Zombies are amazing to shoot at, but as villains, they leave a lot to be desired. The undead might be what pulled you toward Resident Evil, but it’s the human characters that ultimately keep us coming back. It takes a special kind of evil to unleash a zombie virus in a densely populated metropolis or hack somebody’s daughter to pieces. Be it world domination, massive wealth, or straight-up godhood – these characters are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. Let’s take a look at some of the most dangerous and memorable villains in Resident Evil history.
15. Carla Radames
First appearance: Resident Evil 6 (2012) Carla Radames is one of the most absurd villains in Resident Evil history, but that also makes her one of the best. For all its detailed pseudo-scientific explanations and gritty storyline, Resident Evil is actually pretty campy when it comes to its heroes and villains. Carla was made by Derek C. Simmons to get over his rejection by femme fatale Ada Wong. He developed a whole cloning mechanism just to turn his assistant into Ada – body, and mind. My only gripe with Carla is how flat her character is. Had they handled her better, even something as silly as an Ada clone could have added to the story.
14. Ramon Salazar
First appearance: Resident Evil 4 (2005) Another absurd but undeniably iconic villain is Ramon Salazar, the pint-sized castellan that first unearthed Las Plagas and gave them to Lord Saddler. Salazar exists somewhere between a little boy and an old man. He’s disturbing but not really menacing. To compensate, he employs two “Verdugos” – powerful insect-like BOWs – that guard him at all times. He may not be the coolest or the most powerful, but this infected Napoleon is unforgettable.
13. Alex Wesker
First appearance: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015) If you missed Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS and never got around to playing the sequel, you’ll be surprised to learn that Albert Wesker had a sister. Along with Albert, Alex was the only surviving subject of Project W, which aimed to create the next step in human evolution. Both Wesker children made it their life’s work to push humanity forward in the most sinister ways possible. Their choices would eventually lead them both to a violent death on the business end of an RPG rocket.
12. James Marcus (Queen Leech)
First appearance: Resident Evil 0 (2002) One of the most unusual villains in Resident Evil history is James Marcus, an Umbrella founder and groundbreaking researcher who was betrayed and fed to his own zombie leeches. After consuming Marcus, the leeches assimilated a part of his mind – leading to the robed figure we meet in Resident Evil 0. He may look pure and messianic, but this man is actually a horrifying colony of super-leeches. Dying only to come back as a shape-shifting demon feels almost mythological, a sensation only intensified by Marcus’ RPG garb.
11. William Birkin
First appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998) Another tormented Umbrella researcher turned monster is William Birkin. He was vital in creating both the T and G viruses. Obsessed with his research, Birkin became a liability for the company, so they decided to kill him. Birkin wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. Injecting himself with the G-Virus, the researcher managed to survive terminal gunshot wounds – but the mutation continued, turning him into a horrible monster. Each time we meet him in RE2, he’s a bit more deformed – until finally losing all human likeness.
10. Eveline
First appearance: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) Resident Evil 7 took a page from The Last of Us and made the zombifying agent a fungus – or, more specifically, mold. Eveline is a new kind of BOW designed to infiltrate target areas and slowly infect everyone with spores. She’s fixated on the idea of creating a suitable family for herself – but she’s still a weapon. When she possesses the Bakers, she turns them into violent monsters. There’s something about infectious mold slowly taking over a home and its inhabitants that screams “Resident Evil”.
9. Osmund Saddler
First appearance: Resident Evil 4 (2005) Nowadays, you might picture a modern maniac like Joseph Seed from Far Cry 5 when someone says “cult leader,” but I prefer the classic robe-wearing kind. I prefer Osmund Saddler. This old Spaniard got into the minds of prominent figures in the rural village from RE4, all to gain access to the mysterious “Plagas.” Then he used the parasites to turn the entire population into unthinking slaves. Despite being a pretty stereotypical villain, he dares to tell Leon he’ll “help him awaken” from his “world of clichés” – only to be defeated with none other than an RPG. Talk about cliché.
8. Alexia Ashford
First appearance: Resident Evil: Code Veronica (2000) You’ll find everything from government officials to sleazy arms dealers among RE villains – and even some European nobles. Alexia Ashford was cloned from the 1st Ashford countess, Veronica, to bring back the genius mind that built up the family in the first place. She rose through the ranks as a virologist from a young age thanks to her superior intellect, but like most researchers in Resident Evil, she was consumed by the thirst for power. This ladylike megalomaniac successfully fused with her T-Veronica virus. She almost achieved godhood, only to be defeated by Wesker and the Redfields.
7. Jack Krauser
First appearance: Resident Evil 4 (2005) Krauser is one of those villains you can’t help but love despite dying countless times at their hand. You fight this ex-SOCOM twice in Resident Evil 4. The first is a legendary knife fight where your life depends on quickly hitting the buttons as prompted. The second is a more traditional but equally challenging boss fight with a mutated Krauser sporting a shiny new blade arm. Krauser was so popular that they brought him back for The Darkside Chronicles, where we finally got some background on this renegade soldier.
6. The Bakers
First appearance: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) After the fourth entry in the series, the monsters and villains in Resident Evil took a dive in the “scary” department. RE7 was a return to form for the series that tried to make horror the center focus again. Enter the Bakers. Seating with these moldy psychopaths for dinner was one of the most disturbing scenes in the whole game. They’re playing the part of a tight-knit family, but each of them is a different kind of monster.
5. Oswell E. Spencer
First appearance: Resident Evil 5 (2009) Wesker may have been pulling strings for most of the series, but Oswell E. Spencer is the true heart of darkness. The owner of the Spencer Mansion was one of Umbrella’s founders and remained its president until the bitter end. In his free time from engineering the apocalypse, Oswell made sure to take out all of his associates and anyone he considered a threat. Of course, even that couldn’t keep him safe from Wesker. In the end, his plan to live forever with a perfect virus was never realized. But his influence continues to be felt in the world of Resident Evil.
4. Alcina Dimitrescu
First appearance: Resident Evil Village (2021) Alcina Dimitrescu has become famous online for all the right reasons. This north-European noble is at the same time menacing and hot, as are her “daughters.” She appeals to the part of us that wishes to be vulnerable – the part that sees itself as prey. Who wouldn’t want to be eaten up by this classy bloodsucker? Stick around, and you might see her turn into a colossal dragon monster. Not quite as attractive but definitely scary.
3. Ada Wong
First appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998) Another villain who enjoys great popularity thanks to her sex appeal is Ada Wong – Leon’s main love interest and the walking definition of a femme fatale. Mystery is at the center of her character – so much that many would hesitate to call her a villain. We never know who she’s really working for, and she keeps helping Leon despite hindering him at the same time. That said, it’s hard to imagine Ada having pure intentions. She’s always in cahoots with one evil organization or another, and sabotaging a villain doesn’t make you heroic when you’re helping the competition.
2. Mother Miranda
First appearance: Resident Evil Village (2021) European mythology is rich in tales of shape-shifting demons with human forms that terrorize humanity for hundreds of years. In the world of Resident Evil, there may be some truth to these stories. Mother Miranda discovered the Black Mold in the early 19th century and quickly became fixated on its power. She dedicated her life to studying the mold, becoming immortal in the process. The dark and cursed aesthetic makes Mother Miranda feel like a primordial evil far beyond our comprehension.
1. Albert Wesker
First appearance: Resident Evil (1996) I’d love to be a hipster and tell you some obscure villain like Morpheus D. Duvall from RE: Dead Aim (2003) is the best in the series, but we all know it’s Albert Wesker. This evil genius was the face of Resident Evil villainy from the series’ inception in 1996. With great intelligence and superhuman abilities, Wesker was a fearsome force driving viral and parasitical disasters worldwide. It took throwing Wesker in a volcano and shooting him with an RPG to finally take him down – a warrior’s death for one of the most hardcore villains in gaming.
