Albert Wesker was the central antagonist of the Resident Evil series. Ultimately responsible for many of the games’ plot developments, his sinister presence was felt behind every outbreak or mutation. He made his first appearance in 1996’s original Resident Evil game and would appear in many others before his apparent death at the end of Resident Evil 5.
The series has continued onwards without its big bad ever since, albeit with various references and attempts to replace him, with varying levels of success. The recent Resident Evil 7 opted to largely ignore all continuity in favor of a fresh experience for the series, but continuity should not be ignored forever.
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Wesker was a genius virologist working with the sinister Umbrella Corporation and was one of the researchers who helped create the original T-Virus. Eventually being assigned to lead S.T.A.R.S., he was tasked with sacrificing his team to the experiments of the Arklay mansion to provide Umbrella with combat data. Wesker ultimately infected himself with a mutant virus strain that granted him superhuman powers before faking his death and betraying Umbrella to pursue his own goals.
The ultimate goal of Wesker’s actions would be the complete extinction of humanity. Wesker believed that humans were destroying both themselves and the planet and that the only way forward was new evolution born from destruction. Wesker was finally killed by arch-enemy Chris Redfield after his plan to infect the planet with the Uroboros virus was foiled. He was rather definitely ended by two rockets as he bathed in the lava of a volcano. However, the villain has already cheated death once.
Wesker’s role in the series provided cohesion between titles. His presence was always felt and meant that otherwise unconnected outings could be linked through his shadowy involvement. Games since his death have struggled to replicate this; Resident Evil 6 revealed Wesker had a secret son named Jake Muller who inherited some of his powers, but the character proved unpopular and was dropped soon after. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 featured Albert’s sister Alex in the role of main antagonist, and while the new villain has proved popular, she has made very few appearances since. Other antagonists introduced either paled in comparison to Wesker, such as Resident Evil 6’s Carla Radames or were quickly killed off, such as Resident Evil 7’s Lucas Baker.
Albert Wesker is still one of the most popular characters in the series, and fans look for any hint or clue to his potential return. Seemingly aware of the character’s popularity, Capcom themselves have peppered Resident Evil titles with such hints. The spin-off Umbrella Corps features a mysterious higher-up who monitors the player’s progress. This mysterious presence ultimately addresses the player over the radio, and it is unmistakeably the voice of Wesker.
Whether or not Wesker is what the series needs is a controversial subject. The more recent titles in the series attempted to ground the series in more serious fare (or, at least, serious by Resident Evil standards), and the machiavellian antagonist may seem at odds with this new approach. Many fans, however, consider the character to be one of the highlights of the series in general, and the villain’s demise has left a void that needs to be filled. Regardless of opinion, the character is undeniably integral to the history of the franchise.
Resident Evil Village seems poised to deliver an experience that takes more inspiration from past titles such as Resident Evil 4, and Capcom has promised some surprises within the game. Players can only hope that Wesker’s return is one of those surprises and that the villain makes his triumphant return to the shadows of the series. With the new Netflix adaptation’s focus on the Wesker children and their story, all eyes will soon be on the most infamous member of the household as fans make their predictions on just how exactly he could have survived that volcano.
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