Resident Evil 7 was a new landmark installment for the franchise and where it ended seemed fairly definitive, meaning a subsequent game was open-ended with what it wanted to do. It’s surprising that Ethan Winters was brought back on, in fact, since that helicopter ride into the sunset with Mia could’ve easily been the last time players saw them, and the awkward reveal of a face-lifted Chris Redfield hinted at him potentially being where the franchise’s future was headed. That turned out to be sort of true with him as a side character in Resident Evil Village, and he’s now set up to be a protagonist once more.