Resident Evil Should Give a Follow-Up on One of Its Best Characters

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 14, 2025 10 Views 6 Min Read
Resident Evil Should Give a Follow-Up on One of Its Best Characters



The Resident Evil franchise has built itself a sizable cast of colorful characters over the last few decades, some of whom have grown to become some of the most iconic characters in gaming. Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, his sister Claire, and Jill Valentine are all key examples, starring in several entries each and becoming well-known names in the gaming industry.

But Resident Evil‘s cast doesn’t consist of just the games’ main heroes. There have been plenty of tertiary characters in the multi-decade-spanning journey of Resident Evil‘s winding story, a handful of which have managed to gain a surprisingly large following despite their limited number of appearances. Barry Burton is one such character, and it’s about time he made his return to Resident Evil.

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Resident Evil Should Bring Back Barry Burton

Barry Burton Is a Rare But Welcome Legacy Character

Barry Burton made his debut alongside Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Rebecca Chambers, and Albert Wesker all the way back in 1996’s Resident Evil. A member of S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team, Barry Burton becomes a frequent character in Jill Valentine’s half of the game, assisting her with the search of Spencer Mansion.

Barry Burton became a fan-favorite character right off the bat, thanks in no small part to the original Resident Evil‘s campy voice acting, delivering infamous lines like “You were almost a Jill Sandwich.” Along with those iconic lines of dialogue, Barry Burton’s personality also drew the admiration of fans, being a source of optimism and humor amid an otherwise terrifying scenario.

Barry Burton makes several appearances throughout the Resident Evil franchise, though it’s mostly in the form of a collectible file or photo. But the few times Barry makes a voiced appearance, such as in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, he becomes a highlight of the experience, regardless of how fleeting his cameo is. Barry Burton has also appeared once or twice as a playable character, such as in Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, and Resident Evil: Revelations 2, which has further cemented his place in fans’ hearts.

How Barry Burton Could Come Back to Resident Evil

The modern Resident Evil series could use a little bit of levity, and Barry Burton is just the man to deliver it. The last time fans saw Barry Burton in the canonical Resident Evil timeline was in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, which is set around a decade before the main events of Resident Evil Village.

By the end of Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Barry Burton has returned home to continue his life as a father, though he still has a strong relationship with Claire Redfield. This relationship (and his connection to Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield) could be the gateway to Burton’s reappearance in the Resident Evil franchise, perhaps coming to her aid if she appears in a future title.

Of course, Barry Burton is about 19 years older than Claire Redfield, and about 10 years older than Chris, so if he showed up in a modern Resident Evil entry he probably wouldn’t be able to participate in the action for too long. But he wouldn’t need to. A brief cameo from Barry would be all that fans need to satiate their desire to see the character again.

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