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The USG Ishimura inDead Spacehas a bit of a bad track record when it comes to its Physicians. One actively sabotages the ship, murders its captain, and causes all sorts of chaos, whilst the other gleefully butchers his crewmates and uses their bodies in horrible experiments. In general, stay away from the Medical Deck if you want to live longer.
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The medicinal maniac in question here is Dr. Challus Mercer. A devout member of the church of Unitology and a member of the Science Team onboard the Ishimura when all hell broke loose. To look a little deeper at this quack’s list of crimes and capers, here’s everything you need to know about the malevolent Dr. Challus Mercer in Dead Space.
Who Is Dr. Challus Mercer?
Be wary of anyone on a deep space mining vessel that works in the Medical Decks, even more so around Dr. Mercer. The far future is a little ethically dubious when it comes to its workforce and it’s more than likely you’ll end up on the good doctor’s slab as a new project instead of as a patient.
Before the Ishimura, Mercer was a devout follower of theChurch of Unitology, to an almost zealous degree. And it’s surmised that he got his position within the ship as part of the manipulations of the Church.The C.E.C needed cheap labor, the Church provided the extra hands. So Mercer and a worrying amount of acolytes found themselves saturated amongst the ranks of “non-believers". Something Mercer was keenly aware of, to the point he would often be found below decks giving sermons to a concerning amount of followers.
When not broadcasting from his little pulpit,Mercer operated as a science officer within the ship. Aiding in research projects when needed, providing medical care, and generally being sciency. Before arriving at the Aegis VII Colony, he wasn’t much of a threat, but when the Marker and Necromorph party kicked off, Mercer took a big swig of the Coolade and continued to not handle the whole situation particularly well, or sanely.
Warning: Spoilers For The Plot Of Dead Space Below.
Arrival At The Aegis VII Colony
Mercer mostly behaved himself before the Ishimura arrived at the colony, but when miners from below started showing signs ofstrange dementiawhilst being treated onboard the ship, that’s when his interest was piqued. After encountering apatient of Nicole Brennan called Brant Harris, a miner that had attacked a nurse on the colony, cutting her in half whilst suffering from vivid hallucinations, Mercer would seclude this poor man in his own private lab.
Here Mercer would continue to interrogate Harris, learning about “the voices of the Marker” and deeming them to be of religious significance. Necromorphic tissue gathered from the colony was inserted into Harris’s brain by Mercer, allowing the miner to read Marker code and his Physicannew ways to torture and transform his victims. Soon Harris, who was showing signs of mutation, began to warn that “They’re coming."
It’s around this time that the outbreak begins.
They’re Not Monsters, But Angels
When anarchy started within the ship,Mercer was on cloud nine. He believed that the rotting and twisted abominations of flesh and bone that were tearing apart his shipmates were not horrors wearing the faces of friends,they were angels. He devoutly believed that they were sent by the Unitologists “Maker” (The Marker) to make them all “whole".
Often going out of his way to aid the beasts wherever he could during the outbreak. Going so far as to kidnap EngineerJacob Templein an attempt tobuild a device that would trigger a Convergence Event. But it would take time to tear through an entire ship, so Mercer and his flock would also often gather in safe havens around the vessel. Patiently awaiting their ends. Those unfortunate to be shacked up with Mercer would find themselves on the end of his scalpel, turned into tortured and mangled creatures as the good Doctor tried to make them “whole again” on his own or just prepare their bodies for roaming Infectors.
The Doctor Is Out
Unfortunately, Mercer’s career as a ship’s physician post-outbreak was short-lived. After antagonizing Isaac Clarke one too many times, including murdering Jacob Temple in front of him, and setting his experiments loose on him, Mercer’s days were numbered.
He would attempt to kill Isaac one last time bylocking him in a room with his precious Hunter. A strong and extremely resilient Necromorph that had mutated from the remains ofMercer’s original test subject, Brant Harris. This nightmare monster would be reduced to ash by Isaac using the engines of the Executive Shuttle, and as Mercer lamented the loss and berated Isaac, he’d turn tothe Markerfor guidance andplead for it to start Convergence.
His prayers would be answered in the form of agiant tentacle that would drag him and the Marker screaming down into the Cargo Hold. The tight grip of the appendage as it pinned him against the obelisk is assumed to be what kills him, as there’s a loud squishing noise and his yells abruptly cut off.
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Mercer’s Experiments
When things started to go wrong on theUSG Ishimura, Dr. Mercer was off being a busy boy. Numerous followers and the occasional non-believer that was forcefully and non-consensually encouraged to the surgeon’s table saw all sorts of gruesome treatments tried on them. Each one more abhorrent than the last, all in a vain attempt tomake the perfect creature for the Marker.
These poor folks that went under the knife can be encountered in the game,the most notable of which is The Hunter. A hulking creature that continually stalks Isaac later on in the game.
The Hunter
An unstoppable monster that resembles a Slasher that’s been seriously juicing, The Hunterfirst pops up in Chapter Fiveand skulks around in the background for a bit before a final showdown at the end of Chapter Ten. Here it’s set up as a solid boss fight that requiresusing the environment to put it down for goodas unfortunately, this beastie is a regenerator.
Unlike other Necromorphs that can be dismembered into angry, stumpy nuggets, or turned into a pool of fleshy paste and bones,The Hunter is a much bigger threat because of its regeneration ability. After sustaining any damage, no matter how severe, it simply rapidly regrows the damaged tissue and extremities before carrying on as normal. Whilst this can slow it down, it doesn’t take long for this talon-waving, highly aggressive creature to get back up and slashing again.
