TheResident Evilseries has produced some of gaming’s most iconic villains of all time. Whether it’sthe evil superhuman mastermind Albert Wesker, or the hulking mutated behemoth known only as the Nemesis, there’s no shortage of excellent antagonists that have helped to make the stories of these games all the more memorable and enjoyable.
Not every villain has received such a glowing reputation from fans though for one reason or another, and it’s resulted in them being largely forgotten, for better or worse. This usually happens because the game they feature in includes a much bigger and more relevant antagonist, but it can also just simply be due to them not getting enough screentime. Either way, it’s time to take a look at thoseResident Evilvillains who never got a fair shot in the spotlight, and why exactly they’ve gone under the radar for so many people.
Though Wesker is technically the big main villain ofResident Evil 5,he actually doesn’t make an appearance until roughly halfway through the story. Up to that point, Chris and Sheva are on a mission to hunt down a bioweapons dealer by the name of Ricardo Irving. Alongside hissnazzy fashion sense, Irving also stands out for his casual and laidback personality, which provides a nice contrast to Chris, who’s always presented as being deadly serious throughout the entire game.
The truth is though, Irving’s lack of screentime, irritating boss fight, and untimely death means many players completely forget that he played such an important role in the game’s story. In fact, if it wasn’t for the BSAA finding out about Irving’s whereabouts, the events ofResident Evil 5would never have occurred at all, so he definitely deserves a little more credit, even just for that alone.
It’s clear pretty early on inResident Evil 6that Simmons, the suspicious national security advisor to the president, is going to play the role of the main villain. The problem is, because the game is split up into four separate campaigns which all place more attention on the development of the protagonists than the villain, it means Simmons can often fade into the background. It also doesn’t help his case that there are far more interesting antagonists thrown into the mix who greatly overshadow him, including Carla and eventhe terrifying Ustanak.
The final nail in the coffin would have to be his absurd boss fight though, which has become somewhat of a meme among the community for how drawn out and ridiculous it is. All of this makes Simmons a pretty forgettable villain who Capcom have seemingly tried to erase from the timeline entirely, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the eyes of many fans.
Lansdale, the main villain ofResident Evil Revelations, might not be as well-known as the likes of William Birkin or Wesker, but there’s definitely an argument to be made that he’s just as ruthless as those two in terms of his actions. Before the events ofRevelations, an entire city called Terragrigia is scorched to nothing but ash due to a Regia solar satellite. Though it’s not initially clear who initiated the attacks, it’s not long before Jill and the other BSAA members realize Lansdale was behind it in a desperate attempt to expand his power within the FBC.
He’s a truly despicable villain who commits one of the worst crimes ever seen in the history of the series, yet he’s barely ever talked about or even discussed. One reason for this is simply thatRevelationsis a spin-off gamewhich, upon its release, was only available for the 3DS, making it a little more niche and inaccessible than the mainline series. There’s also the fact thatRevelationsbombards players with such a large cast of new characters, it can make it hard for Lansdale to stand out among many of these charismatic newcomers.
Compared to the other three lords Ethan encounters during his grand adventure inResident Evil Village, Moreau feels a bit like the black sheep of the bunch who always gets overshadowed by his peers. This weak, pathetic and whiny creature simply wants to earn the respect of Mother Miranda by any means necessary, but this unfortunately means he doesn’t really have much else to his personality other than this particular characteristic.
His swampy area of the map is also a lot less memorable thanCastle Dimitrescu or the Beneviento house, which can sometimes be a bit of a slog to get through because of how puzzle-heavy it is. Moreau’s ability to turn into a giant aquatic B.O.W, while very cool, has also been seen plenty of times before, which is another reason why so many fans barely remember him.
Before the release ofResident Evil 0, the villains in the series had been true standouts from their respective games, but in the case of James Marcus, he didn’t quite stick the landing for many people. One major reason for this is due to how Marcus was more rooted in the supernatural, and is almost depicted as some sort of Leech god who can shift his body at will. This was drastically different from other antagonists, who were more rooted in the scientific angle of the series, and would be used to explore the idea of biological research and experiments going horribly wrong.
Despite this, Marcus is one of the most important characters in the franchise, being a co-founder of Umbrella who would later go on to help create the deadly T-virus. WhenResident Evil 0came out in 2002, a lot of people were starting to get a little tired of the traditionalResident Evilgameplay formula, which also contributed to Marcus' obscurity as a major villain. Still, there’s a lot to learn about this mysterious man, and his true identity, through files and documents Rebecca and Billy can stumble upon throughout the Umbrella Training School, which do shed some light on his backstory, and his partnership with Wesker.
1Excella Gionne
No One Can Share The Spotlight With Wesker, Not Even The Endlessly Charismatic Excella
Excella acts as Wesker’s partner in crime inResident Evil 5who proves to be very useful due to her high-ranking position in the Tricell company. She’s a constant thorn in the side of Chris and Sheva for much of their journey, though since she’s not much of a fighter herself, she usually prefers to mock the two of them from afar, or unleash a deadly Uroboros monster to try and finish them off for good.
In all honesty, Excella’s endless charisma and charm makes her a pretty likable villain all things considered, but it’s hard to focus on her when she’s paired up with literally the most iconic antagonist in the series.Resident Evil 5was also Wesker’s big comeback in the series afterhis fatal encounter with Chris at the end ofCode Veronica, so it’s understandable why so many people would look past Excella, especially since she also dies so suddenly.
