Resident Evil 9was officially confirmed to be in development back in July, during Capcom’s summer showcase. Despite some murmurs suggesting it could be revealed there,Resident Evil 9was a no-show at the recent Game Awards, meaning that the long-awaited sequel still hasn’t been officially revealed yet. But that hasn’t stopped a landslide of leaks and rumors from coming out over the last year or so.
Some of the most popular rumors surroundingResident Evil 9are those concerning the game’s potential protagonists. There have been multiple conflicting rumors on this subject, some of which claimResident Evil 9will be a Chris Redfield solo adventure, some of which claim it’ll be a Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy team-up game, and some of which claim it’ll feature almost the entire line-up ofResident Evillegacy characters. Regardless of who ends up leadingResident Evil 9, it’s a good time to look back on the status of every majorREseries protagonist anyway.
For the purposes of this recap, theResident EvilCG movies will be considered canon.
The Whereabouts of Every Major Resident Evil Protagonist Explained
Rebecca Chambers
Introduced in the veryfirstResident Evilgameand a leading co-protagonist ofResident Evil 0, Rebecca Chambers was the field medic for the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team squad. After escaping an underground Umbrella research facility in the Arklay Mountains with escaped death-row convict Billy Coen, Chambers meets up with Alpha Team’s Chris Redfield, and the two escape the mountains together.
Rebecca Chambers' last canon appearance was in2023’sResident Evil: Death Island, which is set in 2015, coming after the events ofResident Evil 6but beforeResident Evil 7. Chambers works alongside fellow legacy protagonists, Chris, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Leon Kennedy to neutralize a bio-terrorist threat emerging from Alcatraz.
Billy Coen
AResident Evilprotagonist with surprisingly little lore, Billy Coen never appears again afterResident Evil 0’s ending, which sees Rebecca Chambers let the death-row inmate go free following their ordeal with Umbrella’s James Marcus.
Chris Redfield
One half of the series' first protagonists, Chris Redfield has appeared throughouttheResident Eviltimeline. His most recent canonical appearance was inResident Evil Village, which takes place in the year 2021. After helping to rescue Mia and the infant Rose Winters, Chris Redfield boards a helicopter and sets course for the BSAA headquarters in Europe, having just discovered that the anti-bioweapon group is using the very thing they swore to destroy.
Jill Valentine
After surviving the Arklay Mountains, Raccoon City, andAlbert Wesker’s mind-controldrugs, Jill Valentine is a tad shaken-up psychologically.Resident Evil: Death Islandsees the fan-favorite protagonist join Chris Redfield out on the field once more. By the time the movie’s credits roll, Jill is back to her usual self, having saved the day at Alcatraz alongside her trusty teammates.
Claire Redfield
Resident Evil 2,Code: Veronica, andResident Evil: Revelations 2protagonist Claire Redfield is another character whose last appearance was 2023’sResident Evil: Death Island. Claire is last seen celebrating with the rest of the legacy crew at the end of the movie.
Leon S. Kennedy
Undoubetedly one of the franchise’s most popular characters,Leon S. Kennedy’s last canonical appearancewas also inResident Evil: Death Island. While he arrives in Alcatraz on a completely separate mission for the Division of Security Operations, Leon Kennedy soon joins forces with the BSAA to stop the t-virus outbreak.
Ada Wong
Though she has limited screen-time, Ada Wong is arguably one of the memorable characters intheResident Evilseries. Ada was last seen inResident Evil 6’s story, which takes place in 2013. Ada Wong hunts down her mysterious doppelganger, Carla Radames, and destroys her research on the C-Virus. She then receives a call from an unknown individual, tasking her with another mission.
Carlos Oliveira
Another one-and-done protagonist,Resident Evil 3’s Carlos Oliveirais last seen escaping from Raccoon City just before the missile hits. It’s believed that Carlos returned to South America after the incident, though its unknown what he did next.
Sheva Alomar
Only appearing inResident Evil 5, Sheva Alomar is an oft overlooked protagonist. The end of the game seesSheva and Chris Redfieldkilling Albert Wesker and flying off into the sunset. An in-game collectible inResident Evil 6sheds a bit more light on Sheva’s whereabouts, however, stating that she’s working for the BSAA West African Branch in 2012.
Sherry Birkin
Introduced as a child inResident Evil 2, Sherry Birkin was the daughter of William and Annette, two important Umbrella scientists. Sherry is saved from Raccoon City by Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, and she spends most of her life in protective custody. Sherry Birkin then reappears as an adult inResident Evil 6, where she works with mercenary Jake Muller to createa cure for the C-Virus.
Jake Muller
The son of Albert Wesker, Jake Muller has only appeared once in the franchise.Resident Evil 6sees Muller go from hardened mercenary to slightly less-hardened mercenary, and his story ends with him working alongside Sherry Birkin to kill thebio-organic weapon Ustanak.
Ethan Winters
The central protagonist of bothResident Evil 7andVillage, Ethan Winters is the only main protagonist in the series to have died.Ethan sacrifices himselfto destroy Mother Miranda and the Mold-spewing Fungus Root housed underneath the village. A part of Ethan’s consciousness is absorbed into the Root, however, and 16 years later, that small piece of him is able to meet his daughter, Rose.
Resident Evil Village
WHERE TO PLAY
Ethan Winters finds himself in an entirely new nightmare in Capcom’s latest installment of the acclaimed Resident Evil franchise. Whether you’re defending against Lycans in the grim dwellings of the village or exploring the lavish Castle Dimitrescu, the meticulously designed environments immerse you in this eerie world, powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine. Run from, hide or face off against a diverse cast of terrifying village inhabitants in dream-like - no, nightmarish - situations and fight your instincts to push through classic horror-based sequences. Also, be sure to check out “The Mercenaries” that unlocks once you’ve finished the campaign, a fast-paced and arcade-like game mode which challenges players to blast away enemies against the clock.
