The Resident Evil series is one of the most famous survival-horror franchises owned by Capcom. Since its first release in 1996, the series has created a fair share of iconic characters such as Leon S Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, Albert Wesker, Ozwell E. Spencer, Nemesis, Mr. X and many more. And while most of them are easily distinguishable, two characters play a very similar role but in different games.
Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 and Nemesis from Resident Evil 3, which begs the question which one of them is the bigger monster. Who is scarier. Let's find out.
10 Mr. X - Silent and Deadly
First created in 1998 for Resident Evil 2, Mr. X is a Tyrant sent to recover the G-Virus sample and kill any remaining officers that stand in the way. The character is a trenchcoat and hat-wearing nightmare for the players, with its silent approach, ghostly-pale skin, slow walk, and brawling capacity.
Throughout the game, Mr. X quietly tracks the players down just to beat them with bare fists. This silent approach makes his dynamic encounters feel incredibly scary and unique.
9 Nemesis - Scarier Design
Created by Shinji Mikami and Kazuhiro Aoyama, Nemesis, in its basic form, has a visual design that is less humanoid compared to Mr. X. With large evil teeth, glass eye, and fleshy muscle and skin, Nemesis is designed to horrify the players beyond belief.
The fact that its facial structure looks so different and unrelatable to a human makes him stand out and feel more threatening. Nemesis is one of the most iconic characters for Capcom, and the fact the 3rd installment is called Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is the testament to that.
8 Mr. X - Super Strength
If there is one thing that stands out between other infected and Mr. X in Resident Evil 2, it is its strength. Mr. X can easily lift a helicopter out of his way with just one arm, bending and crushing it while doing so.
In one of the cutscenes, Mr. X squeezes a reporter like a tomato by punching his hand through the wall. If that's not scary enough, Mr. X can take direct grenade shots to the face and still walk straight at you.
7 Nemesis - Loud and Fast
This may be the most striking difference between The Nemesis and Mr. X, that is because it's directly a part of the gameplay. Nemesis is like Monster Doc Ock from the Spider-Man (2000) game. It is fast, quick, and loud.
In the first encounter with Nemesis in Resident Evil 3: Remake players are introduced to the character in a very similar fashion to Mr. X, but all that changes in the next few minutes of playtime. This intensity and speed make The Nemesis very alarming and creepy.
6 Mr. X - Employ Human Emotions
What makes Mr. X resemble a human is not just it's stature and build, but that fact it can feel certain emotions. The most noticeable one being anger. Mr. X can continuously be seen showing aggression throughout the game and use it to its advantage.
In the game, if the player manages to shoot the hat off its head, Mr. X gets angry and vigorously charges in to hunt the player down. However, Mr. X never let its emotions take the better of him, and it is always in control and focused on its mission.
5 Nemesis - Tentacles
If there is one thing scarier than the design of The Nemesis, it is the tentacles. These extra pairs of biological tentacles help him wreak havoc around the player giving it more of an intimidating look. But these tentacles are not just a part of the design.
They are a potent asset to the Nemesis. The tentacles are strong enough to hold off an oncoming missile from a rocket launcher and then redirect it into another direction. Another ability involving tentacles include infecting others with the virus instantly. Now that's scary.
4 Mr. X - Stronger Bones
By no means, this is a direct comparison to Nemesis. Instead, it boils down to in which game the size plays a bigger role. Mr. X has strong and thick bones, which give him the edge when it comes to height and power. There is a reason why the term big bad guy fits so well together.
Mr. X is between 7-8 feet tall since he has to duck under doors at the police station. Direct headshots have no major effect on him, and players have no choice but to feel helpless and run away to conserve ammo.
3 Nemesis - Uses Weapons
In addition to tentacles, Nemesis can use deadly weapons against the player. This added ability makes every Nemesis Encounter in Resident Evil 3 Remake even more frightening. Nemesis can be seen using weapons such as flame-thrower and rocket-launcher.
This weapon mastery can be a symbol of the intelligence in the Nemesis and hints that it is more aware of the situation than the player anticipate, which bodes well to the fact that the Nemesis is a prototype supersoldier.
2 Mr. X - The Claw
The later form of Mr. X has a noticeable claw and pounding heart on the outside. The claw is made of huge sharp bones and is as deadly as it looks. This form of Mr. X appears to be more like the original Tyrant and is much faster as well.
This sudden boost in the agility gives a new challenge to the players. Mr. X has to hit the players only a few times with the claw to bring them down, making it much more dangerous than before.
1 Nemesis - Animalistic Forms
Nemesis goes through quite a few forms throughout the Resident Evil 3 Remake, and each time it becomes scarier. With every transformation, Nemesis looks a little less human and resembles more to animals and insects. In one of the forms, Nemesis can be seen with giant pincers. When it comes to visual design, these forms are made of blood, gore, and guts. Adding to the already horrific look of Nemesis and turning it into spine-chilling scary.
With all the comparisons, it is clear that both Mr. X and Nemesis play the role they are meant to. While similar in some aspects, there are significant differences that set them apart in the universe of resident evil as one of the scariest monsters ever.