Tyrant (Resident Evil)

Tyrant is the code name of a series of boss characters in the "Resident Evil" horror video game series by Capcom, introduced in the original "Resident Evil" in 1996. Tyrants are towering, biologically engineered supersoldiers created and used by the sinister Umbrella Corporation. Tyrant creatures make appearances as boss characters in most "Resident Evil" games and the desire to create an obedient bioweapon lies at the core of the series' storyline. Tyrants also appear in other media and merchandise of the "Resident Evil" franchise, as well as in some unrelated games.
Since their debut, the Tyrant series became one of the most recognizable and popular characters of the franchise. A particularly notable Tyrant is Nemesis, the titular antagonist of the video game "".
Character design.
Capcom artists went through a trial-and-error process designing the Tyrant creatures and their transformations. For example, the T-103 was originally envisioned as armed with firearms; in some sketches, it can be seen wearing a respirator and various armored outfits instead of a trenchcoat (there were also other types of coats, including a lab coat), and even its overall physical build has varied greatly (from very slim to extremely muscular). The only consistent attribute of most Tyrant creature variations seems to be their large, exposed beating hearts which usually serve as their only vulnerable area.
Appearances.
In video games.
The game series features many types of Tyrants as the result of several different experiments. Following the discovery of the Progenitor virus, the Umbrella Corporation’s founders become eager to create a Bio-Organic Weapon (B.O.W) that is both powerful and capable of following orders. Prior to the events of "Resident Evil Zero", Umbrella used the Progenitor virus to create the Tyrant virus (T-virus), which they believe can be used to manufacture powerful organisms. A problem with the virus’ compatibility with humans set the project back, as only humans with a very rare genetic makeup are capable of mutating into potent and manageable life forms; only one in a million people are estimated to be compatible. Umbrella eventually overcame this setback by resorting to using clones of Sergei Vladimir, one of their executives who happens to be genetically compatible. These mass-produced Tyrants were given the label, T-103.
The events of "Resident Evil Zero" and "Resident Evil" chronicle the Umbrella Corporation's development of the Tyrant prototypes, the T-001 (the Proto-Tyrant) and T-002. Though the early Tyrants are defeated in their first encounters, Umbrella manages to use the battle data from those defeats to produce other, more efficient Tyrants in the later installments of "Resident Evil". Numerous Tyrants have been created throughout the game series' storyline, such as Tyrant T-078 and the mass-produced Bandersnatches from ', Hypnos from "Resident Evil Survivor", Thanatos from "Resident Evil Outbreak" and Tyrant R from ' each with its own defining characteristics. A revamped version of Tyrant also existed in "Resident Evil 5" during the game's development, but not in the finished product. The final boss battle of "Resident Evil: Revelations" might also be called a variation of the Tyrant (created by that game's T-Abyss virus), but this is debatable.
Tyrants have been consistently depicted as grotesque and brutally violent creatures, but their intelligence has varied. The first two Tyrants in "Resident Evil Zero" and "Resident Evil" are depicted as unintelligent, while the T-103 models such as the T-00 (more popularly known as "Mr. X" and sometimes also as "Trenchcoat") in "Resident Evil 2" and the titular Nemesis T-Type in ' are shown to possess limited intelligence and the ability to carry out specific instructions. Both Nemesis-T Type and the T-103 series (two more T-103 Tyrants, code-named Ivan, appear in ') are prone to uncontrolled mutation when damaged. Alexia Ashford in "Code Veronica" retains her full intelligence after being exposed to the T-Veronica virus and gains psychic abilities, including pyrokinesis; similarly, the T+G virus mutated Morpheus D. Duvall in ' (Tyrant T-092) gains bio-electric abilities. The weapons used by Tyrants have also varied; while most Tyrants in the "Resident Evil" series rely on sheer physical force to subdue opponents, Nemesis, retaining some intelligence due to the Nemesis parasite, is able to use a shoulder-fired hand-held rocket launcher (and a minigun in ') and T-ALOS (Tyrant-Armored Lethal Organic System) in "The Umbrella Chronicles" is equipped with a shoulder-mounted multiple rocket launcher.
Outside of the "Resident Evil" franchise, there is a Tyrant card in the NDS version of '. In ', Jill Valentine has a special move that calls forth a Tyrant. A prototype Tyrant appears in the background of the Tricell Laboratory stage in ""; Tyrant was considered for addition as a playable character, but was rejected over concerns about the game's ESRB rating. The Nemesis T-Type was later added as a playable character in "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3".
In other media.
The Tyrant Fossil appears only in the novel '. In the third "Resident Evil" live-action film, ' (and its novelization), Umbrella's researcher Dr. Alexander Isaacs tries to subdue his mutation with an antivirus after being bitten by an enhanced zombie. He is shot for insubordination by an executive, Alexander Slater, and is immediately reanimated as a Tyrant. Compared to most of the Tyrants from the games, Isaacs retains his mental faculties and personality even after his mutation. A new version of Tyrant resembling the T-078 with the power limiter appears in the CG film "".
In merchandise.
Several Tyrant action figures were released by various manufacturers, including these by Toy Biz in 1998 (T-002 and T-103), Moby Dick Toys in 2001 (four T-103 Tyrants), Palisades Toys in 2001 (T-103) and 2002 (T-002), and NECA in 2007 (T-002). A 1:6 scale (35 cm) resin figure of T-002 in "Umbrella Chronicles" was also released by Gaya Entertainment and a PVC statuette was released by Organic, both in 2008. Since 2011, various Tyrant "infected" cards were featured in Bandai's "Resident Evil Deck Building Game". In 2012, "Resident Evil" theme restaurant Biohazard Cafe & Grill S.T.A.R.S. in Tokyo was furnished with one-to-one scale Tyrant prop made by the special effects studio creating costumes for Toei Company's tokusatsu heroes; the exposition is a central part of the restaurant.
Reception.
In 2009, IGN featured the Tyrants in the lists of the best "Resident Evil" bosses and the series' best villains (readers' choice). That same year, the Tyrant was included among the 12 characters and creatures that the staff of IGN would like see to return in "Resident Evil 6", commenting that "almost as much a hallmark of the "RE" franchise as the zombie, the Tyrant is a recurring favorite." IGN added: ""Resident Evil" is supposed to be a terrifying experience, and much of the terror stems from pitting players against foes who completely outmatch them. That's the Tyrant in a nutshell." IGN also included an "any type of Tyrant" in their dream roster for "Marvel vs. Capcom 3". In 2012, "PlayStation Official Magazine" ranked Tyrant as the seventh top "Resident Evil" monster (in addition to Nemesis placing fifth). That same year, IGN ranked the T-002 as the best boss in the series, adding that "even 15 years later, "Resident Evil" games continue to use this formula (and its finish) as a blueprint for bosses."
In 2000, GameSpot ranked Tyrant as the tenth best villain in video gaming. In 2013, "Complex" ranked the original Tyrant as the 13th greatest soldier in video games, the encounter with it as the 25th best boss battle of all time, and the second Tyrant fight in "Code: Veronica" as the 46th hardest boss battle in video game history. Some publications also singled out the Tyrant T-103 model (Mr. X) for a special acclaim. In 2010, PSU.com included the scene of Mr. X suddenly busting through a brick wall in "Resident Evil 2" on the list of ten "pant-wetting PlayStation moments". PSU.com also featured Mr. X, along with the T-002 and Nemesis, on their 2011 list of the "seven badass bosses" in the 15 years of "Resident Evil". That same year, "Empire" ranked it as the 39th greatest video game character overall, adding that "Nemesis never quite captured the silent dread of Mr. X."