Capcom will reportedly develop a remake of Resident Evil 4, due out in 2022 to potentially follow RE8 in 2021. Nonetheless, rumors about the still unconfirmed Resident Evil 8 are still prevalent online, with reports claiming that the next Resident Evil game will once again reinvent the survival horror franchise. Previously, rumors are claiming that Resident Evil 8 will feature a medieval setting, werewolf-like creatures, and a new enemy that borderlines the supernatural.

Of course, without any official confirmation from Capcom about the state of the next Resident Evil game, it is difficult to pinpoint just how exactly the sequel to Resident Evil 7 will be like. However, assuming that Resident Evil 8 is in development and will once again reinvent the series, it’s worth wondering which character will take front and center. Will Capcom re-introduce veteran characters back into the mix? Or will it once again feature a new character that players have never seen before?

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Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield

While there are many rumors surrounding Resident Evil 8, most of them are claiming that the next game in the Resident Evil franchise will star both Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield. Of course, given that both Ethan and Chris also starred in Resident Evil 7, which is the latest installment in the franchise sans the remakes, it makes sense that its sequel will continue the story of both characters. If Capcom would indeed include Ethan again in Resident Evil 8, it will be interesting to see how the company would approach it especially since his story sort of ended in Resident Evil 7.

Of course, the story is different for Chris Redfield given that he is one of the main protagonists of the franchise itself and is the characters with the most appearances in Resident Evil’s 23-year history. However, apart from Chris being the character that Capcom loves to include in most Resident Evil games, his appearance in Resident Evil 8 is somewhat warranted, given that his involvement with the Blue Umbrella still remains a big mystery. Resident Evil 7, more specifically, the Not a Hero DLC  left many unanswered questions about Chris Redfield, which we hope gets answered in Resident Evil 8.

Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveria

Another interesting possibility for Resident Evil 8 would be an appearance from Resident Evil 3’s Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveria. Similar to Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine remains to be one of the key characters behind the Resident Evil franchise, although it has been some time since Jill appeared in a new Resident Evil game. As far as Resident Evil’s timeline is concerned, Jill last appeared in 2009’s Resident Evil 5, where she was rescued by Chris after spending years in captivity and being mind-controlled by Albert Wesker.

At the moment, it is unclear what happened to Jill after the Kijuju incident, but an email sent to Barry Burton in Resident Evil Revelations 2 revealed that Jill is still recovering from her traumatic ordeal under the control of Wesker. However, several years have passed since the events of Resident Evil 5 so Jill appearing in Resident Evil 8 would be the perfect opportunity for Capcom to continue her storyline and take advantage of Jill’s current popularity after the release of Resident Evil 3 remake.

As for Carlos, including him in Resident Evil 8 would be a stretch especially since it is unknown what happened to him after escaping Raccoon City. In Resident Evil 3, Carlos is a mercenary hired by Umbrella under the guise of rescuing citizens of Raccoon City. Prior to the events of Resident Evil 3, Carlos was not directly involved with Umbrella, and it is unclear whether he returned to a normal life or continued the fight against bioterrorism after the events of Resident Evil 3. However, given the new storyline introduced in Resident Evil 7, which will probably be continued in Resident Evil 8, it is not impossible for Capcom to re-introduce Carlos back into the mix, especially since Resident Evil 3 remake made an effort to flesh out his personality and expand his role.

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Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield

Of course, both Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are also important characters in the Resident Evil franchise and have since appeared in succeeding games. After the Raccoon City incident, Leon was hired as an agent of the United States and is tasked to work with the government to prevent another incident from ever happening again. In later games and CGI movies, Leon is often seen working with Chris Redfield and is sent all over the world to combat other companies who are following the footsteps of the Umbrella Corporation, which met its demise after its involvement in the Raccoon City incident was exposed.

On the other hand, Claire Redfield immediately continued her search for her brother Chris after escaping Raccoon City. The Redfield siblings were reunited in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and after the events of that game, Claire continued her fight against bioterrorism by joining the organization, TerraSave. Claire’s last appearance in the Resident Evil franchise was in the game, Resident Evil Revelations 2, where she was abducted and taken to an isolated island. Towards the end of the game, Claire successfully escaped the island and was informed that Chris is in China, signaling the beginning of the events of Resident Evil 6.

Another Original Character

Apart from all the veteran Resident Evil characters mentioned above, it is also likely that a new, original character will be selected to star in the rumored Resident Evil 8. Similar to how Capcom approached Resident Evil 7, it is possible that the studio would want to expand the story of the game by introducing another original character to the franchise. With Resident Evil 7, it felt like Capcom wanted to give the franchise a soft reboot by introducing new storylines from the perspective of a new character. Of course, with no official information from Capcom, it is fairly difficult to speculate what a new character could mean for the franchise moving forward and how it will impact Resident Evil’s established lore. But with recent reports about the possibility of a Resident Evil 4 remake as Capcom’s next Resident Evil game, it appears that it will be some time before Capcom reveals any official information about the next sequel that would serve as the latest installment in the Resident Evil franchise.

Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be in development.

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