Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation may be responsible for unleashing a zombie virus, but they've also created some good things throughout the years.
Resident Evil's primary antagonist, the Umbrella Corporation, represents pretty much everything wrong with the average evil medical conglomerate. While unleashing the T-Virus on the unsuspecting people of Raccoon City may have been a mix up, Umbrella has a pretty unsavory history. From Umbrella's inception, the company operated to further a dark purpose that would not only create horrible biological weapons, but also further eugenics.
That doesn't mean that everything Umbrella has done has been negative for the characters and inhabitants of Resident Evil's universe. Despite stealing sacred West African flowers, developing several military capable bio-weapons, inspiring international terrorist groups, and clandestinely eliminating rivals through assassinations and 'accidents,' there are some upsides. The process of becoming a multi-billion dollar corporation with facilities on several continents comes at the cost of a lot of business. Not all of it can be evil, right? If only Capcom allowed players to see more of Umbrella's nature in Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil's main villains had to work hard to get where they were at the time of Resident Evil 2's outbreak. While each of the founding members of the company came from considerable money, they couldn't simply open a laboratory dedicated to evil research without raising eyebrows. Resident Evil's Umbrella created several smaller companies that offered totally mundane services. These subsidiaries might eventually be used for nefarious purposes, but for most of their lives before the Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City incident, they brought some happiness to the world.
In 1978 Umbrella was responsible for saving three cruise ships from being scrapped, the Queen Zenobia, Queen Semiramis, and Queen Dido. These ships were overhauled and used by Umbrella's Paraguas Line Company for global tours and vacation excursions to South America. While they may have also been used to transport bio weapons secretly, there's really nothing wrong with a family-friendly cruise on restored, classically-constructed cruise ships. It's too bad that they would eventually become zombie-invested messes in the Resident Evil: Revelations spin off series.
Starting in 1992, Umbrella pumped millions of dollars into Raccoon City with the intent of building up their research facilities there. Of course, there was a good deal of corruption and bribery at the highest levels, but Umbrella did put real money into Raccoon City's economy. The "Bright Raccoon 21" project invested in modernizing Raccoon city's infrastructure, police services, including the elite S.T.A.R.S. unit, and the construction of a brand-new modern hospital, Raccoon City General. Sure this economic rejuvenation project led to the creation of the NEST laboratory beneath the city, but the citizens of Raccoon city surely appreciated the stimulus - before they all turned into zombies. At least it makes for a pretty setting for Claire's adventure in Resident Evil 2.
Umbrella's deep research into viral infections and microorganisms also helped the world's non-evil scientists learn about ancient plant life. The Progenitor Virus, which directly led to the development of the T Virus and G Virus, was held within a long-forgotten flower in West Africa. Umbrella's determination to learn about Progenitor and its connection with Sonnentreppe flowers revealed a brand-new form of Group VI viruses, with the power to revive certain dead cells. Of course Umbrella stole these samples and used them to create bioweapons, but the underlying research could be applied to medical science in order to help individuals overcome immunodeficiency infections. If only there was some way to analyze the Sonnentreppe flowers without the overt imperialist aggression and eugenically fueled bioterrorism that Resident Evil's villains pursue.
Alright, so maybe the good things that Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation has done pale in comparison to the horror they've unleased into the world, but there's something to be said for the restoration of a failing mid-western American town, the preservation of unique cruise liners, and the discovery of ancient and unique biological organisms. If only everything Umbrella touched didn't eventually turn into a zombie, they might have actually done some good.
