Resident Evil Village Ending Explained
Resident Evil Village is a relatively short game, but it sure does pack a lot of info into its [...]
Resident Evil Village is a relatively short game, but it sure does pack a lot of info into its ending. Ramifications of Resident Evil 7, the story of Ethan and his family, the seemingly bad, seemingly good Chris Redfield, and more all play a part in the conclusion of the game. If that wasn't enough, the ending also has implications for the Resident Evil franchise and its lore overall to give an idea of not only what happened in the past but also what might happen in the future.
If you're still here to read about the game's ending, chances are you're well aware there are going to be tons of spoilers with no restrictions in this discussion. For those who don't want things spoiled, you'll want to keep your distance until you're ready to talk about the ending, but for those who don't care, you'll find everything you need to know about the ending and more below.
The Ethan Winters Situation
One of the biggest twists of all came from the conclusion of the game whenever Ethan was "killed" by Mother Miranda. The brutal heart rip left him lying on the ground, presumably dead, while players took control of Chris Redfield instead to super soldier his way through the village.
But as it turns out, Ethan wasn't dead at all. He was battered and beaten to be sure, but he was able to get back up and finish his mission with one final fight against Mother Miranda.
Ethan was able to do this because like so many other creatures he'd dispatched in the past, he too was part of the moldy family that connected all his adversaries. He'd become initiated into the family back in Resident Evil 7 whenever Jack Baker killed him and the mold took hold.
This explains the hyper-regenerative powers Ethan possessed that allowed him to take an absurd amount of abuse and keep on trucking. Players might've been suspicious of this outcome for a while because of his regenerative abilities, but the ending decisively put those theories to rest. Ethan is part mold which meant that his daughter was as well.
The Winters Family
A surprising revelation was that Mia was actually still alive at the end of the game after Mother Miranda kidnapped and impersonated her. She was rescued by Chris Redfield who was then informed by Mia that Ethan was special, an announcement that confirmed she knew about Ethan's situation all along. Since she too was infected by the mold at one point, she and Ethan were able to create the extraordinary Rose who drove the game's story forward.
Mother Miranda was drawn to the Winters family because of Rose since she needed the perfect vessel to revive her daughter Eva. How she was able to infiltrate the Winters home and get rid of Mia initially wasn't really discussed, but her goal was to kidnap Rose and use her to bring Eva back. Rose's mold powers from her mother and father allowed her to be placed in the vials Ethan had to collect while still able to come back to life at the end.
Mother Miranda and Her Children
By reading through the notes scattered throughout Village, we learn that Mother Miranda is exceptionally older than expected. She talks of her daughter dying of the Spanish Flu which sent her into a spiral until she came across the original mold in a cave. Determined to bring Eva back, she began looking for ways to make that dream a reality.
Those methods involved partnering up with the nefarious group known as The Connection by providing them with samples of the mold and her daughter's DNA. Instead of bringing her back, however, Eveline from Resident Evil 7 was created. Unsuccessful in her alliance, Mother Miranda returned to her village.
We also learn through these notes and dialogues that the Four Lords Ethan fights throughout the game were all byproducts of Mother Miranda's quest. She used a parasite called "cadou" to transform them which resulted in Lycan transformations typically but affected those four characters better. Lady Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, and Salvatore Moreau never took to the parasite exceptionally well, but ironically, it was Heisenberg who received it the best. None of them satisfied Mother Miranda though – much to their resentment and other emotions expressed by them – so she needed Rose.
Rose Winters
At the very end of Village, we're left with a grown-up version of Rose who's now apparently working with Chris and his BSAA group. She visits Ethan's grave to pay her respects and talk about daily life, but her trip is interrupted by the BSAA apparently coming to rope her back in. It's unclear where Mia is in all this.
Based on what Rose says to the agent at the end, she's got some moldy powers herself, and she's well aware of it. She threatens him, and the dialogue between the agents suggest that they consider her expendable if needed, so it seems they're using her to their advantage. That's reinforced by the fact that they all speed off together to address a situation after their conversation.
But the very very end of Village is a curious one. Rose's vehicle moves down the road only to stop a ways away next to a lone figure walking on the side of the road.
Is that Ethan? One of the closing cards at the end said the father's story was done which doesn't necessarily mean he's dead, but it seems unlikely he'd make an appearance after so many years have passed. If not him, then who is it? It's unclear, but it certainly was intentional for us to see that.
The History of Resident Evil
With the main story completed, we'll backtrack a bit to another interesting part of Mother Miranda: Her connection to the overall lore in Resident Evil. If you read through the notes and letters she has towards the very end of the game when you're playing as Chris, you'll find communications from none other than Oswell Spencer, the grandfather of the Resident Evil mythos.
Spencer of the Spencer Mansion and Umbrella Corp. fame once visited Mother Miranda's village during his student days. She imparted unto him her knowledge of the mold and its controlling properties which fascinated him, though he said it didn't fit his needs. To achieve the level of influence he wanted to exert on people globally, he needed – you guessed it – a virus.
So, in one of the biggest twists of the whole game, it seems Mother Miranda was behind the events of pretty much every other Resident Evil story. Without her, Spencer likely wouldn't have gotten the info and inspiration he needed to go forth with making a virus, or at least he wouldn't have gotten around to that until much later.
Not every question was answered at the conclusion of Village, but we learned a lot regardless. Perhaps the series of new games will continue with Rose and the protagonist, perhaps Capcom will find a way to rope Ethan back in, or perhaps we'll learn more through potential DLC to be released later on.
