Fans of theResident Evilseries have had some ups and downs with the franchise. After the spectacularResident Evil 4, the next two mainline entries in the series didn’t have the same magic for many. Luckily, Capcom took the franchise back to its more horror-focused roots forResident Evil 7: Biohazardand seemed to take plenty of pages out ofRE4’s book withResident Evil Village.Villagetook steps to connect its story to the overarchingResident Evilplot, but one major thing seemed to be missing from the title: Leon S. Kennedy.
Introduced inResident Evil 2as an unlucky cop on his first day on the job, Leon is a fan favorite in terms ofResident Evilprotagonists, but he hasn’t been seen since the end ofResident Evil 6. He was once againone of the two main characters in 2019’sResident Evil 2 Remake, but as it was a remake and didn’t add anything significant to theREcanon, so it hardly counts as a new appearance. By the timeResident Evil 9rolls around, the game should include Leon in some way or another.
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The New Cast of Resident Evil Characters
WhenResident Evil 7started, it was introducing an entirely new cast of characters to theREcanon. It seemed to stay a relatively self-contained story until the final moments when Chris Redfield makes an appearance to help clean up the remains of the Baker estate.RE7’s DLC helped flesh out more of Redfield’s role in the storyand by the timeResident Evil Villagerolled around, he was a full-blown side character who’s instrumental to the plot. Still, Ethan, Mia, and Rose all seem like they’re going to stay major parts of the franchise in one way or another as the series shifts from zombie horror into a mold-based direction.
It makes sense thatRE7wanted to put a little bit of distance between itself and any reminder ofRE6, so waiting until the end to include Chris served as the perfect teaser of what’s to come, but plenty of fans were expecting moreREprotagonists to either make appearances or be referenced inVillage. Because of Leon’s status, it’s surprising he was omitted from the game entirely, especially because ofhow much influenceRE8took from Leon’s gameRE4. It’s clear thatResident Evil 7and8wanted to focus on a new cast of characters, so it makes sense that Capcom wouldn’t want to crowd the titles with anyone who would be a distraction from the plot, but Leon’s complete omission has fans a little worried that he may be gone for good.
Plotting Leon’s Return to Resident Evil
While those fears are valid, it seems unlikely Capcom would throw away such an iconic part of theResident Evilfranchise. After all, he’s made an appearance inResident Evil 2 Remakeand would be returning once more ifthe rumoredResident Evil 4 Remakeis actually in the works. While his return to the series has been all well and good in those titles, they aren’t new entries. It’s been speculated that part of the reason for the existence of the remakes is to remind players of the important characters in theResident Evilstory so that they can be reintroduced in later entries.
If that is Capcom’s reason for remaking such titles, it bodes well for Leon’s return inResident Evil 9.It’s unclear exactly what happened to himafter the events ofResident Evil 6, but it’s not out of the question that he might be working alongside Chris Redfield as a part of the BSAA, and that he might make an appearance in a similar role. ManyResident Evilfans are hoping Leon returns as a protagonist which, following the ending ofVillage, seems like it could be possible.
