This year marks the 25th anniversary of Resident Evil, and as fans look back on the series in celebration and forward to the tantalizingly close release date of Resident Evil Village, now is the perfect time to remember some of the many excellent boss battles and memorable villains that the series has served up over the years.
Whether it is in the swamps of Louisiana, the concrete jungle of an Umbrella Corporation research center or inside a volcano, Resident Evil has delivered plenty of dangerous, spooky and sometimes hilarious boss encounters for willing players to tackle. While there are so many great ones, here are five in particular that stand out among the rest.
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Nosferatu
Brilliant scientist Alexander Ashford was transformed into a hideous monster by his evil children and became Nosferatu, a blind, shambling nightmare of a boss for hero Claire Redfield to fight in Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Despite being blind and having his arms bound behind him, Nosferatu proves to be a formidable foe as Claire takes him on in the middle of a snowstorm atop a helicopter pad.
Players must dodge Nosferatu’s hideous spiked tentacle appendages and blast him in his exposed beating heart to best this tense encounter. The combination of the poor visibility during the snowstorm and Nosferatu’s movie slasher-like slow, shambling pace make this a memorable, surprisingly calculated battle.
Marguerite Baker
Easily one of the most disgusting bosses ever imagined by Capcom, the throwdown with the matriarch of the Baker clan in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was an instant classic for many horror fans. Marguerite gives players a taste of her horrific insect-controlling powers when players first meet her, but it is her boss fight where things get extremely uncomfortable.
Players must take down a mutated Marguerite, who can attack with damaging insects and prefers to slink away and set up ambushes for the player to fall into. The decrepit environment is dank and full of shadow, and the fight itself is masterfully paced, with players frantically searching for the monster in between furiously blasting it with no abandon. Marguerite is a great villain and an even better boss fight in the triumphant return to form that is Resident Evil 7.
Verdugo
Verdugo is another terrifying boss, one that tries to kill protagonist Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 4 before players can even kill it properly. Verdugo stalks the Leon through the sewers, frequently striking out with deadly intent. When players are finally given a chance to take it down, Verdugo proves to be a fast and deadly opponent with razor-sharp claws and a xenomorph-like tail.
Players can employ the tried and true method of blasting away at Verdugo until it drops, but the smart way to battle this abomination of science is to lure it near the multitude of liquid nitrogen tanks littering the area. After freezing this dangerous enemy, players can blast it to smithereens, putting Verdugo to rest once and for all.
William Birkin
The main antagonist of Resident Evil 2 is the mad scientist William Birkin. After developing the deadly G-Virus for the evil Umbrella Corporation, he decides to inject himself with it rather than turning it over to the company. This poor decision turns him into a constantly mutating monster sporting hideous eyes and giant bone-like claws along with incredible strength.
While many Resident Evil boss fights are memorable for their singular nature, it’s the progression of battles against Birkin that make him truly memorable, particularly in the incredible remake of Resident Evil 2. Each time players square off against this evildoer, he becomes increasingly more monstrous as the G-Virus rewrites his DNA and makes his character model all the more disgusting.
Albert Wesker
Boulder punching hilarity aside, the final showdown with Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5 is a massive story point for the series as a whole. Wesker is a constant thorn in the side of Resident Evil heroes, and time and again, he proves to be the secret mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Over the series, Wesker becomes mutated and incredibly powerful, but in Resident Evil 5, original hero Chris Redfield is finally able to take the traitorous villain down once and for all.
Chris brings the series full circle by flinging Wesker’s mutated body into a volcano and finishing him off with a signature Resident Evil coup de gras rocket blast. The battle is ridiculous, over-the-top and incredibly cheesy — and it fits the series perfectly. Wesker goes down swinging, and fans finally get to put to rest the villain that had plagued them for several games. This fight is simultaneously hilarious and meaningful, delivering everything fans expect from Resident Evil.
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