Throughout the beloved Resident Evil series, the S.T.A.R.S and friends have faced off against countless enemies throughout the years; from vicious lickers to giant mutated animals. But among all the horrific creatures players have defeated, it does lead fans to wonder which one of these monstrosities is the most powerful?
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As profound as it'd be to say that man was the true monster all along, some of these BOWs force players to draw a clear line between supreme bio-weapon and plain old human beings. Here are a few of the most powerful and memorable BOWs throughout the series.
10 William Birkin (G5 Stage)
First formally introduced in Resident Evil 2, William Birkin is known to be a monster in more ways than one. The infamous Dr. Birkin may have started out as a simple scientist, but after injecting himself with the G-virus, he solidified himself as a serious threat. At the first signs of mutation, Birkin already displayed terrifying levels of strength, but by G5, he's so misformed he no longer resembles a human at all.
Not only does the infected Birkin transform through multiple stages, but he also seems to retain some of his senses through the earlier stages. Any monster with the ability to think for itself makes it that much more advanced and that much more powerful.
9 Haos
Size can influence power and when it comes to size, Haos has a (rather large) upper hand. Haos, a creation of Neo Umbrella, was meant to infect the world with the C-virus. With a task that big, Haos itself needed to be large; and that is was, as it required an entire underwater research facility to be housed in. However, Haos escaped prematurely and set off before its completion. This creature's power doesn't only come from its sheer stature/volume (although it does help), but also its ability to multiply and change in size as well.
8 Eveline (E-001)
Don't be fooled by Eveline's initial appearance in Resident Evil 7; she is later revealed to be much more dangerous than the player is originally led to believe. Eveline, aka E-001, takes the form of a young girl. Originally created to have a seemingly innocent appearance and appeal to the sympathy of others, Eveline proved too difficult to control. With the ability to control the minds of those around her, Evie is definitely one of the most powerful BOWs purely from her influence.
Although first appearing as a young girl, Evie's real physical appearance is of a weakened, elderly woman. Later in the game, she mutates and merges with the mold within the Baker estate, becoming a giant amalgamation of it. It was only after being injected with a specific toxin Ethan had concocted, and taking tons of damage was Evie finally defeated.
7 Malacoda
The bigger the better, and once again, Malacoda is another BOW that ensured its spot as one of the most powerful due to its sheer size. The Malacoda is interestingly one of the few BOWs that were created accidentally.
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The boss seen near the end of Resident Evil: Revelations is actually an amalgamation of many Malacoda larvae that had used a whale as its host. The parasite can grow in size in relation to its host, so it's no wonder how this BOW grew to catastrophic heights as its initial host was already a monster on its own.
6 Albert Wesker
Even during his less than humble beginnings as a child prodigy, Albert Wesker was subjected to the Progenitor Virus strain after participating in a program started by the founder of Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, Spencer himself.
Upon Wesker's betrayal of the S.T.A.R.S in Resident Evil 1, he is left for dead until once again injecting himself with another virus as a means to help heal wounds left by the Tyrant. Once again, in Resident Evil 5, Wesker, now harboring the new Uroboros virus, is mutated even further.
Wesker over the series ensured his status as an incredibly powerful BOW himself. After surviving so many different viruses, keeping his agency fully intact, and even giving the boulder killer Chris Redfield himself a run for his money, it goes to say Wesker was an unimaginable force to be reckoned with.
5 Mr. X
The T-00, better known among fans as Mr. X, was one of the earlier Tyrant encounters within the series. After the mess that unfolded in Raccoon City, Umbrella realized they needed to eliminate any witnesses within the police station and also retrieve a sample of the G-Virus created by Dr. Birkin. Cue a stylish Mr. X, trenchcoat and all, being airlifted into the city, making Claire and Leon's escape just that much more difficult. Mr. X is once again another BOW that was able to think for himself and displayed a certain level of competence and intelligence.
As if that wasn't enough for Leon and Claire, later in the game, Mr. X then mutates into an even stronger version of himself, known as his Super Tyrant form. The T-00 that once resembled a human-like creature then continues to pursue Leon with a monster-like arm and amazing strength. (However, he does lose his stylish hat in this process)
4 Jack Baker
Once a kind and humble family man in Louisiana, Jack Baker is introduced in Resident Evil 7 as an unsympathetic murderer. After taking in a seemingly abandoned Evie, Jack and his family fell under her control. Through Eveline's mold, she took over the Bakers' minds and controlled them, and turned them into BOWs as well. By the end of the game, Jack had survived the likes of multiple gunshot wounds, getting run over by a car, and who could forget, getting chainsawed in half.
Unfortunately for Ethan, Jack once again appears near the end of the game as a giant mold creature that only succumbs to being injected with the cure; which inevitably kills him instead. Perhaps the biggest monster was Mia, for making Ethan go through this mess just for her.
3 Nemesis
Jill Valentine's number one fan, Nemesis, needed to be mentioned when talking about the strongest of the BOWs, of course. This mutated version of the Tyrant series was essentially a stronger (and much faster) brother of Mr. X.
Sent into Raccoon City to eliminate all the S.T.A.R.S members, Nemesis is one of the most formidable enemies within the series. Not suffering from a lack of control or intelligence like other BOWs, Nemesis has the capability to memorize and recognize specific targets, much like Mr. X. He is also one of the few BOWs in the series that has the capability to use firearms. Unfortunately for Jill, Nemesis' firearms of choice are a flamethrower and a rocket launcher.
2 Lisa Trevor
In one of the most tragic stories within the series, Lisa Trevor, once an innocent girl, was turned into a powerful BOW. Little Lisa Trevor, kidnapped by Umbrella to use as a test subject, developed superhuman-like strength after being injected with a strain of one of the earliest viruses, the Progenitor virus. The scientists (and later Wesker) then abused Lisa's resiliency by subjecting her to numerous parasites, all of which she had successfully survived.
Lisa's title as one of the most powerful BOWs in the series doesn't merely come from her strength but mainly her regenerative abilities. Scientists were reluctant to pronounce her dead after her execution attempt, just for her to survive it in the end. Even after her boss battle, it is ultimately Lisa's decision to take her own life in the end.
1 T.A.L.O.S
After frustration stemming from lack of control over their own creations, Umbrella took BOWs one step further by merging one with technology, allowing them to finally have full control over a creature that once had agency.
T.A.L.O.S. was to be Umbrella's baby; the perfect BOW. Although only appearing in The Umbrella Chronicles, T.A.L.O.S. was to be destined for greatness. Although being merged with electronic components, T.A.L.O.S. was originally a tyrant; a deadly combination wielding both incredible strength and advanced weaponized technology.