InResident Evil, Tyrants are the ultimate endgame of Umbrella’s Bioweapons research and experiments. The idea was to utilize the T-virus, a potent viral agent derived from the Progenitor Virus, to create the ultimate soldier.
Many of Umbrella’s top scientists, from Albert Wesker to Marcus, worked heavily withthe T-Virusto make their ultimate monster. Results varied, but the resulting monstrosities that emerged became the most prominent and recognizable enemies and bosses fought in Resident Evil.The bigger they are, the fiercer the battle.
Mass-Produced Super Soldiers
Appearances
Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, The Darkside Chronicles, Operation Raccoon City
Height
7 feet tall
These tyrants are mass-produced by Umbrella and were commonly deployed B.O.W.s during the Raccoon City Incident. One of them, known asMr. X, posed a significant threat to Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they searched for a way to escape the city. T-103s are the shortest of the base tyrant enemies, but are still imposing enough to be frightening.
All T-103 tyrants are clones of Sergei Vladamir, and he played a large part in mobilizing them during the outbreaks. All of them wear power limiters that appear like large trench coats. When these become damaged, either burned away or torn off, they swiftly mutate into their super forms, sporting massive claws and swifter attacks. Many other variations of the T-103 were used in other experiments to create other tyrant variants.
Of all the different strains of T-103s, these two were made specifically by Sergei as his personal guard. Made by his specifications, the Ivans were made to be tougher and much smarter than the base T-103s, and are arguably the smartest B.O.W.s in the series.
The two Ivans are the penultimate boss enemy for Wesker to face in his chapters of The Umbrella Chronicles. As a result of Sergei’s work on them, the Ivans can no longer mutate into their super forms, unlike their predecessors; instead, they retain their human form despite losing the power limiter of their trench coats.
These B.O.W.s are grotesque offshoots of the Tyrant series. The Bandersnatch is distinguished by having one vestigial arm nub, while the main, long, stretchy arm can extend several feet around it to grapple onto objects and prey.
They were prominent monsters on Rockfort Island, before they were retooled through additional experiments into the multi-scythe-armed Jabberwock monsters that appeared during Leon’s mission with Krauser in Darkside Chronicles.
An experimental offshoot of the T-103 tyrants, Hypnos was created by Commander Vincent Goldman on Sheena Island. Unlike other viable tyrants, Hypnos doesn’t have a power limiter and is already equipped with one fiercely clawed hand for dispatching foes.
Hypnos undergoes several transformations during its appearance in Resident Evil Survivor, each time becoming more savage and ferocious as it becomes a hulking monstrosity. In its final, hulking form, it appears like a hybrid mix of the T-002 Tyrant and the reptilian hunters.
8 feet tall
An experimental deviation of the T-103, the T-078 is distinguished from its predecessors by having fingerless fists. One T-078 Tyrant even has claws that erupt from the fist in its final encounter. T-078 was the final enemy of Claire Redfield’s section of the Rockfort Island area.
Little to no context or information was provided regarding why this tyrant was on the island or what Alfred Ashford did to grant it its unique appearance. It is, however, taller than the base tyrant it originated from and is shown to be more resilient to losing control, unlike most transformed B.O.W.s.
8.2 feet tall
The T-001 was the very first attempt at developing Super Soldier bioweapons using the T-virus. Due to the unstable nature of the virus, this tyrant is far more degraded, leaving it a hostile mess with many of the physical traits typical of tyrants, such as clawed arms and monstrous durability.
The degradation caused by the T-virus left its nervous system severely necrosed. Its spine and large grafted heart make for two effective weaknesses when Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen fought it in Resident Evil Zero. Once the T-002 was created, this prototype was prepped for disposal before its encounter in Resident Evil Zero.
8.6 feet tall
Tyrant 091 was the result of an experiment in which a T-103 was spliced with the t+G virus, a unique virus that’s the main plot point in Resident Evil Dead Aim. The idea for Tyrant 091 was that it would have the regenerative properties of the G virus, along with generating bioelectrical abilities.
What resulted was a horribly emaciated abomination with an exposed heart erupting from its back and a cluster of tentacles for arms and hands. The bioelectrical abilities are absent, rendering this monster a failure to Dr. Morpheus Duvall, who built upon its flaws during his own transformation with the t+G virus in the climax.
8.7 feet tall
T-002 is canonically the second Tyrant created and chronologically the first tyrant you encounter in the Resident Evil series. For players that started with Resident Evil and its remake, this monstrosity was the true Tyrant, a hulking beast taller than the T-103s that came after it.
T-002 has the same traits and flawed weaknesses of its immediate predecessor in Resident Evil Zero, from the exposed heart to its uncontrollable hostility. It even killed Wesker the moment it woke from stasis. However, the research on its creation was salvaged for the mass production of the T-103s and their variants like Mr X and Nemesis.
9 feet tall
Operation Raccoon City introduced a formidable variation of the T-103 in the Spec Ops expansions. This monster was created when a Nemesis Beta parasite attached itself to an incapacitated T-103, forcing the tyrant to the parasite’s control. The resulting mutation causes the power limiter of the tyrant to be completely destroyed, and a new type of Super Tyrant is created.
The Parasite Super Tyrant is already much taller than its base counterparts, but the Parasite attached to it also grew, having absorbed energy from its host. The Nemesis Beta adds its own massive legs to the arsenal of the Super Tyrant, and it’s a hulking menace that represents the final threat Echo Six faces in the expanded storyline in Operation Raccoon City.
(First Form) 8.2 feet tall, (Second Form) 9.1 feet tall
Tyrant R is another variation of the T-103 series, though it sports a slightly different face and has an even higher level of intelligence. The Tyrant R appeared as a distinct encounter in Resident Evil Outbreak, with its larger second form appearing in Umbrella Chronicles. Tyrant R is the starting point for established tyrants, where the initial size of the monster changes as it transforms.
The intelligence of Tyrant R was fully realized in a terrifying moment when the rogue scientists who rigged a bomb in its body dropped their guard. Once it ambushed them, it killed the scientist who held the detonator, ensuring that it was free to run rampant on its own. When its power limiter is destroyed, its superform grows in size and has similar mutations to its brethren.
