I’m Glad Resident Evil Requiem’s “Bad” Ending Isn’t Canon

The following contains spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem is a fateful choice for players that results in two endings — and fans are going to be very happy to see that the “Bad” option doesn’t seem to be canon with the future of the franchise. Resident Evil Requiem is far from the first entry in the series to have a potential “bad” turn of events that sees the main characters dispatched by their enemies. Games like the Resident Evil 3 remake and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City introduced non-canon paths that are intriguing potential timelines, but that it’s ultimately good never came to pass.

Resident Evil Requiem does something similar, although its sudden and tragic death for a major hero comes across as a bittersweet farewell rather than a blunt demise. It would quietly be a good ending for the character in theory, although the full ending lacks much of the closure (and excitement) of the seemingly canon good ending. Here’s why the “Bad Ending” of Resident Evil Requiem would have enraged fans, how it would have been a bold choice for the future of the series, and why it’s a good thing the canon seems to be going in a different direction.

Resident Evil Requiem’s Bad Ending, Explained

Resident Evil Requiem‘s most fateful plot choice comes late in the game and either sets up the player to experience the true final boss — or lose one of the mainstay heroes of the franchise. One of the big reveals of the game is the existence of Elpis, a mysterious creation by classic villain Spencer. The demented scientist Gideon, Albert Wesker clone Zeno, and a mysterious organization known as the Connections are after Grace because she contains the key to supposedly unlocking it. However, the villains are mistaken in their belief that it’s a powerful new bioweapon. In fact, it’s a cure-all for all the biological weapons and infections designed by Spencer, created as a fail-safe to remove his influence on the world at large.

At a crucial moment towards the end of the game, Grace is given a chance to administer the Elpis and use it to develop a global cure-all for bioweapons or destroy the sample to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The proper direction for the game’s narrative sees Grace use the Elpis to develop a cure for bioweapon infections, which quickly takes effect. She uses it to save Leon, just in time for the pair to witness Gideon murder Zeno and mutate himself into a monstrous new form for the final boss fight of the game. However, if the player has Grace destroy Elpis, then things play out differently. Gideon isn’t fought in this version, and the story instead ends with Leon keeping Zeno away from Grace — albeit at the cost of his own life.

A Resident Evil Without Leon Could Have Been Interesting, But I’m Glad We Don’t Get It

There’s something interesting about this potential tragic ending for Leon Kennedy. It’s a heroic death for sure, and plays out in a version of events where he’s operating on borrowed time anyway due to his illness. Leon getting to go out fighting is an important beat, and it gives him potentially the most heroic send-off he could have gotten. Seeing the fallout of Leon’s death would have also been fascinating, especially for how it would have impacted the other major characters in the franchise or inspired new heroes like Grace in future adventures. It would have also quickly solidified Zeno as a very important villain going forward, giving him a major kill in his first appearance before “killing him off” in a way that could easily be reversed in other games. There was a lot of potential for Resident Evil to go in some potentially exciting directions without Leon.

However, as a fan of the series, it’s hard to imagine Leon being gone from the franchise. His status as one of the most consistent player characters gives him a deep connection to the franchise, and Silent Hill Requiem highlights how easily he still works as something of an elder figure among the heroes of the franchise. Leon’s dynamic with Grace was compelling, and his gradual refusal to simply lie down and die reflects the character’s legacy in the series. There are too many dynamics and threads in Leon’s orbit to be resolved, and it would feel disappointing to have him die before he got any other interactions with the Redfields.

I’m glad that the game instead seems to double down on Leon surviving and living to fight another day, setting the stage for Leon and the rest of the franchise heroes to fight against the Connection in the next stage of the franchise. The ending where Leon dies also leaves Gideon’s plot unresolved and generally feels underwhelming compared to the other ending, which highlights why it works better narratively and as a game. While Leon’s death would have been a potentially powerful turn that would have opened up the series to a lot of potential new directions, it’s better that the series mainstay lives to fight another day in future Resident Evil games.