It has been two months since Capcom released its remake of  Resident Evil 3. Now, all eyes are on what Capcom plans to do with the Resident Evil franchise, and many long-time fans of the survival horror series are eagerly anticipating the official confirmation of a new game. Although it is currently unclear whether Capcom plans to do another remake first, the majority of fans are itching to see a game that propels the series forward rather than reimagining something from the past, and this game is, of course, Resident Evil 8.

Up until today, there is still no official confirmation from Capcom that a new Resident Evil game is in development. However, this did not stop rumors from spreading online, with some claiming that Resident Evil 8 was supposed to release in Q1 of 2021, but was eventually delayed to a later time frame due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the rumors about how Capcom plans to move forward with the franchise with Resident Evil 8 has been rampant online, with recent claims suggesting the return of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield, and the game taking place in a medieval setting.

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Although much of the discussion about Resident Evil 8 revolves with its story and who will serve as its protagonists, several fans are also speculating on who will serve as the game's major villain. As of now, there are talks about werewolves, supernatural creatures, and a returning character named Alan as some of the game's villains, but with Resident Evil being Resident Evil, there is likely to be a mega-corporation behind all the terrors that players encounter, and most speculate that this organization is no other than the Umbrella Corporation, that now goes by the nickname, Blue Umbrella. But what do fans really know about Blue Umbrella? And how can this organization be Resident Evil 8's major antagonist?

History of Blue Umbrella

To the uninitiated, Blue Umbrella was first introduced towards the end of Resident Evil 7, when series veteran Chris Redfield made a surprising appearance. First, Blue Umbrella shouldn't be confused with Resident Evil 6's Neo Umbrella, which was founded by Dr. Carla Radames, who is a researcher working for Derek Simmons and eventually became a doppelganger of Ada Wong. Towards the end of Resident Evil 6, Neo Umbrella collapsed with the death of Dr. Radames. Now, Blue Umbrella was formed out of the American division of the Umbrella Corporation, which is the same company behind the Raccoon City incident that was depicted from Resident Evil 0-3. To differentiate it from its infamous predecessor, the company changed its logo's red and white color scheme to blue and white, earning it the nickname Blue Umbrella.

During the 2004 Terragrigia Panic that was depicted in Resident Evil Revelations, knowledge of Bio-Organic Weapons, and the destruction it causes, was released to the public. This triggered the reorganization of the remaining assets of the now-defunct Umbrella USA, and the company adopted the name Umbrella Co. before it was nicknamed Blue Umbrella due to the change in the company's logo. Since then, Blue Umbrella began doing business once again and is headed by a new executive board, that comprises of former Umbrella employees that are trusted by the US government.

Unlike its predecessor, Blue Umbrella focused on research to combat Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W.) as atonement for the destruction caused by the original company. However, the United Nations banned Blue Umbrella from reactivating the Umbrella Security Service, which resulted in combat duties being handed to internationally recognized anti-B.O.W. organizations such as the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A.), founded by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. In missions where Blue Umbrella is involved, B.S.A.A. agents are armed using weapons developed by the company with access to historical combat data retrieved from the Umbrella Arsenal system.

Why Blue Umbrella Could Be Resident Evil 8's "New" Villain

Resident Evil 8 release date

Despite Blue Umbrella's campaign that the new organization's primary goal is to atone for the destruction caused by the old Umbrella Corporation, there is reason to believe that there may be more to the story than what the company puts out. It is worth remembering that the original Umbrella's public persona is a pharmaceutical company that aims to bring innovation to medicine and public health, but it was later revealed that the majority of the company's operations are centered around viral research in aid of the development and black market trade of Bio-Organic weapons. Given the company's history, and the fact that its executive board is made up of former employees, it wouldn't be unlikely if Blue Umbrella's aim to clean up the original company's mess, is just a ruse for it to continue the atrocious research of its predecessor.

Moreover, Blue Umbrella's current stance as a reformed company that aims to focus on research to combat B.O.W.s also gives them access to the research of other pharmaceutical organizations who are following the footsteps of the defunct Umbrella Corporation. It is worth knowing that in the events of Resident Evil 7, Blue Umbrella stepped in to aid Ethan Winters in destroying Eveline, who is a E-Series bioweapon that was developed by an unknown organization. Given that Blue Umbrella was able to provide Ethan with an efficient weapon to kill Eveline, it is implied that the company was already investigating this new bioweapon and already has knowledge about all aspects of it, given that they were able to develop a weapon to kill it. In this scenario, and in many other missions that were not depicted in the games, it is obvious that Blue Umbrella's new role as an anti-B.O.W. organization grants them access to the research of other companies without raising suspicion. No one knows whether Blue Umbrella is using all this information to create something sinister, and it is even mentioned in RE7's Not a Hero DLC that Chris himself was even hesitant to join Blue Umbrella, given that he does not trust the company.

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Did Chris Redfield Cross The Dark Side?

history of chris redfield in resident evil

Of course, if Chris distrusts Blue Umbrella, then why did he join the company? As previously mentioned, Blue Umbrella is restricted by the UN in conducting their own combat missions, which is why they delegate those to the B.S.A.A. in which Chris is a key member. In Resident Evil 7's DLC, it was mentioned that Blue Umbrella specifically requested the B.S.A.A. for Chris to join the mission given his expertise and experience in combatting B.O.Ws. Of course, assuming that Blue Umbrella is in fact evil, sending Chris to combat Evelyn and other B.O.Ws in the area would provide Blue Umbrella with valuable combat data to test how these monsters fare in fighting a veteran soldier. However, given Chris' involvement with Blue Umbrella, some fans have been speculating on whether Chris has changed his alliances, and will serve as a villain in Resident Evil 8.

While this scenario is highly unlikely given Chris's role in the Resident Evil franchise, there is a possibility that he is working undercover to expose the truth behind Blue Umbrella. As previously mentioned, when the company requested Chris to head the team that will raid the Baker's mansion, he is hesitant at first but reluctantly accepted the job. One good reason why Chris did this is that despite his distrust of Blue Umbrella, working closely with them would provide him information on whether the company is genuine in its efforts to combat B.O.W. research and development. Additionally, it wouldn't be true to Chris' character to just straight up abandon his beliefs and join those who have caused so much destruction and the death of his comrades in the fight against bioterrorism.

Despite having no official confirmation from Capcom about Resident Evil 8, looking at Resident Evil 7 and its DLCs, it is apparent that Blue Umbrella is the most likely villain in Resident Evil 8, given Chris Redfield's initial impression of the company, and the fact that it is run by former Umbrella employees. But of course, given that Capcom hasn't even confirmed the existence of Resident Evil 8, everything discussed here remains to be pure speculation.

Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be in development.

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