Chris Redfield returns in Resident Evil Village, sporting an intimidating fresh appearance, abandoning the controversial redesign from Resident Evil 7 in favor of something much more akin to a cinder block in a turtleneck. The first Resident Evil, published in 1996, featured two playable characters in the shape of STARS officers Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. While Jill has appeared in many games since then, most recently 2020’s remake of Resident Evil 3, Chris has established himself as the de facto protagonist of the series.
In the nearly 25 years since his introduction, Chris’ appearance has evolved a lot of times, out of his stocky beefcake look from Resident Evil 5 and 6 to his less more”everyman” look in the original game and Code Veronica, a look that returned at Resident Evil 7 and it’s own Not A Hero DLC narrative. For Resident Evil Village, the next mainline entry in the franchise, Chris returns, along with his design has changed yet again.
The newest version of Chris Redfield seen in Resident Evil Village is more significant than previously, with an almost comically thick neck and a boxy shape, and the net detected. According to Polygon, social websites are pulsing with praise, complaints, along with comedy memes poking fun at Chris’s fresh look, from his”Caesar boy bangs” to his new, all-black style ensemble, and, clearly, his immense size.
Chris’s new look is radically different from his Resident Evil 7 incarnation. Still, protagonist Ethan Winters immediately admits the longtime franchise staple, so establishing that he is the same character (unless they do some clone plot spin as was done at the oft-derided Resident Evil 6). Now, “Skinny Chris” out of Resident Evil 7 is arguably non-canon in the eyes of Capcom because this new design hews much closer to an older, angrier version of this Chris found in Resident Evil 5 through to the animated film, Resident Evil: Vendetta.
While perhaps not a direct translation of the Resident Evil 6 visage, the character is seen in Resident Evil Village is nevertheless recognizable as Chris Redfield. This stands in stark contrast to this Resident Evil 7 edition of the personality that many fans believed was some imposter or long-lost relative until he was finally addressed by his full title in the Not A Hero DLC. Chris at Resident Evil 7 can be seen as a miscasting that fans quickly rejected, unlike when Michael Ironside was not brought back to play with Sam Fisher at Splinter Cell: Blacklist, to reprise the function years later for guest appearances in the Ghost Recon franchise.