Any fictional character you feel is always getting a raw deal?
Is their whole existence about trauma and it's getting stale?
Maybe they should catch a break but fuck em?
My obvious choice is Wolverine. My coworker got me a Wolverine rolling tray for my birthday and I can't stare at it each time without a pang of sadness.
But also he's a drunk depressive who runs away alot so mixed bag.
1st day on the job his career went up in flames when his entire city was nuked.
Any form of social life or 'clocking out' ended for him the minute the government took him and forced him to work for them after Raccoon City.
Constantly dragged into fighting world-ending bioweapons even when trying to be on vacation for 1 day or doing something as simple as bodyguard duty.
Everyone around him keeps dying unless they're a designated main character like the Redfields.
Love interest randomly shows up, plays hard to get, then disappears for years shortly after her mission is accomplished. She does this repeatedly.
Has to drink to cope with all of this.
People love the guy they see from RE 2 and RE 4, but everything afterwards (including the Chronicles games, RE 6, and the movies) just makes you hope he'll finally have a chance to retire someday before he ends up like Chris or worse.
1st day on the job his career went up in flames when his entire city was nuked.
Any form of social life or 'clocking out' ended for him the minute the government took him and forced him to work for them after Raccoon City.
Constantly dragged into fighting world-ending bioweapons even when trying to be on vacation for 1 day or doing something as simple as bodyguard duty.
Everyone around him keeps dying unless they're a designated main character like the Redfields.
Love interest randomly shows up, plays hard to get, then disappears for years shortly after her mission is accomplished. She does this repeatedly.
Has to drink to cope with all of this.
People love the guy they see from RE 2 and RE 4, but everything afterwards (including the Chronicles games, RE 6, and the movies) just makes you hope he'll finally have a chance to retire someday before he ends up like Chris or worse.
As a huge RE fan, I refuse to buy Leon and especially Chris’ angst being justified.
Leon could likely have been with Claire, Ashley, or Helena (really, only the latter is the most up to interpretation if there’s something there, Claire and especially Ashley were definitely interested). Instead, he kept chasing the woman who would tease him and then bail, like bruh, catch a hint already.
Who’s he sad over losing? He knew Marvin and Luis for like what, a hour, two, tops each? Mike was a voice on a helicopter. If there’s some teammates he lost he knew for much longer, well, this is why “show, don’t tell” is important.
Like, yeah, I guess being forced to be a government agent (to ensure Sherry got the best treatment) could suck……if 4 didn’t show him clearly in pretty decent spirits all things considered. I don’t really buy him being mostly mopey in 6 and beyond, it just comes out of nowhere.
Like, sure, frequent zombie outbreaks, you think the guy would eventually adapt to it. I mean, he mentally came out of Raccoon City fine as a rookie, why is he suddenly now letting it get to him?
Likewise, Chris likely could have been with Jill (long time partners) or Sheva (poor girl got friendzoned by her entire team when Josh said she’s their “little sister”, so Chris had zero competition), but he had to go and devote his life to “the mission”, even after dealing with Wesker for good. He doesn’t even have an excuse here like Leon, he can quit at any time.
In fact, 5 ends with him saying, “yeah, this life, it’s worth it.”, and then 6 starts and he has a “what’s it all for?!” attitude again.
But yes, Chris, be all sad and frustrated in 8. Smoke that cigarette! Turn up that Simple Plan! Don’t tell Ethan what’s going on which could have solved so many problems, wait, what? Oh well, maybe Chris is still emotionally recovering from that awful character redesign he temporarily had during 7, I can sympathize with that.
(Spoilers for 8 and the Rose DLC):
I do like the implication Chris blackmailed Mia into letting him raise Rose. Considering Mia is a flat out terrorist who is partially responsible for the deaths in 7, I couldn’t believe Chris just let her tear into him over Ethan when Chris had just seen the group photo of Mia with Miranda and the others. So thankfully, the DLC implies he called her out afterwards and only let her walk free if she handed over custody of Rose. Good, fuck her, she deserves no happiness, amnesia does not absolve one of their sins.
Pat (formerly of Let’s Play group Best Friends Play) said it best: “Resident Evil. A series with some of the most insanely sexy and badass men and women imaginable……and only Barry Burton of all people has canonically had sex.” (edit: he said this before 7 came out since Ethan obviously was with Mia)
Tara from True Blood, a punching bag the entire show and I'm not sure if it was some social commentary on Black characters in horror but being continuously fucked over like that was crazy.
As a huge RE fan, I refuse to buy Leon and especially Chris’ angst being justified.
Leon could likely have been with Claire, Ashley, or Helena (really, only the latter is the most up to interpretation if there’s something there, Claire and especially Ashley were definitely interested). Instead, he kept chasing the woman who would tease him and then bail, like bruh, catch a hint already.
Who’s he sad over losing? He knew Marvin and Luis for like what, a hour, two, tops each? Mike was a voice on a helicopter. If there’s some teammates he lost he knew for much longer, well, this is why “show, don’t tell” is important.
Like, yeah, I guess being forced to be a government agent (to ensure Sherry got the best treatment) could suck……if 4 didn’t show him clearly in pretty decent spirits all things considered. I don’t really buy him being mostly mopey in 6 and beyond, it just comes out of nowhere.
Like, sure, frequent zombie outbreaks, you think the guy would eventually adapt to it. I mean, he mentally came out of Raccoon City fine as a rookie, why is he suddenly now letting it get to him?
Likewise, Chris likely could have been with Jill (long time partners) or Sheva (poor girl got friendzoned by her entire team when Josh said she’s their “little sister”, so Chris had zero competition), but he had to go and devote his life to “the mission”, even after dealing with Wesker for good. He doesn’t even have an excuse here like Leon, he can quit at any time.
In fact, 5 ends with him saying, “yeah, this life, it’s worth it.”, and then 6 starts and he has a “what’s it all for?!” attitude again.
But yes, Chris, be all sad and frustrated in 8. Smoke that cigarette! Turn up that Simple Plan! Don’t tell Ethan what’s going on which could have solved so many problems, wait, what? Oh well, maybe Chris is still emotionally recovering from that awful character redesign he temporarily had during 7, I can sympathize with that.
(Spoilers for 8 and the Rose DLC):
I do like the implication Chris blackmailed Mia into letting him raise Rose. Considering Mia is a flat out terrorist who is partially responsible for the deaths in 7, I couldn’t believe Chris just let her tear into him over Ethan when Chris had just seen the group photo of Mia with Miranda and the others. So thankfully, the DLC implies he called her out afterwards and only let her walk free if she handed over custody of Rose. Good, fuck her, she deserves no happiness, amnesia does not absolve one of their sins.
Pat (formerly of Let’s Play group Best Friends Play) said it best: “Resident Evil. A series with some of the most insanely sexy and badass men and women imaginable……and only Barry Burton of all people has canonically had sex.” (edit: he said this before 7 came out since Ethan obviously was with Mia)
Your post looks more like a Chris rant than a Leon one. And with Chris, sure, you could argue the opposite, which is why I didn't post him.
Any personal life Leon had was over the minute this scene happened:
In the remake, they make it even more official in the new RE 4 intro:
And in this new scene, they show how these deaths affect Leon. They are constantly on his mind. If you compare the character models of Leon in RE 2 Remake and RE 4 Remake, look at how subtly weathered his face looks including slight dark circles under his eyes, like he is losing sleep.
Remember, Chris is a soldier. He signed up for all of this. In all of what happened in RE 1, the documents you find in RE 2 and 3, in Revelations 1, and what he says in RE 5 and up until RE 6, Chris loved his work, loved fighting the good fight, etc.
Leon was just some dude trying to be a beat cop on his first day and was thrust into one of the biggest catastrophic events in the history of the series. His life never had an off button ever since then. Even in RE 4 the way he comments about things that happen around him is in the vein of 'story of my life' and 'oh great, you again'. If you read beyond the sarcasm, the man already sounds like someone who is tired of his job but he has no choice but to do it.
Yes, he cares about others, but he most likely would not have put himself in the situation of RE 4 if he was given a choice. If the government had not immediately snatched him up, he would have simply been another one-and-done protagonist like a few others who have starred in RE games. It could have potentially happened too, since Claire Redfield was the biggest connective tissue to RE 1 over him.
The seeds were planted. Listen to his dialogue in the old RE 4 intro:
He even says 'It was right before I was supposed to take on my duty to protect the president's daughter, that's when she was abducted. That's the ultimate reason I'm in this lonely part of Europe.'
He does not want to be here, and you learn more about his own personal story the more he speaks to Hunnigan and eventually Krauser. Yes, he does use humor at times as a coping mechanism for things. It's what makes him appear more like a typical action hero to the audience, but if you compare how he speaks to how someone like Dante from Devil May Cry speaks for example, you will notice the difference. Dante revels in the chaos that he is in and finds it fun, until things get too serious with someone that's close to him. Leon on the other hand tries to make the best of his situation that he's stuck in with humor, but he knows he is stuck in a shitty situation.
If the rumors about Leon being in RE 9 are true, I am hoping that they explore this a tiny bit more (with contextual dialogue during gameplay) by making him not simply jaded like they did Chris, but instead relatable and tired, in a way that says "I'm in this situation because I have to be but I'm feeling done with all of this." Maybe we could finally see an older Leon, idk.
Your post looks more like a Chris rant than a Leon one. And with Chris, sure, you could argue the opposite, which is why I didn't post him.
Any personal life Leon had was over the minute this scene happened:
In the remake, they make it even more official in the new RE 4 intro:
And in this new scene, they show how these deaths affect Leon. They are constantly on his mind. If you compare the character models of Leon in RE 2 Remake and RE 4 Remake, look at how subtly weathered his face looks including slight dark circles under his eyes, like he is losing sleep.
Remember, Chris is a soldier. He signed up for all of this. In all of what happened in RE 1, the documents you find in RE 2 and 3, in Revelations 1, and what he says in RE 5 and up until RE 6, Chris loved his work, loved fighting the good fight, etc.
Leon was just some dude trying to be a beat cop on his first day and was thrust into one of the biggest catastrophic events in the history of the series. His life never had an off button ever since then. Even in RE 4 the way he comments about things that happen around him is in the vein of 'story of my life' and 'oh great, you again'. If you read beyond the sarcasm, the man already sounds like someone who is tired of his job but he has no choice but to do it.
Yes, he cares about others, but he most likely would not have put himself in the situation of RE 4 if he was given a choice. If the government had not immediately snatched him up, he would have simply been another one-and-done protagonist like a few others who have starred in RE games. It could have potentially happened too, since Claire Redfield was the biggest connective tissue to RE 1 over him.
The seeds were planted. Listen to his dialogue in the old RE 4 intro:
He even says 'It was right before I was supposed to take on my duty to protect the president's daughter, that's when she was abducted. That's the ultimate reason I'm in this lonely part of Europe.'
He does not want to be here, and you learn more about his own personal story the more he speaks to Hunnigan and eventually Krauser. Yes, he does use humor at times as a coping mechanism for things. It's what makes him appear more like a typical action hero to the audience, but if you compare how he speaks to how someone like Dante from Devil May Cry speaks for example, you will notice the difference. Dante revels in the chaos that he is in and finds it fun, until things get too serious with someone that's close to him. Leon on the other hand tries to make the best of his situation that he's stuck in with humor, but he knows he is stuck in a shitty situation.
If the rumors about Leon being in RE 9 are true, I am hoping that they explore this a tiny bit more (with contextual dialogue during gameplay) by making him not simply jaded like they did Chris, but instead relatable and tired, in a way that says "I'm in this situation because I have to be but I'm feeling done with all of this." Maybe we could finally see an older Leon, idk.
Ah, I never played the Chronicles games myself. I wasn’t even sure if they were canon or not.
I’m not saying Leon’s life isn’t tough, but I feel he could have made choices to make it easier on himself. Also, it’s hard to believe he is still contractually obligated to be in high stakes situations constantly anymore. The dude is at least 49 by now (assuming RE continues their stubborn guidelines of keeping the games set in current date, I don’t know why when Capcom had no issue keeping the Street Fighter cast relatively young, even in 6 they clearly are older but definitely not anywhere near as old as they would be if they had followed real time years since SF 2 released).
The government surely must know there’s more physically able agents they can use by this point. Unless the series just retcons that all the characters who were temporarily infected have had their aging slowed now like Jill has in the new movie (Leon and Claire would qualify, though I don’t think Chris was ever infected but I could be remembering wrong).
I’m not believing any rumors about 9 for now, until whoever it was that gave all those completely accurate details about Village right before its announcement says something, because obviously they’ve earned some trust with that leak.
Doom85
I agree with your points about the age issue of characters, which Capcom will eventually have to address because it's all over the place. Regarding this point though:
I'm saying that he didn't have a choice. The moment Raccoon City was a crater in the earth, he wasn't given a choice. The only thing he was given as a way to make things easier was to be a bodyguard for the President+President's family.
It's odd to say this but technically bodyguard duty is usually a lighter task than other high risk jobs, but in Resident Evil's universe it kind of means you'll have to face a world ending threat every few years.
Doom85
I agree with your points about the age issue of characters, which Capcom will eventually have to address because it's all over the place. Regarding this point though:
I'm saying that he didn't have a choice. The moment Raccoon City was a crater in the earth, he wasn't given a choice. The only thing he was given as a way to make things easier was to be a bodyguard for the President+President's family.
It's odd to say this but technically bodyguard duty is usually a lighter task than other high risk jobs, but in Resident Evil's universe it kind of means you'll have to face a world ending threat every few years.
I meant choices on letting the right people be and stay close to him, not his job. With Ada, by the time of 4, he should have put his foot down and been like, “you can either be trustworthy and stick around, or stop bothering me.” Dude was chasing what he wanted her to be rather than what she generally was.
With Claire, I know they’re both busy, but I feel they could have stayed in closer contact throughout the years. Given she doesn’t really mention him in Revelations 2, I fear they’ve drifted apart.
I meant choices on letting the right people be and stay close to him, not his job. With Ada, by the time of 4, he should have put his foot down and been like, “you can either be trustworthy and stick around, or stop bothering me.” Dude was chasing what he wanted her to be rather than what she generally was.
With Claire, I know they’re both busy, but I feel they could have stayed in closer contact throughout the years. Given she doesn’t really mention him in Revelations 2, I fear they’ve drifted apart.
Oh you mean his relationships. Yea I agree. The whole 'I only have eyes for this person' is the one thing that feels much more Japanese/J-Drama about his character than other aspects.
Only Barry really has a daughter and has acted the most grounded out of all of the main characters, even in Revelations 2.
I will say that the one thing I've noticed about Claire is that whenever her and Leon see each other again, you still see his guard drop a bit and he still speaks to her as if he is speaking to that same person he first met in Raccoon City.
