Capcom’s Resident Evil series of survival-horror games is one of the most beloved franchises in gaming. It’s also one of the most complex, with recurring characters and locations, bizarre conspiracies, plot developments that include sci-fi concepts like cloning and mind control, and some of the most legendarily bad dialogue players have ever heard. “Here’s a lockpick. It might come in handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you”. Its mixture of pulpy storytelling and suspense-fueled horror gameplay has captivated gamers and drawn many into its dark and apocalyptic world over the series’ two decades of existence.
It’s not a surprise, then, that longtime fans of the series have cooked up some pretty crazy theories about the world of Resident Evil. When the plot is as complex, the character motivations as inscrutable, and the franchise as a whole is as revolutionary as this one is, it’s inevitable that devotees will have some thoughts about what should happen next or have a new perspective on what’s already happened. Some fan theories seem pretty reasonable, but some are downright insane – which makes them even more likely to be true. Here are the 15 Resident Evil fan theories that are so crazy that they might just be true.
15 Albert Wesker Is Still Alive
Albert Wesker is the Resident Evil series’ big bad, a genius child developed by the Umbrella Corporation who goes on to create the t-Virus. His misanthropic view on humanity means that he believes he’s saving the world by turning people in ravenous zombies. At the end of Resident Evil 5, Wesker is seemingly defeated by Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar when they shoot down his helicopter. But the spinoff Umbrella Corps, which takes place after Resident Evil 6 and puts players in the role of an Umbrella Corporation mercenary, features a very familiar voice clip when players earn a decisive win in the multiplayer mode. We watched him die, so he can’t be alive... can he? (Knowing Resident Evil, it's pretty likely that he *can*).
14 Ethan Works For Umbrella
In Resident Evil 7, players are thrust into the role of Ethan Winters, a civilian who goes searching for his wife, Mia. Though she disappeared three years prior to the start of the game, she's sent Ethan a message leading him to the derelict and extremely creepy Baker family mansion in Louisiana. Ethan’s background is never fully revealed, but eagle-eyed players have noticed that his name matches that of an umbrella operative named in a diary in Resident evil 5; moreover, Ethan’s ability to survive in a hostile haunted house doesn’t fit the abilities of any ordinary guy. The jury’s still out on this one, but there may be more to Ethan than we’ve suspected.
13 Leon Kills Ada In Resident Evil 2… On Purpose
It's one of the most dramatic scenes in the series: Ada Wong begs Leon Valentine to let go as she dangles off of a bridge in Resident Evil 2. Then her hand slips, and she falls into the void, leaving Leon distraught. This scene initially reads as a tragic end for a compelling antiheroine, but Ada’s criminal past and Leon’s profession as a police officer put the two characters at odds. In fact, moments before she hangs from the bridge, she points her gun at Leon and threatens to kill him. Some players have theorized that, instead of attempting to save her, Leon staged her death as an accident. It's entirely possible that Leon actually dropped her on purpose, making him a cold-blooded murderer.
12 Ada Is The Voice On The phone
Of course, Ada didn’t die permanently. She made a triumphant (sort of) return in later games in the series, and her presence throughout the series made players wonder if she popped up somewhere in Resident Evil 7. One theory states that she makes a cameo appearance, but not in person; rather, it’s her voice who speaks to the player over the phone in the Resident Evil 7 demo. This leads to a whole host of new questions. If it was Ada, why is she so cryptic in her messages? What’s her motive? And where is she? While the voice was revealed on the game’s release to be a new character, Zoey, they could still be related in some way – after all, Ada did have a clone who appeared in Resident Evil 6.
11 The Merchant Is Luis Sera’s Grandfather
In Resident Evil 4, players are aided in their quest to save Ashley by a mysterious merchant, who pops up throughout the game to sell Leon useful items. But in a village beset by the mind-controlling Las Plagas parasite, it seems odd that the merchant could just get around and sell Leon his items without either dying or having some sort of supernatural ability. Some observant players noticed that Luis Sera, another character in the game, mentions his grandfather excavating tunnels to get around; moreover, he became infected with Las Plagas but managed to fight back the infection. This explains the merchant's freaky demeanor and ability to pop up wherever Leon goes. Pretty cool, right?
10 Devil May Cry Is Set After Resident Evil
Perhaps it’s no surprise, as the first installment in the Devil May Cry series was developed from an early build of Resident Evil 4, that fans have theorized about a deeper connection between the two. After all, both series share a morbid atmosphere, a pulpy sense of style, and supernatural beings hellbent on the player’s destruction. The idea is that, as the zombie outbreaks in the Resident Evil series get worse, they decimate much of the earth’s population, leading to what is basically an apocalypse. Devil May Cry picks up after this world-ending infestation, where the t-Virus has mutated into different forms, creating the various beasts and demons that players are tasked with slaying.
9 Umbrella Is A Front For The Catholic Church
The Umbrella Corporation is a constant in Resident Evil, with their ethically murky experiments providing the backdrop for the creation of the t-Virus and countless deaths. Given this, one wonders how can they possibly still be in operation. Who’s funding these people? By looking closely, some players have noticed something odd – the Umbrella Corporation logo is a modified version of the Maltese Cross, a Catholic symbol. While it’s possible that the organization simply appropriated the cross for their own purposes, the union of two powerful entities with a hand in world affairs does seem a little too likely. That being said, Resident Evil certainly wouldn't be afraid of an allusion like this, so maybe it is true after all.
8 The Film Series Is An Umbrella Simulation
Resident Evil’s pop cultural dominance isn’t limited to video games. The film franchise, starring Milla Jovovich as the former Umbrella operative Alice, is massively successful in its own right, and its murky connection to the games has led fans to theorize how the two might be related. One theory suggests that what we see in the films is all a simulation run by Umbrella to prepare the company for an outbreak. This simulation could theoretically place the film series in line with the games, acting as a kind of an alternate reality. Moreover, they could have run the simulation before the events of the first Resident Evil. That they might have predicted the apocalypse and gone through with their plans anyway speaks to just how evil the shadowy enterprise is.
7 Raccoon City Is Actually Springfield, MO
Raccoon City is probably the most iconic Resident Evil location, serving as the backdrop for multiple games throughout the series, including the pioneering first game. Since it’s a place players have spent so much time in, it makes sense that some would start to wonder where Raccoon City is actually supposed to be located. And though it’s a fictional town, details like its population and general location in the American Midwest have led players to believe that its real-life analogue is Springfield, Missouri. So when the zombie apocalypse comes, you know where not to go. It's an interesting theory worth tracking throughout the series' long history — there are a lot of spots where it starts to make sense.
6 Resident Evil 1 Is A Bad Trip
I wouldn't know myself, but marijuana and video games have been paired together by generations of chilled-out gamers. As a nod to them, the original Resident Evil features multiple references to the green stuff – Chris Redfield crushes and rolls up “herbs” to restore his vitality. Not just that, but the number 42 is a constant presence (just add a zero at the end, and, well…), and the game’s paranoid and constricted atmosphere might be familiar to anyone who smoked just a little too much and started thinking that everyone was out to get them. Could the game be just a big weed-induced hallucination? Probably not, but it’s funny to imagine. It could also be a simple nod to a devlopment team that loves to get high and scary themselves silly.
5 Jill Hallucinates Half Of Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3 introduced a new twist to the series’ survival-horror gameplay by adding in multiple encounters with the hulking Nemesis, who stalks the player throughout the game; it creates a ratcheting sense of tension by making players wonder where he'll come from next. In one of these encounters, the protagonist, Jill, is stabbed by Nemesis and afflicted with a new status: “virus.” This has led some players to believe that the rest of the game – a full half of the playtime – is actually a hallucination that Jill has in the throes of her virus-induced death. It’s not such a stretch in a series that has taught players that things aren’t always what they seem.
4 There Are Two Houses In Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 players see the dilapidated Baker house twice – once on tape and once actually traveling through it. Though there are several scenes in which the house on tape mirrors the one that we experience, there are also multiple strange differences that can’t be fully explained. For one thing, the fuse box isn’t in the same place in the footage and the actual gameplay — other changes abound as well, like different placement of objects and decorations in the house. This has led to a fan theory that there are actually two very similar houses containing violent secrets. How deep does this twisted story run? It doesn't seem like a question that will get answered by the series' canon, but it could absolutely be true.
3 Gina And Rachel Foley Are Sisters… Or Clones
In the first game in the Revelations spinoff series, players watch as Rachel Foley is killed and turned into a zombie, presumably keeping from appearing again. But in the multiplayer mode in Revelations 2, Rachel is a selectable skin for another character, Gina Foley. This got some fans theorizing about what their connection actually is. Perhaps they're sisters separated by the zombie outbreak, explaining their identical last names. Creepier, though, is the possibility that the two are clones, which would explain how Rachel can be a skin for Gina – if they share the same genetic material, they can dress the same way, and no one would know who was who. They wouldn’t be the first clones in the franchise.
2 "Redfield" At The End Of Resident Evil 7 Is Actually HUNK
Though it's been disproven by Capcom, this theory was so popular when players started beating Resident Evil 7 that it’s stuck around. When the game concludes, players are saved by a mysterious man who introduces himself as "Redfield" – meant to indicate that it’s Chris Redfield, one of the series’ main characters. But some fans thought differently, believing that it’s actually the mysterious HUNK posing as Chris. HUNK has been in the background since Resident Evil 2, and fans have been wondering about his role in all the zombie action since; and though his appearance in Resident Evil 7 has been outright stated as false, he could still make an appearance in later games.
1 Jill’s Daughter Is… Ellie From The Last Of Us
This one is simply too good to be true, especially since Capcom and Naughty Dog are very separate companies… but then again, The Last Of Us shares some central qualities with Resident Evil. Both mix horror and action game design to create a thrilling and challenging experience, both make players face off against creepy zombies, and both feature women as central protagonists. These elements, plus Jill and Ellie’s slight resemblance, has made some players wonder if the two women could be mother and daughter; after all, we don’t know that much about Ellie’s parentage. It’s crazy, to be sure… but so crazy that it just might work. It is by far the craziest theory, but just imagine the possibilities if it were true!