The "Cure" in I Am Legend: Neville‘s Search for a Way to Reverse the Krippin Virus
In the acclaimed sci-fi movie I Am Legend, the proclaimed "cure" refers to protagonist Dr. Robert Neville‘s experimental serum derived from mutated Darkseeker blood samples. Neville believes this can reverse the effects of the Krippin Virus plague that wiped out humanity and turned survivors into vampire-esque Darkseekers. However, an alternate ending suggests the mutated beings never needed curing, painting Neville as a legendary monster in their new civilization.
The global pandemic originated from an attempt to genetically modify the measles virus as a cancer treatment. The engineered virus unexpectedly mutated into the aggressively lethal Krippin Virus strain. Analysis shows the Krippin Virus spreads even faster than the COVID-19 pandemic did early 2020, with a roughly 12 hour incubation period. Within just 3 years, over 90% of the world‘s population had either perished from the virus or survived infected.
| Krippin Virus Origin & Traits | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Genetically engineered measles virus intended as cancer cure |
| Infection & Fatality Rate | ~90% infected globally in 3 years (<1% immune) 10% survival rate |
| Incubation Period | ~12 hours |
| Transmission | Airborne & fluid contact |
As one of the less than 1% naturally immune, elite virologist Neville dedicates himself to identifying a vaccine. He converting his well-fortified Washington home into a lab, relying on his military/science background to systematically test theories using captured Darkseeker test subjects. His dog Sam, also immune, is his sole companion through the agonizing years of fruitless research.
Neville‘s immunity likely comes from the rare antibodies his systems produced when fighting off various viral infections in the past. This innative viral resilience meant his body rapidly learned to recognize and destroy Krippin before it could replicate out of control like with infected subjects.
The Predatory Darkseekers – Humanity Evolved into Something Sinister
For gamers, the vicious Darkseekers are reminiscent of the volatile infected from games like The Last of Us or Left 4 Dead – but evolved to intelligence more similar to Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines. They are what-if? versions of humans warped by a video game virus.
emerging nocturnally due to aversion to UV light, the Darkseekers hunt ruthlessly for food sources to fuel their enhanced metabolisms. While they retain certain human traits like emotional bonds with their own kind, their vampire-esque instincts drive them to feed mercilessly on normal survivors. Some even display increased problem-solving intelligence – the Alpha Male organizing packs to track Neville‘s location daily. Their limb-stretching, spider-esque climbing capabilities make them adept ambush predators.
| Darkseeker Traits | Impacts | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
| Albino skin / Aversion to UV light | Forced nocturnal activity Limitied time able to search for food | High – reliance on darkness for mobility |
| Increased strength & agility | Ability to pursue / subdue prey | Extreme – sophisticated hunters |
| Pack mentality & bonds | Coordinate group attacks | Severe – organized swarms |
| Enhanced sense of smell | Track prey scent trails | Extreme – precise tracing abilities |
| Cannibalistic tendencies | View humans as food source | Extreme – constant predatory threat |
After agonizing years without progress, Neville finally develops a serum derived from infected Darkseeker blood that can reverse their viral mutations. However, he soon discovers that the ferocious viewings of the Darkseekers may have been misunderstood.
In the alternate ending, Neville realizes the Darkseekers had launched an coordinated assault on his lab in order to recapture the female pack member he had been experimenting on. Watching their very human-like behavior toward one another, he recognizes the virus has simply evolved them into another variation of the Homo genus. As the new civilization‘s legends paint Neville as a heartless boogieman abducting their kind for mysterious reasons before sunrise each day, he accepts that they are now the dominant inheritors of the planet.
| Ending Version | Neville‘s Fate | Cure Necessity |
|---|---|---|
| Theatrical | Succeds finding cure Saves other survivor | Developed serum reverses infection |
| Alternate | Realizes Darkseekers don‘t need cure | They‘ve evolved beyond infected stage |
So in one version, Neville achieves his goal and finds redemption, only for the viewer to re-evaluate the need for a "cure" at all in the other interpretation. It calls into question theories of viral infections in apocalypse-genre games and movies.
Connecting I Am Legend to Video Game Influences
Several key elements in I Am Legend directly inspired and pioneered concepts that later became widespread in video games:
Infected as Forerunners to Classic Zombies: The vampiric, swarming Darkseekers laid groundwork for the rabid infected humans popularized by early zombie games like Left 4 Dead. Their unique traits as viral mutants differentiated them from traditional undead.
Last Survivor Game Protagonist: Neville‘s character archetype as the lone heroic survivor researching a cure foreshadowed acclaimed gaming protagonists like The Last of Us‘ Joel. Players connect with his dogged resilience and melancholy in the decaying city.
Apocalyptic Open-World Design: The film‘s hauntingly-realistic rendering of vegetation reclaiming present-day New York City set visual targets for developers. Games like The Last of Us carried the torch of abandoning vibrant urban areas to create an atmosphere of defeat and depletion.
Evolving AI Behaviors: The increasingly sophisticated Darkseeker hordes display early adoption of the concept of dynamically evolving NPC enemy behaviors. As seen extensively in Left 4 Dead, games generated tension via infected that learned and optimized attacks. This made combat feel fluid rather than scripted.
So in many ways, I Am Legend‘s unique and gritty interpretation of a pandemic apocalypse directly shaped video games for years to come. The iconic scenes and themes Blumhouse Productions portrayed on screen soon dynamically came to life for players through their controllers.
