Rumors ofResident Evil 8have been circulating the internet lately, many of which come from reputable leakers providing some surprising information. At the helm of this information flow, Ethan Winters is suggested to be the protagonist inResident Evil 8, which would not be surprising given that Chris Redfield rescued him at the end ofResident Evil 7, and it is expected that his story would continue in some way.
Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries whichResident Evil 8is rumored to resolve is the exact context of the entity simply known as the Blue Umbrella. When Chris Redfield swooped in to save Ethan at the end ofResident Evil 7,on a mission to capture Lucas Baker, the helicopter Chris rode in on mysteriously had the logo of the infamous organization of Umbrella on it, only the logo was blue instead of red.
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TheBlue Umbrella Corporationwas formed in 2007 as a private company set out to protect the world from Bio-Weapons to redeem a past tainted by much death and destruction by [Red] Umbrella Corporation. Who formed it, leads it, funds it, and its deeper interests all remain a mystery, however. Furthermore, if it is a private company, its means of profit or financing also bear some questions, especially given that there have already been government-affiliated organizations with the same mission at hand, such as the United Nation’s BSAA in theResident Eviluniverse.
If rumors hold true thatResident Evil 8will provide answers in regards to Blue Umbrella, then perhaps the presumed link to Ethan Winters begs for further questioning as well. Given that Ethan Winters was seemingly just a regular citizen at the start ofResident Evil 7, with a regular job, of no particular importance to the field of bio-weaponry and biological sciences at the start ofResident Evil 7, it would seem that he has developed into someone of particular importance to the field of fighting against Bio-Warfare by the end of Resident Evil 7. Ethan would most likely need to be important toResident Evil’srealm of bio-warfareif he continues to have a major role inResident Evil 8, if rumors are true.
To reflect, at the start ofResident Evil 7,Ethan was drawn to the Baker Family’s residence in search of his wife, who was connected to the research of the Molded fungus, and the main antagonist and bio-weapon in the game, of which the fungus was a part of: Eveline. By the end of the game, Ethan is indeed infected to some degree bythe Mold inResident Evil 7.This could create some sort of role in his future importance in the series, if he is indeed in Resident Evil 8 and a main character or protagonist.
There are all sorts of fan theories as to why Ethan never falls under the control of Eveline in Resident Evil 7, despite becoming infected. This includes his age, as well as the fact that his infection was still early in the process, and some theories explore a deeper, yet unexplored past. What we can establish, however, is that by the end ofResident Evil 7, Ethan is likely of some importance if his role continues intoResident Evil 8. However, this should not entail any assumptions that themonsters inResident Evil 8are necessarily related to or experiments evolved from the Molded and its creators.
In looking at pastResident Evilgames, its lore of virology, mutations and infections is quite unique in establishing an array of separate infection strains that have little or nothing in common with each other, yet sometimes play a role in the game regardless. For instance,Resident Evil 5’senemies all included monsters infected with the more evolvedLas Plagas parasites created by the company Tricell, even though the game’s main story was about the origins of the Progenitor virus and Albert Wesker’s ambitions to create the almighty Uroborus virus from the latter.
However, to date, there is no known link between the Las Plagas parasites which were brought in to infect the locals that lived around the site in which the original Progenitor virus derived from. Yet, uniquely enough,Resident Evil 5still managed to craft a story which made both infections -the Las Plagas parasites and the Progenitor virus- present at the same time, yet totally separate in their own biological history, origins and lore.
With that in mind, it is entirely possible that the rumored werewolves, and other enemies inResident Evil 8,may also have no connection to the Molded, or the research that went into creating its bio-weapon Eveline. That does not necessarily mean the Molded may be absent completely, given thatEthan may still hold some sort of relevance inResident Evil 8, given his own infection.
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Resident Evil’sstories have a history of utilizing character’s blood composition to create a relevant contribution to the story. InResident Evil 6, Jake Muller’s blood held the key to the C-Virus, given that he was the son ofAlbert Weskerand carried some of his genetic attributes which were infused with particular strains of the Progenitor virus' traits for creating super-humans.
Resident Evil’sJill Valentinealso held necessary T-Virus antibodies in her blood stream which were necessary for perfecting the transition process of the Uruboros virus in human hosts, which was highly sought after by Albert Wesker. This was due to Jill’s own infection of the T-Virus, and being cured of it inResident Evil 3.
The many strains of the Progenitor virus and the later T-Virus circulating in Umbrella’s living experiment, Lisa Trevor, was the ultimate cocktail which created the perfect storm conditions for accidentally producing the G-Virus, when these strains fused with the Nemesis parasite.
InResident Evil 2,it was DNA related to a host infected with the G-Virus, namely a family member ofWilliam Birkin, which was the only means which could easily allow such a monstrosity to reproduce and spread the powerful infection.
Jumping ahead toResident Evil 8, it is impossible to determine or even speculate the composition for the monstrosities which will certainly be present in the game. However, we can speculate the possibility that Ethan’s infection which he presumably gained in Resident Evil 7 may pose some value or relevance tothe potentialResident Evil 8story. If he is indeed inResident Evil 8,then clearly he is more than merely an average citizen rescued by Chris Redfield merely meant to go back and resume a regular nine-to-five life, which is essentially who he was at the start ofResident Evil 7.
Then again, perhaps Ethan’s past has more relevance than we are possibly aware of, and more than even Ethan is aware of. Perhaps there is more weight to his importance than merely what transpires between the start and finish ofResident Evil 7,in which he is introduced as an average American citizen, but ends up being an infected survivor ofResident Evil 7’s Baker familyand the Eveline experiment.
Some fan theories point out to an “Ethan W.” listed in a journal in the Spencer mansion 2006, inResident Evil 5’sLost in NightmaresDLC. It states he was on an Umbrella research team working with Wesker and was listed to be “eliminated.” However, given the brief mention of the name on a list of many other names, with merely an initial for the last name, most fans agree this is a long shot and is almost certainly a different Ethan, and not much thought was given to this small piece of information by anyone in Capcom. But it certainly would pose a shocking, albeit unlikely, story if Ethan was actually a reproduced version of himself at the start ofResident Evil 7, due to the Mold experiment, and somehow was not even aware of his own past or identity.
There is some history which suggests Albert Wesker’s HCF paramilitary group had some contribution to the creation of the Mold, too. This means there could be a possible link to Umbrella, and that it would not be entirely a coincidence that Ethan’s wife was connected to this project if Ethan’s past is also connected to Umbrella. However, again, this is a far stretch which should not be taken as more than an interesting possibility, as we wait for more information onResident Evil 8’s story, and its potential connection to pastResident Evilgames.
Other rumors speculate that zombies will be returning to the game, and some will be wearing medieval armor and brandishing swords. Werewolves, or creatures resembling wolves, are also rumored to be a part of the game, and Ethan may in fact be the one in which players control throughout the game, with Chris Redfield playing a role, though there will be a “twist” to his character.
WithResident Evil’shistory of deep storylinesthat take virology and biological sciences beyond the imagination, from cloning, fusing DNA, and playing around with different infections much similarly to a mad chemist writing horror novels of lucid dreams, anything is possible in this universe.
Everything which transpires at the end ofResident Evil 7and the character of Ethan could be completely relevant to what continues inResident Evil 8.And, at the same time, it may have zero relevance at all, as Capcom could present us with a totally new lineage of infectious lore, as it did, for the most part, with the Las Plagas parasites inResident Evil 4.If Ethan Winters is indeed the protagonist inResident Evil 8, we can at least deduce one notion: Ethan Winters is no ordinary citizen any longer, andResident Evil 7’sMold infection may be the most defining reason why.
Resident Evil 8is rumored to be in development for unspecified platforms.
