Highlights
- Resident Evil villains have diverse and unique fashion styles that reflect their personalities, from James Marcus' mysterious cult-leader look to Albert Wesker's glossy all-black ensemble.
- Some villains, like Ricardo Irving, stand out with vibrant and flashy outfits that add depth and interest to their characters.
- Ramon Salazar and Alfred Ashford both have traditional, regal appearances that highlight their pompous attitudes and noble backgrounds.
The Resident Evil series includes some of the most iconic and recognizable villains in all of gaming. However, while they all possess immense power and strength, they are wildly different in how they look. For example, a lot of the major villains have a very grotesque design due to their mutations, such as William Birkin and Nemesis, and since their minds have been altered to love nothing more than killing, it means they don't have any spare time to take care of their appearance.
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On the other hand, some are just as maniacal, but who also make the effort to look their best before encountering the story's protagonists. When a villain has a stylish and snazzy fashion sense, it helps to make them memorable while also telling the audience a lot about their personality, especially when their outfit includes a few small personal details that relate to their backstory or personal motives. Without further ado, it's time to take a look at the classiest villains that have ever appeared throughout the Resident Evil series.
1 James Marcus (Reborn)
Unorthodox Fashion Sense Feeds Into His Very Mysterious Personality
The first time James Marcus appears on-screen in Resident Evil 0, he's hidden away in the darkness while observing a train from afar, making it pretty difficult to get a good look at him, but he does pop up again throughout the story. In truth, Marcus has a pretty interesting and unique appearance, featuring a white ruffled-collar robe that stretches down to his feet and a rope at the center to keep it concealed.
It's a very traditional look that is unlike anything else seen in the series, and it almost gives Marcus the image of a cult leader, which lends a very eerie and mysterious aura to the character. James Marcus may have had a fairly standard fashion sense in his normal life, but when he was reborn in Resident Evil 0, it seemingly granted him a new appreciation for stylistic outfits which he likes to show off whenever he gets the chance.
2 Ricardo Irving
It's Hard To Imagine A Character With An Outfit This Vibrant Being A Ruthless Villain
Despite being a minor antagonist in Resident Evil 5 who only shows up for a few scenes, Irving is immediately recognizable for his very colorful and flashy holiday-esque get-up. Irving's open white coat and glossy orange undershirt almost make him look more like a Yakuza villain as opposed to a Resident Evil character, but this isn't a bad thing as it does a lot to make the villain, who's otherwise a little bland, far more interesting and memorable.
One particular detail that manages to be both hilarious and stylish at the same time is Irving's blue-tinted glasses which he always keeps hanging out from his left breast pocket. With the amount of scheming Irving does behind the scenes throughout the story, it's doubtful that he ever got the chance to relax and catch a few sun-rays during his time in Africa, but the fact that he still keeps these shades around is a great way to show off the more carefree side of his dark and twisted personality.
3 Ramon Salazar
Traditional Get-Up Perfectly Encapsulates The Pompous Attitude Of The Man Himself
Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Ramon Salazar already looked pretty classy in the original Resident Evil 4, but Capcom went above and beyond to ensure his appearance perfectly fit the role of being a noble and respected castellan in the remake. He has a very traditional appearance that calls back to his family lineage, which stretches back to the 15th century, with the white ruffled scarf and blue and golden coat giving him a touch of elegance that demonstrates just how highly he thinks of himself.
Considering Salazar reveals that he's only 20 years old during the story of Resident Evil 4, it's surprising that he doesn't opt for a more casual look before switching to more formal attire as he gets older, but it goes a long way to help him standout from the other villains that appear in the game.
4 Derek Simmons
Has A Very Suave And Classy Outfit Which Helps Add Some Visual Flare To The Character
Simmons gets a lot of flak from fans because of his rather strange and unclear motivations, but one thing that's hard to argue is that the man is perfectly dressed to play the role of a maniacal businessman. For the majority of the game, Simmons is dressed to the nines in a long gray business suit that covers a sleek and suave black undershirt which is covered with golden buttons, and even a pocket watch.
There are a few other small details that players might have missed about Simmons' dashing appearance, such as the golden ring that wraps around his thumb, which adds even more luxury to his overall fit. Ironically, Simmons dresses up like such a gentleman considering how creepy and perverse he is in the game, but he does at least steal the show in many scenes he's in because of his appearance alone.
5 Alfred Ashford
Bright Red Military Outfit Is Littered With Many Small But Important Details
Alfred is the creepy, weird, and very unhinged governor of Rockfort Island who is constantly stalking Claire throughout Code Veronica and always giving speeches about his family legacy. A lot of longtime fans remember Alfred for two reasons; his absurd personality, and his unique and vibrant appearance which features a bright red military uniform that has been fitted with multiple war medals and ornaments.
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It's demonstrated multiple times throughout the game that Alfred is very particular about how he runs his island, and the same can be said for his dress sense, with the young man seemingly always ensuring that his uniform contains as many references to his noble social status as possible. Considering he takes so much pride in his family's involvement with founding Umbrella, it does make sense that Alfred would take great care with his appearance to not bring shame to his lineage, and it ends up giving him a very distinguishable appearance that Capcom can hopefully build upon if there's ever a Code Veronica remake.
6 Alcina Dimitrescu
A Stylized Version Of The Clothes She Wore As A 1930s Jazz Singer
Resident Evil Village
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Stadia , PC
- Released
- May 7, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival (dupe) , Horror
Within fictional stories, it always seems like vampires are the ones who get to have the most stylish and eye-catching outfits out of the cast, and Resident Evil most certainly upholds this tradition with Alcina Dimitrescu. The most noticeable part of her outfit is her 9-inch long white dress, which provides an elegant contrast to her black gloves and hat, which is always slanted to one side of her head.
Additionally, she is always seen wearing multiple pearl necklaces that add to her overall classiness, and can also often be seen carrying around an extremely long cigarette holder. What's interesting about this design is that it is very similar to how Dimitrescu looked when she was a normal jazz singer in the 1930s, but just with a few small additions to help make the groovy outfit a little more menacing and villainous. Dimitrescu has become one of the most beloved villains in the series' recent history, and her captivating dress sense is a big reason why.
7 Albert Wesker
Glossy Pitch-Black Clothes Have Made Him Somewhat Of A Fashion Icon
Wesker has sported a few different outfits throughout the series, but they all felt like they were leading up to his now-iconic appearance in Resident Evil 5, which manages to look evil, hilarious, and intimidating all at the same time. Wesker isn't exactly a fan of bright and vibrant colors, instead deciding to wear a long glossy black trench coat that reaches down to his ankles, the perfect piece of clothing for someone as powerful and devious as he is. When removing his coat, Wesker can be seen wearing a skin-tight black combat suit which gives him plenty of maneuverability when he's moving around at lightning speeds thanks to his superhuman abilities.
Wesker's all-black design does admittedly make him look like a bit of a cartoon villain, but this fits the character so perfectly, since he's well known for being very exaggerated in his actions, though it also lends a sense of danger to him which, again, is perfectly suited for someone as merciless as he is. It's also impossible to talk about Wesker without mentioning his glasses, which feed into his dark persona, while also hiding his bright red devilish eyes. Wesker demonstrates that a villain can still go over-the-top with their dress sense while also looking evil and menacing in the process, so long as their personality is in tune with their outfit.
