The
Iron Maiden was created seemingly by accident after the creation of the B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) named a
Regenerador. The original creature was developed by
Los Illuminados scientists (including
Luis Serra Navarro, an ex-Umbrella Corporation employee) - they were researching the
Plaga parasite (known as Las Plagas within the
Los Illuminados). Their main goal was finding a way to monetise the
Plaga for use throughout the world.
Initially, the
Iron Maiden is a
Regenerador - which is a human mutant which has the ability to regenerate itself to a staggering degree because their body has extra parasitic hearts, brought on by the
Plaga in their bodies. They can regenerate any lost body part, including the head. Once all of these hearts have been destroyed, the
Regenerador will usually begin to fail, where its body will start to convulse and pulse wildly.
After that point, the
Regenerador usually dies in an explosion of biomass. However, sometimes they will mutate into an
Iron Maiden. The body stays the same size, but their skin becomes more lean and toughened. They also become littered with extremely long, thin spikes all over their bodies.
In their
Iron Maiden forms, they retain their surprising speed, as well as their regenerative abilities. Their weak points are their heads, which now feature a glowing organ behind their mouths. Therefore, consistent and powerful headshots are required to destroy them.
In combat, they move very swiftly and will sometimes slide along the floor, making precise shots somewhat difficult. If one gets too close to one, they will push themselves into their attackers, impaling them with their many spikes. So, great care must be taken to ensure that distance is always maintained in battle.
After the organ in their head is destroyed, their bodies will explode which launches their spikes in all directions, causing damage to anything close by.
In the original
Resident Evil 4, the
Iron Maiden is considered a separate, but related creature to the
Regenerador and not a mutation.
