There is at least one direct plot point that Resident Evil could follow after Resident Evil Village, being that BSAA is creating bioweapon soldiers. Otherwise, the franchise’s narrative potential is relatively open-ended. It is unlikely that the franchise will follow Rose Winters since Shadows of Rose apparently ended that chapter, but there is always the chance that Resident Evil 9 could feature a new protagonist. No matter who the franchise’s next protagonist is, it is certain that they cannot be abused and thrashed as severely as Ethan was in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil is a genre-bending franchise but has always been known for its survival-horror. This does not mean its protagonists are always being horribly eviscerated in each enemy encounter, but the stakes need to be there for when an enemy does attack. Resident Evil 7 made a sharp pivot back to the franchise’s horror roots and with it came a new protagonist who it could dismember. This was great and led to unsuspecting moments in the Winters’ two-game saga, but the next Resident Evil game may need to be more creative with how its protagonist responds to damage taken.
Resident Evil Had Narrative Importance for Ethan Winters Being a Punching Bag
Resident Evil 7 has a possessed Mia sever Ethan’s hand with a chainsaw, and even has a missable cutscene where Jack cuts Ethan’s leg off, then watches sadistically as Ethan crawls toward it to reattach it again. Using First Aid Meds like they were a natural adhesive, Ethan is able to miraculously glue his body parts back together each time he is gruesomely butchered in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village.
This is because Ethan is affected by the Mold, and in fact died during the opening guest house sequence in Resident Evil 7. It is terrific that Resident Evil had the foresight with which to narratively explain Ethan’s capacity for physical abuse, giving him an empathetic Mold origin that players learn in Ethan’s second Resident Evil outing.
This makes sense of each instance where Ethan is dismembered, and though such an explanation might not have been necessary for these games to be enjoyed, it is still one of the most satisfying beats of closure in Resident Evil’s storytelling. Ethan will surely be missed for this reason, with any regular human protagonist seemingly unable to sustain such injuries.
Resident Evil Seemingly Can’t Afford to Dismember Its Next Protagonist
If Resident Evil never bothered to explain why Ethan could nonchalantly reattach his limbs and appendages, players might not have even cared to look into it too deeply. In a science-fiction universe where Umbrella can create diverse bioweapons, it is not out of the realm of possibility that healing salves could also help people reattach body parts.
Having half of Ethan’s hand chewed by a lycan and his other hand cut away cleanly at the wrist by Lady Dimitrescu are exhilarating moments, though the latter is soon amended. It seems that Ethan’s Mold abilities only let him reattach limbs and appendages, but not regenerate them like Resident Evil 7’s Baker family is able to. Either way, the only way that Resident Evil could feature another protagonist who takes as much debilitating physical punishment as Ethan is if they are also affected by the Resident Evil 7’s Mold.
If not, it is probably unlikely that Resident Evil will put its next mainline entry protagonist through the same bodily torture, unless them losing a limb or appendage is somehow tied to narrative and gameplay. This could be a detriment, since Ethan’s hand mutilations were unique and distinguishable in Resident Evil’s first-person perspective.
Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition will release on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.