Here's every Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hits theaters. Whether that present will be one fan's treasure forever or wish they could return remains to be seen, as the trailers and imagery so far have led to division. Then again, when a franchise has as committed a fanbase as Resident Evil does, it takes a lot to truly please them.
Welcome to Raccoon City's arrival will be the second big gift fans get in 2021, after the earlier launch of Resident Evil: Village - aka Resident Evil 8 or Resident Evil 27 - on all major video game platforms. Reactions to that game - which continues Resident Evil 7's first-person perspective on horror - have been largely positive, and while the technical 25th anniversary of the first Resident Evil game has already come and gone, right now is a great time to be a fan of the storied franchise.
Still, while Welcome to Raccoon City is an exciting development for fans of Resident Evil, it shouldn't be forgotten that six movies based on the games - albeit loosely - already exist, and they all proved popular enough to be financial successes. Those earlier movies may have all starred Milla Jovovich's Alice - a character created for the screen - but that doesn't mean many major characters from the Resident Evil games didn't play ing roles along the way.
Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield is one of the longest-tenured characters in the Resident Evil franchise, having been one of two playable characters in the original Resident Evil game. Redfield was originally a member of Raccoon City's elite STARS unit, before later ing the BSAA's fight against bioterrorism. Redfield has been a lead in multiple games since, most notably Resident Evil 5. adapts the first two Resident Evil games.
Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine was the other playable character in the first Resident Evil and has arguably eclipsed her STARS partner Chris in popularity as the franchise has continued on and introduced many other characters. She's been featured in multiple games just like he has, and was the lead in Resident Evil 3 and its remake. Sienna Guillory first portrayed Jill in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but was later mind-controlled by Wesker and turned into a villain in Afterlife and Retribution, similarly to how she was used by him in Resident Evil 5. In Welcome to Raccoon City, Jill will be played by Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Leon Kennedy
Quite possibly the most popular Resident Evil game character period, Leon S. Kennedy debuted as the co-lead of Resident Evil 2, then starred in the massively successful Resident Evil 4, as well as Resident Evil 6. Sadly, many fans felt the prior Resident Evil movies misused Leon, actually introducing him in Resident Evil: Retribution as a mercenary working for Wesker, played by Johann Urb. He does at least turn on Wesker before the end. In Welcome to Raccoon City, Leon will be portrayed by Zombieland 2's Avan Jogia.
Claire Redfield
Claire Redfield was introduced in Resident Evil 2, on the hunt for her missing brother Chris, but she's gone on to feature in multiple games since, Crawl.
Albert Wesker
Albert Wesker is one of the central villains of the Resident Evil franchise, although he starts out as Chris and Jill's boss at STARS. Wesker finally appears to be killed off for good by Chris at the end of Resident Evil 5, although many fans had hoped for The Umbrella Academy's Tom Hopper plays Wesker in Welcome to Raccoon City.
Ada Wong
Ada Wong is a character who works for the highest bidder but always has her own motives. She's also an occasional love interest for Leon, debuting alongside him in Resident Evil 2. She shared the screen with Leon again in Resident Evil: Retribution, as played by Li Bingbing (The Expanse's Lily Gao, although an image of the new Ada has yet to be revealed.
William Birkin
Also introduced in Resident Evil 2, William Birkin was one of the Marvel's Dum Dum Dugan - will properly portray Birkin, bringing the character to life in Welcome to Raccoon City.
Barry Burton
Barry Burton is best known for his appearance in the first Resident Evil game, in which he's extorted by Wesker into doing evil, but eventually comes to his senses and saves friend and colleague Jill. He even prevents her from becoming a "Jill sandwich." Barry plays a relatively minor role in Resident Evil: Retribution, played by The Strain's Kevin Durand, and looking much more muscular than usual. Barry ends up sacrificing his life to save the other heroes. However, he's not part of Welcome to Raccoon City.
Carlos Oliveira
The Mummy franchise. Carlos also isn't part of the reboot.
James Marcus
Introduced in Resident Evil Zero, Dr. James Marcus was one of the original higher-ups at Umbrella, and one of the masterminds behind the T-Virus. After he's sold out and killed by Birkin and Wesker, Marcus returns with the aid of the Queen Leech creature he created to get revenge. Marcus appears briefly in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, played by Mark Simpson, although the character doesn't really resemble his game counterpart, outside of his name, occupation, and eventual cause of death.
