Why Resident Evil's Chris Redfield is a Tragic Character

As one of the series’ most enduring figures since its inception, Chris Redfield is often seen as the face of

Resident Evil
itself. Throughout his endeavors as a core protagonist and supporting cast member, he has become a beloved hero whose dedication to combating the spread of bioweapons is second to none. Despite the positive impact of his career, however, Chris Redfield is also now a jaded and distant man who has been changed by surviving one of the darkest journeys in all of


Resident Evil
.Going through a harrowing experience is something far from new to the

playable characters of the Resident Evil franchise
, but their painful moments can extend beyond the simple horrors of mutated zombie creatures on the attack. After being around since the first title in the series, Chris Redfield has had the time to build bonds with others only to see them destroyed in heartbreaking fashion. While he might not take the top spot as the most objectively tortured of all, the suffering of Chris across his canon appearances easily makes him one of

RE
‘s more broken characters.

Chris Redfield’s Losses Throughout Resident Evil Have Rightfully Scarred Him

Chris’ Sense of Security Was Dismantled Over Time

While navigating the then-unknown horrors of the Spencer Mansion in

RE1
, the discovery of the deaths of several STARS Bravo Team members is followed by the betrayal of Chris’ commanding officer, prolific antagonist Albert Wesker. This set a theme in motion for the character, that those closest to him end up causing Chris Redfield the most pain. He would subsequently end up having to save his sister Claire from Wesker in

Code Veronica
, but he ends up thinking that

Jill Valentine is dead in Resident Evil 5
. Unfortunately, she ends up mutated and brainwashed into working for Wesker, twisting a bond that had been building between her and Chris since the first game.

Never Truly Recovered From RE6’s Breaking Point

While he finally kills Wesker at the end of the fifth game, the next title opens with Chris living as an amnesiac drunkard unable to cope with the trauma of his entire team being killed in the time since. Piers Nivans helps to restore his conviction in one of

Chris Redfield’s best Resident Evil story arcs
, but his eventual triumph doesn’t eclipse the tragedy of this title. Betrayed yet again, this time by an impostor Ada Wong, Chris witnesses an entire city being hit with a “zombie missile” and becoming mass infected before Piers ultimately sacrifices himself to defeat the BOW Haos.

The Events of Resident Evil Village Will Probably Haunt Chris Redfield for Life

The Guilt of Failing the Winters Family

His next appearance saw Chris appear in a glorified cameo during

RE7
‘s ending, but his further involvement in the Not A Hero DLC elaborated on his newly militarized approach while highlighting his continued loss of squad members.

Village
then pushed this to the extent that Chris takes on a pseudo-antagonistic role, initially appearing to shoot Mia Winters to death and isolate Ethan with no explanation. While it’s later revealed that he killed an impostor Mia,

Chris Redfield not telling Ethan in Resident Evil Village
is a dark example of his newfound conviction. When Ethan’s mold-reliant body breaks down, and he chooses to sacrifice himself in the end, it appears that Chris can’t help but blame himself for how brashly he handled the entire operation.

A Vengeful Future in RE9

After he has to break the news about Ethan’s death to Mia, the emotional reaction that Chris has indicates far more anger towards himself than general sadness or willingness to be comforting. Upon subsequently learning about his former allies, the BSAA, now using bioweapons of their own instead of combating them, he immediately gives orders to plot a course and says that someone has to pay. It’s not known if

Chris Redfield will return in Resident Evil 9
, but he seems prepared to lose everything for his mission.