Highlights

  • Ada Wong may not be a villain, but she's far from a hero, serving her own selfish purposes in the Resident Evil series.
  • Annette Birkin prioritizes her career over her own child, showing selfishness in abandoning her in times of need.
  • Albert Wesker is the epitome of evil and selfishness, aiming for world domination with no regard for who he manipulates or kills.

Resident Evil remains as one of the longest-running game series, and by far one of the most popular, cultivating a loyal fanbase with the level of quality and care they bring with every title. One of the main attractions of the game is the many lovable heroes and villains that star within them.

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Resident Evil: Most Selfless Characters, Ranked

For a series steeped in action and horror, there are some Resident Evil characters that go above and beyond to help others over themselves.

While there are plenty of selfless Resident Evil characters proven to be altruistic heroes, there are also plenty of characters that are the exact inverse, placing their own wants and desires above everything else, even the safety of others. They aren't always necessarily villains per se, but their machinations often put them at odds with the heroes, and leave no doubt that they are only out for themselves.

7 Ada Wong

Though Not an Outright Villain, She is Far From a Hero

Resident Evil 2 Remake Leon And Ada Fight
Resident Evil 2 (2019)

Platform(s)
PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
Released
January 25, 2019
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Horror

Ada falls into somewhat of a gray area when it comes to morality in Resident Evil. Her first appearance in the second installment of the series was that of an aloof woman with an air of mystery. She would periodically appear in front of Leon, only to dash off again without revealing too much of anything. There was a reason for her aloofness, however, as she wasn't there to chat up Leon but to serve her own purposes.

Her role in Resident Evil 4 was more of the same, especially in the Remake which took more time detailing her work relationship with Luis, and even more notably Wesker, but she gives her loyalty to no one and would betray them in a heartbeat if it benefited her. While she does occasionally go out of her way to save Leon, the only reason Ada is in the area to begin with is for her own selfish reasons. She could never outright be called a villain, but the fact remains, she is still a largely selfish character.

6 Annette Birkin

Her Career Comes Before Her Family

Resident Evil 2 Remake Annette Birkin

Wife to a brilliant scientist and mother to Sherry Birkin, Annette also worked as a virologist for Umbrella, but never quite managed to balance her home and work life. She excels at her career and is undoubtedly a very intelligent woman as she studies her husband's transformation with fervor, but she can never quite muster the same passion or care for her own child.

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Even when Sherry grows unwell from the G-Virus, Annette turns her back on her and leaves her in the care of Claire, a woman she doesn't even know in order to continue pursuing her studies. While there is nothing wrong with a career-driven woman, the fact that she turned her back on her own child in her most desperate hour of need gives all the evidence needed to rightfully call Annette one of the most selfish characters in the entire series.

5 Eveline

Forces Other People into Her Family Against Their Wishes

resident evil 7 - eveline - eveline dies
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Released
January 24, 2017
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Resident Evil 7 introduced fans to the Winters', and the terrifying Baker family Ethan and Mia find themselves in the clutches of. After receiving a message from his missing wife of three years, Ethan travels to the backwaters of Louisiana, where he has the misfortune of meeting the family face to face. Though it seems like it is spearheaded by the partiarch, Jack isn't the one responsible for the mad family and their violent machinations. The true evil is the old woman, Eveline.

Sometimes appearing as an impudent young girl, especially during flashbacks, Eveline wanted nothing more than a family to call her own, even if she had to force them into it. Her selfish desire for a family twisted the once gentle and kind Baker family into a menagerie of monsters with truly gruesome and disturbing 'gifts', as they are mistakenly referred to.

4 Nicholai Ginovaef

Purely Motivated by Money

Resident Evil 3 Nicholai Ginovaef grinning
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Platform(s)
Dreamcast , Nintendo GameCube , PC , PS1
Released
November 10, 1999
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Most players will recall Nemesis as the primary antagonist of Resident Evil 3, the hulking juggernaut nearly impervious to all attacks, stalking Jill relentlessly through the torn streets of Raccoon City. But there was a secondary antagonist to contend with, which is where Nicholai Ginovaef comes in. This character served in Umbrella's militia, but only for himself.

As one would expect of a Resident Evil adversary, Nicholai is very self-involved, but rather than having haughty plans of creating unstoppable bioweapons and ruling the world, all of his actions are motivated by money. This alone might not necessarily be a bad thing, as everyone needs a job, but it's his actions that make him more selfish, as he is aware of the devastation Nemesis can wreak. Nicholai was more than willing to let it do its job eliminating all of S.T.A.R.S. and took an assassination job purely to satiate his greed. Nicholai does his job well as a detestable and self-serving villain.

3 Mother Miranda

Willing to Sacrifice An Infant For Her Goals

Mother Miranda holding baby Rose
Resident Evil Village

Released
May 7, 2021
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival (dupe) , Horror

Resident Evil Village was the continuation of the Winters' storyline, but this time Ethan was tasked with saving his infant daughter Rose instead of his wife, who was kidnapped by Mother Miranda, and separated into four body parts as part of a rather brutal ritual to resurrect her own daughter.

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Mother Miranda served as the main antagonist of the game, something akin to a cult leader in an isolated European village. She unleashed the mold on countless innocents, transforming them into lycan-like creatures, other than the Four Lords, who became something more dangerous and powerful. As a mother who lost her child, she would know the pain of losing one, but that wouldn't stop her from inflicting that pain on Ethan and Mia, just to resurrect Eva. The fact that she was willing to sacrifice Rose in order to succeed demonstrates extremely violent selfishness.

2 Osmund Saddler

Mistreats Various Other People in His Quest for Dominance

Resident Evil 4 Remake Saddler Grinning
Resident Evil 4

Platform(s)
PS4 , PS3 , PS2 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Switch , Wii , Nintendo GameCube , PC , Android , iOS
Released
January 11, 2005
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Resident Evil 4 takes players away from Raccoon City, to a remote Spanish village gripped by a parasitic plague, transforming ordinary people into monsters at the hands of Osmund Saddler, whom all the infected worship and obey. Players encounter him from time to time as they venture through the village in search of Ashley Graham, the President's daughter who was kidnapped for the purpose of spreading Las Plagas to the United States.

This action alone would mark him as a selfish villain, as he kidnaps a young innocent in order to spread his influence to one of the most powerful countries in the world, but there are other actions Saddler does that make him even more selfish. Not only did he infect countless others to turn them into mindless sheep to serve as his flock of devoted followers, he also manipulated countless others such as Roman Salazar for financial and military gain.

1 Albert Wesker

Plots to Take Over the Entire World

Resident Evil 5 Albert Wesker standing in front of two windows
Resident Evil 5

Platform(s)
PS3 , PS4 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , PC , Switch
Released
March 5, 2009
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Serving as one of the most memorable and popular villains throughout the franchise, Albert Wesker is the epitome of evil and selfishness. First appearing in Resident Evil as the leader of S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team, Wesker has always been part of Umbrella, carrying out nefarious missions in the background. His role as a double agent is revealed at the end of the game, and he returns as the primary antagonist in Resident Evil 5 with his eyes on bigger, more self-serving goals.

In his own words, Wesker plans for 'complete global saturation' of the Uroboros virus to help ensure his goal of world domination becomes a reality, and to hell with whoever he has to manipulate or kill on his way. His roles as a secret double agent and mastermind behind the Uroboros make Wesker the most selfish character in the entire Resident Evil timeline.

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