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| “ | Master Ramón has bestowed upon me a truly righteous undertaking to improve upon the flaws of our human form, to seek perfection as observed in our arthropodal siblings. To this cause I shall willingly devote my life. | „ |
| ~ Isidro in his notes. |
Isidro Uriarte Talavera, later known as Verdugo, is a major antagonist in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4. The creator of both the Novistadors and Pesanta, which he named "U-II" and "U-III" after himself, Isidro willingly underwent a painful transformation into one of the two bodyguards of Ramón Salazar.
Appearance[]
Nothing is known about Isidro's appearance while he was still human, as no visual record of him exists. The only thing that is known is that he possessed a golden monocle, which he still carries with him as Verdugo.
When initially met, the only visual distinction between Verdugo and Pesanta was the color of their robes. While Pesanta wore a black cloak with a light red gradient, Verdugo was clad in a crimson red robe. Without the robe however, Verdugo is a lot more insectoid than Pesanta. His entire body is covered in a thick, black carapace that makes him highly resistant to any form of attack. His claws are long and sharp; and his tail is sharp like a blade. The only remnant of his human form is the upper part of his face.
Personality[]
Having been implanted with Las Plagas, Isidro is fanatically loyal to his master Ramón and Los Iluminados as a whole. Unlike any other Ganado however, Isidro was given the superior species of Las Plagas, which allows their hosts to retain their intellect without a loss in obedience.
Isidro has a gifted scientific mind, able to create an entirely new species within six years. Shortly before becoming Verdugo, Isidro received a written petition from Bitores Méndez to forgive a runaway servant. He ignored the request, noting that only the holy task that he has been given matters and that it would be too late to save him anyways. Even after his transformation into Verdugo, Isidro still possesses his human intelligence, taunting Leon with a finger wag if he hits him with an ineffective shot.
Biography[]
Background[]
Isidro Uriarte Talavera was once an ordinary servant of the Salazar family that ruled over the Spanish village of Valdelobos. When the 8th Count of Valdelobos, Ramón Salazar, fell to the manipulations of Osmund Saddler, Isidro and the other servants were injected with Las Plagas to ensure absolute loyalty to their masters. But while many of the other servants became the simple-minded Ganados, Isidro's saving grace was his scientific mind that led to him being infected with the superior strain.
Two years after he has been "awakened" in his own words, Isidro was given the direct order by Ramón to find a way to improve upon the human form and make them closer to the arthropodal Las Plagas they worshipped. Isidro would spend the next six years trying to accomplish his task using the mysterious black liquid that promotes the growth of Las Plagas in their hosts. His experiments yielded fruit, discovering that the key to success lies in the human womb, likely infusing a human embryo with the black liquid to form a hybrid creature.
He named this new species "U-II" to honor his family name, later given the name "Novistadors" by his master Ramón in reference to their ability to camouflage. Both Ramón and Lord Saddler himself were highly pleased with Isidro's work, driving him to tears with joy. Isidro's work was not complete quite yet however, for he still sought to find the perfect fusion of man and insect, with the housekeeper having "volunteered" as a living test subject. The process of finding the correct method to transform her took six months and was incredibly painful, but he finally succeeded in his goal: a perfect lifeform that he named "U-III", his dear hound Pesanta.
Pesanta was chosen as Ramón's right hand and bodyguard, but Isidro decided that two hands are better than one and that it was his turn to follow in Pesanta's footsteps, to prove his loyalty. He infused himself with the black liquid and turned himself into a second U-III, declaring himself a true servant of God and becoming the executioner of the heretics, their Verdugo.
Resident Evil 4[]
On his mission to rescue the US president's daughter Ashley Graham, Leon S. Kennedy was forced to escape Valdelobos and enter Salazar castle. It was within the entrance hall that he and Ashley first met Ramón, with Pesanta and Verdugo at his side. After Salazar introduced himself and was refused his demand of handing over the girl, Pesanta and Verdugo left with Ramón while their zealots fought the intruders.
Verdugo kidnapping Ashley.
Verdugo was not seen again until the castle's grand hall, where he took advantage of Leon and Ashley being separated by a cage trap. Ashley managed to throw Leon a key to escape the cage, but Verdugo ambushed Ashley before they could reunite and took her captive once more. Leon tried to shoot at him, but the bullets were ineffective. All they did was cause him to briefly turn around and glare at Leon before returning his attention to bringing Ashley to his master.
When Leon arrived at the throne room to rescue her from a ritual meant to strengthen her bond with the plaga inside of her, Verdugo attacked Leon from the shadows and pinned him to the ground to ensure the ritual can be completed without further interruption. After Ashley was forced to drink the black liquid, Verdugo picked Leon up and carried him towards the sacrificial pit in the center of the throne room. Ramón bid him farewell, at which point Verdugo dropped him into the pit with the intent of having him be impaled on the spikes at the bottom. Unwilling to take a chance however, Verdugo went down into the caves that connect to the pit to ensure his death, which is also where Isidro's lab was located. It was here where Leon and Verdugo had their confrontation, as Leon had to power up and wait for the elevator to the mines to arrive, giving Verdugo plenty of time for his assault. It is at this point where the player is presented with two choices:
- Verdugo was one of the deadliest, fastest and most resilient opponents Leon had faced, but utilizing the liquid nitrogen showers that Isidro had installed in his laboratory to weaken his exoskeleton and plenty of firepower made it possible to finally end Isidro once and for all, leaving behind his valuable gold monocle if killed. Depending on whether or not he is frozen when killed, Verdugo's body will either drop dead on the ground or shatter into pieces.
- Alternatively, if the player does not want to take the risk or does not have the ammo to spare, Leon can also simply escape through the elevator when it arrives. In this case, Verdugo leaves the area through a vent in the ceiling and is not seen again, his fate uncertain.
Gallery[]
