If you’re currently playing Resident Evil Village and do not want the story spoiled for you, you best make haste and leave ASAP.
The Story of Resident Evil So Far
Resident Evil Village is the latest entry in the survival horror franchise and is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, and X, as well as Xbox One and the PC. It sees the return of Resident Evil Biohazard’s protagonist, Ethan Winters, and features the longtime series character, Chris Redfield, in a seemingly antagonistic role. Between the mysterious appearance of the buffed-up boulder-punching agent at the end of Resident Evil Biohazard and his shocking deeds during the opening sequences of Resident Evil Village, fans already had plenty of reasons to follow the events of the game. Add a giant nine-foot-six vampire ladies, a village reminiscent of that of Resident Evil 4, werewolves, and more to the mix, then it’s no wonder why Resident Evil Village has seen only glowing reviews since it released.
Who Is Mother Miranda?
Resident Evil Village introduces a new main villain in Mother Miranda. This immortal being was never properly revealed prior to the game’s release. Instead, she was simply mentioned in passing during the numerous trailers leading up to the events of Resident Evil Village. The occasions we see her mentioned described her as a deity figure being worshipped by the villagers. She also serves as the leader of the four lords that governed their own respective domains in different parts of the village. Thanks to the regenerative properties of the mold, Miranda could no longer die. Many, many, many years later she found out about the numerous powers the mold had granted her. This includes the ability to absorb the consciousness of those who had already passed away. This eventually led Miranda to come to the conclusion that she could use this newfound power to bring back her deceased daughter, Eva, to life. Thus began Miranda’s numerous experiments using the Megamycete on the villagers. Over the years, she’d implant the villagers with the Mold. This was all in an attempt to look for the perfect candidate that she could revive her daughter, Eva, into. Miranda even went as far as to create the Cadou, a new parasite on the Megamycete, which led to the creation of the Lycans. According to the research notes of Miranda in her lab, a certain organization approached and offered to help her with her experiments. In return, Miranda would give them back samples of Eva’s DNA and that of the Mold. Speaking of the Mold, the main reason why Miranda kidnapped the infant Rose is that she was born to parents who had already been infected by the Mold. Miranda believed that this made her the ideal vessel for her plans. Prior to finding out about Rose, Miranda had planned to use the four lords of Resident Evil Village for the revival of Eva.
Has Chris Redfield Gone Rogue?
Chris Redfield has always had a reputation for his unorthodox methods. Yet, he’s always aligned himself with the living. Or, to be more specific, “the good guys”. This is why Chris joined up with the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance in the first place. Thus, you can’t blame fans for feeling shocked after seeing Chris and the rest of his team storm Winters’ residence and gun Mia down in front of Ethan. Later on in the game, we find out that Chris wasn’t trying to kill Mia. He was actually trying to save Rose. The Mia that Chris killed wasn’t actually Ethan’s wife. Instead, it was Miranda who had disguised herself as Mia. She did this so she could get closer to Rose. Meanwhile, the real Mia is locked up inside Miranda’s lab, being experimented on. Chris also explains that the BSAA stole Rose because they were not sure if Ethan was compromised or not. However, while Rose was being transported, Miranda managed to bring herself back to life. This resulted in the truck crashing, allowing Miranda to get away with Rose.
Did Ethan Winters Die?
The climactic battle of Resident Evil Village sees a shocking turn of events as Miranda successfully manages to kill Ethan. With Ethan’s heart ripped out, the game then switches perspectives to Chris Redfield. However, not too long after, players regain control of Ethan as a vision of Eveline shows up to him as he lays dead. For those that don’t know, Eveline was the main antagonist of Resident Evil Biohazard. She was a lab-designed bioweapon who could control other people using the Mold. She also had an unhealthy obsession with creating her own version of a family. Ethan successfully defeated her at the end of Resident Evil Biohazard by shooting her with bullets specifically designed to combat fungus-based bioweapons. In Resident Evil Village, Eveline appears and shows Ethan a quick flashback to one of the most iconic sequences from Resident Evil Biohazard where the Baker family patriarch, Jack Baker, punched and stomped Ethan. As it turns out, Baker did successfully kill Ethan Winters at that time. The only reason why he’s alive and breathing is that he too is infected with Eveline’s mold. This explains why Ethan has the ability to re-attach torn limbs and heal himself from extensive or grave injuries. Ethan then comes back to life to kill Miranda before sacrificing himself to destroy the Megamycete for good.
How Does Umbrella Fit Into Resident Evil Village?
The appearance of the infamous Umbrella logo in a stone structure in one of the early trailers for Resident Evil Village sparked a lot of speculation. Mainly, fans believed that the evil pharmaceutical mega-corporation was going to make an appearance in Resident Evil Village. However, as players find out, the truth is far from it. Near the end of Resident Evil Village, we find out that one of the founders of Umbrella Corporation, Oswell Spencer, had spent time in the village as a medical student. He took the aforementioned design found on the village’s Giant Chalice and used it as the logo for Umbrella Corporation. But, that wasn’t the only thing that Oswell took home from his trip to the village. After seeing Miranda infect the villagers using the Mold, Oswell used it as the inspiration for the virus that he believed would help further humanity. He later ended up discovering the Progenitor virus during his travels in Africa and the rest, as we say, is history. The use of the now-iconic Umbrella logo in Resident Evil Village is more of an Easter Egg. However, it’s still worth pointing out. After all, if not for Spencer’s visit to the village and Miranda’s quest to revive her daughter, there probably wouldn’t be an Umbrella corporation and the Resident Evil universe, as we know it, would not have existed.
What’s Next for Resident Evil?
The final scene of Resident Evil Village implies that the grownup Rose had become an agent working for the new Umbrella with Chris Redfield as her mentor. She’s also not your normal agent, nor human for that matter. We know that Rose has the power to control mold. It’s even possible that she’s just as powerful as Eveline, as is suggested by the agent that’s tracking her. As for her father, Ethan, the game alludes that his story has come to an end. Of course, just because Rose is visiting his deceased father’s grave, doesn’t mean that he won’t reappear again. With that said, recent reports suggest that Resident Evil Village is part of a new Resident Evil trilogy. So, if Ethan doesn’t come back in an expansion for Resident Evil Village or the sequel, then it makes sense to have his daughter, Rose, replace him as the protagonist. Ultimately, this is all still up in the air. What is important is that Resident Evil Village ends with a satisfying conclusion. This paves the way for future expansions and installments for new characters. Although we’re hoping that the likes of Ada Wong and Jill Valentine, among others, still do make an appearance in a new game that’s not a remake.
