2019

Games

Alex Mercer, also known as the Prototype, is the protagonist of the 2009 video game Prototype and a supporting character in Prototype 2. His official birthdate is July 18, 1979, though this is a fabricated identity.

Mercer was a brilliant but troubled scientist working for Gentek, a company involved in clandestine biological warfare research. He played a key role in the Blacklight virus project, created from a genetically engineered weaponized virus.

Fearing exposure of his own involvement and intending to sell information, Mercer attempted to release the virus upon Grand Central Terminal. He was killed by Blackwatch soldiers, but in the process, the virus consumed and resurrected him, granting him shapeshifting abilities, superhuman strength, agility, and the ability to consume others to gain their memories and abilities.

Amnesiac and pursued by both the military and the conspiracy behind the virus outbreak, Mercer seeks to uncover his past and the truth behind Blacklight. Throughout the game, he struggles with the moral implications of his actions and the immense power he wields, becoming a brutal and often ambiguous figure.