Some Infinite Darkness spoilers ahead…
It’s fascinating how one of the quiet Big Bads in Resident Evil is the United States government. No one ever fights them directly, but there is the repeated message from RE2 onward that the US gov is a shadow boss Leon is aware of and is also aware that he can’t fight it.
They don’t feature much in Chris’s, JIll’s, or Ethan’s stories. In RE3, there is the fight against time where Jill is trying to stop the gov from bombing the city, but while they’re portrayed as assholes, they’re not necessarily portrayed as villains.
For Claire, she is aware that the US gov is bad and she wants to call them on it, but two things: 1) they’re not her major focus, which tends more toward healing and recovery and 2) when she does fight them, her goal tends to focus on bringing their bullshit to light without ever recognizing the extent of the threat.
In ID, Claire is ready to go with that chip. She is fearless, eager, and then pissed as hell when Leon withholds it. She doesn’t give a damn that she is neck-deep in enemy territory. This is her boulder and she is more than ready to punch it.
Of the entire crew, only Leon is fully aware of how nasty and dangerous the US government is. Back in RE2, he discovered evidence that the government planned on obtaining and using the viruses to create BOWs. He was on the receiving end of their ruthlessness when they found him and Sherry after Raccoon City and threatened to kill a young girl in order to weaponize him. In ID, it’s made clear that he never forgot that the government never tried to save the civilians of Raccoon City and just destroyed the city instead. In Damnation, they manipulated and weaponized him, and at the end of the movie, you see his rage and despair as he tosses back a drink. He is familiar with all the villains. Who knows what he sees behind the scenes.
While the US government is never directly called a villain, it’s made clear repeatedly that they are not the good guys, and of all people, former bright-eyed rookie Leon Kennedy is the one most aware of it. He’s aware that they wouldn’t hesitate to hunt down and kill Claire. He’s aware that they hold Sherry’s life over his head. He’s aware that they’re all right with bombing entire cities if they deem it necessary. He’s aware and he’s angry and he knows there isn’t much he can do about it, although it’s made clear at the end of ID that he’s going to keep trying, anyway.
I think that’s the big thing people miss from the ID ending. It isn’t Leon siding with the enemy: it is Leon being the most aware of who the enemy is, how ruthless they are, and what tactics would and would not work. Claire sees an obvious solution in Leon’s hand: Leon recognizes it as a declaration of war against an impossible enemy.
So yeah. While it is never directly stated in Resident Evil, it’s clear in the subtext that the US government is a recognized threat, just not one Leon can fight with guns and kicks alone.
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