Warning: This entry contains minor spoilers.

About

T-00, commonly known as Mr. X and Trenchcoat, is a boss character from 1998 horror game Resident Evil 2 and its 2019 remake of the same name. A popular character among the franchise fans, Mr. X became a subject of numerous memes, fan art and webcomics following the release of the remake.

Origin

On January 21st, 1998, the survival horror game Resident Evil 2 (Biohazard 2 in Japan) ^[1] was released for the original PlayStation game console. On multiple occasions during the game, main protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield encounter the menacing superhuman boss character T-00, who continuously stalks them through the game locations with the intent to eliminate them.

The nickname "Mr. X" presumably originates from Resident Evil: City of the Dead ^[2] novelization of the game first published on August 3rd, 1999. In the novel, Claire Redfield often refers to T-00 as "Mr. X".

In the 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, Mr. X appears as a bald grey-skinned individual of extremely large proportions, dressed in a trenchcoat and a fedora. Akin to the original game, on numerous occasions Mr. X chases main characters Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield through the game locations.

On December 4th, 2018, Resident Evil YouTube channel released a three-minute gameplay video showing Mr. X chasing Claire Redfield.

In the Resident Evil game series, Mr. X also made an appearance in the 2009 game Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles^[3].

Online Presence

Since the release of Resident Evil 2 in 1998, Mr. X held a significant place in the Resident Evil fandom, with multiple examples of fan art featuring the character available online.

Following the release of Resident Evil 2 remake on January 25th, 2019^[4], the character saw a significant boost in popularity both as a fan art model and as a subject for memes related to the game.

On January 25th, 2019, YouTuber Maguma posted a gameplay compliation video showing Claire Redfield being chased by Mr. X accompanied by "X Gon' Give It to Ya" song by rapper DMX. The video gained over 600,000 views in ten days, with more variations of the joke also appearing on Twitter^[5], Reddit^[6] and YouTube^[7].

On January 26th, 2019, Twitter^[7] user @Junker2747 proposed using a screenshot from the game featuring Mr. X approaching Leon Kennedy as an object labeling meme. The post gained over 600 retweets in eight days, with numerous edits being posted in the thread.

In the days following the release of the remake, memes featuring the character appeared on social networks and on Reddit, with many notable examples posted to /r/residentevil^[8] subreddit.

The influx of Mr. X-related memes was covered by PC Gamer^[9].

Mods

X Gon' Give It to Ya Mod

On February 5th, 2019, Steam ^[10] user DJ Pop submitted a post titled "X Gon' Give It to Ya Mod" in the Resident Evil 2 Guides section on the platform. The post contained instructions for replacing the standard theme played in the game when Mr. X approaches the player with the song "X Gon' Give It to Ya" by rapper DMX.

As of February 12th, 2019, the post maintained the highest rating among guides submitted for the game.

Beachboy X Mod

On February 20th, 2019, Nexus^[16] user MisterHecks posted a Resident Evil 2 mod which replaced Mr. X's standard outfit with sunglasses, flip-flops and Umbrella thong. The mod was downloaded over 5,000 times in twelve days.

On the same day YouTuber Shirrako posted a gameplay video showcasing the mod. The video gained over 396,000 views in twelve days.

Thomas the Tank Engine Mod

On February 24th, 2019, Steam ^[11] user DJ Pop submitted a post titled "Thomas The Tank Engine Mod" in the Resident Evil 2 Guides section on the platform. The post contained instructions for replacing Mr. X's defauld sounds with Thomas the Tank Engine's theme song, moving and whistle sounds.

On February 28th, Resident Evil Modding forum user ZombieAli posted a mod which replaced Mr. X's model with Thomas the Tank Engine 3D model.^[12][13] On the same day, forum user Snipz uploaded a video demonstration of ZombieAli's and DJ Pop's mods to YouTube. The video gained over 41,000 views in five days.

On March 2nd, Twitter^[14] user @Nitomatta posted an in-game clip of Claire Redfield getting attacked by Thomas the Tank Engine (shown below). The tweet gained over 31,700 retweets and 83,300 likes in three days. On March 3rd, Redditor^[15] Ghulam_Jewel posted another video showcasing the two mods to /r/gaming subreddit, where it gained over 33,800 upvotes.

Big Smoke Mod

On April 14th, 2019, YouTube user and game modder BeastGamingHD posted a video highlighting their latest mod for Resident Evil 2.^[17] The unnamed mod replaced Leon Kennedy's model and sounds with the model and sounds of CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Mr. X model and sounds with those of Big Smoke. The video gained over 89,200 views in nine days.

You picked the wrong house, fool!

As of April 22nd, 2019, the mod has not yet been released to public. Several news outlets reported on the mod, including articles by Kotaku^[18] and Polygon^[19].

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References