When Capcom first revealed Resident Evil Village, it did so with a trailer that showed longtime series hero Chris Redfield seemingly gunning down Ethan Winters' wife Mia. Marketing materials since then also implied that Redfield had a hand in kidnapping Ethan's daughter Rose, teasing a potential "heel turn" for the fan favorite character. Other marketing material created different theories about Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Village and his potential role in the game.

While one of the main fan theories has suggested that Chris Redfield could be a villain in Resident Evil Village, other theories have predicted a more terrible fate for the character. The Resident Evil Village key art seemed to hint that Chris Redfield could be transforming into a werewolf during the game's story. Fans had many other theories like this in regards to Resident Evil Village, but now that the game is out in the wild, those theories are being put to the test.

RELATED: Resident Evil Village DLC Shows Fan Favorite Character Was Cut from the Game

Anyone who wants to experience the Resident Evil Village story for themselves should make sure to do so before reading on. For those who just want to know what is going on with Chris Redfield during the events of the game, just beware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Resident Evil Village ahead.

Chris Redfield's Role in the Story

resident evil showcase event april 2021

Just like in the Resident Evil Village reveal trailer, the game starts with Chris Redfield arriving at Ethan Winters' house, gunning down Mia. Chris and his team then capture Ethan and Rose, Ethan and Mia's baby, and try to leave. However, things go south when "Mia" reawakens in the transport vehicle and causes a wreck. Ethan then sets out to look for Rose, investigating a nearby mountain village.

Chris isn't seen for most of the rest of the game until much later on, when he explains everything to Ethan. According to Chris, who he thought was Mia was really Resident Evil Village villain Mother Miranda, who has the power to shapeshift into different forms. Mother Miranda was trying to kidnap Rose for herself, as she is trying to resurrect her own daughter using Rose's body as a vessel. Rose is connected to the black mold from Resident Evil 7, which in turn is what has given Mother Miranda her powers and immortality, and so that makes her an ideal candidate for Miranda's dead daughter Eva.

After Ethan is seemingly killed by Miranda, players then take on the role of Chris Redfield for themselves. Chris and his team infiltrate the village, gunning down all kinds of Lycans and other creatures. Redfield successfully arms explosives on the Megamycete, which is what is powering the black mold and Mother Miranda. He then discovers more about Mother Miranda's origins and even manages to save the real Mia, who had been kept prisoner and experimented on.

A revived Ethan then continues his pursuit of Miranda, with Redfield helping Ethan in the fight. Chris is then blocked off and Ethan has to finish the fight against Mother Miranda on his own. Ethan is mortally wounded in the battle, and he entrusts Rose with Chris. Ethan sacrifices himself to destroy the Megamycete as Chris, Mia, Rose, and the surviving members of Chris's team escape on a helicopter.

Aboard the helicopter, Chris realizes that the BSAA soldiers sent in were actually bioweapons and not real soldiers. This could give some insight into why Chris has been working with the Blue Umbrella organization and has jumped ship from the BSAA. Perhaps Chris did not agree with some of the decisions that the organization was making. The game then ends with Chris mentoring Ethan's daughter Rose while also traveling to the BSAA headquarters to figure out what's going on for himself.

So the short answer is that no, Chris Redfield is not a villain in Resident Evil Village. Redfield is briefly teased to be taking a villainous turn at the start of the game, but it doesn't take long for players to realize that Chris is not actually evil. Redfield is simply investigating the Mother Miranda situation and is trying to keep Ethan and his family safe. And he does not turn into a werewolf or any other kind of monster during the events of the game. He comes out of the end of it relatively unscathed.

Chris Redfield survives the events of Resident Evil Village and it seems he survives for some time after that as well. There is a time skip after the end of Resident Evil Village that shows a grown-up Rose visiting Ethan's grave. It's possible that Rose ages faster than normal humans, though that is not explicitly stated. Assuming she ages like normal, then it seems that Chris would likely be in his 50s by the time the game takes place. Considering this, it seems that an aged Chris Redfield could very well be featured in the inevitable Resident Evil 9, but fans will have to standby for more information on that front.

Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: How Resident Evil Village Connects to Other RE Games