Fans of Resident Evil love Capcom's survival horror franchise for fleshing out characters through zombie outbreaks and hulking bioweapons. For instance, Claire and Chris Redfield proved the power of sibling love by finding each other amid a couple of outbreaks. Meanwhile, Jill Valentine proved her remarkable skills by escaping a city-wide zombie outbreak with a bioweapon on her tail. Lastly, Leon Kennedy showed his fabulous hair fits not just a police uniform but also tactical gear.
However, perhaps fans might get intrigued by the sheer presence of one Ada Wong. Unlike the other protagonists, Ada represents the spy-fy aspect of Resident Evil. Why it seems even intelligence agencies have shown a keen interest in the growing bioterrorism market. However, it seems Ada's involvement in Resident Evil's story leaves a lot of secrets of players to unfold. Just who exactly is Ada Wong?
10 Formerly Researcher Linda
Interestingly, despite her "female assassin" concept winning the heart of fans, Ada didn't initially start with this theme. Rather, the original idea of Ada during the development of Resident Evil 2, Ada was supposed to be Linda, an Umbrella Corporation researcher. In this original draft (now considered Biohazard 1.5), Linda finds herself accompanying Marvin Branagh, a police officer.
When Linda meets Leon, she would ask for his help to infiltrate a former Umbrella factory to create a vaccine for Branagh. In that draft, Branagh got infected by a mutated William Birkin before another creature killed him. Interestingly, Linda still sported Ada's signature red upper body clothing. That time, though, Linda wore either a green jacket or a white lab coat with the Umbrella logo.
9 Enter The Femme Fatale
Today's Ada got created as a means of forming a connection with Dr. John Clemens, the former head researcher of the Arklay Laboratory mentioned in the first Resident Evil game. In turn, Ada's scenario connected with her search for him. Interestingly, fans might note that Shinji Mikami, a huge film buff, may have used the 1990 La Femme Nikita film as an inspiration for Ada Wong's new design concept.
Both Ada and the eponymous protagonist Nikita have remarkable espionage and assassination skills. Moreover, both of them worked and trained under mysterious organizations. They use their feminine charms and skills in subterfuge to catch their victims off-guard.
8 A Flair For Red
Interestingly, one of the things that make Ada so iconic in Resident Evil would be her wardrobe. Unlike other characters, Ada has stayed true to a "theme" regardless of the franchise entry. In some form or fashion, Ada always had body-fit clothing - be it a dress, a gown, or even a commando outfit. Moreover, Ada always had a strong attachment to colors related to red.
This motif drastically clashes with those of other characters who usually had to adjust depending on the main "theme" of the game. However, the flair for red does cement Ada's unique identity.
7 An Unknown Past
True to her femme fatale theme, the game barely shared any details with regards to Ada's personal life. In fact, no one can truly confirm her nationality, her place of origins, her own birthday, and even her real name. As far as fans are concerned, Ada simply "appeared," and somehow she received espionage training to serve a Chinese crime syndicate. Given her freelance nature, Ada also took on various assignments for various clients.
As a result, Ada has gained a reputation for being the go-to gal for anything related to black-market dealings. Moreover, her particular involvement with the Raccoon City Destruction Incident and subsequent events made her quite a mercenary fit for anything that involves bioweapons and bioterrorism.
6 A Knack For Betrayal
Uncharacteristic of a secret agent, Ada Wong does have a penchant for taking on a job for a benefactor and then eventually betraying them. For instance, she severed ties with the crime syndicate The Family when she discovered their leader, Derek Simmons, planned the operation that led to Raccoon City's destruction.
Moreover, her relationship with the Organization was always put into question. For one, she refused to tell them her real name. In another instance, she failed to get a sample of the Las Plagas and kept on letting Leon live in RE4. Interestingly, Ada's reasons for betraying her clients remain unknown. She keeps on mentioning her "true purpose," but she sheds no light on what this might be throughout her appearances.
5 Incredible Speed, Fighting Prowess
Across all her appearances as a playable character in the series Ada always demonstrated some degree of fighting prowess. While not as physically strong as other characters, she either has better equipment and unnatural speed. For instance, she almost always starts with a special weapon (e.g., a Bow Gun), some herbs, and even other gear.
Moreover, she also has deadly attacks. For instance, Back Kick and Fan Kick became her melee staples in RE4. She can also use the Hookshot to reach places Leon couldn't originally reach in the game.
4 The Elusive Copy
Fans get all the more confused when they see two versions of Ada running around Resident Evil 6. Apparently, there's the Ada in red, and the Ada in the blue dress. It seems the Ada in the blue dress is actually a Dr. Carla Radames, a researcher with a genius-level intellect who found herself working with Derek Simmons. When Ada servered all ties with Simmons way back in the past, Simmons harbored an obssession for her. In turn, Carla got involved in Project Ada, where Simmons strove to create "the perfect" Ada copy that would worship him.
However, Carla herself would become the Project's final and successful test subject. She ended up with Ada's face and even some aspects of her personality. Unfortunately, complications with Project Ada would result in Carla-Ada's mutation, with the real Ada eventually killing her.
3 In The Middle Of Timeline Inconsistencies
Of all Resident Evil games, it's RE2 that has the most number of "concerns" regarding the sequence of events. Interestingly, even Ada's involvement in both Leon and Claire's scenarios show a drastically different series of events.
For instance, in the Leon A timeline, Ada doesn't get Sherry Birkin's locket. Leon escorts her to the security office to recover while they're on the way to NEST. She turns on Leon and gets shot by Dr. Annette Birkin in the process. She falls off the railing, presumed dead. However, Ada throws the rocket launcher towards Claire to help her fight the final boss. In turn, Ada is seen with a tissue sample from Dr. William Birkin.
Meanwhile, in the Leon B timeline, Ada takes the G-Virus sample from Sherry's locket. She makes her way alone to the security office to rest. Ada doesn't turn on Leon, but she is knocked out by the T-00, wherein she is presumed dead. She helps Leon by throwing a rocket launcher at him.
2 Retconned Into Being Undercover
Fans of Ada would recall her first appearance in 1998's Resident Evil 2 as the "concerned girlfriend" of one Dr. John Clemens. She eventually reveals her identity as a secret agent later in the game. However, the 2019 Remake immediately sets up Ada as an FBI agent with a keen interest in Umbrella Corporation. Moreover, there's no mention of any Dr. John Clemens.
Interestingly, the latter part of her portrayal remains consistent. For instance, she still helps Leon fight the T-00 with a rocket launcher. Moreover, it seems she still stole a sample of the G-Virus on the way out of the city.
1 A HUNK Connection
Interestingly, of all characters in the Resident Evil franchise, perhaps Ada Wong shares a design connection with one other character in the franchise: HUNK. Unlike other characters in the main cast, both Ada and HUNK technically serve as minor characters - but their involvements in the main storyline seem far from "minor." For instance, it's HUNK's encounter with William Birkin that actually led to the virus outbreak in Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Ada's encounter with Leon helped him and Claire survive the fight against T-00.
Moreover, both minor characters shared no details about their true past. Both of them also have remarkable combat skills, both of which they have gained through special forms of training.