Template:MutantCharacter
Jack Krauser is a relatively minor character from the Resident Evil video game series. First appearing as the secondary antagonist in Resident Evil 4, little was revealed about his past except that he had once worked alongside Leon Kennedy as a member of the U.S. Secret Service. His history would be explored in The Darkside Chronicles during Operation: Javier. He also appears in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 with an amended history.
History[]
Operation: Javier[]
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles[]
Krauser was first introduced to the world of biological warfare while working as a US SOCOM agent alongside Leon S. Kennedy during a mission in South America. Although he was a seasoned soldier and bore the scars to prove it, he knew nothing about the horrors of Bio-Organic Weapons or weaponized viruses that could turn human beings into monsters. He would soon learn the terrible truth when he and Leon discovered that their target, a drug lord known as Javier Hidalgo, had acquired numerous B.O.W.'s and samples of the T-virus on the black market and was using them to spread fear and chaos throughout the region.
As the mission progressed, Jack learned about Leon's previous experiences with bio-weapons during the Raccoon City Destruction Incident and how he was recruited by SOCOM to begin with. While initially taken aback by the sight of zombies and irregular mutant creatures, he soon learned to adapt to the situation and he and Leon succeeded in their mission to stop Javier's operation. However, during the incident, Krauser became enamoured by the possibility that such man-made viruses could be beneficial. He had suffered severe injury to his arm during the mission and it would not recover on its own, which resulted in him being dismissed from field duty. Krauser, determined to regain his purpose in life, dug up as much information as he could about B.O.W.'s and the viruses used to create them from SOCOM's files. During this search, he came across the name "Albert Wesker", a dangerous individual known to have worked in bio-weapons development as a researcher for Umbrella. Determined to seek out Wesker, Krauser made arrangements to disappear from SOCOM; he faked his death, making it appear that he had died in a helicopter crash, and then went in search of Wesker without his ex-superiors being any the wiser.
Resident Evil 4 (2023)[]
Operation: Javier is strongly referenced in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4, but many of its details are left vague. However, it seems that the event played out very differently in this retelling; Leon and Krauser were not the only agents to participate in the operation as Krauser led an entire squad of soldiers in an effort to dismantle a South American drug cartel. It is also unclear as to whether or not the event can be considered a biohazardous incident in this retelling as there is no mention in dialogue or in files viewed throughout the story that B.O.W.'s played any part in the event.
What is known about the revised Operation: Javier is that it was planned with the utmost discretion, with only a few individuals within the U.S. government being aware of its existence. It is also revealed that Krauser's team were not fully prepared for the operation and that Krauser and Leon were the only survivors. Following the disastrous conclusion of the operation, Krauser was discharged from service due to the injuries he had sustained. Left embittered by what he had experienced in South America and the cover-up of the incident by the government, Krauser became vengeful and sought to obtain the one thing he came to believe actually mattered in the world: absolute power.
Illuminados Incident[]
Resident Evil 4 (2005)[]
Krauser's mutated arm-blade
In late 2004, Krauser resurfaced in Europe as an apparent member of the Los Illuminados, a group of religious extremists which had access to a deadly weaponized organism known as Las Plagas. The cult intended to use the mind-controlling parasites as part of a plan to take over the entire world, a plan that Krauser agreed to play a part in. He kidnapped Ashley Graham, daughter of the then-President of the United States, offering her to the Illuminados as a Plaga host that the cult could use in order to infiltrate the highest level of the American government. In exchange for this service, the cult's leader Osmund Saddler offered Krauser newfound power in the form of a dominant-strain Plaga. The mutant parasite regenerated Krauser's injured arm and made him stronger and faster than ever before.
However, Krauser's service to Saddler was a farce; his only real intention for following Saddler's orders was to gain a Plaga sample that he could deliver to Wesker, who had instructed both him and Ada Wong to infiltrate the Illuminados and acquire a dominant Plaga to aid Wesker in his ambition to restore Umbrella under his leadership. Since Leon Kennedy had been sent to rescue Ashley, Krauser took this as fate and confronted his old comrade. The two fought inside a set of ruins on Saddler's island stronghold, with Krauser using his knowledge of the terrain to his advantage, attacking Leon from carefully selected vantage points and even ambushing the agent with a series of robotic drones.
In order to progress beyond the ruins, Leon needed three key stones, two of which were hidden around the maze while Krauser held on to the last one. The time came when Leon fought Krauser face-to-face and Krauser revealed just how powerful - and inhuman - he had become. Krauser's left arm transformed into a horrific organic blade which allowed him to shield himself from Leon's shots and attack with superhuman precision and speed. Even with his body enhanced by the Plaga, Krauser was unable to kill Leon and found himself defeated.
Though beaten, Krauser actually survived his fight with Leon. He then decided to go after Ada Wong, who had betrayed Wesker by helping Leon to survive the dangers of the island. Though severely injured, Krauser was still a dangerous foe and attacked Ada atop one of the base's towers. He failed to defeat Ada as well, and she managed to kill him for good.
Resident Evil 4 (2023)[]
In the remake, the details behind Krauser's involvement in the plot have been significantly altered. As in the original, he was personally responsible for abducting Ashley Graham and thus setting Saddler's plan for world domination in motion. However, it seems that he may have joined Saddler's ranks directly rather than working as a double agent for Wesker, as he makes no mention of Wesker and has no interactions with Ada Wong, who does still work for Wesker in the remake.
After successfully bringing Ashley into the clutches of the Illuminados, Krauser is rewarded by being implanted with a Plaga. This not only heals the damage he suffered to his arm during Operation: Javier, but allows him to mutate into an even stronger form.
While Leon and Luis Serra Navarro are exploring the mines beneath Castle Salazar, Krauser ambushes the two, fatally wounding Luis after throwing a knife into his back. He and Leon then briefly fight each other using knives before Luis interrupts them, managing to shoot at Krauser and causing him to drop his blade. Krauser then flees the scene, leaving Leon to tend to Luis, who bleeds to death.
Leon sees Krauser again after reaching the tower where he confronts Ramon Salazar, witnessing Krauser departing from the tower with an unconscious Ashley under his arm. He takes Ashley to a speedboat and heads towards the island where Saddler has established his sanctuary. After defeating Salazar, Leon pursues Krauser with the aid of Ada.
On the island, Leon and Krauser have their final showdown in the ruins that Krauser has rigged with deadly traps. Krauser continues to rant about how power is the only thing that matters in life while taunting Leon's efforts, yet also commending his spirit and how he's made use of the skills Krauser had taught him. When the two face each other atop the ruins, Krauser reveals his mutation: his left arm morphs into a wicked blade while his right arm has also transformed into a large claw, wide and thick enough to shield him from gunfire. However, his defence is not without openings as Leon manages to bring him down by shooting at his exposed lower legs.
Incapacitated by the multiple gunshot wounds Leon inflicted, Krauser lies helpless and acknowledges that death is inevitable. He tells Leon that he knows what he needs to do and Leon picks up Krauser's knife, using it to stab his former superior in the heart. As Krauser dies, he expresses his pride in Leon's abilities with his last breath.
Personality[]
Krauser often came across as cold and aloof; he was an experienced soldier and had seen much hardship in his time on the battlefield which left him grizzled and bitter towards the world. Believing that he couldn't fit in to everyday society, he engrossed himself in his work, caring about nothing but the next mission.
After the injury to his arm, Krauser felt like he had lost his purpose in life, but would find new purpose in aiding Wesker's plans to bring about a new order to the world. He came to agree with Wesker's views on the importance of power, desiring the power to deliver vengeance against the government that had used and discarded him. This is what drove him into throwing his lot in with Los Illuminados and obtaining a Plaga.
Abilities[]
As an ordinary human, Krauser was in peak physical condition and highly experienced in armed and unarmed combat. His favourite weapon was a combat knife and he was skilled with both wielding it in melee combat and throwing. He was also skilled with handguns, submachine guns, explosives and archery.
After being injected with a dominant-strain Plaga, Krauser gained enhanced strength, agility, reflexes and stamina. Most notably, he could transform his left arm into a twisted organic blade that could be used both for offence and defence. The bone structure of his mutant arm was so hard that it could deflect bullets and could shield his whole torso and head. The blade could easily cut through flesh and bone and Krauser attempted to impale Leon with this grotesque limb when the two fought each other. During the fight, however, Krauser could only shield his upper body with his arm, leaving his legs vulnerable to attack. Leon was able to defeat Krauser by shooting his legs and then striking the body while he was stunned.
In the Resident Evil 4 remake, both of Krauser's arms are mutated by the Plaga. While his left arm was formed into a blade, his right arm shifted into a large clawed hand consisting of extremely dense tissue capable of deflecting gunfire. This allowed Krauser to shield himself and gave him the strength to crush the head of a foe with his mutated hand.