Resident Evil 7's first-person viewpoint was a major departure from the series' norms, but it also differed from previous games in other ways as well. Namely, Resident Evil 7 focused on a brand new protagonist, with a story almost entirely disconnected from the overarching Resident Evil plot. Some connections were revealed by the end of the game, but Resident Evil 7 was nearly a standalone story.

That's why it's especially interesting that Resident Evil Village is picking up where Resident Evil 7 left off, with the same characters as that game, the return to the first-person viewpoint, and a terrifying new location for players to explore. Resident Evil Village being a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7 has some interesting implications, and it will be interesting to see which loose threads from the previous game are followed up on. But with Resident Evil 7 having launched four years ago at this point, it's safe to say some fans of the franchise may need a refresher course before heading into RE Village.

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Before continuing, it's important to note that some legitimate Resident Evil Village story spoilers have leaked online. These will not be discussed here in any capacity. The only spoilers to worry about are Resident Evil 7 spoilers, as this post will be full of them.

The main thread connecting Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village is Ethan Winters. In Resident Evil 7, Ethan Winters receives a mysterious message from his wife Mia, who has been missing for years. This leads him to a secluded plantation in rural Louisiana, where he finds his wife, only to discover that she's violent and has bizarre regenerative powers. Mia violently attacks Ethan, and so he is forced to retaliate, losing his hand to a chainsaw but seemingly killing her in the process.

Ethan is then captured by the plantation's owner, Jack Baker, who knocks him out and straps him in a chair for a dinner with his family. This includes the sadistic Lucas Baker, matriarch Marguerite Baker, and an old woman in a wheelchair. Thanks to a strange liquid with healing properties, Ethan's hand is reattached, though in an ensuing scuffle between himself and the Baker family, he also loses a leg. Thankfully, the healing liquid helps Ethan reattach his leg as well, and he is able to hide from the Bakers.

While investigating the Baker family plantation, Ethan discovers strange slime creatures called the Molded, which the Baker family were apparently creating in their basement. He also meets Zoe Baker, who explains that the entire family is infected with something, but can be cured. With Zoe's help, Ethan is able to develop a serum and kill Marguerite. Unfortunately, the run of good luck doesn't last for long, as both Mia and Zoe are captured by Lucas.

Ethan successfully saves his wife Mia and Zoe from Lucas, but the group is soon attacked by Jack. Ethan has to use one of the two serums he created to kill Jack, which means he's only able to cure either Zoe or Mia instead of both. The canon choice is for Ethan to cure Mia, and the two escape to a crashed boat, which is how Mia ended up in the area in the first place. It's revealed that Mia was traveling on the boat with a girl named Eveline, who had powers of some kind.

In typical Resident Evil fashion, Eveline's powers weren't supernatural in nature. On the contrary, Eveline was actually a biological weapon, and Mia was working for an organization called The Connections that was transporting her. Part of Eveline's powers is that she is able to infect people and turn them into mutated, raving psychopaths, and that's exactly what she did to the entire Baker family (sans Lucas, who is simply insane) and Mia. Eveline is also able to directly control the people she has infected, which leads her to turn Mia against Ethan once again.

Mia resists Eveline's control and helps Ethan escape. It's discovered that Eveline was really the old woman in the wheelchair the entire time, as part of her condition means that she ages at an accelerated pace. Ethan is able to inject her with a toxin, though that makes her transform into a massive monster. Ethan is nearly killed by the Eveline monster, but franchise hero Chris Redfield arrives in an Umbrella Corporation helicopter just in time to save him and Mia, who managed to survive the ordeal as well.

Resident Evil 7 players learn more about The Connections group in the DLC Not A Hero, which shows Chris Redfield working alongside a new version of the Umbrella Corporation, Blue Umbrella. Redfield's mission is to stop Lucas Baker as well as investigate The Connections, which he sets out to do shortly after saving Ethan and his wife. While most of his team dies, Chris is able to successfully kill Lucas, but he is suddenly called back to base for an unknown reason.

The End of Zoe expansion for Resident Evil 7 stars the unaffected Joe Baker, who discovers his niece Zoe in the swamp, barely alive after Ethan decided to give the cure to Mia. Joe encounters Umbrella operatives who explain to him that there is a cure to help Zoe, but in search of it, the two are attacked by Jack Baker, who managed to survive his previous encounter with Ethan by transforming into yet another mutated creature.

Joe manages to get his hand on some Umbrella tech that helps him fight back against Jack, killing him and saving Zoe. Chris Redfield arrives on the scene, and Zoe is able to call Ethan and let him know that she managed to survive after all.

It's likely a safe assumption that the Baker family will not play a significant role, if any at all, in Resident Evil Village. After all, most of the Baker family was killed during the events of Resident Evil 7, with the exception of Joe and Zoe, and their story seems to be concluded. However, there are still some other loose threads from Resident Evil 7 that will likely be followed up on in Resident Evil Village, mostly involving Chris Redfield.

Chris Redfield will play a more significant role in Resident Evil Village than he did in RE7. Resident Evil Village trailers show him numerous times, including in a scene where he appears to be holding Ethan's daughter. As for Ethan, he and Mia have apparently had a child since the events of Resident Evil 7, and their missing baby is what drives Ethan to head to the rural European village that gives the new game its name.

More information on the two major organizations in the Resident Evil universe will likely be revealed in Resident Evil Village as well. As it stands, there are still many unanswered questions about Blue Umbrella and how Chris Redfield became involved with them. And not only that, but The Connections organization is also largely shrouded in mystery. Perhaps The Connections organization is playing a direct role in the events of Resident Evil Village, though that's just speculation at this time.

Meanwhile, Mia's infection from Resident Evil 7 could also play a role in Resident Evil Village. While Mia was mostly cured, she was shown to still be somewhat susceptible to Evelin's powers. Maybe this gave Ethan's daughter some kind of supernatural ability or power, and that is why the baby is kidnapped in Resident Evil Village. Again, all of this is just speculation at this time, and most of the answers will likely have to wait until the Resident Evil Village release date rolls around later this year.

Resident Evil Village launches May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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