Highlights

  • Jill Valentine has become one of the main characters in the Resident Evil franchise, appearing in multiple games and even a CG film. Her story has spanned 27 years and shows no signs of stopping.
  • Jill Valentine's story in the series has included major plot points such as the mansion incident, the formation of the BSAA, and taking down Umbrella.
  • While many Resident Evil characters have open-ended stories, it may be time for characters like Jill to have a satisfying conclusion. Continuing their stories indefinitely may be a missed opportunity for closure and the chance to introduce new characters.

The Resident Evil franchise has become known for its recurring characters that consistently find themselves pulled back into the world of survival horror time and time again. Ever since Resident Evil 2 set up a shared universe, fans have demanded to see their favorite character appear in future installments. This trend became a reality with Resident Evil 3, the first mainline Resident Evil title to feature a main character from a previous game. Jill Valentine, the protagonist of RE1 and RE3, has become solidified as one of the franchise's mainstays. Her story spans 27 years and, for better or worse, doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Jill Valentine was introduced as one of the two selectable characters in Resident Evil (1996) along with Chris Redfield. Like Chris, Jill has a background in the United States military, though Jill served in the Army instead of the Air Force. Also like Chris, her recruitment into Raccoon City Police Department's elite S.T.A.R.S. unit would start a long battle against horrific monsters and the corrupt villains that create them. After six canon appearances as a main character in Resident Evil plus mentions in several others, Jill is still fighting the good fight along with other series regulars. Her latest appearance in the CG film Death Island left things open-ended for the character. This begs the question of when, if, and how her story should come to a satisfying conclusion.

Every Major Appearance of Jill Valentine (Chronological)

  1. Resident Evil
  2. Resident Evil 3
  3. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
  4. Resident Evil: Revelations
  5. Resident Evil 5
  6. Resident Evil: Death Island
Resident Evil Outbreak
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Why Resident Evil Characters' Stories Should End

Jill Valentine's Arc

Resident Evil characters' individual story arcs are almost always pretty vague, typically consisting of references to their relationships with other characters without ever going much deeper. Jill does have one of the more pronounced journeys for a character in the series, as she played a part in such major Resident Evil plot points as the mansion incident, Raccoon City, the formation of the BSAA, and taking down Umbrella. Jill has been infected with the T-Virus, brainwashed by Wesker, nearly nuked, and has faced hordes of zombies and monsters while remaining mostly unwavering in resolve.

Resident Evil 5 marked a point in Jill's journey that was seemingly the end until the recent film Death Island continued her story. In Death Island, Jill carries a heavy burden after being brainwashed by Wesker and continues to fight B.O.W.s with the BSAA. Because she was infected with the T-Virus previously, her aging has slowed, and therefore she looks the same as she did in RE3. This opens the door for the series to continue using Jill if the opportunity arises, but as the BSAA becomes the enemy after the story of Resident Evil: Death Island, it is unclear what her story would be.

The End of Jill's Story

In Resident Evil, not many characters have conclusive endings to their stories. It's typical for an RE character to remain open-ended so that they can be brought back if need be. The nature of the franchise does allow for a sort of endless conflict, as part of the charm is that it continuously reinvents itself with each entry. However, characters like Ethan Winters in RE7 and Village show that a short, complete arc for an RE character can work well.

It may become more difficult to have a satisfying end to the legacy character's stories the longer they stick around. RE5 could have been a great point to finish Jill's story, but now she's back in the fray with no real direction. These characters keep getting older, and there may come a point when they must retire to make way for something new. Resident Evil legacy characters like Jill are gaming icons and always exciting to see or play, but for such important characters, it may be a missed opportunity if they don't get some real closure eventually.