Science fiction writers love nothing more than inventing a phenomenon or a substance with terrible properties that justify the events of their movies, novels, and/or video games. Among the most memorable examples is the gas 2-4-5 Trioxin, directly responsible for creating indestructible zombies in the Return of the Living Dead saga. Inspired by a real chemical weapon, 2-4-5 Trioxin can kill a person and bring them back easily, without loss of skill or intelligence.
Superman has kryptonite. The T-virus spread chaos throughout Resident Evil. All humanity depends on the spice melange in the Dune universe. Many of our favorite stories center on a fictional mineral, chemical, or biological agent that gives power to characters, weakens them, drives them mad, or simply kills them. However, there are extreme cases like that of 2-4-5 Trioxin. The story of this gas dates back to the beginning of the Return of the Living Dead saga. If we recall, the first film in that series serves as an alternative sequel to George Romero and John Russo’s classic Night of the Living Dead.
The differences between the two creators and the fact that Night of the Living Dead ended up in the public domain allowed them to continue separately: Romero with the “Dead” movies, and Russo with his “Living Dead” novels and movies.
In fact, Russo had the subtlety to indicate in his canon that Night of the Living Dead was based on “real events,” and that Return of the Living Dead told “the true story.”.
The Gas 2-4-5 Trioxin
Now, Romero was always ambiguous when explaining the reason behind his zombie invasion (except for the hypothesis in “Night...” of radioactive contamination brought by a probe returning from Venus), but 2-4-5 Trioxin in Return of the Living Dead added an extra layer of complexity to the origin of the undead.
The gas was developed by the Darrow Chemical Company for the United States Army as a potent herbicide intended to destroy marijuana plants (a function similar to the real Agent Orange used in Vietnam), although the army quickly discovered its side effect: restoring nervous system functions in corpses of all kinds (humans, wild animals, and even insects), and in their fragments.
With extreme toxicity, 2-4-5 Trioxin can kill a human being with concentrated exposure and bring them back in a short time, experiencing during the process an advanced state of fever, dizziness, pallor, hyperhidrosis, and general hypoxia. The gas appears with a yellowish, whitish, or greenish color, and has irritating properties, causing a burning sensation on the skin.
The Effect of 2-4-5 Trioxin
One of the most disturbing consequences of zombification with 2-4-5 Trioxin is that the victim retains all their intelligence and skill, which also extends to speaking, running, reasoning, and using tools (chains, radios, etc.).
Unlike other zombies that consume flesh, the victims of 2-4-5 Trioxin concentrate their appetite on human brains. Eating brains has an analgesic effect on the zombies, temporarily blocking the pain associated with the decomposition of their bodies (after all, they cannot escape rigor mortis). At the same time, the zombies are very difficult to stop and are immune to conventional attacks such as destruction of their brains or dismemberment.
Despite its apparent volatility, 2-4-5 Trioxin is stable and resistant, withstanding temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. Any attempt to cremate the zombies only releases the gas into the atmosphere, guaranteeing its return as acid rain that irritates the skin.
Liquid Trioxin is not potent enough to kill a person, but if it comes into contact with corpses (say, those buried in a cemetery), it is most likely to bring them back.
The only way to store 2-4-5 Trioxin is in pressurized metal tanks, accompanied by the bodies of its victims, which seem to enter a kind of hibernation. On the other hand, the only safe method to stop the zombies is electrocution, a detail revealed in the second film.
The gas retained its original form for the first three films, while in Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis it was renamed Tryoxin, and the zombies received a considerable nerf, to the extent that they can be eliminated with a couple of shots. Fans justify this by saying that Tryoxin is a weaker variant of the gas, something that seems to be in line with its use as a recreational drug in the fifth film. 2-4-5 Trioxin is a fundamental part of the DNA of Return of the Living Dead, and there have been cases where it was used for comedic purposes, especially a fake campaign on the Activism portal.
