If there’s one thing that theResident Evilfranchise is known for, along with the zombies and other freakish monsters,it’s the memorable characters. Ever since the beginning, even through dialogue that felt like it came out of a B-movie, the series had a strong devotion to characters and how they evolve.
Some of them have evolved from meek and scared characters into action heroes, while others have gone through severe trauma that affects them throughout their lives. They are all equal parts charming, flawed, and fascinating to watch. Capcom has shown over the years, that as their writing and storytelling have improved, so has their ability to create strong story arcs for some of these iconic characters.
Claire Redfield almost didn’t exist, as she was originally a motorcycle enthusiast named Elza Walker, and was a result of Capcom restarting development ofResident Evil 2. Claire has been on quite a journey ever since she first arrived in Raccoon City insearch of her brother Chris, as what started as a reunion between siblings slowly transformed the iconic heroine into something greater.
After failing to find her brother, she became a survivor of the incident that wiped out Raccoon City and continued to search for her wayward sibling. It resulted in her becoming more intimately connected to the struggle, as she went from a concerned sister to a central figure in the fight against Umbrella and their machinations. She also became a staple of the animated films, which showed just how much she had grown from someone looking to help her family, to someone who would help anyone in need.
When she was first introduced inResident Evil 2, Sherry Birkin is a helpless child caught in the middle of a struggle bigger than she can comprehend. After being a witness to the tragic downfall of her father, William Birkin, Sherry is forced to grow up fast and becomes attached at the hip to Claire Redfield. Over the course ofResident Evil 2,Sherry faces grief and traumain a way that no child ever should.
Sherry would return years later inResident Evil 6, now 26 years old and as a member of the US government. Teamed up with Jake, the son of long-time villain Albert Wesker, Sherry isn’t the scared little girl being protected by Claire. She’s a capable, strong-willed leader who is instrumental in saving the world from the apocalyptic bio-outbreak of RE6.
What began as a last-ditch effort to escape the nightmare on the outside, Chris Redfield’s fateful trip into the Spencer Mansion sent him on a journey that is still unfolding to this day. After surviving the betrayal of Albert Wesker in the originalResident Evil, and then discovering just how far his ex-teammate was willing to go inCode: Veronica, Chris embarked on a long character journey to eradicate not just Wesker, but future viral outbreaks.
Chris would go onto create the BSAA, the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, along with Jill Valentine. He was no longer just part of a group of agents, he was leading the charge and taking a proactive stance against the nightmares that Umbrella and Wesker created. Chris' long-running journey from S.T.A.R.S. agent to playing a major role against Umbrella’s threat to the world, is one of the franchise’s greatest stories.
Albert Wesker was introduced inResident Evilas the founder of S.T.A.R.S. and the Captain of Alpha Team, but his duplicitous nature soon came to the surface as he was revealed as a traitor and also a member of the nefarious Umbrella Corporation. Further context to his betrayal of the team was presented inResident Evil Zero, but Wesker’s descent from deception into a full-blown supervillain is still one of the finest moments in the history of the series.
Seeking more power and aligning himself with a rival corporation, Wesker dosed himself with a serum obtained from his former friend William Birkin and obtained a growing set of powers thatcame to fruition inCode: Veronica. He became public enemy number one to Chris and the BSAA, as the former friends clashed and Wesker’s transformation from a human into a monstrous creature formed one of the franchise’s best villain arcs.
As a member of S.T.A.R.S. and its Alpha Team, Jill Valentine was sent to rescue the wayward Bravo Team along with several others and ended up being one of Alpha’s only survivors, alongside Chris and Barry. And if there’s one thing Jill Valentine is, it’s a survivor,as she has proven timeand time again throughout the franchise. This transformation from S.T.A.R.S. agent to Raccoon City survivor and co-founder of the BSAA is just one of the reasons that Jill is one ofResident Evil’sbest characters.
After foiling Wesker’s plan to use S.T.A.R.S. as combat data and further his career, Jill ended up at the epicenter of Raccoon City as it was being targeted for eradication. Not to mention she was being hounded by Nemesis, the iconic monster that was sent to eliminate any and all remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. Jill survived the Spencer Mansion and the nuclear bomb that eliminated Raccoon City but didn’t let that stop her, as she used her experience to form the BSAA with Chris Redfield. She’s an iconic character in gaming for a reason, as her will to fight and protect the world has made her an important figure in the fight for humanity.
It’s safe to say that the destruction of Raccoon City was an important moment for the heroes ofResident Evilin some pretty important ways, and Leon Kennedy was certainly deeply affected by not only its destruction but the events that unfolded in the background. On his first day as a member of the Raccoon City Police Department, he is thrown into the fire and must fight for his life to survive a viral outbreak and come to grips with his own place in this expansive tale.
After meeting, then being betrayed by Ada Wong, and then watching the horrors of Umbrella affect the innocent citizens he had sworn to protect, Leon had to witness the senseless destruction of Raccoon City. This grief and trauma would push Leon forward, as he would wind up isolated and alone in the next several years before winding up in Spain on a mission toprotect the President’s daughter, Ashley. This journey from young rookie to hardened mercenary, then all the way back around again to his triumphant return to form inResident Evil 6, is a fabulous story that has given way to one of the franchise’s most popular characters.
