Every Resident Evil Protagonist’s Status Ahead of RE9

Resident Evil 9 was 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 9 was 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 surrounding Resident Evil 9 are those concerning the game’s potential protagonists. There have been multiple conflicting rumors on this subject, some of which claim Resident Evil 9 will 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 of Resident Evil legacy characters. Regardless of who ends up leading Resident Evil 9, it’s a good time to look back on the status of every major RE series protagonist anyway.

For the purposes of this recap, the
Resident Evil
CG movies will be considered canon.

The Whereabouts of Every Major Resident Evil Protagonist Explained

Rebecca Chambers

Introduced in the very first Resident Evil game and a leading co-protagonist of Resident 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 in 2023’s Resident Evil: Death Island, which is set in 2015, coming after the events of Resident Evil 6 but before Resident 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

A Resident Evil protagonist with surprisingly little lore, Billy Coen never appears again after Resident 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 throughout the Resident Evil timeline. His most recent canonical appearance was in Resident 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, and Albert Wesker’s mind-control drugs, Jill Valentine is a tad shaken-up psychologically. Resident Evil: Death Island sees 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, and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 protagonist Claire Redfield is another character whose last appearance was 2023’s Resident 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 appearance was also in Resident 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 in the Resident Evil series. Ada was last seen in Resident 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 Oliveira is 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 in Resident Evil 5, Sheva Alomar is an oft overlooked protagonist. The end of the game sees Sheva and Chris Redfield killing Albert Wesker and flying off into the sunset. An in-game collectible in Resident Evil 6 sheds 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 in Resident 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 in Resident Evil 6, where she works with mercenary Jake Muller to create a cure for the C-Virus.

Jake Muller

The son of Albert Wesker, Jake Muller has only appeared once in the franchise. Resident Evil 6 sees Muller go from hardened mercenary to slightly less-hardened mercenary, and his story ends with him working alongside Sherry Birkin to kill the bio-organic weapon Ustanak.

Ethan Winters

The central protagonist of both Resident Evil 7 and Village, Ethan Winters is the only main protagonist in the series to have died. Ethan sacrifices himself to 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.