For quite some time now, speculation about Resident Evil Requiem, the upcoming ninth mainline entry in Capcom‘s storied survival horror series Resident Evil, has revolved around the playable protagonists and what role, if any, that previous fan-favorite heroes will play in the narrative.
Through previous Capcom marketing and trailers, it’s been revealed that Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from the Resident Evil Outbreak games, will be the main protagonist of the new title due to her personality and experience lending themselves to a more horror-focused experience that many fans of the franchise have been desperate for.
However, many of those same fans, like me, are also deeply connected to the recurring characters from the previous titles like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Chris and Claire Redfield, Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers, Ada Wong, etc. With a new protagonist who maintains a seemingly thin connection to the events from previous games, some fans are upset at the possibility that they won’t get to see their favorite characters in action.
There was a similar reaction to when Ethan Winters became the main protagonist of the previous two mainline entries, though quite a few of us warmed up to him pretty quickly as he fit the mold (pun intended) of the RE hero that would go through Hell and back to protect his family, not unlike Barry Burton in Revelations 2, or the Redfields in CVX.
Regardless, we may not be limited to the singular rookie protagonist this time around, as reliable franchise leaker AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem has recently shared that not only will Leon Kennedy be a playable character in RE Requiem, but that there will also be a third in the form of Alyssa Ashcroft. Now, the plot seems to indicate that Alyssa was killed years before the events of the title which led her daughter Grace into joining the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and now she’s tasked with investigating some other crimes that revolve around her mother’s supposed murder.
With that, it’s fair to assume that the Alyssa segments will likely take place in the form of flashbacks, though I’m not totally convinced Alyssa is actually dead. I think she’s been changed… evolved perhaps, by a strain of virus and will be one of the antagonists in the new release, though this hasn’t been confirmed, but it fits with the themes that the series has always followed of including previous characters, especially relatives of protagonists, in later entries. This was another leak that AestheticGamer shared after my initial assumption, only further cementing my belief.
Though many fans are probably incredibly excited for the possibility of getting to play as an older, more grizzled Leon, it’s a tad bittersweet as well. According to another leak, Kennedy will in-fact share the spotlight with Grace Ashcroft and her mother (if only briefly), but this will reportedly mark the end of his mainline appearances. Perhaps we’ll see him again in later spinoff titles, but the likelihood of our favorite super cop returning to the main series is slim.
Both Grace and Leon are said to have their own significant story arc within Requiem, with equal impact on the narrative as the plot unfolds, so perhaps this being his send-off won’t be such a bad thing. Perhaps retirement will look good on Leon. We’ll see.
If Capcom goes nuclear and kills Leon with some grim fate akin to the most beloved character in another wildly popular sci-fi monster franchise that I won’t name for fear of spoiling, then fans may turn their back on the franchise entirely.
We are aware that this is fiction and these characters don’t exist, but after nearly 30 years, we want to know that our virtual friends are doing alright after all the hard work we put in to keep them alive! While AestheticGamer doesn’t explicitly reveal Leon’s ultimate fate, they do indicate that Requiem is, “in many ways,” Leon’s send-off game. I’d be happy if they just kept making those 3DCG tie-in movies with him.
With Capcom keeping the significant details fairly close to the vest, Requiem is sure to be the highlight of Gamescom 2025, so keep checking in with us for more updates because there are few people on this planet… nay, in this universe, that care more about this franchise and its characters than yours truly.
