We Need To See These Characters In Netflix's Resident Evil Show (No, Not Alice)
"Resident Evil" is one of the most influential and popular horror video games ever, a mix of thrilling action and terrifying scares that continue to be effective all these years later. But as popular and successful as the games are, their live-action adaptations have been less than stellar. As fun and bonkers as they have been, they don't really capture the essence of the games. Even "Welcome to Raccoon City," the closest we've got to a faithful adaptation, forgot to just be fun and, you know, good.
Now it's Netflix that wants to enter the ring and try to break the adaptation curse. Their upcoming live-action show, simply titled "Resident Evil," is taking the entire game franchise as backstory. This means every character, every villain, exists in the world of the show. Although that doesn't mean every major character will make an appearance, it does mean we can theorize all we want about the characters we want to appear down the line, which we've boiled down to five.
Jill Valentine
Let's be honest, the games have a serious Redfield problem. As cool and handsome as Chris Redfield is, and as handy as he is with a gun, he's held the spotlight for too many games. The solution? To bring back the original hero of the games, Jill Valentine. After all, she has as much experience fighting zombies and the Umbrella Corporation as anyone else. Last time we saw her was in "Resident Evil 5," which takes place over a decade before the timeline of the Netflix show. In that game, she was briefly mind-controlled by Umbrella, but managed to be set free thanks to Chris.
With the Netflix show taking place in the future, and with it bringing Albert Wesker back, it's time for Jill to get some payback on her former boss.
Nikolai Zinoviev
If we're bringing Jill back (and we absolutely should), then we also need an archenemy for her. Sure, there's Wesker, but he's too big a personality. Instead, we want to see the return of a villain we definitely know is alive, and has a grudge against Jill: Sergeant Nikolai Zinoviev.
Zinoviev was part of the Soviet special forces and worked with Umbrella during the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City. A ruthless commander, a skilled fighter, and an all-round bastard, he caused as many problems for Jill as the zombies. Since he was not officially killed in the games, he could still be out there, waiting for his return to the spotlight.
The Tyrant
If Albert Wesker can survive being thrown into a volcano, surely we can do the same for other iconic villains? Since pop culture is all about nostalgia, Netflix could do much worse than bringing back one of the most intimidating villains of the earlier games: the Tyrants. Grotesque, violent behemoths, the Tyrants were the most powerful zombies created by the Umbrella Corporation. Two of them in particular, Nemesis and Mr. X, were even somewhat intelligent. Plus, who doesn't love a zombie that can sport a trench coat and fedora?
With the Netflix show exploring a world with mutated humans and other creatures, why not bring back the apex predator of zombies?
Eveline
After many years as an action-packed franchise, "Resident Evil: Biohazard" returned to the games' horror roots. The result was a truly terrifying game with some of the best villains in the series.
Although many will credit the creepy Baker family for their nightmares, they were nothing but puppets for the true star of the show, Eveline. A genetically modified human created with the Mold, Eveline is one of the smartest villains in the game, capable of mind-controlling her victims. She is also extremely hard to kill, as we learned in "Resident Evil Village." Since we know she is still out there, why not add a creepy child to the list of nightmare-inducing monsters of the new live-action show?
Lady Dimitrescu
Here it is, arguably the most popular "Resident Evil" character of the past few years, and the name that had millions of fans feeling conflicted about being killed by a villain: Lady Dimitrescu, the tall vampire lady that had the internet fall head over heels for her the moment she was introduced. She is a formidable and scary villain, one with a compelling backstory, great and unique powers, and very messed-up family dynamics. There is no better character to make the jump to live action.
But wait, you might say, didn't she die in the game? Well, yes, and way too early, if you ask me. But may I remind you that this show is bringing back Albert Wesker after he died in an actual volcano? Lady Dimitrescu is better than that, and if anyone can and should be brought back from certain death to torment and seduce another day, it should be her.