Resident Evil’s Controversial Ending Is Actually Perfect, But What Comes Next?

When news broke years ago that Zach Cregger, the writer/director behind cult hit Barbarian, was set to revive the Resident Evil franchise, it was something of a shock. Not only because he’d made a name for himself as an original filmmaker, but because it meant the video game series that had been slapped with a slew of bad adaptations might finally have a chance at redemption. Though some fans began to sour when it became clear that Cregger’s movie wasn’t bringing a specific storyline or character from the games to the big screen, the film has proven to do something even more distinct, adapting the tone and feel of playing a survival horror game as a movie.

Based on what we know so far…it worked. Resident Evil is the highest-rated movie in the franchise based on the Capcom game series, but more impressive than that is that it’s the highest-rated video game movie of all-time now. That said, even though the movie is a lean 90-minute thrill ride, the ending is still something that might have many scratching their heads. Given the franchise it’s based on, the big swings that happen by the end of Resident Evil shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, but fans confounded by what happened might need someone to help dig through the gore and goop.

2026 Resident Evil Ending Explained

The entire crux of Resident Evil‘s plot is that Austin Abrams‘ Bryan is trying to deliver something to Raccoon City General Hospital. After some violent encounters on the road there, like a terrifying mutant dog and an infected little girl, who gets the drop on him and delivers a bite to his arm, Bryan finds himself in a car with an executive from the Umbrella Corporation who delivers answers.

Bryan isn’t delivering an organ to a sick kid; he’s bringing a piece of the cure of the virus that Umbrella has developed to the lab team that can synthesize it. Given his own predicament, Bryan wants a piece of the cure, but he still has to fight his way through zombies, acid-vomiting monsters, and an amalgamation beast in order to get to the lab. Even there, after he’s handed off the cure, it becomes clear that the bit Bryan suffered is finally changing his body.

Though Bryan does his best to hide how his hand is mutating, soon it becomes impossible as tentacles begin to sprout from his back, a gaping maw of giant teeth opens from his stomach, and he begins to assume the form of a terrifying monster straight out of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

To make it heartbreaking, though, Bryan is still begging for the cure, all while his extremities take on a mind of their own and destroy the scientists around him. It all culminates in the final moment, as the cure slips from his hands and falls to the ground more than 20 stories below. A helicopter from the National Guard flies through, and a spotlight shines on the fully mutated Bryan as it cuts to black and the “Resident Evil” title card.

That final moment might get a major response from some audience members, not only because it’s a downbeat moment after spending 90 minutes with a really relatable character that we’re rooting for, on top of the abruptness, but it seems like there’s a clear intention from Cregger. One of the big elements of Resident Evil games is the story elements littered throughout the game for players to find: notes from scientists or maybe something like a voice recording from a courier, details that

To that end, even though the monster that Bryan becomes at the end of Resident Evil is an all-new creation and not one found in the games, it seems like this movie was not only a film designed to capture the mood and feel of playing a survival horror game, but it was the origin story for an epic boss fight. There’s no indication that a sequel to this movie will arrive at some point, though Cregger has teased interest in it, but this film feels like it’s leading to something.

Does Resident Evil Have a Post-Credit Scene or Sequel Bait?

Given the tenor of modern blockbusters and franchise filmmaking, fans will no doubt be wondering ahead of time if Resident Evil has a post-credit or even a mid-credit tease about what comes next. You might be sitting at home before you’ve bought a ticket, waiting in line right now, or watching the credits roll as you scroll this, but the answer is a simple one, there is no mid-credit or post-credit tease at the end of Resident Evil.

When the title card for the movie pops up after the final sequence of the film, that’s it. Despite my belief that the film is an origin story for an epic beast that someone like Leon Kennedy might have to find in a Resident Evil game, there’s no indication that this is happening at some point. That said, if it does, it will cause audiences a bit of a divide on who they’re rooting for: mutant Bryan or someone else.

Resident Evil Director Confirms Fan Feedback Did Result in One Major Change, And He Doesn’t Regret It