Capcom'sResident Evil emerged on video game screens in 1996 and has retained its status as a vastly successful franchise. The RE universe features an assemble of intriguing characters, both major and minor. Resident Evil's outermost video game characters that play significantly minor roles in comparison to major characters such as Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield, however, are oftentimes overlooked.
There are many fascinating minor characters situated within the peripherals of the Resident Evil video game franchise. Despite being deemed inconsequential or subsidiary, each deserves mention. These characters help to aid the story progression and gameplay of one of the most major survival horror game titles.
Updated March 28th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There are a lot of amazing characters found sprinkled throughout the Resident Evil franchise. The long-running series has seen a plethora of mainline games, as well as a ton of spin-offs. There are a lot of Resident Evil characters that don't get their fair share of screen time, even though some of them stand out as some of the most interesting people to ever grace the series. To better showcase the Resident Evil characters that are criminally underrated, and to pinpoint some of the best one-shot characters to ever show up in the franchise, the following list has been updated with even more entries.
13 Rebecca Chambers
Although Rebecca Chambers technically had a starring role in Resident Evil 0, she hasn't had much screentime since, and it's arguable that she's one of the more interesting characters on the S.T.A.R.S. roster. Players are used to seeing powerhouses like Sheva Alomar, Jill Valentine, and Claire Redfield take centerstage with their impressive athletic ability and strength, which causes Rebecca Chambers to seem "weak" by comparison.
This couldn't be farther from the truth, as Rebecca is perhaps the most resourceful member on the S.T.A.R.S squad thanks to her mass intellect. Rather than a war-hardened hero or a trained police officer, Chambers began her stint on S.T.A.R.S. as a rookie recruited entirely for her extensive knowledge of chemistry. She was a child prodigy that effortlessly made her way through university, landing a job with the famous task force after they reached out to her. It would be great to see Rebecca get some more time in the spotlight.
12 Karl Heisenberg
Those looking for an enigmatic villain need look no further than Karl Heisenberg, one of the sub-antagonists of Resident Evil Village. As a child, Heisenberg was subjected to the Cadou, which birthed extraordinary mutant powers within him. Thanks to his genius intellect and his penchant for engineering, Karl became a Lord, and one of the most successful subjects to serve the powerful Mother Miranda.
What separates Heisenberg from the rest of his "family" is that he had aspirations much larger than simple subservience to his "Mother." Karl Heisenberg was a smart antagonist that fell victim to the combined might of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield, but prior to their encounter he tried his best to convince Ethan to join him in his quest to "take over." He definitely left his mark as one of the most interesting villains in Resident Evil history.
11 Alexia Ashford
Another often overlooked "one-shot villain," Alexia Ashford served as antagonist in the highly underrated Resident Evil: Code Veronica. The release, which desperately deserves to be remastered along the rest of the Resident Evil series, saw Claire Redfield attempt to navigate a mysterious manor with two eccentric noble types in Alfred and Alexia Ashford. Although Alfred seemed like a major threat at the start of the adventure, players would soon learn that Alexia was the true mastermind behind the scenes.
A modified clone, Alexia was crafted from recovered DNA as part of the Code: Veronica program, turning her into a super-intelligent experiment that quickly graduated from university at age 10. From there, she was placed into Umbrella Pharmaceuticals as its top virologist, a position she would use to further her own ambitions. She definitely stands as one of the most underrated villains within the Resident Evil franchise.
10 Luis Sera
Luis Sera's significance in RE4 should not be restricted by his short-lived appearance. Though presenting himself as an exuberant playboy, he is tough and highly adept. Luis was a researcher who became disillusioned after working with a parasite that ended up taking over his village. After befriending Leon S. Kennedy, he helps him to escape the village. Luis leaves behind research notes when he dies, providing Leon with a way to navigate information on Las Plagas, the parasitic creatures in RE4.
The underlying motivation behind Luis' backstory is tragic; he seeks a cure for the virus that killed his grandfather. Luis' story becomes lost in RE4's larger narrative, yet it adds a deeper facet to his playful character that could have been explored more.
9 Barry Burton
Barry Burton's impact on the Resident Evil franchise is elementary. First appearing in the initial RE game, Barry has since made appearances in succeeding games and had a pivotal role in RE: Revelations 2. Despite not being a major character, Barry has received huge acclaim from fans. Most notably, perhaps, for his "Jill Sandwich" joke in the first game.
During the Racoon City outbreak, Barry worked as a weapons specialist for S.T.A.R.S and he continued working on covert missions to stop Umbrella's bioterrorism. Barry aided Jill, as well as others in RE, by equipping her with ammo for the Spencer Mansion mission. During the Racoon City outbreak, he helped to evacuate Jill and Carlos Oliveira before the destruction of the city. His valiance in RE definitely helped to save numerous lives.
8 Marvin Branagh
Marvin Branagh is a secondary character in RE2 and RE3. An admirable Lieutenant for Racoon City Police Department, Marvin was was held in high esteem by his coworkers. After the T-Virus outbreak infected the water systems, Marvin assisted in the search for survivors and coordinated police officers during Chief Brian Irons' absence.
When Claire/Leon first encounter Marvin in RE2, he is mortally wounded, yet he still manages to rescue them by pulling them from beneath a shutter door and advising them a way out of the RPD building. In the midst of the chaotic outbreak, Marvin reassembled a survivor group in an attempt to help them survive. Marvin is never seen to lose his cool despite the dark and harsh reality that unfolds over Racoon City. He buys time for others to escape and in the process, becomes infected himself.
7 HUNK
Though he does not play a pivotal role in the RE series, HUNK is an interesting soldier shrouded with many secrets. In spite of his minor part, HUNK's enigmatic presence lives on throughout RE. Often referred to as "The Grim Reaper," HUNK's purposefully cold personality and tactical appearance somehow dehumanizes him, yet solidifies his reputation as a deadly Umbrella operative.
Perhaps possessing the largest aptitude for surviving an outbreak, HUNK's appearance in RE2's minigame "The 4th Survivor" exemplifies his skillset regardless of the circumstance (even in those unpredictably grotesque sewers). HUNK has a notoriety for weapon specialization and his role is extensively iconic in the RE world.
6 Carlos Oliveira
Carlos was a mercenary for the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. Trustworthy, charming, and over-confident, he makes for an awesome sidekick to Jill Valentine in the Resident Evil 3 remake, which turned out to be a pretty great reimagining of the original. After a stealthy playthrough as Jill, playing as Carlos offers the brutal, alternative end of the zombie-killing spectrum as he assault-rifles his way through everything that stands in his way,
Sadly, Carlos is never seen again after RE3. Discarded by Capcom, his life after RE3's events remains a mystery. Many of Carlos' dark-humored lines, perhaps as a way to cope with Racoon City's savageness, cannot be easily forgotten. Carlos tells Jill that he won't be leaving on the last train, ending with "if it means I can help save the city, that's fine by me." This reveals his heroic disposition.
5 Sheva Alomar
Beautiful and versatile, Sheva appears in RE5 as a replacement sidekick to Chris Redfield, following the death of Jill Valentine. Sheva is an agent of the West African branch of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. The design of her appearance encompasses everything about her traits; femininity and strength, according to production designer, Yasuhiro Anpo. Sheva's ruthlessness tied together with her beauty made her character very well-received amongst fans.
As a tough-as-nails fighter with extensive experience, Sheva's ability to use firearms is on the same expert level as Chris. She aids him in fights as well as assisting him in weapon/item allocation.
4 Mia Winters
Mia Winters, Ethan Winters' wife, plays a secondary role in RE7: Biohazard and RE Village. Her past, however, is intriguing and adds to her character depth. It was revealed in RE7 that Mia was in fact a secret member of "The Connections", a crime organization that confidentially operated in bio-weaponry production.
Mia was also involved in the transportation of the bio-weapon "Evaline". Her origins, however, remain a mystery, and only part of her history can be pinpointed by collecting various notes dotted around in RE7. Mia is a mystifying subsidiary character since her true identity and past are only revealed after The Dulvey Incident.
3 Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra
As much as Lady Dimitrescu remains an unforgettable figure in RE Village, her daughters, Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra are as equally intriguing. They are some of the many terrifying female characters in the RE franchise. Encapsulating an aura of "The Brides of Dracula", Ethan encounters minor characters Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra in their ancestral castle home, where they remain trapped within the confines of its eerie walls due to them being weakened by winter temperatures.
Reborn via the Cadou parasite, the daughters obeyed Lady Dimitrescu immediately. Sustaining themselves through drinking blood and consuming people, Lady Dimitrescu and her three deadly Vampire daughters have been the talk of the internet during the run-up to RE Village's release. Despite Ethan's short-lived encounter with the vampire daughters, their presence is still iconic.
2 Billy Coen
Sentenced to death for supposed murder, Billy broke out and by chance, met Rebecca Chambers in RE Zero. He left the scene of his capture, later saving Rebecca and partnering up with her to learn the hidden face of the Umbrella Corporation.
Since Billy's starring role in RE Zero, he has since remained as a subsidiary character within the RE franchise. It is unknown whether Billy survived before the Arklay Mansion incident, and fans have hoped that he would reappear to provide some closure.
1 The Duke
The Duke is an unusually friendly merchant in the RE series, and has become a fan favorite. He provides many useful resources to help Ethan Winters with finding his daughter in RE Village. Not much is known about the mystifying Duke, other than that he serves the village as a resident merchant through his Emporium.
Despite being a peripheral character, The Duke's presence is strangely comforting. His omnipresence functions as a guide to Ethan Winters. He appears to loom over all events in RE Village, encompassing a great deal of knowledge. The Duke also shows up at various places almost magically. The amiable merchant's minor role in the game is paradoxical in that he is essential to Ethan's survival.