There aren't many franchises in gaming history that have reached the heights of Resident Evil. Capcom's horror series became hugely popular after its first few installments. It then didn't take long for the games to catch Hollywood's attention. And in the early 2000s, Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed the first live-action Resident Evil movie. In the following years, sequels would follow, and now there is a full collection of RE movies that vary in quality.
The film series is set in a different universe to the games and has its own protagonist in Alice. However, Paul W.S. Anderson didn't completely ignore Capcom's work as he's adapted several of their characters. Naturally, the movie versions of the characters aren't exactly the same as those in the games, but how similar are they?
12 Ada Wong
Ada Wong might be the live-action movies' best attempt at adapting a character from the games. In both pieces of media, she has short hair, likes to wear red dresses, and is morally ambiguous. She's very similar in combat, too, as she showcases unbelievable agility and is insanely skilled with a grapple gun.
Her role in the movies is a lot smaller as she only appears as a supporting character in one installment. However, she still gets enough screen time to confirm that her complicated relationship with Leon is also in the movies.
11 Barry Burton
During the games, Barry Burton generally takes up the role of a protector. He helps Jill throughout the original title and later looks after Natalia in Revelations 2. The live-action version of the character isn't involved as much as his gaming counterpart.
Burton's only appearance comes in Retribution when he's a part of a Resistance team set up by Wesker. However, his personality and look aren't much different from the video game version.
10 Nicholai
Resident Evil: Apocalypse took plenty of creative liberties with their adaptation of the Nicholai character. Besides the name and the fact he works for Umbrella, Paul Anderson's Nicholai is nothing like the video game version.
In the games, the character is a major villain and all-around heartless individual. The movie version, on the other hand, is actually a pretty honorable guy. They don't even look very similar as both their facial features and hair color are different.
9 Carlos
Despite playing a significant role in Resident Evil 3, it's still Carlos' only appearance in the game series so far. As a result, the character has actually featured more often in the movies - albeit sometimes as a clone - which is something fans of the games might not know about him.
The two versions of the character don't look too much alike as their facial structure is very different. But Carlos is a (usually) heroic and skilled Umbrella operative in both media.
8 Sergei
One of the lesser-known Resident Evil characters is Sergei Vladimir. In the video game world, he works closely with Oswell E. Spencer and is a major villain in The Umbrella Chronicles. The character is completely different in the movies.
He has a small role in Retribution as a member of the Resistance team. And his job is to help the likes of Leon, Barry, and Luther West navigate the Umbrella Prime facility. Not only are their positions within the story distinct from one another, but they don't resemble each other at all.
7 James Marcus
James Marcus has had a huge impact on both the games and the movies, albeit without much screen time. The genius virologist was a founding member of Umbrella and helped develop the T-Virus. Both versions of the character are dumped by the company they helped build, but the circumstances are quite different.
In the universe of the games, Marcus' rivalry with Spencer is what gets him killed before being reborn as the Queen Leech. His movie counterpart, however, is terminated because he wants to shut down the T-Virus development once he finds out about its disastrous effects.
6 Nemesis
The Nemesis is among the most iconic monsters in Resident Evil history. And the beast is so important to the plot of Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil: Apocalypse that he counts as a character. Throughout both the game and the movie, the juggernaut is almost unkillable and kills most of those who oppose him.
Visually, they're similar, too, except for a few slight differences. For instance, the movie version seems a bit smaller than the one from the games while still remaining one of Resident Evil's largest-ever monsters. Plus, RE3's version goes through multiple transformations, unlike his movie counterpart.
5 Claire Redfield
Ever since her debut in Resident Evil 2, Claire Redfield has been one of the best protagonists in the series. She shares her heroic nature and signature red hair with her movie equivalent. The likeness doesn't just stop at the hair as the two often wear similar outfits, as well.
Yet, because of the inclusion of Alice, she doesn't get to be the main character in Paul Anderson's work. That being said, Claire still plays a pretty large role overall as she assists the protagonist on her journey.
4 Leon Kennedy
Despite being a huge character in the games, Leon surprisingly doesn't appear too much in the movies. Retribution is the only flick in which he features. During which, he's a part of Wesker's Resistance group with Barry Burton and a few others.
Besides killing some monsters and looking cool, the hero doesn't do too much in the movie. Yet, he shares some visual similarities with the video game version, most notably the signature hairstyle. What's more, for much of Retribution, the character dons a similar outfit to the one Leon wears in RE4.
3 Albert Wesker
Albert Wesker is arguably the best villain the games have to offer. And he serves as the main antagonist for much of the series. The movie version plays a large role also, but he's not quite the main bad guy.
Instead, the evildoer works for Dr. Isaacs as one of Umbrella's best agents - he never betrays the company in the movie universe. He also never backstabs Chris and Jill as he seemingly never worked with them. The man does share some similarities to his gaming equivalent, though. For instance, they both wear long black coats with dark sunglasses and have superhuman powers.
2 Chris Redfield
During the game series, Chris Redfield features in more entries than anyone else. The character is not as prevalent in the movies, though. He only appears in Afterlife, where he joins a group of survivors led by Alice. Like most characters, he's forced to take a back seat during the movie to allow Alice to be the protagonist.
It's not only Chris's role in the story that's different. From his look to his personality, the two versions of the character are distinct from one another. It's surprising that they'd take such an iconic RE figure and changed him so much.
1 Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine is Resident Evil's ultimate heroine, or at least she is during the games. In the movies, her heroics are usually overshadowed by Alice. However, unlike some adapted characters, Jill still is a major part of the series, especially during her run as a villain in the later installments.
She also heavily resembles her gaming counterpart throughout the series. Early on, she looks like the RE3 version of the hero, then when she's evil, she's similar to RE5's Jill. Overall, Valentine is one of Resident Evil's best attempts at adapting a character.