Barry Burton has gained a large cult following since his first appearance in the first Resident Evil game. Since then he’s made a handful of appearances in other games and had a primary role in Resident Evil: Revelations 2.
Given he’s not a main character and makes only brief appearances it’s surprising he’s gained so much popularity. Whether you’re a long-time Resident Evil fan or have recently discovered it through the remakes, here are some things you probably didn’t know about this interesting character.
10 Origin Of Jill Sandwich
Perhaps Barry’s greatest claim to fame is being the originator of the infamous Jill Sandwich joke. The first Resident Evil suffered from some translation issues and poor voice acting. This led to a humorous moment where Jill Valentine was nearly eaten and Barry offhandedly says, “That was a close one! A second late, you would’ve fit nicely into a sandwich.”
This led to numerous memes and even Capcom referencing the moment in their game Dead Rising by including a sandwich shop called “Jill’s Sandwiches”. This and other moments like it are part of why Barry has remained a fan favorite for so long.
9 S.T.A.R.S. ALPHA Weapons Specialist
During the Racoon City outbreak Barry was working as a weapons specialist for the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team, the one lead by Albert Wesker. Barry’s responsibility was to ensure that every member was properly outfitted for each mission with effective weapons and enough ammo.
While he’s no pushover when it comes to combat Barry enjoyed the more laid back responsibilities of being a weapons supplier for the task force and performed his duties well. It’s unclear who or what drew him to becoming a member of S.T.A.R.S. but his presence likely saved many lives.
8 Brains Behind The Samurai Edge
One great example of how efficient he was at his job is the existence of the Samurai Edge. Barry developed a friendship with the owner of the Gun Shop, Robert Kendo. The two would often go fishing together and discuss the weapons loadout of the S.T.A.R.S teams.
Through that friendship, Barry convinced Robert to modify the team’s standard-issue Beretta 92F sidearms. They were customized to suit the S.T.A.R.S.’s members needs in various missions and quickly became popular weapons. These guns saved many lives and made the team members more efficient at their job.
7 Served In The Air Force With Chris Redfield
Prior to becoming a member of S.T.A.R.S., Barry Burton was an airman in the Air Force. In fact, he was in the same unit as Chris Redfield which is how the two met. It’s unknown what his duties were or what his service was like, but at some point, he left to work with S.T.A.R.S.
Shortly after, Chris was discharged and Barry convinced him to join S.T.A.R.S. The experience and expertise in weaponry Barry obtained while serving the Air Force made him more than qualified to work with S.T.A.R.S. and give him the combat skills he needed to survive what would come.
6 Blackmailed To Serve Albert Wesker
During the Mansion Incident, Barry was blackmailed by Albert Wesker to do his bidding. Albert who was working for the Umbrella Corporation in secret threatened Barry’s family if he didn’t follow his orders. Barry was forced to erase evidence and put Jill Valentine in increasingly dangerous situations.
Once Barry learned the blackmail was a bluff he quickly turned on Albert and undid all the wrongs he had done under his employ. This incident would be a catalyst for every decision Barry made after.
5 Left His Family In Canada To Keep Them Safe
As soon as Barry escaped the mansion he gathered his family and relocated them to Canada to keep them safe from the Umbrella Corporation. But even then he knew they would never be truly safe so long as the Umbrella Corporation was free to pursue their experiments so he left them.
His family has remained in Canada to this day and there was a lengthy period of time where Barry didn’t see them in order to ensure they were safe while he fought against the Umbrella Corporation.
4 Helped Bring Down Umbrella
Motivated to protect his family Barry worked tirelessly with Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine to destroy the Umbrella Corporation. During the Raccoon City outbreak he used a helicopter to help evacuate Jill and a mercenary named Carlos Oliveira before the city was destroyed.
He continued working with the others in numerous secretive missions to stop the Umbrella Corporation. This continued until the US government finally stepped in and shut down the Corporation once and for all. Once he was sure that the company was no more he returned to his family and retired.
3 Can’t Stay Retired
Whether from a desire to protect his family or knowing his talents would benefit others Barry has time and time again left retirement and left his family to fight bioterrorism. Part of this is due to the power vacuum that was created after the dissolution of the Umbrella Corporation and the distribution of their research to the highest bidder, making their work a continual global threat.
Repeatedly he’ll step into the shoes of a warrior to fight terrorist threats and come to the aid of his friends. Barry wants to be there for his family, but as long as threats like the Uroboros Virus or Neo Umbrella continue to exist his family will always be in danger.
2 Advisor For BSAA
After the destruction of the Umbrella Corporation Barry left retirement at the request of Chris to join the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance as an advisor. His role in the BSAA was to train young soldiers to take up the mantle of protecting the world from bioterrorism.
Barry would serve in a number of capacities from recruitment, weapons handling, mission advisement, training recruits to fly aircraft, and provide his expertise regarding bioterror threats. Perhaps a large reason he took the job was to ensure there was always someone fighting bioterror threats so he could feel at peace remaining with his family in retirement.
1 Strained Relationship With Daughter Moira
At some point, the Burton family had an unfortunate accident where Barry’s daughter Moira accidentally shot her sister Polly. For a man so concerned about the well being of his family having a family member harm another family member using his own gun was an understandable blow to his psyche.
This caused a rift between Barry and Moira that while improved, still has some complicated feelings simmering under the surface. At the end of Resident Evil Revelations 2, Barry gives Moira space and trusts her to keep herself safe while living her life and returns home to raise his newly adopted daughter Natalia.