In a world full of power-hungry tyrants and mad scientists hellbent on complete global saturation (IYKYK), there’s bound to be a handful of betrayals as substantial wealth and influence are powerful motivators to change where a person’s loyalties lie. Once the T-Virus spread across Raccoon City and caused a city-wide epidemic, it became a free-for-all for everyone involved, and allegiances with the wrong crowd led to betrayals left and right. To balance out the roster of selfless heroes,Resident Evilhas its fair share of self-serving characters who will sell out their closest companions to save their own skin or make a quick buck.
Unfortunately, betrayals aren’t that uncommon in theResident Eviluniverse, especially when the Umbrella Corporation and its many subsidiaries have such an expansive reach over not just Raccoon City, but the whole world. It’s only expected for characters to be tempted by the promise of money, safety, or divinity and act in their own self-interest. Here are the betrayals inResident Evilthat were — and still are — a big deal, even years later.
Technically, Ada makes amends for double-crossing Leon inResident Evil 2by dropping him a rocket launcher to help him finish off the Super Tyrant, but that doesn’t mean the betrayal didn’t sting. Anyone that knows Ada Wong already suspects thatshe’s constantly got hidden motivesand won’t hesitate to switch up on her employer at the drop of a dime. Originally, Ada was working as a freelance operative hired by “The Organization” (Umbrella’s rivals) to steal a sample of the G-Virus from the NEST lab. She runs into Leon, who is also trying to procure a sample of the G-Virus, but for completely different reasons. When they finally meet again, G-Virus in hand, Leon learns from Annette Birkin that Ada isn’t actually an FBI agent — as she claimed — and instead works as a mercenary.
After Leon discovers this, he withholds the G-Virus sample and confronts Ada about using him as a pawn in a larger game. Annette shoots Ada in the shoulder, then the NEST lab begins to collapse, leaving Ada dangling as Leon attempts to pull her to safety. It’s a heartwrenching moment that’s made more poignant by Nick Apostolides' portrayal of Leon and the nuances in his facial expressions, as well as the music that slows to accentuate the blossoming romance between the pair. And, it’s a betrayal that stays with Leon for many years to come, even though Ada disappoints him several times over.
Granted, Jessica Sherawat and Raymond Vester didn’t win any popularity contests forResident Evil: Revelations, but they’re arguably some of themost underrated characters in the whole series. Despite having a crush on Chris Redfield, Jessica seems to have this on-again, off-again relationship with Parker, who encourages her flirtatious nature. As for Raymond, he’s the stereotypical tall, dark, and brooding loner of the supporting cast whose motivations are always one giant enigma. Since BSAA agents Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine had uncovered ample evidence tocondemn the FBC for some dodgy dealingsand shady activity, Morgan Lansdale released B.O.W.s to descend upon Chris and Jill, but when all else failed, he sent in his mole — Jessica — to initiate the Queen Zenobia’s self-destruct sequence and destroy all evidence therein.
Although Raymond ultimately saved Parker’s life, an end-credits scene shows him delivering a sample of the t-Abyss Virus to Jessica, thereby confirming their partnership all along. Both Jessica and Raymond were shifty individuals from the moment they appeared on-screen, so while the betrayal wasn’t exactly surprising, it had catastrophic effects on the future, even though Chris, Jill, and Parker all survived the wreckage. The t-Abyss Virus was presumably hybridized with other strains of mutagenic viruses to impact future storylines that are yet to be revealed afterResident Evil: Revelations.
When Jill Valentine meets Mikhail Victor inResident Evil 3, he isn’t the most approachable or forgiving of characters, particularly after his platoon is tragically wiped out, leaving just himself, Carlos, and Tyrell. As for Nikolai Zinoviev, he earned himself the codename “Silver Wolf” for always acting selfishly, and his behavior in Mikhail’s case is no exception. The UBCS were deployed into Raccoon City to rescue civilians, but a third-party organization made contact with Nikolai to deliberately sabotage and undermine the UBCS’s operation. Once Jill Valentine had proven to be a thorn in the side of this third-party employer, he was sent an additional contract to assassinate her, which was a privilege he would often give to Nemesis. It was in Jill’s nature to survive, so she did, and this infuriated Nikolai to no end.
After Jill restores power to the last train out of the city, she prepares to leave with Mikhail, Nikolai, and the evacuees. When Nemesis attacks in pursuit of Jill, Nikolai flees to the next carriage and locks Jill and Mikhail out, saying that Nemesis “isn’t after” him. This direct betrayal not only puts Jill in grave danger, but it also results in Mikhail’s death, as he triggers an explosion to take out Nemesisthat wipes himself out in the process. Nikolai would reveal his true intentions to Jill later on, when he admits to accepting a large paycheck in exchange for thwarting the UBCS' plans and encouraging Nemesis to kill Jill. He gets his comeuppance in the end, though, when Jill and Carlos leave him for dead as the missile launches to nuke Raccoon City.
Derek Simmons is at the center of every campaign inResident Evil 6, particularly as they all overlap. Prior to the events ofResident Evil 6, Simmons was directly responsible for the complete destruction of Raccoon City, whichplays out duringResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3. Sometime before the Raccoon City incident, Simmons met Ada Wong and became infatuated with her, which led to the birth of Project Ada. Simmons also kidnaped and experimented on Helena Harper’s sister, Deborah, and planned to frame Leon and Helena for the assassination of the President of the United States. The BSAA got involved once Simmons' betrayal became common knowledge, but Chris was also adamant about pursuing “Ada” (Carla), whom he blamed for wiping out his squad. Sherry Birkin reported to Simmons as an agent of the U.S. government, who was tasked with escorting Jake Muller to a facility where his immunity to the C-Virus could be mass-produced.
Simmons ended up employing Sherry based on her gullible attitude after years in government custody, and her regenerative abilities also proved useful to him. When it came to Simmons' attention that Jake Muller could pose a threat to his entire operation with the antibodies to the C-Virus, on which he’d become so reliant, he sent B.O.W.s to hunt both Sherry and Jake, regardless of Sherry’s loyalty to him until that point. Simmons also got what was coming to him after Leon fired a rocket launcher at his mutated form and knocked him off the roof, impaling him on an obelisk in the courtyard.
The S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team was led toa Midwestern town just outside of Raccoon City, where reports of mysterious murders caught the attention of the RPD. Alpha Team operated under the orders of Captain Albert Wesker, whomResident Evilfans would come to know as the franchise’s deadliest bioterrorist and creator of the Uroboros Virus, which granted Wesker superhuman strength and endurance. When Jill, Barry, Chris, and Wesker are sent to a derelict mansion to investigate the string of murders, Wesker goes missing almost immediately, along with whichever protagonist the player didn’t choose. It’s Bravo Team’s leader, Enrico Marini, who informs Jill or Chris of an impostor on Alpha Team before he’s finished off by an unseen shooter. Chris or Jill slowly uncover details about illegal experiments being conducted by Umbrella, then learn that Wesker is working as a double agent, hoping to program one of the Tyrants to wipe out the S.T.A.R.S. members and tie up any loose ends.
Wesker is seemingly killed by the Tyrant, but as revealed in later installments, he survived to become one of Umbrella’s most feared enforcers. He was behind the bioterrorism attacks that occurred inResident Evil 5and went on to develop an intense rivalry with Chris Redfield for always thwarting his plans. There’s a running gag in theResident Evilfandom that Wesker also hates Chris because he laughed at his Tyrant in the originalResident Evil, which could also be the case. Wesker’s betrayal was the pivotal moment that triggered a chain reaction for future games, so it’s still regarded as the biggest betrayal in several decades of the franchise.
