History WMG / ResidentEvil0

When you reunite with Billy Coen in the water treatment facility in the final quarter of the game, he spots some nearby corpses and mutters to himself about Marcus "experimenting with the mother virus". ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' reveals that the "mother virus" and the Progenitor virus are the same thing; the original viral strain recovered from the sacred site of an African tribe by Spencer, Marcus and Ashford. Further, because the virus only propagated itself there, Umbrella had to fight a continuous battle against the natives to push them away from their land so they could harvest samples. Maybe Billy's unit was actually involved in suppression actions against that tribe and he made up the guerrillas story to make himself look more sympathetic?

What happened to Billy Coen in Africa, and what did it have to do with the mother virus? (I initially thought that Billy's exclamation in the factory was simply an [=RE2=]-style plot dodge; it's assumed that the player knows what a given virus is by now, if only from files, so the character does too. However, Billy says "mother virus," and no file in [=RE0=] mentions that. They're all about the Progenitor.)
* Could possibly tie in with Billy's time in Africa. Why else would the US government get involved in a crapsack country's little civil war? (Be honest, seriously.)
** Honest? OIL.
*** That's if they are in, oh, Nigeria. We only know they are in Africa. There are so many ways to get rich in Africa, for all we know, they could be in there for the tusks, damn it.
*** If there are loads of ways to get rich in Africa, THEN WHY THE HELL IS EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY DIRT-POOR RIGHT NOW?!?
*** Because of the people getting rich off of taking their resources. Dur-hey.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' reveals that the "mother virus" was the original viral strain recovered from the sacred site of an African tribe by Spencer, Marcus and Ashford. Further, because the virus only propagated itself there, Umbrella had to fight a continuous battle against the natives to push them away from their land so they could harvest samples. Maybe Billy's unit was actually involved in suppression actions against that tribe and he made up the guerrillas story to make himself look more sympathetic?

One of the diaries in ''Resi 0'' notes that the two are very competitive, yet they seem to be perfectly willing to cooperate in containing the T-virus outbreak during the game itself, and Birkin's letter to Wesker at the end of ''[=REmake=]'' is pretty friendly. Since they apparently also cooperated on Marcus's assassination, it's apparent they intended to usurp his position from the beginning, and pretended to be rivals to prevent the idea from ever entering his mind.

What happened to Billy Coen in Africa (interestingly enough, people think the protagonist in [=RE5=] is Billy, though clearly it's Chris, now having seen the new trailer), and what did it have to do with the mother virus? (I initially thought that Billy's exclamation in the factory was simply an [=RE2=]-style plot dodge; it's assumed that the player knows what a given virus is by now, if only from files, so the character does too. However, Billy says "mother virus," and no file in [=RE0=] mentions that. They're all about the Progenitor.)

* Take a look at his face when he transforms into the leech queen. He is taken by surprise mid-laugh, throws up and has a look of shock on his face while he transforms. There are actually two minds; Marcus's mind, and the leech hive mind that allows him to exist. He thinks he is in control but they can take over at any time.

** {{Jossed}} by ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta''. By 2010[[note]]which is post-[=RE6=][[/note]], she's a college professor and still canonically single.

** {{Jossed}} by ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta''. By 2010[[note]]which is post-[=RE5=][[/note]], she's a college professor and still canonically single.

** {{Jossed}} by the cgi film, ''Resident Evil: Vendetta''. By 2010[[note]]which is post-[=RE5=][[/note]], she's a college professor and still canonically single.

* ...and settled down with him. It may be [[MaybeEverAfter the reason]] neither of them has been seen, or heard from since.

[[WMG: Rebecca reunited with Billy after the Raccoon City incident.]]

** Pretty much confirmed in the files of REmake. Spencer hired Trevor to create the Mansion, and probably the style used inspired all the other facilities.

** Though that would explain why the Foyer in Marcus's headquarters looks nearly identical to the foyer of the original Mansion.

*** Though that would explain why the Foyer in Marcus's headquarters looks nearly identical to the foyer of the original Mansion.

** That ''is'' the entrance to Birkin's lab.