Richard Steig was a research assistant in the weapons systems research division of Massive Dynamic.
Biography[]
Original Timeline[]
At an unknown time, he was contacted by unknown persons and asked to steal research into airborne viral contagions - research that had been conducted by Walter Bishop and William Bell decades earlier. Setting up a laboratory in the U-Case Storage facility in Back Bay, Massachusetts, Steig was able to manufacture a Flesh-melting contagion which causes the infected person's skin to decompose in a matter of seconds. The contagion was then smuggled onto Flight 627 in his twin brother Morgan Steig's insulin pen. It is unknown whether or not Morgan knew he was carrying the contagion onto the plane.
Following the Flight 627 incident, Richard Steig was threatened by John Scott. Steig attempted bravado, reminding Scott of Morgan's fate, but Scott's reply implied that Steig was just as disposable as his brother. Following this exchange, he appears at Logan airport, where the plane landed but is denied entry at the gate.
Scott and Olivia Dunham eventually tracked Steig down at the U-Case facility. Steig attempted to flee and detonated the garages surrounding Scott, exposing him to the raw ingredients of the Flight 627 contagion. Steig was able to escape. Olivia later participated in a Synaptic Transfer with Scott, allowing her to access his memories and identify Steig's face.
The FBI discovered that Massive Dynamics was his last employer, and Nina Sharp gave Olivia his address. The FBI raided his apartment, finding equipment similar to the labs set up at the U-Case facility. Steig escaped but was chased by Olivia and Peter Bishop, eventually being wrestled to the ground by Peter. He gave Olivia the complete list of the ingredients to the contagion, allowing Walter to engineer a cure for Scott. As Scott recovered, Steig told Olivia that he was threatened, but does not reveal by whom, and tells her where he has buried a recording of their telephone conversation. While Olivia was out looking for the tape, Scott broke into Steig's room and suffocated him with a pillow. ("Pilot")
Alternate Timeline[]
In the Alternate Timeline, Olivia reveals John Scott was never saved by Walter so he was not in the hospital for recovery. This leaves Steig's fate unknown, as John was the one who killed him after Walter managed to save him originally. ("Neither Here Nor There")
Trivia[]
- Richard Steig's DOJ file lists his address as 629 Easter Ave., Boston, Massachusetts. This address does not exist in real life, however, 629 Eastern Ave is a public storage facility.
- "Steig" translates from German as "Path."