Highlights

  • The Resident Evil franchise has found its rhythm with successful games and remakes, thanks to its legacy characters.
  • Claire Redfield, a popular legacy character, deserves a triumphant return in Resident Evil 9 after her last appearance in the Resident Evil 2 Remake.
  • If Claire Redfield doesn't appear in Resident Evil 9, a remake of Resident Evil - Code: Veronica could be a great opportunity to bring her back for modern audiences.

The Resident Evil franchise seems to have found its ideal rhythm over the last few years. While its live-action department still can't quite get things right, Resident Evil's games keep knocking it out of the park time and time again, with the series bouncing between great sequels that push the franchise in interesting new directions, and remakes that masterfully recreate and revolutionize some of the most iconic survival horror games of all time. And a major linchpin of this newfound rhythm has been Resident Evil's legacy characters.

Over the last few decades, the Resident Evil franchise has built up quite an impressive roster of legacy characters, most of which can now be used by Capcom at any point to entice long-time fans back in. Chris Redfield has already appeared in Resident Evil 7 and Village, and if the rumors are to be believed, then he'll also be the main protagonist of Resident Evil 9. But Chris shouldn't be alone. There's one other Resident Evil legacy character who deserves a triumphant return.

resident evil 4 leon melee attack villager
Related
Resident Evil's Next Big Gameplay Shift Could Be Right Under Players' Noses

RE's recently introduced mechanics along with a few earlier ones could indicate a gameplay switch that's staring fans in the face.

Claire Redfield Needs to Make Her Resident Evil Return

Claire Redfield Should Appear in Resident Evil 9

The younger sister of original Resident Evil protagonist Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield made her debut all the way back in 1998's Resident Evil 2. In the second part of Resident Evil 2's campaign, Claire Redfield manages to survive the Raccoon City Incident by the skin of her teeth, right alongside fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy. Since then, Claire Redfield has appeared numerous times throughout the Resident Evil franchise, but very rarely as a playable character.

The last time fans got to play as Claire Redfield—aside from the multiplayer game Resident Evil Re:Verse—was in the Resident Evil 2 Remake, where she goes in search of her missing brother, runs into Leon Kennedy, and has to escape from Raccoon City before it gets destroyed, saving Sherry Birkin along the way, the daughter of two Umbrella scientists responsible for creating the special G-Virus strain. But while Resident Evil 2 Remake was the last time players got to control Claire Redfield, it wasn't technically the most recent game in the canon timeline to feature her, with Resident Evil Revelations 2 taking that honor.

The last fans have seen of Claire Redfield canonically in-game, she had just taken down Alex Wesker alongside Moira Burton and had just been informed that her brother needed help in China, setting up the events of Resident Evil 6. While Claire has appeared in several Resident Evil CG movies since then, her current place in the Resident Evil timeline is unknown, leaving the door wide open for her to appear again. Not only would it be great to see a legacy character like Claire again in the next Resident Evil, but it would also make complete sense, with her likely wanting to team up with her brother once more to put a stop to biological weapons, now seemingly being used by the BSAA.

Claire Redfield Could Get the Remake Treatment Again

But if Capcom doesn't want to include Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 9, then there's still one obvious option ahead, and that's a remake of Resident Evil - Code: Veronica. A remake that fans have spent years asking for, Resident Evil - Code: Veronica would be another way to bring back Claire Redfield for the modern age, with the story revolving around her search for her brother in an Umbrella facility, and then Chris' subsequent search for her when she goes missing.