He might not be as popular among gamers as Leon Kennedy, but Chris Redfield was the original golden boy of the Resident Evil series. He was one of the two protagonists in the first game of the series, and he's filled a central role in several games since then. He was even featured in the most recent installment of the series, Resident Evil 7, with a quick appearance at the end and a full-on DLC later down the line. He might appear to be an every man at first glance, but he's actually a complex character with a backstory and personality that's rang true since 1996. This list covers some facts about him that might be easy to miss!

10 He Joined The United States Air Force As A Teen

When he was approximately seventeen years old, Chris became a member of the United States Air Force. He served as a pilot and received training for both helicopters and planes. He was well-known for his excellence in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship.

One of his fellow S.T.A.R.S. members, Barry Burton, served in the same unit as him, and that was where the two of them became good friends.

9 He Was Unable To Last In The Air Force

With his remarkable skills, Chris should have been able to easily find his stride in the US Air Force and secure a long, successful career for himself. Unfortunately, his personality got in the way of him being able to do that. He's headstrong and holds tightly to his convictions, which often left him struggling against his senior officers.

It's unclear whether he left the US Air Force on purpose or not. In Resident Evil 5, his file says that he resigned as an act of protest, but the glossary of Resident Evil Recollections says that he was discharged for insubordination.

Either way, his time was cut short by his inability to compromise.

8 He Was Suspended From The Police Force In 1998

Shortly after leaving the US Air Force, Chris was head-hunted by the Special Tactics and Rescue Service, a branch of the Raccoon City Police Department. He became Alpha Team's point man in 1996, but he was suspended in 1998.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that such a strong-willed young man would find himself suspended for being aggressive towards other officers - but the twist is that Chris was actually suspended on purpose! He just needed an excuse to head off to investigate the Umbrella Corporation in Europe.

7 He Founded An Anti-BOW Task Force With Jill Valentine

Partners Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine are both members of the S.T.A.R.S. Team Alpha. The two of them experienced the horrors of the Spencer Mansion together in July 1998, and knew firsthand what Umbrella and their bio-weapons were capable of.

They started an anti-Umbrella and bio-organic weapon (B.O.W.) task force together after the outbreak in Raccoon City, and worked with only each other for five years, until Umbrella finally collapsed in 2003.

Unfortunately, ending Umbrella didn't end B.O.W. manufacturing, but Chris and Jill still didn't give up. Together, they are two founders of the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) which is dedicated to putting an end to bio-weapons altogether.

6 He Served As A Trainer For The BSAA

In 2010, things were much different for Chris Redfield. After over a decade of fighting, he had accomplished everything that he had initially set out to do. However, he knew from experience that the peace was temporary, and that his enemies would eventually be replaced by someone worse.

He decided to stay with the BSAA and even joined a team of new recruits, planning on passing his knowledge down to them, in order to make sure that the future generation would be ready to take over for people like himself and Jill Valentine.

Through his training, Chris took a young man named Piers Nivans under his wing, after he showed a particular skill for sniping.

5 He Has Worked As A Body Guard

After an incident in December 2012 claimed the lives of the majority of men under his command, Chris was left suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. He couldn't remember himself or any of the men he had lost, but he was still haunted by the debilitating guilt.

To cope with his emotions, he began drinking heavily. He became a frequent patron at a bar in Eastern Europe, and developed a negative reputation for himself among the bartenders and other customers for being moody and violent. He was often referred to as "the stray dog" by those around him.

In order to pay his rent (and fund his steadily worsening alcoholism,) he worked as a bodyguard.

4 His Sister Is The Only Family He Has Left

Chris Redfield lost both of his parents in a car accident when he was in his teenage years. He was left with his younger sister, Claire Redfield, and the two of them formed a very deep bond. It's unknown whether someone stepped in to take care of them, or if Chris took over responsibility of Claire for himself, but either way, he's fiercely protective of and loyal to his younger sister.

The Redfield siblings are so close, in fact, that Claire only found herself involved in the Raccoon City outbreak in Resident Evil 2 because she was searching for her missing brother.

3 He Was Planning To Retire In 2013

After spending over a decade working to thwart Umbrella and its various offspring, Chris had understandably grown tired by the time 2013 rolled around. He had also finally found someone that he trusted enough to take his place in a sniper named Piers Nivans, who he had personally trained and worked alongside for years. He decided during a 2013 mission that he would retire once they wrapped things up and allow Piers to take over his position as Captain.

Unfortunately, Piers didn't survive long enough to see that happen. In his honor, Chris kept his position as Captain, so that he could continue to fight against bio-terrorism.

2 He Was Once One Of The BSAA's Active Agents

In 2006, Jill Valentine hurled herself at Albert Wesker in order to stop him from killing Chris. The two fell through a window and over the edge of a cliff, while Chris watched helplessly. Three months were dedicated to searching for her body before she was declared dead, but Chris never believed it. He threw himself into every mission that he could in hopes of finding some sort of clue about her whereabouts, and thus, became one of the most active agents in the entire BSAA.

1 In George A. Romero's Scripts, He's Romantically Involved With Jill

The relationship between Chris and Jill is a hotly debated topic among fans of Resident Evil. Some believe that their bond is platonic, while others believe that it's romantic. Objectively, there have been some pretty obvious signs of a romantic relationship having developed.

One of those signs occurred in 1998, when the godfather of all things zombie-related, George A. Romeo himself, drafted a script for a live-action Resident Evil movie. In that script (which held much more true to the heart of the video games than the current live-action movies,) Chris and Jill were explicitly involved with one another.