If rumors are to be believed, the next mainline installment in the Resident Evil franchise will be released worldwide in early 2021 and see the return of long-time series protagonist, Chris Redfield. Originally based on an early build of Resident Evil: Revelations 3, Capcom's next big entry is internally going by the title Resident Evil 8: Village and will bring back Resident Evil 7's first-person perspective, as well as its protagonist, Ethan Winters. It is reportedly set in a snowy and mountainous terrain inhabited by zombies, werewolf-like creatures, and a new shadowy ghost figure that fills the role of Resident Evil 2's Tyrant.
By far, the most notable claim is Capcom's intention to bring back Resident Evil's original hero, Chris Redfield as a possible antagonist to Ethan and Mia. As an ex-partner of Jill Valentine, the brother of Claire Redfield, and an associate of Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield has a long and gritty history in the Resident Evil franchise that spans as far back as the first game. So, if Capcom does plan to bring Chris back in a big way for Resident Evil 8, what brought a hero to the point of being a villain?
Where it All Began in Resident Evil
Players are first introduced to Chris Redfield in the original Resident Evil as a member of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service's (aka S.T.A.R.S) Alpha Team alongside Resident Evil 3 Remake's Jill Valentine. With a background in the United States Air Force and a specialty for marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, Chris was scouted as a point man by S.T.A.R.S for his abilities, where he met fan-favorite characters, Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker.
In Resident Evil, Alpha Team is called to a mysterious mansion after losing connection with Bravo Team during an investigation surrounding a series of cannibalistic murders. The events of Spencer Mansion led to the discovery that Umbrella Corporation had been experimenting with illegal bio-weapons and accidentally released a viral strain called the t-Virus which turned all of its staff into zombies. After being betrayed by Captain Albert Wesker, Chris was able to escape the mansion and left Europe to search for Umbrella's headquarters to stop them once and for all.
Three months after the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, Chris is forced to leave Europe after learning that his sister Claire has been captured by Umbrella in Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Upon arriving at the Umbrella base in Antarctica, Chris is soon confronted by a very much alive Albert Wesker, now with superhuman strength and speed. Chris attempts to stop Wesker from using a new t-Virus strain and save his sister but is no match for Wesker's new abilities in hand-to-hand combat. At the end of the game, Chris manages to stop Wesker by using a trap and Wesker vows that the next time the pair meet, it would be the last time.
A New Design in Resident Evil 5
Over the next five years, Chris Redfield is reunited with Jill Valentine and the pair manage to disband Umbrella in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, an on-rails shooter for Wii that retells the events of Resident Evil Zero to Resident Evil 3, as well as an additional chapter in Russia where they confront Wesker once again and recover a secret file that exposes Umbrella. After the events of The Umbrella Chronicles confirm Umbrella sold information to the black market, both Chris and Jill helped found the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance or BSAA, an agency dedicated to stopping bio-weapons.
Chronologically, Chris's appearance is in Resident Evil: Revelations, on a BSAA mission aboard the Queen Zenobia, once again alongside long-time partner and BSAA co-founder, Jill Valentine. However, following the order of release, Chris Redfield starred as the lead protagonist in Resident Evil 5. Chris has been received a significant makeover with muscles that are big enough to literally punch a boulder later in the game. As the first mainline game on the Xbox 360 and PS3, the redesign was done to meet modern standards; however, narrative-wise, it signified that Chris had spent years training to finally defeat Wesker in combat.
At this point in time, Jill Valentine has been declared dead for three years after sacrificing herself to save Chris by pushing Albert Wesker out of a window during a search for former Umbrella founder, Oswell E. Spencer. Redfield and new partner Sheva head to Kijuju, Africa, to stop a planned bioweapons deal where they uncover that Jill is alive and being brainwashed by Wesker. Using a combination of his new redesign muscles and RPGs, Chris is finally able to defeat Wesker once and for all and decides to go back to working as a team so that he can pass on his knowledge and skills to a new generation.
Meeting Leon in Resident Evil 6
Redfield moved on to train a new generation of BSAA operatives, and as a result, takes sniper Piers Nivans under his wing. During a mission in Edonia, Chris and a group of BSAA soldiers encounter a new organization called Neo Umbrella, which has been supplying rebels with a new virus strain called the C-virus. The group is attacked and the majority of Chris's men are turned into B.O.W.s by the C-virus. Despite surviving the encounter, Chris suffers from post-traumatic amnesia and quits the BSAA, turning to alcohol to cope with his trauma.
In Resident Evil 6, Chris maintains much of the same design as the previous game, only more disheveled. Piers convinces Chris to return to the BSAA to stop a new C-virus outbreak in China, where the pair encounter a mysterious woman believed to be Ada Wong, the same woman that attacked them in Edonia. In pursuit of Ada, Chris comes face to face with Leon Kennedy for the first time in the series, and Leon manages to pull Chris out of his rage-filled quest for vengeance. Leon asks Chris to save Jake Muller, the son of Albert Wesker, as his blood possesses antibodies that can stop the C-virus.
It's revealed that Ada Wong is actually a lookalike named Carla and she has released a powerful B.O.W. called HAOS which she intends to use to spread the C-virus all over the world. Chris and Piers encounter HAOS in an underwater Neo Umbrella facility and the pair are quickly overwhelmed. After being near fatally injured, Piers injects himself with the C-virus and sacrifices himself to save Chris and stop HAOS. Once again, Chris decides to continue his work with the BSAA and stick to his convictions to do the right thing.
Not A Hero in Resident Evil 7
While Chris Redfield's Resident Evil 5 redesign wasn't loved by all due to an overreliance on juiced-up muscles, it was in Resident Evil 7 that he received the most criticism. Supposedly due to the character being miscast, Chris Redfield sports a completely new design in RE7, only maintaining his signature green coloring from prior games. At first, it appeared to come down to the new direction Capcom was taking with RE7, signifying a complete reboot of the series; however, that following multiple remakes and rumors for Resident Evil 8, that appears to be no more than speculation.
In Resident Evil 7, Chris Redfield is introduced at the end of the games when a helicopter with a mysterious Blue Umbrella logo arrives to rescue Ethan and Mia. Still working for the BSAA, Chris is hired by Blue Umbrella to apprehend Lucas Baker, believed to be in possession of the Mold bioweapon seen throughout the game. Chris appears in the single-player DLC Not A Hero, where he ultimately kills Lucas Baker and stops the molded threat; and again in Resident Evil 7's final DLC End of Zoe, where he appears in the final cutscene to rescue a cured Zoe, as requested by Ethan.
Chris Redfield, the Antagonist?
One thing that's clear from Chris Redfield's story throughout the Resident Evil franchise is that he is a hero, a good guy, someone that will always choose to do what is right. So while it's interesting to see Capcom immediately respond to the backlash surrounding his appearance in Resident Evil 7 and opt to redesign the character once again, the biggest take away from the rumors so far is the idea of Chris being an antagonist in Resident Evil 8.
Is Chris being brainwashed as Jill was during Resident Evil 5? Or perhaps, is Capcom looking to pull a narrative switcheroo later in the game and reveal that Ethan and Mia are the real villains. After all, Chris Redfield's mission is to stop the manufacturing and creation of biological weapons, no matter what the cost. Chris's first encounter with B.O.W.s was in the original game and he pursued Umbrella Corporation until it disbanded, founded the BSAA, stopped Neo Umbrella, and even now has a careful eye on the mysterious Blue Umbrella corporation. We'll just have to wait and see.
Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be in development.