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Alex Mercer Regeneration Revisited

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Alex Mercer regen (mid-high)

Low-High: The ability to regenerate from having no solid parts of the body remaining. This can range from a puddle or drop of blood to even a single cell. For robots and machines, this can also include regenerating from a liquid state.

Mid-High: The ability to regenerate from having all biology completely incinerated. This includes being reduced to ash, dust, smoke, vapor, or plasma.

High: The ability to regenerate from a few scattered or lone molecules, atoms, or sub-atomic particles.



Let’s start with the properties of the Blacklight Virus.



This is the virus. A lab-created handful of biological material. It’s very first feat is going into Alex Mercer’s corpse and reconstructing it entirely, on the genetic level. This little amount of substance was capable of transforming a human corpse into a being capable of tanking a rocket, breaking through two feet of steel, tanking missiles, and being able to carry a helicopter up a building upon waking up.

This should count as the virus’s first regeneration feat, as while it didn’t create an entire body from basically scratch, it rebuilt every single DNA molecule in the body, which would serve as the virus’s first host, thus giving it a biological memory of what to rebuild itself from. All of these ideas are supported by Doctor McMcullen, Gentek Director and Captain Cross/Supreme Hunter:

  • Both people saying “Mercer” is the virus

  • We’re told how the virus works from McMullen and Mercer himself. The virus rebuilds on the genetic level, copying the host’s DNA while actively repurposing it, evolving it, to transform it. This is basic biology, a virus cannot reproduce without a host, which is why the virus inside of the vial did nothing until it found Mercer.

  • And we’re also shown that even one single Blacklight virion is capable of explosively replicating itself several times through a single cell


One thing that gets repeated a lot, is that Blacklight transforms on the genetic level. This very clearly pertains to his ability to shapeshift, which the context of McMullen’s statement tells us verbatim. “...rebuilds on a cellular level — a shapeshifter”. The dashes in this quote serves as a way for the latter clause to amplify or explain the former, since it connects two identical ideas. Everybody knows that basic biology tells us genes come from DNA, which is a molecule, and this molecule contains genetic instructions for almost all living organisms. Gene expression takes place through the expression of proteins which are large molecules responsible for most cellular functions. All cellular activity is coded within the cell’s DNA. Cells reproduce by dividing into two, and each new cell requires a complete set of DNA, therefore the DNA must replicate itself during cell division. DNA can also replicate in vitro, or outside of a cell. So while it is true Mercer transforms on the cellular level (his shape shifting abilities), it is also equally true that the Blacklight virus fundamentally rewrites the host’s entire genome over time.

Further evidence that Mercer's genetic manipulation on the cellular level is in direct reference to shapeshifting only is the following scans. They say he can manipulate his entire body on the genetic level, and each scan shows a different shapeshifting ability of Mercer as these statements are mentioned.


Prototype 2 confirms Alex having control over every molecule of Blacklight in existence, proving he has active control over his own (and his external) DNA. We saw this with Elizabeth Greene’s control over the infected she created, who Mercer consumed. Controlling every drop of white light in existence down to the molecular level is the same as saying Mercer can control all DNA in existence that is his own. We already see evidence of that in the experiment above. James Heller utilizes a similar ability through Pack Leader, where he can summon Brawlers and make them spontaneously explode on command.


So the first big on-screen regeneration feat is the Supreme Hunter regenerating its entire body from a small puddle of its own biomass, an easy low-high feat, and note: the Supreme Hunter was created as a cure (another virus / anti-virus)from Mercer’s own DNA. This means Mercer is directly capable of replicating the same feat, as it was his biology that the Supreme Hunter was based on. It also disproves the common myth that Mercer needed the crow to regenerate in the final scene of the game, because Supreme Hunter demonstrates self-replication without an external source, and limited biomass.


This demonstrates among many things, that Mercer has passive regeneration as part of his biology. We know it’s passive, because per McMullen’s statement, Mercer manipulating and transforming his body is only in direct reference to his shape shifting abilities, and also because after Mercer was injected with the cure, his shape shifting abilities were the only abilities of his locked, showing his cellular abilities were nullified, but his physical attributes and regeneration remained functional, which are integral to his DNA, not his cells. We see this when Alex states he can no longer transform, while he's actively regenerating from the bullet holes that are being put in him while he's reaching for his back.


Part of his in-game abilities is regenerating outside of combat up to a certain point, where his active regeneration through consumption, refills his health and even gives him critical mass, which is excess biomass. In Prototype 2, James Heller can regenerate while in combat and regenerate full health outside of combat, which likely scales to Mercer as well being he’s the one that infected Heller, and that being a shared ability between the two.



Then there’s the feat of Mercer’s body being almost half burned away by the fireball of a nuke that didn’t even directly touch his body yet. We can additionally see he reached internal combustion as the inside of his mouth and eyes are white-hot with fire, and there is visible vapor on the left side of his body. He was no doubt entirely annihilated when the fireball entirely consumed him, as he was only a few hundred meters away from the epicenter at best, and in-game credits put the nuke several miles off the coast of Manhattan, and nearly half of Manhattan is destroyed and ravaged by nuclear flames in the Prototype 2 game map. When the blast settles some unknown time period later, Mercer is seen as a few moving drops of biomass, until he speeds up his recovery by consuming a crow, which helped reform his entire body.

Another piece of supporting evidence not from the game storyline but from the game itself, when you fail the final fight against the Supreme Hunter on the ship above the nuke, the nuke explodes directly under the player’s feet, but it doesn’t say Alex is dead as it would if you failed any other mission, it just says mission failed.





This is potentially supported by the Supreme Hunter saying when the nuke detonates and they think the infection is cleansed, they won’t be looking for him. He follows this statement by saying after he consumes Mercer, he’ll be able to withstand it.



This could mean durability, and it could mean regeneration. I’m sure it means both, as Heller consuming Mercer produced the biggest visible power boost in the series, but from a regeneration standpoint regardless of the context, the Supreme Hunter planned to live after the nuke went off, even though by consuming Mercer, he should know the code to deactivate the nuke since Mercer consumed General Randall, who knew the code. There was also an old developer interaction from years ago with one of the staff writers of the series that confirmed this would indeed be a regeneration feat, but it has been lost.



Known PIS:
Supreme Hunter regenerates from a puddle of biomass in the first fight, dies from decapitation in the second fight
Alex is unable to regenerate after only losing his arms from the elbow down 3 times while being massively amped, regenerates from drops of biomass in the first game.
 
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eh high regeneration is a no go due to too many contradictions in the game but I personally agree with mid-high regen via the nuke, But during a CRT that severly downgraded prototype the amount of time it took mercer to be vaporized was taken to question and most agreed that he shouldn'tve been vaporized in that amount of time(which i somewhat disagree with putting direct real life physics into video games since not all writers really care about it). The supreme hunter statement could give a possible mid-high though
 
eh high regeneration is a no go due to too many contradictions in the game but I personally agree with mid-high regen via the nuke, But during a CRT that severly downgraded prototype the amount of time it took mercer to be vaporized was taken to question and most agreed that he shouldn'tve been vaporized in that amount of time(which i somewhat disagree with putting direct real life physics into video games since not all writers really care about it). The supreme hunter statement could give a possible mid-high though
The entire first game proves his regeneration is not a cellular level ability, but a molecular one, and the second game says he has complete control over molecules verbatim. The only contradictions are plot devices to get rid of characters conveniently, such as Supreme Hunter and Alex regenerating from puddles then dying from mutilation. It's really no different than Cell saying as long as his cluster of cells in his head survive, he can regenerate, even though prior to that Goku blew his entire upper body away and he reformed from his legs.

As far as the vaporization goes, the game is already based on taking science into its own hands and iirc the nuke was upwards of 8 megatons, and up to 50% of the nuke's energy is thermal. The vaporization energy of a human is 300Mj or 295,258,711.05J, so 295,258,711.05/1.69e16j (50% of 8.1 megatons of TNT) = 1.74e-8, or in other words, the energy to vaporize a human is 0.00000174% of the total thermal yield, not yet accounting for area or distance. Then: 0.68m^2 /4pi*r^2 = 0.05/r^2, and r = .05 / r^2 = 295258711.05 / 1.69e16 = 1691.71m, which is circular radius for which humans will be vaporized. Using the total energy from the explosion, the radius expands to 2392.45m. Alex was at 992 meters according to old blogs which puts him well inside vaporization range.

It should also be noted that an 8.1 megaton nuke has a fireball radius of 2.9 kilometers, or 2900 meters.
 
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eh high regeneration is a no go due to too many contradictions in the game but I personally agree with mid-high regen via the nuke, But during a CRT that severly downgraded prototype the amount of time it took mercer to be vaporized was taken to question and most agreed that he shouldn'tve been vaporized in that amount of time(which i somewhat disagree with putting direct real life physics into video games since not all writers really care about it). The supreme hunter statement could give a possible mid-high though
Contradicted?
 
Gonna give my thoughts later, but just taking a small glance, I disagree with High regen.

Though I do think Alex's regen should be Mid-High (incineration degree I'd say) and Low-High's too low. So I agree with this CRT in the sense that Alex's regen needs to be upgraded.
 
The entire first game proves his regeneration is not a cellular level ability, but a molecular one, and the second game says he has complete control over molecules verbatim. The only contradictions are plot devices to get rid of characters conveniently, such as Supreme Hunter and Alex regenerating from puddles then dying from mutilation. It's really no different than Cell saying as long as his cluster of cells in his head survive, he can regenerate, even though prior to that Goku blew his entire upper body away and he reformed from his legs.

As far as the vaporization goes, the game is already based on taking science into its own hands and iirc the nuke was upwards of 8 megatons, and up to 50% of the nuke's energy is thermal. The vaporization energy of a human is 300Mj or 295,258,711.05J, so 295,258,711.05/1.69e16j (50% of 8.1 megatons of TNT) = 1.74e-8, or in other words, the energy to vaporize a human is 0.00000174% of the total thermal yield, not yet accounting for area or distance. Then: 0.68m^2 /4pi*r^2 = 0.05/r^2, and r = .05 / r^2 = 295258711.05 / 1.69e16 = 1691.71m, which is circular radius for which humans will be vaporized. Using the total energy from the explosion, the radius expands to 2392.45m. Alex was at 992 meters according to old blogs which puts him well inside vaporization range.

It should also be noted that an 8.1 megaton nuke has a fireball radius of 2.9 kilometers, or 2900 meters.
well even I agree on that its beyond cellular i think its mid-high which is beyond cellular regeneration and is bordering on molecular, as for the molecular regeneration out right its a bit more ambigues as something like bloodtox could kill mercer by causing mass necrosis and even Mcmallegan who was the individual that knew about how mercers body function enough to decern how it regens, thought that the bloodtox actually did kill him, which if mercer did have outright high regen would be pretty stupid although piss arguments could still be made.

as for my stance on his regen is I'm all for mid-high and not all too sure about flat out high regen
 
well even I agree on that its beyond cellular i think its mid-high which is beyond cellular regeneration and is bordering on molecular, as for the molecular regeneration out right its a bit more ambigues as something like bloodtox could kill mercer by causing mass necrosis and even Mcmallegan who was the individual that knew about how mercers body function enough to decern how it regens, thought that the bloodtox actually did kill him, which if mercer did have outright high regen would be pretty stupid although piss arguments could still be made.

as for my stance on his regen is I'm all for mid-high and not all too sure about flat out high regen
I don't really know what you're saying, but Mercer adapted to bloodtox after exposure.
 
and even if we wave away how bloodtox works to say ingame science bullshit that can cause more damage then it rightfully should there is just not enough to support molecular level regen other then mercer controling blacklight on a molecular level which needs proper proof to scale to regen as seen in characters like carnage who can bond to a host on an atomic level but can't regen from fire
 
Necrosis is cell death, molecules are contained in cells so if the cells die so do the molecules. Since his powers are based on biology and not magic, and this is a biological attack, the only counter to this is to produce new cells and gain immunity to the toxin, which he did. Also blacklight is not a symbiote so they aren't comparable.
 
You missed his point with the Symbiote comparison.

He’s alluding to how an ability that is normally unrelated to regen being of a certain potency is not proof that one can regenerate from damage he has never shown to regenerate from.

In this case, Mercer manipulating and controlling a virus that can manipulate matter at a molecular level and all that jazz is not proof that he himself can regenerate from being reduced to molecules.

I think that’s where he’s going with the Carnage comparison.
 
You missed his point with the Symbiote comparison.

He’s alluding to how an ability that is normally unrelated to regen being of a certain potency is not proof that one can regenerate from damage he has never shown to regenerate from.

In this case, Mercer manipulating and controlling a virus that can manipulate matter at a molecular level and all that jazz is not proof that he himself can regenerate from being reduced to molecules.

I think that’s where he’s going with the Carnage comparison.
That's exactly where he was going.
 
You missed his point with the Symbiote comparison.

He’s alluding to how an ability that is normally unrelated to regen being of a certain potency is not proof that one can regenerate from damage he has never shown to regenerate from.

In this case, Mercer manipulating and controlling a virus that can manipulate matter at a molecular level and all that jazz is not proof that he himself can regenerate from being reduced to molecules.

I think that’s where he’s going with the Carnage comparison.
Well it's stated he can control all of his molecules in existence, and it's been proven that his regeneration isn't cellular, as he had all of his cellular abilities disabled and could still regenerate.

More potential evidence lies in the fact that Mercer would be subjected to hundreds of thousands of rem (ionizing radiation) which is capable of literally breaking DNA and causing cell death, instant types of cancers and breaking covalent bonds.
 
Well it's stated he can control all of his molecules in existence, and it's been proven that his regeneration isn't cellular, as he had all of his cellular abilities disabled and could still regenerate.

More potential evidence lies in the fact that Mercer would be subjected to hundreds of thousands of rem (ionizing radiation) which is capable of literally breaking DNA and causing cell death, instant types of cancers and breaking covalent bonds.
mid-high aka regeneration from vaporization or inceniration is already beyond cellular level regen but its not molecular level regen.

and it doesn't matter if you control your molecules unless you have demonstrated that you can come back from molecular desimation it woun't prove high regen see the symbiotes such as carnage that control themselves on an atomic level and can become one with every atom of a person that they bonds with are incapable of atomic level regen(although they had it for a bit untill it was proven that they couldn't pull it off) but can regenerate on a low-high level

mercer demonstrated or was at the very least emplied to have regenerated from being turned to ash or vapor that is his highest regenaration feat which is mid-high and already hella busted mid high alone is capable of putting characters in top 20 of the strongest of their tier(10 to 5 above that people start having insane shit like godly regen)
 
Molecules not are intact when you're inside of a nuclear fireball several times hotter than the sun, or subjected to radiation that literally breaks DNA and destroys the bonds between atoms. I also doubt they maintain their bonds as a body is vaporized, but I will accept proof stating otherwise if it exists.
 
Molecules not are intact when you're inside of a nuclear fireball several times hotter than the sun, or subjected to radiation that literally breaks DNA and destroys the bonds between atoms. I also doubt they maintain their bonds as a body is vaporized, but I will accept proof stating otherwise if it exists.
its hotter then the side in the center of the explosion and only for a few moments not to mention mercer isn't your average human being he survied tempretures normal melting points, as for radiation mercer is immune to that since you know the nuclear explosion didn't cause his body to fall apart at the atomic level which would kill him no matter how you spin it.

as for regeneration from vapor and it not scaling to molecular regen

Mid-High: The ability to regenerate from having all biology completely incinerated. This includes being reduced to ash, dust, smoke, vapor, or plasma.


High: The ability to regenerate from a few scattered or lone molecules, atoms, or sub-atomic particles

site standards regen from vapor does not = molecular regeneration
 
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Mercer isn't immune to radiation, if anything he can resist higher levels or adapt to it. I've also never heard of radiation destroying any living person by separating all of their atoms. Even with the highest levels of recorded exposure, death occurs at a maximum of around 48 hours.

I'm fine with mid-high, but scientifically the gap between mid-high and high makes little sense.
 
Gonna give my thoughts later, but just taking a small glance, I disagree with High regen.

Though I do think Alex's regen should be Mid-High (incineration degree I'd say) and Low-High's too low. So I agree with this CRT in the sense that Alex's regen needs to be upgraded.
I think High might be a stretch, but Mid-High is pretty definitively where he should be at a minimum.
I have similar thoughts to these two.
 
Gonna give my thoughts later, but just taking a small glance, I disagree with High regen.

Though I do think Alex's regen should be Mid-High (incineration degree I'd say) and Low-High's too low. So I agree with this CRT in the sense that Alex's regen needs to be upgraded.
So what are the conclusions here so far? Should we use the above quoted suggestion?
 
Most peeps agree with Alex Mercer (and any Blacklight Virus user for that matter) having Mid-High regen here.

If it gets accepted, the justification should be: "Regeneration (Mid-High: Could regenerate from getting incinerated by a nuke's fireball. Should be superior to the Supreme Hunter who could easily regenerate from being turned into a puddle.)"
 
Okay. As long as there is a consensus for that, it is probably fine to apply.
 
Okay. Thank youfor helping out. Tell us here when you are done.
 
Most peeps agree with Alex Mercer (and any Blacklight Virus user for that matter) having Mid-High regen here.

If it gets accepted, the justification should be: "Regeneration (Mid-High: Could regenerate from getting incinerated by a nuke's fireball. Should be superior to the Supreme Hunter who could easily regenerate from being turned into a puddle.)"
I don’t know if any updates have been applied, but you should say he is superior to the Supreme Hunter since he killed it instead of “should be”.
 
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