There’s a lot to unpack in theResident Evil Requiemtrailer, from Alyssa Ashcroft’s mysterious death to what sounds likethe return of fan-favourite protagonists Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine. But there’s one question splitting the community down the middle:who is the hooded man?
A popular theory floating around is that it’s Wesker, given how similar the figure’s outfit appears upon closer inspection. Sure, he pumped himself full of Uroboros and became a big, gangly Resident Evil monster, before falling into a volcano where he was obliterated by two rocket launcher shots, but it’s Wesker. He probably had a backup plan… right?
Mozart’s last piece before he died was Requiem, so fans believe the title may be a reference to Wesker’s last-ditch plan to save himself.
As explained byRely On Horror, there are several hints to Wesker’s survival in Umbrella Corps, which is set after RE5; he can even comment on your performance directly, which would be pretty hard to do if he were dead. So, fans think thatthe Wesker we fought was actually a clone, and that Requiem will introduce the real deal, who is finally succumbing to whatever virus he’s pumped full of, desperately trying to find a cure.
Or Maybe It’s Another Umbrella Alumni
Not everyone is sold on this theory, though, either because it’s too far-fetched or because his story ended 16 years ago in RE5 after being reunited with Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Retreading that ground again, but with Grace Ashcroft and potentially Leon Kennedy, who don’t have that same rich history, would be far less impactful. The Wesker cameo in Umbrella Corps does seem to hint that he’s still out there, but in all likelihood, it’s just an easter egg (after all, that same game features a ‘recreation’ of Raccoon City — it’sfullof fan service).
It does seem likeRE4R is setting up a Resident Evil 5 remake, so Wesker may return in future even if he doesn’t appear in Requiem.
u/Subject-Power5043 put forward another, more compelling idea:the hooded figure is Brandon Bailey, a close friend of Oswell E. Spencer. Amidst the collapse of Umbrella, they formed an international crime syndicate called The Connections that utilised the Mold to create bioweapons, and the theory goes that he might’ve embraced the Mold to prolong his own life. He would essentially be a ‘new’ villain, since he’s only been mentioned in RE5 and Village files, but his appearance would tie Requiem directly to the original games and Biohazard/Village.
It’s a solid idea, but it’s easy to understand why the comment section isn’t engaging with the theory and is instead full of memes. Everyone has been speculated to be the hooded figure by now. There have been countless posts theorising that it’s Osmund Saddler, Jake Wesker, the RE4 merchant,Leon Kennedy, acloneof Leon Kennedy — the list goes on, each idea more bizarre than the last.
It could be Wesker, it could be Bailey, or maybe it’s a new character conceived just for Requiem. Comparing their jawlines or the vague patterns on their clothes isn’t going to get us any answers, and so few of these theories have any tangible evidence to support them. Maybe we’ll find out in the Capcom showcase later this week, but if not, the game will be in our hands soon enough anyway, launching next February.
