Ethan Winters' main goal in Resident Evil Village is to find his missing daughter Rosemary, aka Rose, who has been kidnapped by Mother Miranda. Rose is central to Resident Evil Village's story from the start all the way to the post-credits scene, though things aren't quite cut and dry with her. This has led to plenty of unanswered questions and theories about Rose, especially in regards to her appearance at the end of the game.
Please note that in order to discuss this Resident Evil Village theory about Rose, it's necessary to go into SPOILER territory. Anyone that hasn't yet completed Resident Evil Village for themselves may want to go finish the game first. Anyone else curious about this particular theory about Rose and how she appears in the game's post-credits scene can read on.
Here is one theory that about Rose in Resident Evil Village that may actually be accurate.
Rose's Age in Resident Evil Village
At the very end of Resident Evil Village, players are treated to a post-credits scene that shows a teenaged version of Ethan's daughter Rose visiting her father's grave at a cemetery. This Resident Evil Village post-credits scene accomplishes a number of things: it shows that Rose is now a teenager, that she still has powers from the black mold, that she was mentored by Chris Redfield, and that her powers makes her a valuable asset to go on missions.
What the question doesn't answer, though, is how old Rose really is. On the surface, it seems as though the post-credits scene is establishing a time jump, as Rose was an infant during the events of Resident Evil Village. Since Rose now has the appearance of a teenager, one would think that at least 15 or so years have passed between Resident Evil Village's ending and what goes down in the post-credits scene. However, that's not necessarily the case.
While it's possible that Rose has aged normally and 15 or so years have passed, it's also just as likely that only a few years have passed. For those wondering why that would be possible, the answer lies in the previous game, Resident Evil 7.
Eveline in Resident Evil 7
In Resident Evil 7, one of the main antagonists of the game is a girl named Eveline, who turns out to be a bioweapon created with the black mold. Ethan's wife Mia was transporting Eveline when she caused a shipwreck that landed them in rural Louisiana, using her powers to take over the minds of the Baker family and transform them into horrific monsters. Eveline has immense powers in Resident Evil 7, but these powers seem to come with a major consequence.
Eveline ages rapidly. While she was a little girl when Mia first met her a few years before the events of Resident Evil 7, she is an extremely old woman once Ethan arrives on the plantation. Eveline is wheelchair-bound in Resident Evil 7 despite having been a little girl just a few years prior, which means that the black mold does seem to make people age rather rapidly. With this already established, it's entirely possible that Rose is technically only a few years old at the end of Resident Evil Village despite having the appearance of a teenager.
The Benefit of Rapid Aging for Rose in Resident Evil
A reason why Capcom would want to rapidly age Rose as opposed to using a time jump is very simple: this way, the studio can use Rose in the inevitable Resident Evil 9, while also not dramatically aging up all the other characters in the franchise. Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Village is already pushing 50 during the events of Resident Evil Village, so a time skip would make him in his 60s during the events of Resident Evil 9 (assuming RE9 takes place after Village's post-credits scene, anyway).
Essentially, aging-up Rose in Resident Evil Village would allow Capcom to have its cake and eat it, too.
Comparing Rose and Eveline
Rose and Eveline are both products of the black mold, but there are some key differences between the two of them. Both of Rose's parents were exposed to black mold, which seems to have made Rose especially powerful. After all, Rose's power is enough that she was a suitable vessel for Mother Miranda's daughter, which is something that Miranda has been trying to find with literal decades of research. Even as a baby Rose's power is obvious as she is literally cut into pieces and reformed like nothing happens.
Due to Rose being more powerful, it suggests that she may be more resistant to some of the negative side effects of the black mold. This would include things like the rapid aging, and if that were the case, it's possible that Rose ages normally and 15 years have genuinely passed.
Ultimately, all of this is just speculation until Capcom decides to reveal the next Resident Evil game, and with a number of projects in the pipeline, it means fans will likely be waiting years to get their answers.
Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
