Summary
It’s not uncommon for aResident Evilcharacter to suddenly morph and mutate their body at will with the use of a virus or plaga, but sometimes, it’s their mind that can become more corrupted than anything else. In a world where everyone is on high alert and fearful of yet another B.O.W or zombie outbreak popping up, it means becoming influenced by power and wild ambition is much easier than usual, and there have been multiple characters who allowed this to get to their heads over the course of the story.
On the other hand, though, some people simply wanted to live a normal life, but became corrupted by some kind of infection that would ultimately override their way of thinking and force them to act out evil deeds on behalf of the puppet master. TheResident Evilgames have introduced plenty of characters whose minds and outlook on the world gradually became warped over time, with the individuals below being the biggest examples.
Jack Krauser is a character who was first introduced to the story through theDarkside Chroniclesspin-off game, or more specifically, in the Operation Javier mission. While Krauser initially seemed like a serious, stoic, but ultimately good-hearted soldier, this all changed once his arms were crushed by a gigantic B.O.W, forcing him to rely on his partner Leon to bail him out.
The Operation Javier fiasco would completely change Krauser’s outlook on the world as he becomes more and more obsessed with gaining power, to the point where he even kidnaps Ashley in order to acquire more strength through gaining Saddler’s trust. While the remake ofResident Evil 4does make it unclear whether Krauser allies with Wesker or not within that specific iteration, one thing that hasn’t changed is Leon’s shock at witnessing the vengeful monster that his mentor has tuned into after.
7Ramon Salazar
Salazar Became A Prime Target Of Saddler’s When He Was Recruiting For His Cult
It can be hard to imagine given how despicably evil he acts inResident Evil 4and its remake, but there was once a time when Ramond Saddler was actually a relatively normal young boy. In fact, he grew up as an orphan with only his butler to accompany him for much of his childhood, but this seemingly innocent young member of royalty had his whole worldview changed after a chance encounter with none other than theleader of the Los Illuminados, Saddler.
By convincing Salazar that his ancestors had committed a “sin” by locking away the Las Plagas parasite, Saddler was able to achieve his goal of unleashing it onto the villagers, and he brought a naive young Salazar along for the ride. Saddler had managed to creep his influence into Salazar’s mind, turning him into one of his most loyal servants.
Throughout the course ofCode Veronica’sstory, it starts to become clear that Steve, the bumbling idiot that Claire comes across after escaping her prison cell, has actually developed somewhat of a crush for the Redfield. Steve would go above and beyond to protect Claire, despite barely even managing to hold his own in a fight, but things go horribly wrong for him not long after the two crash-land on an Antarctic Umbrella base.
In a heartbreaking scene, it’s revealed that Steve has been infected with the T-Veronica Virus, which has turned him into a giant green mutant with barely any will-power of his own being left intact. The infection is so strong that it actually forces Steve to try killing Claire by swinging at her with a huge axe, and while he resists it at the very end, the virus would ultimately kill Steve after his rampage finally ends.
5Bitores Mendez
The Village Chief Was Turned Into A Tyrannical Ruler Due To Saddler’s Cult
Though Mendez’s backstory is only touched upon in the originalResident Evil 4, it’s explored in a lot more depth in the remake through a secret note that can be found in the chief’s estate. It turns out that Mendez was actually once a kind and generous leader of the village who would spend his days teaching children literacy and singing along with the villagers during the daytime. All of this changed though once Saddler and the “men in black robes” turned up and started spreading their influence across the village, eventually turning them into the mindless husksLeonencounters on his journey.
As for Mendez, he was given a Dominant Plaga, meaning while he would still answer to Saddler, he would still be capable of thinking for himself, despite his mind being completely corrupted by Saddler’s influence. It’s hard to imagine Mendez being such a nice and kindhearted man considering how horrific of a person he seems in the main story.
After chasing Ethan all around the Baker Estate and trying to kill him multiple times, Jack is finally taken down for good at about the halfway point ofResident Evil 7, but that wouldn’t be the last time players get to see him. Near the end of the game, Ethan is suddenly woken up in some kind of dream state by none other than Jack, who appears to be a lot friendlier than usual.
During this brief scene, Jack explains that his body was actually being controlled by Eveline, who is revealed to have been a manufacturedB.O.Wwho began warping the minds of the entire Baker family once she was taken in by them. The Daughters DLC actually allows players to see this transformation happen in real time, and it’s honestly pretty chilling seeing a character drive themselves crazy without even realizing it.
3Marguerite Baker
The Sweet And Innocent Marguerite Fell Under The Influence Of The Insidious Eveline
Though Marguerite would also become a victim of Eveline’s influence, similar to her husband, the way it affects her mind is actually explored in a bit more depth. Players can find documents inResident Evil 7which describe the results of an X-Ray scan conducted on Marguerite’s brain after Eveline first started to take control. It turns out that black patches of a mysterious mold substance were found dotted across her brain, though by that point, Marguerite had already become too under the influence to care.
By the time Ethan runs into her, Marguerite is a shell of her former self, mindlessly wandering around the Baker outhouse while keeping an eye out for anyone brave enough to try intruding on her property. Marguerite was forced to become thesick and twisted “mother"of Eveline against her will, making for one of the creepiest characters in the series.
Lady Dimitrescu, the giant vampiric lord who struts around the gigantic village castle, only became a violent and bloodthirsty mutant after she was taken under the wing of Miranda and given a Cadou parasite. In fact, Dimitrescu was once a member of ajazz bandappropriately named Miss D and the Pallboys, and even though there aren’t too many details revealed about this past occupation, it seems as though she was just a regular human back then.
Not only did the Cadou transform Dimitrescu physically, especially with regard to her height, it would also make her reliant on consuming fresh sources of blood to balance her unique blood condition. While players never get to see Dimitrescu as she was in her music days, they instead get to meet the vicious side of the character which only came as a result of Miranda’s meddling and influence.
William Birkin, the lead developer of the deadlyG-Virus, was able to test out his new experiment first-hand after injecting himself with the virus upon being cornered by a group of Umbrella operatives. Though Birkin’s body began to mutate into a grotesque mutated form not long after, the man himself would try to fight back against the virus' influence on his mind, though this doesn’t end up going all that well for him.
For example, because his daughter, Sherry, was an ideal host for the G-embryo, Birkin would try to hunt her down, despite there still being a part of him which recognized her as a human being. Despite his best efforts, Birkin’s mind and body would eventually become consumed by the effects of the G-Virus; his very own creation.
