Resident Evil Village had just been released last week, and the latest entry in the survival horror franchise appears to be shaping up as one of the biggest horror games in 2021. The game sees the return of Resident Evil 7's Ethan Winters, and unsurprisingly, Ethan once again takes an absurd amount of damage in Resident Evil Village.
All over social media, Resident Evil fans have been obsessing about Ethan Winters, specifically his hands and how they are constantly stabbed and chopped off in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village. Now, to fuel the fascination with Ethan Winters and his magical hands, here is a breakdown of the tragic fate he suffered throughout Resident Evil and how he was able to survive Capcom's constant torture. The rest of the article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Resident Evil Village.
The Tragic Fate of Ethan's Hands in Resident Evil 7 and Village
The torture of Ethan Winters began when he debuted as the protagonist of 2017's Resident Evil 7. In a mission to locate his missing wife, Ethan arrived at the farmhouse of the Baker family, and in less than an hour, finds his left hand stabbed by none other than his wife Mia, who was infected and under the influence of Eveline. Shortly after, Ethan got his left hand completely severed. The amazing this is that Ethan could reattach his hand to his arm without any deficits in its function.
Fast forward to Resident Evil Village, and Ethan Winters finds himself back in the nightmare that he thought he left behind in Louisiana. In less than an hour into the village, Ethan got his hand chewed off by a Lycan, losing several fingers. At this point, Capcom's constant torturing of Ethan's hand quickly became a joke and has since been the source of countless memes on the Internet. However, it only gets worse from here. Shortly after the encounter with the Lycan, Ethan's hand was sliced off and sucked by Lady Dimitrescu before his daughters hang him up on hooks by his hands, which he proceeded to rip out of his palms to break free. Finally, Lady Dimitrescu had enough and chopped his right hand completely.
How Did Ethan's Hands Manage to Survive Everything?
It isn't surprising at this point that Ethan was able to reattach his right hand using First Aid Medicine, which is basically a magic potion that can heal skin, muscle, and bone. Given the constant dismemberment of Ethan's hands that he is able to heal with a magic potion, it is unsurprising that Resident Evil fans are obsessed with Ethan's hands, with some joking that someone at Capcom really hated the character.
However, players who have gone far enough in Resident Evil Village would know that there is an actual reason why Ethan can withstand all this torture and remain basically intact. As explained by Eveline, Ethan Winters was actually killed by Jack Baker early in Resident Evil 7. However, given his exposure to the Mold, he returned as one of the Molded, similar to the Baker family. But the intensity of his infection wasn't as severe, given that he didn't lose his sanity. This is the reason why he can take all the injuries and even reattach severed limbs. In the end, while Ethan's invincibility may appear as plot armor that made him the subject of funny memes, it actually turned out to be one of the biggest plot twists in Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.