Ever since its release back in 1996, Resident Evil has been one of the most successful and popular survival horror franchises in video game history. In a few weeks from today, Capcom is launching Resident Evil Village, which will be played from the perspective of newcomer Ethan Winters, and one of the most veteran characters in the franchise, Chris Redfield.
For 25 years, Chris Redfield has led the fight against bioterrorism ever since the first game up until today. Although Capcom was able to retain the Resident Evil franchise's success, one thing that the studio is unable to keep consistent is the appearance of its characters, most notably Chris Redfield. In preparation for Resident Evil Village's release, here is every iteration of Chris Redfield from 1996 to the present.
The Classic Years (RE1, RE CV)
Given that Resident Evil first came out during the first PlayStation console era, the in-game design of the characters is mostly made up of chunky polygons. During the first Resident Evil game, Chris Redfield was just a 25-year-old police officer from Raccoon City, unaware of the horrors that he and his team will encounter in the Spencer Mansion and beyond. Capcom also took the bold step of shooting all cutscenes in live-action, which was never done in succeeding installments, apart from a few scenes in Resident Evil 3 Remake.
After his stint in the first Resident Evil game, Chris took a step back from the spotlight and was next seen in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which took place shortly after Raccoon City's destruction. Given that Code Veronica was released to the Sega Saturn and then the PlayStation 2, Chris' appearance changed drastically, though features from his original depiction were still present in his design.
The Modern Era (RE 1 Remake, RE5, RE6, RE: Village)
In 2002, Capcom remade the first Resident Evil game, which gave birth to Chris's character design that became the basis of his appearance in succeeding installments. His character model in Resident Evil Remake was later used in Resident Evil's spin-off titles: The Umbrella Chronicles and The Darkside Chronicles. It is unclear who is the exact model Capcom used as inspiration for Chris Redfield's design. Still, many believe it was a combination of American actor Matt Mullins and Reuben Langdon, who did Chris Redfield's motion capture works in Resident Evil Code Veronica, RE5, and RE6.
In 2009, Capcom released Resident Evil 5, bringing Chris Redfield back into action. It is worth noting that while his appearance may look different from the character model used in Resident Evil Remake onwards, it is actually the same design but was made older to depict natural aging. Most Resident Evil fans would see this version of Chris as the most familiar, especially given the drastic change of his body type from a lean police officer, to a boulder-punching bodybuilder. RE5's version of Chris was later reused in Resident Evil 6, but with a slightly thinner body. Based on the trailers released for Resident Evil: Village, it appears that Capcom is reusing this same model for Chris but older.
The Anomaly (RE7)
Some readers probably wonder why Resident Evil 7's version of Chris was left out in the modern era. This is because his character design in that game can be considered an anomaly. It is worth noting that when Resident Evil 7 was released, players couldn't believe that the guy who rescued Ethan by the end was Chris. The only reason why players knew it was Chris is that he had to introduce himself as Redfield. His appearance in this game even started a rumor that he may not be the real Chris, given that he doesn't resemble any of his predecessors. It remains unclear why Capcom decided to change Chris's appearance drastically. Still, it appears that the studio has heard the criticisms of fans, which is likely why it reused an older version of Resident Evil 5 and 6 Chris in Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village is set to release on May 7, 2021, for the PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.