Resident Evil 9 Could See Return of Former Protagonist

It seems like the next mainline installment in the Resident Evil franchise, which many fans are simply referring to as Resident Evil 9 for the time being, will introduce a new protagonist or instead bring back a character from a past installment. In both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village, Capcom put players in control of the faceless protagonist Ethan Winters. And while Ethan's story ended up coming to an end in Village, his daughter, Rose, will continue the tale of the Winters family in the game's upcoming DLC entitled Shadows of Rose. Following the launch of this expansion, though, Capcom has now made it clear that future Resident Evil games won't be focusing on the Winters family any longer. 

In a conversation with IGN, Resident Evil Village's DLC director Kento Kinoshita shared that Shadows of Rose is meant "to conclude the Winters family saga." This news is somewhat surprising as the conclusion of Village seemed to imply that Rose Winters could potentially be the protagonist of the eventual Resident Evil 9. However, it seems like this won't be the case after all, which means that RE9 will likely see new or returning characters from the series taking the central protagonist role. 

While it's interesting to think about what Capcom might look to do next with Resident Evil 9, we likely won't hear anything about this title for quite a long time. The main reason for this is because Capcom is currently gearing up to release its remake of Resident Evil 4 in the early part of 2023. That being said, Capcom has been releasing new Resident Evil titles at a very brisk pace over the past couple of years, which means that Resident Evil 9 could be closer than expected. Although a release next year absolutely seems out of the question, perhaps we'll learn more about the next entry in the franchise as 2024 begins to approach. 

Which character would you like to see Resident Evil 9 center around? Do you think that Capcom will create a wholly new character for the series, or could we instead see familiar faces like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, or Leon Kennedy return once again? Share your own thoughts with me either down in the comments or message me on Twitter at @MooreMan12.