Virocrat

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Virocrat
GENERAL
Resident Evil
Character	James Marcus
Character	Oswell E. Spencer
Canonical?	Fanon
Status of Relationship	Both dead
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Slash
Tropes	• Lovers to Enemies • Like an Old Married Couple • Ruling Couple

❝

But Spencer... It wouldn't end there, would it?

—Marcus writting about Spencer's work against him

Virocrat is the slash ship between James Marcus and Oswell Spencer from Resident Evil fandom.

Canon

Very little is known about Marcus' and Spencer's early life except for the fact that both of them graduated the same university in the 1940's and became close friends there. Both men, along with their mutual friend, Edward Ashford, would often meet up in Spencer's villa to drink and talk. They shared the same interest in the field of virology and eugenics, believing that humanity as a race was destined to fall, and that only through evolving mankind and attaining a superior moral code could this be averted. Soon, they formed the eugenics circle of like-minded scientists. In the 1960's, Marcus got fired from a prestigious Swiss university and without any financial support, he decided to contact his friend for help. Spencer agreed to fund Marcus's research and allowed him to live in his mansion in exchange of working for him. In meantime, the eugenic circle became interested with Natural History Conspectus, a rare late Victorian encyclopaedia which chronicled a 34-year trek through Africa by British explorer Henry Travis. The book described the "Stairway of the Sun" flower, a plant said to create great strength to those who eat from its fruit. Marcus believed that a virus could be naturally produced by the flower and mutate the consumer. His theory convinced Spencer to visit Africa together along with Marcus's protégé, Brandon Bailey. The two men seemed to have a strong bond, although Brandon distrusted Spencer and tried to warn his mentor several times.

After discovering the Progenitor Virus, Spencer, Marcus, and Ashford formed Umbrella Corporation in 1968 which led to the breakup of the friendship between the two men. Marcus wasn't interested in business, simply wanting to pursue his research with a vigour. Spencer, on the other hand, dreamed of being in control of everything and everyone.Spencer became incredibly paranoid when the corporation began to grow, causing the mysterious death of Edward Ashford. Seeing the progress his friend was making in Africa, he convinced him to become the director of his new training center. In this way, Spencer had Marcus under his control. Marcus himself began to consider the other man to be a greedy lunatic who didn't care about their research. At this stage, their friendship completely fell apart. Both became more and more paranoid, acting against each other. Marcus conducted experiments in secret, while Spencer sought to steal his works. After twenty years of long rivalry, in 1988 Spencer ordered Marcus's former students, William Birkin and Albert Wesker, to kill the mad scientist.Ten years later, in 1998, Marcus made his comeback as Queen Leech with the purpose of taking revenge on Spencer for stealing his research. While he didn't hurt Spencer himself, he did cause the T-virus outbreak in the Arklay Mountains that later led to the Raccoon City apocalypse that ended Umbrella.

Fanon

In a prestigious 1940s university, Oswell Spencer and James Marcus first crossed paths as bright, ambitious students driven by a shared passion for virology and the controversial field of eugenics. Their initial bond was formed over long nights poring over experimental research and rare texts on genetic evolution. Behind their academic camaraderie, however, a secret romance was kindled, marked by promises in quiet study halls and stolen moments in the university’s hidden corners. To them, their love was as revolutionary as the theories they espoused, a union that transcended conventional friendship and hinted at a future to reshape humanity.

As the trio—Spencer, Marcus, and their mutual friend Edward Ashford—later joined forces to establish the Umbrella Corporation in the 1960s, the warmth of their private affair began to cool. Spencer’s relentless hunger for power and control clashed with Marcus’s idealistic fervor for unadulterated scientific discovery. The secret romance, once a source of strength, became a double-edged sword; the intimacy they once shared was gradually overshadowed by rivalry and betrayal. With Umbrella’s rise, old affection transformed into bitter enmity. Spencer’s increasing paranoia and authoritarian drive forced him to subjugate Marcus’s work, while Marcus, resentful of being manipulated and overshadowed, plotted in secret. In this tragic twist of fate, their once passionate liaison gave way to a feud that not only tore apart their personal connection but also set in motion events that would lead to a catastrophic viral outbreak and the downfall of their grand ambitions.

Some fanon interpretations suggest that Spencer’s ambition was matched only by his obsession with maintaining a flawless public image. As their secret romance deepened, Spencer grew increasingly paranoid that the intimate details of their affair might be exposed, an eventuality that could shatter his carefully cultivated persona as the cold, calculating mastermind behind Umbrella. This paranoia, many theorize, eventually forced him to break off the relationship. In his mind, the risk of scandal and the loss of control over his personal and professional domain outweighed the passion he once shared with Marcus.

On AO3, there are currently 4 written works.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

James/Oswell tag on AO3