Resident Evil Village completes Ethan Winters' story. Maybe he'll return in the future, but the ending card definitively states that "the father's story is now done". He deserves the rest, too, because the protagonist goes through absolute torture during the course of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and its sequel.
Not only does he go through the mental torment of almost losing his child and seeing his wife shot in front of him, but his body really goes through the wringer. Ethan's hands take a particularly notable amount of punishment. Will the next game's protagonist go through a similar amount of torment?
10 Was Ethan Winters Ever Not Horribly Maimed?
Ethan Winters takes so much damage throughout the two games, people are inclined to think the development team is a group of sadists. Has any protagonist gone through so much physical pain over the course of a game? Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid comes close in the fourth mainline entry, but even he gets through the journey with all limbs intact. Ethan's power of durability is nice; it just stinks he still feels all the pain.
9 Okay, But Friends Don't Shoot Their Friend's Wife
Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy apparently are not on speaking terms at the moment, perhaps because of Leon's refusal to start a family with Claire Redfield. Normally having somebody like Chris in your corner would be a huge plus.
However, one does not expect a friend to break into their house, shoot their wife, and kidnap their child. Chris says he has his reasons, but it does not help if Ethan does not know why.
8 Chris The Terminator
Chris walks up to Mia's already injured body and makes sure the job is done by shooting her several more times with a pistol. All he says to Ethan is sorry and takes her out with the emotion of a T-1000. We guess once someone has been fighting as long as Chris Redfield has, they start doing their job with no enthusiasm or emotion. In general, Chris is rougher and more jaded in Resident Evil Village than in prior games.
7 Just The Best Dad
Ethan Winters does everything in Resident Evil Village for his daughter, Rose. We'd all like to say we'd do the same thing for our children, but it is impossible to say until faced with a similar challenge.
Venturing into an unknown village and being chased by monsters is probably more than most dads could handle. To be fair, he does have a slight advantage over a normal human being, but even so, the terror would give most a heart attack.
6 You Never Forget Your First Dismemberment
Ethan Winters first loses his hand when he goes to the Baker estate in attempt to save Mia. While under possession, Mia chops off Ethan's hand. Fortunately, it is attached once again with no problem. Little did Ethan know, he would become well acquainted with hand dismemberment throughout his terrifying journey. Did they ever talk about it afterward or did the couple try to forget about it? If Ethan can forgive Mia for this, they can get through anything.
5 Never Invite Chris Redfield To A Wedding
It is hard to overstate just how much trouble Chris could have saved if he had just told Ethan about the plan. Maybe he didn't because he could not be sure if Ethan was already infected, but his ultimate reason is that he did not need more civilians involved. However, Ethan has already proven himself in battle and has military training, so he could have at least been told what to do in order to make sure Rose is safe during the attack.
4 Well I Only Lost My Hand Twice
When it comes to losing limbs, it only needs to happen twice to the same limb for it to be weird. For one, you can really only lose a hand once. On the off chance you are Ethan Winters and can reattach your hand, chopping it off again is just incredibly bad luck. It almost feels like his fault the second time around. Weirder than losing a hand twice is his clothing remaining intact.
3 Lady Dimitrescu Will Stomp On Ethan Forever
Players were looking forward to Lady Dimitrescu destroying Ethan Winters over and over again. Upon learning about Ethan Winters' powers, players probably became even more excited. Having Lady Dimitrescu decimate Ethan, waiting for his body to regenerate, and then going through the process again is probably a fantasy for many. Poor Ethan Winters has no say in the matter, and he would probably not agree with this fantasizing.
2 Sterling Archer Playing Resident Evil
As funny as this meme is, Ethan Winters is probably too heartbroken and mad to see the humor. He is asking Chris to kill him and get the job done. At this point, he still does not understand anything about the current conflict and is only concerned with saving Rose. Despite Sterling Archer's extreme selfishness and questionable ethics, he too would probably go through the same lengths to save his daughter.
1 Blood Brothers
Everyone fondly recalls this joke from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Black Knight loses all of his limbs in a sword fight but insists on continuing the duel. He would find a good comrade in Ethan Winters who continues fighting even though he loses his hands. If only the Black Knight were infected by the mold, he too could reattach his legs and arms. If Resident Evil ever goes back to the Middle Ages he might have a chance.