Resident Evil Village introduced several new antagonists and types of enemies. Whether it was the iconic Lady Dimitrescu, or her Lycan underlings that terrorized the nearby village, there was no shortage of unique enemies in the latest entry. Naturally, the new monsters are the product of a modified parasite. This is how Resident Evil Village's new Lycan enemies come to exist and terrorize Ethan Winters as he searches for his daughter Rose. The werewolf-like creatures fit some classic horror archetypes, but their parasitic origins are what connects them to the overall Resident Evil canon as well.
Resident Evil Village has already drawn impressive numbers, naturally leading to fans digging deep into the new backstories for both main characters and enemies. The Lycans are the product of yet another new parasite, called the Cadou. Mother Miranda, now ultimately the passive catalyst for the events of the entire Resident Evil franchise, created the Cadou by experimenting with the Mold. Introduced in Resident Evil 7, the Mold is an engineered fungus that can both enhance and mutate individuals. This refined mutation of the Mold is what's caused the creation of the Lycans in Resident Evil Village.
Lycans in Resident Evil Village
Mother Miranda's research would impact the later experiments by Umbrella that fuel the events of Resident Evil as a whole. The Cadou that she would later go on to create infects humans in a way that makes them powerful enemies. Humans changed into Lycans become physically more powerful and mutate into the werewolf-like creatures encountered in Resident Evil Village. However, as is a trend in the engineered organisms throughout Resident Evil, the Lycans maintain a level of intelligence high enough to follow orders and wield rudimentary weapons. Altogether, these Lycans are intelligent and powerful enough to terrorize Ethan in groups.
Keeping a level of intelligence enough to serve as guards and soldiers has been one of the primary focuses of the different bio-research done throughout Resident Evil. Much like the Las Plagas from Resident Evil 4 the Mold and Cadou also allow for the most powerful infected to communicate telepathically with other infected, in essence creating a kind-of hive mind among the infected. This explains how Miranda and the other more powerful infected are able to control the Lycans to do their bidding with little resistance.
Much like the other types of viruses and parasites throughout Resident Evil, the Lycans in RE Village also take different forms. There are more 'generic" Lycans that often travel in packs but some adapt greater physical or mental prowess. Allowing some to wield massive melee weapons or even bows. Like all RE games, Resident Evil Village is full of secrets and the full extent of the Cadou parasite's capabilities are one of those that players can begin to unravel now that Resident Evil Village is out.
Resident Evil Village is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.