Summary
- Some Resident Evil villains shine with unique, eerie designs, while others fall short visually.
- Nemesis' monstrous appearance effortlessly instills fear, highlighting the importance of visual design in horror.
- Mother Miranda's majestic appearance conveys her dominance, showcasing the impact of a villain's visual presence.
While all of the biggest villains in the Resident Evil series have been compared by their strength many times before, it feels as though their designs can often go underappreciated. In truth, the appearances of these antagonists can range from grotesque mutants to snazzy-dressed businessmen, providing players with plenty of variety in terms of who they'll face during each new nightmarish adventure.
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While the quality of a character's design can be subjective, there are a few in the world of Resident Evil that have been much more memorable than others thanks to their detail, creativity, and overall scare factor. It's time to look past the evil schemes and violent mutations to see how these villains match up from a purely visual perspective to uncover who truly looks the part, and who may have needed a little extra time on the drawing board.
Before jumping in, this list will only focus on major villains, and will therefore include the main antagonist of each mainline game.
9 Derek Simmons
Simmons Snazzy Dress Sense Is A Little Plain And Not All That Intimidating
Resident Evil 6
- Released
- October 2, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
In all honesty, Simmons is a guy who looks like he dressed for the wrong game. While there's no problem dressing in fancy attire, there's nothing that screams "villainy" about his design, aside from the devilish grin that can almost always be seen on his face. With that being said, Simmons' stylish suit and tie getup does highlight his prestige within the ranks of the US government and presents him as more of a subtly creepy villain rather than one who invokes true fear.
Simmons' design does admittedly get a little more interesting when he mutates, where his head begins fragmenting to make him look a lot more eerie and menacing. When focusing solely on his regular look, though, his overall design isn't quite as memorable as his peers.
8 Eveline
Eveline May Seem Innocent Upon First Glance, But That Couldn't Be Further From The Truth
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person
For much of Resident Evil 7, players are led to believe the Baker Family are simply a disturbed bunch of people who have lost their minds, but it turns out the reason they have all become so violent is due to a bioweapon called Eveline. Well, she's technically a bioweapon anyway, as in her regular form, Eveline looks like a creepy young girl who enjoys popping out of the shadows every so often to catch Ethan off guard.
While Eveline is honestly quite uninteresting from a visual perspective, when she begins using her powers to mess with her surroundings, it can make her appear a lot more unnerving. Much of Eveline's scariness comes from her otherwordly powers and unhinged personality though, rather than her appearance.
7 James Marcus (Queen Leech)
Marcus' Ghostly Appearance Doesn't Need To Be Too Outlandish To Be Creepy
Resident Evil 0
- Released
- November 12, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood and Gore
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
James Marcus, or more specifically, the Queen Leech assuming the form of Marcus' body, only shows up a handful of times through Resident Evil 0, but when he does, he manages to easily creep out Rebecca and Billy with his ghostly appearance. Marcus is often shown wearing a long white gown which has a very traditional and unorthodox look to it.
What is especially noticeable about Marcus' design, though, is his facial expressions, which can range from emotional and creepy to downright terrifying, depending on his mood. Though Capcom could maybe have been a bit more creative when conjuring up this villain's appearance, it's still a real feast for the eyes regardless thanks to how unnerving it is.
6 Osmund Saddler
Saddler's Appearance Feeds Into His Mysterious And Shady Persona
Resident Evil 4
- Released
- January 11, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Saddler's design isn't too flashy or over the top, but it doesn't need to be. The hooded cult leader perfectly showcases just how sinister and devious he truly is, confirming player suspicions that this would be the guy playing the role of the main villain from the moment he first shows up on screen.
Though Saddler's overall appearance was remodeled a little bit in the remake, Capcom didn't expand on his look maybe as much as they could have, but the glaring eyes are a nice addition which makes him a little more disturbing to look at. Many fans tend to think of Salazar when it comes to memorable Resident Evil 4 character designs, but Saddler still deserves credit for being a recognizable antagonist with a fairly interesting visual appearance.
5 Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)
A Professional Yet Sinister Appearance For Wesker's Debut
Resident Evil
- Released
- April 30, 2002
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Despite being dressed in the standard STARS attire during the events of the first Resident Evil game, there's always something a little off about Wesker. Part of this comes from the blacked-out shades that he refuses to remove for the entirety of the adventure, which is symbolic of how he's truly hiding his identity from the other STARS members during their time in the Spencer Mansion.
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While Wesker gains a better design in later games, this look has still become iconic for how it manages to make him seem relatively normal, while still bringing plenty of intrigue to his character. Adding the red eyes at the very end after Wesker is stabbed by the Tyrant is also a nice final addition that would reference his later appearance in Resident Evil 5.
4 Mother Miranda
Mother Miranda's Otherworldly Design Highlights Her Superiority Over The Village
Resident Evil Village
- Released
- May 7, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
While Ethan runs into four different lords during his mission to save his daughter, each of these grotesque individuals answers to the supreme ruler of the village, Mother Miranda. It's fair to say Miranda certainly looks the part too, as she can always be seen wearing an extravagant robe, which is fitted with wings sprouting from the back and a large ornament behind her head.
This design features plenty of small details to look out for, including the Cadou at the center of her chest, alongside the all-seeing eye at the very top of her circular crest. Though Mother Miranda may not be the most beloved antagonist among the fanbase in terms of personality and motives, her design is truly jaw-dropping and quite staggering to look at up close.
3 William Birkin
Seeing Birkin Struggle To Contain The G-Virus Results In A Spine-Chilling Piece Of Body Horror
Resident Evil 2
- Released
- January 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence
- Genre(s)
- Horror
William Birkin is one of the only villains in the series who isn't all that thrilled about mutating into a new form. While it was he who decided to inject the G-virus into his veins, it's clear that he is also trying to keep hold of his humanity once he begins to turn, which is why his iconic appearance is so effective.
Seeing one side of his body expand into a mountain of flesh with a giant eyeball sticking out, while the rest of him looks fairly normal, creates a very striking piece of iconography that even those outside of the Resident Evil fanbase may recognize. Overall, a harrowing appearance that comes as a punishment for Birkin trying to play god.
2 Wesker (Resident Evil 5)
Wesker's Most Eyecatching Appearance Would Come During His Final Confrontation With Chris
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
By the time Wesker shows up in Resident Evil 5, he had essentially become the main villain of the entire series after the fall of Umbrella, so it only makes sense he would receive a makeover to showcase this. However, Wesker truly went above and beyond with his new design, which features a slick black glossy jacket, while still retaining the shades that obscure his bright red demonic eyes.
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What also earns this appearance bonus points is how over-the-top it is, looking like Wesker has just entered his edgy phase. This, however, simply adds to the outfit's charm, with the overall design doing an incredible job of showing players just how dark and corrupted the former STARS captain has become since the Spencer Mansion incident.
1 Nemesis
An Iconic Design That Effortlessly Invokes A Sense Of Dread And Fear
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
- Released
- November 10, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Though Nemesis had a few extra additions added to his look for the Resident Evil 3 Remake, the two versions still look largely identical, and equally as horrifying. As a mutant created by Umbrella to hunt down any remaining STARS survivors, Nemesis looks like a monster that has been completely stitched together by hand, and considering it has no emotions to speak of, it results in one of the franchise's scariest monsters whose design is the stuff of nightmares.
While Tyrants were nothing new in the series by this point, Nemesis is on a whole different level in terms of visuals, with his eerie appearance feeding into the series' central theme of biological experiments gone wrong. No fan of the series can ever forget the dreaded look of the Nemesis, and that's a testament to just how incredible of a design it is.
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