With Resident Evil 9 in the works, players are likely wondering who will replace Ethan Winter as the game’s protagonist, and many are probably hoping that it isn’t Leon or Chris. After his death in Resident Evil: Village, it seems unlikely that Ethan will be returning as the hero for the next game. This opens the door for Capcom to do something fresh with the series like they did with Resident Evil 7. The Resident Evil series has a lot of directions it could take, so it would be a shame if they didn’t try to branch out.

One direction many Resident Evil fans would likely appreciate is if the game decided to focus on a character who hasn’t had much time in the spotlight yet. There are plenty of characters throughout the franchise who haven’t starred in a game for some time or were never given the chance to be the main character. The recently announced Resident Evil 9 could serve as the perfect place to reintroduce some of these abandoned characters and give them the attention they deserve.

The Resident Evil Franchise Has A Lot Of Forgotten Characters

Characters Like Billy Coen And Natalia Kord Have Dangling Plot Threads

Between eight mainline games and plenty of spinoff titles, the Resident Evil series has introduced many memorable characters. However, while these characters are still remembered by fans, the teams behind the games don’t seem to remember that they exist. Several playable protagonists show up in one or two spinoffs only to go missing for years and never show back up. This is a shame because some of these characters would be perfect to mine for new stories.

One good example is Billy Coen, who was first introduced in Resident Evil 0. Coen was a former soldier who was used as a scapegoat for a mission gone wrong and sentenced to death. After helping Rebecca Chambers survive the events of Resident Evil 0, Chambers helps Billy fake his death and go into hiding. Coen hasn’t been seen since, but he seems like the perfect candidate for one of Resident Evil’s current storylines. In Resident Evil Village, Chris Redfield mentioned that the BSAA is now a corrupt organization. Who better to combat a corrupt system than someone like Billy?

Another seemingly abandoned character that some players would like to see is Natalia Kord. In a thread by Reddit user DonutReasonable528, several players discuss their desire to see what has come of Natalia. The last players saw her; she was showing signs of slowly turning into Albert Wesker, whose mind had been implanted in hers. Following up with Natalia could be an interesting spin on a Resident Evil protagonist, as it would open the door for body horror as Wesker begins to take over. This would also give players a protagonist with unique powers.

Claire And Jill Have Only Starred In One Mainline Game Each

Aside from more obscure Resident Evil characters, even some of the series' main protagonists haven’t had a chance to shine in a while. Claire Redfield, for instance, hasn’t been the protagonist of a mainline Resident Evil title since Resident Evil 2. Even though RE2 was recently remade, it’s been a while since Claire got to be the star of a new story in the main series.

The same goes for another series lead, Jill Valentine. Jill may have shown up in Resident Evil 5, but she was a brainwashed antagonist for most of it. Like Claire, Jill has only been the playable protagonist in one of the game’s main series titles. Compare this to Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, both of whom have been playable in three main titles, and it’s clear that these characters aren’t getting the same level of attention. Even Ethan Winter, a new character introduced in Resident Evil 7, starred in two games from the main series.

A New Protagonist Could Reinvigorate The Resident Evil Series

Ethan Winters’ Introduction In Resident Evil 7 Was A Nice Change Of Pace

Alternatively, if Capcom doesn’t want to focus on one of the already-established characters in Resident Evil 9, they could just create a brand-new protagonist for the game. Resident Evil 7 was a huge shot of adrenaline into the series after the disappointment of Resident Evil 6, thanks in part to it feeling like a fresh start. Making Resident Evil 9 equally new with a similar standalone feel would likely be a great way to recapture some of Resident Evil 7’s magic. It would also be nice to see the series heading forward after so many remakes.

As of right now, there aren’t too many details on Resident Evil 9. However, it will hopefully take the series in a fresh direction. At the very least, it would be nice to see a reintroduction of some characters that have fallen by the wayside.