To further his own plans, Wesker betrays his allies, fakes his death, gains superhuman abilities, and works with both Umbrella's mysterious rival company and their successors in the field of biological weapons development until his ultimate defeat by Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in Resident Evil 5 (2009).

Several actors have portrayed Wesker, including Jason O'Mara, Shawn Roberts, Tom Hopper, and Lance Reddick, in the live-action Resident Evil films and television series.

[19] He envisioned Wesker as a former special forces member who possessed exceptional intelligence and physical prowess, with a cold demeanor that matched his egotistical mindset.

[17] The game's designers ultimately developed Wesker into the commander of the protagonists' elite police task force, who is secretly employed as a virologist for the Umbrella Corporation.

[24] During the finale of Resident Evil 5, Wesker fully sheds his human appearance when he infects himself with the Uroboros virus, a volatile and mutagenic viral agent.

[28] Wesker was originally voiced by Pablo Kuntz, who said that Capcom's staff gave him limited direction and that he did not fully understand the game's plot at the time of recording.

[29] Peter Jessop voiced the character in the 2002 remake of Resident Evil[8] and a recreational arcade game released solely in Japan.

[24] Every game in the series is set in the fictional American metropolitan area of Raccoon City until its destruction at the end of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

[36] Wesker's presence was initially limited to cutscenes in the main Resident Evil games, where he manipulates the series' events from the background.

[38] Resident Evil 5 reveals the Umbrella Corporation raised Wesker as part of a eugenics program, which offers him the best education but also indoctrinates him into developing misanthropic views and a superiority complex.

[17][43][44] He survives his apparent death due to an experimental virus that not only resurrected him after suffering grievous injuries but also endowed him with enhanced strength, speed, and agility.

[42] Wesker makes a cameo appearance in Resident Evil 4 (2005), where he is revealed to be working with Ada Wong to obtain a specimen sample for further BOW research.

[42][48][45] Despite his demise, his plans continue to drive the plot of the series, as his viral and BOW research causes many of the disasters and outbreaks in the subsequent games.

His death triggers a dead man's switch, which destroys the Hive and everyone within, including Alicia Marcus, the Umbrella High Command, and thousands of others held in stasis.

[85] Kazuma Hashimoto of Polygon noted that the character's light skin and blonde hair design evoke the aesthetic of the Nazi ideal of Übermensch, reflecting the series' "core" theme of eugenics.

[86] Ryan Davis of GameSpot said that the voice acting of Wesker "is a better fit", and he is entertaining while serving as the narrator of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

[87] Jesse Schedeen of IGN discussed his appearances across the franchise and also said that "even if the games start over from square one, we highly doubt Wesker will be left out of the party.

"[62] Rich Stanton of Eurogamer said that "Chris and Wesker's final showdown is both a terrible boss fight and unforgettable, because despite the faults it showcases a certain mindset about what an ultimate action climax should be.

"[47] GamesRadar+ staff described him among the "best characters in the three decades of Capcom's history" and wrote, "Even after his death in Resident Evil 5, Albert Wesker shows no signs of stopping, which is just the way we like it.

[74] Brandon Trush of Bloody Disgusting and Luke McKinney of Den of Geek both echoed a similar sentiment and regarded Weskers' death scene as one of the most outstanding and over-the-top moments of the Resident Evil series.

[75][89] Conversely, Shubhankar Parijat of GamingBolt stated that "Resident Evil hasn't had an overbearing villainous presence since Wesker died", but noted that "his arc was wrapped up very well, and bringing him back might not be the best idea.

"[91] Obi Anyanwu of Complex described him as the "second-douchiest" video game character, stating that "Wesker has a following, yes, but there's something very Agent Smith, a villain in The Matrix, about him that makes us shake our heads.

"[92] Marshall Lemon of The Escapist also compared Wesker to Agent Smith, noting both villains' creators illogically enhanced their characters' power in subsequent installments, which diminished the narrative's coherence.

[93] Andy Kelly of PC Gamer commented that Wesker lacked the depth of a complex villain and instead embodied the over-the-top antagonist trope, surmising the character as "a comically evil asshole who can do cool Matrix moves and transform into a monster.

"[100] Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge offered a mixed review of the series but cited Wesker as the show's best character, which they attributed to Reddick's "steely, menacing energy".

[101] Taylor Lyes of IGN noted that the Netflix series' portrayal and characterization of Wesker diverged from his video game counterpart, but commended the character's revised backstory and story arc.