Resident Evil is one of Capcom's most popular franchises, and many gamers have beloved memories shooting zombies and monsters in these popular survival horror shooters. But is Resident Evil truly a horror franchise?
In many ways, yes, of course. But it may come as a surprise that there is also a strong case to make for it being a superhero universe. Although its roots may come straight from B movies, Resident Evil has super-science, superheroes, and supervillains.
Super Science
Super science is an important backbone to many superhero stories, and the world of Resident Evil has it in abundance. Although the franchise is known for its many viral pathogens, specifically the T-Virus, that create zombies, the intent behind these biological weapons is often meant to create superhuman abilities. The Tyrants like Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 are merely human subjects who have been mutated into enormous weapons capable of great feats of strength and regeneration. In Resident Evil 4, the Las Plagas Parasite was introduced as a kind of mind control weapon. But the super science doesn’t just include biological weapons: floating ocean cities, rail guns, and even satellite lasers all make appearances in the games. Heck, there’s even a few instances of giant robots, like the mechanized statue that chases Leon in Resident Evil 4. The diversity of science fiction gadgets, weapons, and just plain outrageous elements that show up are quite reminiscent of a superhero comic.
Supervillains
In order to really sell the case of Resident Evil as a superhero universe, however, one must make the case that it contains both superheroes and supervillains. Fortunately, there are quite a few examples of both. When it comes to supervillains, this task is quite easy, as each game in the series typically ends with a confrontation with one of the Umbrella Corporation’s weapons, beings with incredible superhuman powers. But each one is no mere mindless zombie; each has his or her own unique character traits and powers. Birkin in Resident Evil 2 is a rapidly mutating monster with an eyeball theme, but he also has a tragic side to his story involving his family, especially his daughter. Resident Evil 3 gives us the iconic Nemesis, a monster that intelligently stalks Jill Valentine throughout the entire game, armed with tentacles and rocket launchers. Even more fitting with superheroes, Resident Evil: Code Veronica featured Alexia, who had combustible blood that she could hurl like fireballs.
But it was perhaps Resident Evil 5 that pitted the player against the most superpowered villain of all: Albert Wesker. Moving so fast that he appeared to be teleporting, Wesker’s strength, speed, and regeneration make him quite the fit for a superhero universe. If that’s not enough, his smugness and plans for total world saturation of the doomsday project Uroboros are so over the top that Chris Redfield actually points out that he sounds like a comic book villain.
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Superheroes
Although the player characters in Resident Evil games may appear to be normal humans, there are quite a few examples in gameplay and otherwise that reveal at least some of them to be superheroic or nearly so in their abilities. The protagonists of the early Resident Evil games evade and kill monsters specifically designed to destroy humans, and certain cutscenes, like Billy’s pinpoint accuracy in Resident Evil 0, are simply beyond normal human capability. Resident Evil 4 amps up the action powers of its protagonist with Leon’s martial arts prowess being on a level that’s reminiscent of The Matrix. And although it’s often cited humorously, Chris Redfield’s boulder punch from Resident Evil 5 can definitely be qualified as superheroic.
While the action-hero abilities may be debatable, there are certainly some protagonists who gain superpowers from the biological agents in the series. Sherry Birkin, for example, has extensive regenerative powers, and it’s implied that Jill Valentine may have some abilities from Wesker’s experimentation. Natalia Korda from Resident Evil: Revelations 2 has the ability to sense other biological monsters, and Piers from Resident Evil 6 obtains the ability to fire electrical blasts at the conclusion of the story.
So while Resident Evil may have certainly begun as a straightforward horror story, it certainly evolved into one that has much in common with the superhero universes of today.
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