneath them, they will suddenly drop from above and spit a highly acidic, venomous fluid.

The original artwork for the Web Spinner from the 1996 game, as seen to the right, shows a rather unconventional spider, with odd, knobbly knees, many more eyes than any real spider possesses (they usually have eight), and what looks like a half-rotten, bloated abdomen. In the actual game, due to the technical limitations of the time, Web Spinners are pretty much just regular spiders, sized up. In the 2002 remake, they resemble photorealistic giant tarantulas.

One of the Web Spinners that escaped confinement underwent further mutation and continued to grow – it is now twice as large as others of its kind. It is not known why this individual was seemingly the only Web Spinner to undergo this change, but it has settled into the caves beneath the mansion’s courtyard and created a nest for itself, as seen above. It gained a reputation for its strength and aggression, which prevented the Arklay Laboratory’s security team from destroying the nest, and it became known as the Black Tiger. Some of the Web Spinners that you encounter during the game may, in fact, be the offspring of the Black Tiger. Unlike the other Web Spinners, the Black Tiger can still produce silk threads from its spinneret glands and has created a carpet-like web to ensnare its prey. In the remake, the Black Tiger was apparently modelled after the Australian funnel-web spider.