Chris Redfield's Entire Resident Evil Timeline Explained

Chris Redfield made his first appearance in Resident Evil in 1996. Since then, the iconic hero has shifted in and out of the spotlight throughout the franchise. He will appear for one game, then disappear in the next, then come back for a piece of downloadable content in another. With Redfield playing a role in the upcoming Resident Evil Village, you might want to know where he's been, what he's been up to, and why Redfield now fully embraces the world-weary, combat experienced aura that he now seems to possess.

With that, it's time for regular series star Leon Kennedy to move over. Chris Redfield has returned to steal the spotlight, and he's more extreme and awesome than ever before. But first, dive headfirst into his humble beginnings, his adventures throughout the Resident Evil story, and what the future might hold for him. This is Chris Redfield's entire Resident Evil timeline explained.

One of Chris Redfield's earliest adult moves was enlisting in the United States Air Force. There, he received extensive training to pilot both airplanes and helicopters — a true maverick in the sky. During his time in the military, Redfield met a number of characters, some of whom will feature in Resident Evil games, such as Barry Burton.

In true Chris Redfield fashion, his stalwart convictions led him to constantly argue with command officers, which led to either a resignation or dishonorable discharge for insubordination. But thanks to his extensive flight experience, a variety of weapon proficiencies, including knives, hand-to-hand combat, and marksmanship, Redfield was immediately scouted by Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) in Raccoon City upon leaving the United States Air Force. The decision is history, as the events of Resident Evil take place soon after his service ends.

The first Resident Evil game launched in 1996. This survival horror foray was the first introduction to Chris Redfield. The premise of the game focused on Spencer Mansion and a mysterious case involving cannibalistic murders and animal attacks in Raccoon Forest. The whole ordeal was colloquially referred to as 'The Mansion Incident.'

Racoon Police Department, wholly inexperienced and underequipped, found themselves unable to tackle the murder case and put S.T.A.R.S. on the job instead. On July 23, Bravo Team traveled into the woods but crash landed due to a severe storm. In response, Alpha Team, consisting of Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, Albert Wesker, and Jill Valentine, were dispatched. The group, facing off against horrors in the woods, took shelter inside the Spencer Mansion, where further horrors took place.

Inside Spencer Mansion, Bravo Team split up to investigate and soon discovered that Umbrella U.S.A. built an underground laboratory designed for illegal bio-weapons research and development beneath the mansion in the woods. As you may know, the t-Virus escaped containment, infecting the lab's staff, and creating both the zombies and the Tyrant (T-002).

Following the events taking place in Raccoon City and Rockfort Island, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine reunited to form an anti-B.O.W. (Bio Organic Weapon) organization. Their task was to prevent bio-terrorists from getting their hands on the t-Virus and its many strains used worldwide.

Early on in the organization's lifespan, the two elite operatives traveled to the Caucasus region, where reports pointed to highly mutated and dangerous wolves attacking residents. Upon arriving to the Caucasus, Chris and Jill discovered yet another Umbrella laboratory working on a new strain of virus, leading to zombies and mutated animals once more.

The two faced off against codenamed t-A.L.O.S. — perhaps the strongest mutation to come out of an Umbrella laboratory. As the heroes of the day — and of the entire franchise as a whole — the two overcame this latest adversary and wiped out Umbrella seemingly for good this time around. Unfortunately, they noted Albert Wesker was still on the loose with his paramilitary outfit in search of the t-Virus.

Chris Redfield had his work cut out for him while aboard the Queen Zenobia. He faced off against a sea monster, of all things, and countless hostiles aboard the ship itself. The Queen Zenobia was an ocean liner owned and operated by Paraguas Line Company up until 2003, when it went missing. After capturing the ocean liner, bioterrorist organization Il Veltro erected a bio-weapons laboratory, with full military funding, to test the t-Abyss virus. 

Redfield discovered the true nature of "The Abyss." The man-made virus attacked all lifeforms, including animals, and mutates them extensively. The sea monster ahead of the Queen Zenobia was one such mutation. Another, the Malacoda, attacked later. 

Il Veltro planned on unleashing "The Abyss" throughout the Mediterranean. The terrorist organization developed a cure but, as Redfield discovered, loose ends forced the organization's hand. They unleashed the virus early, killing off the entire cruise liner, and causing yet another bio-weapons outbreak in the form of various mutations and zombies.

In Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield and new partner Sheva Alomar investigated yet another bio-weapons event. This time around, a bioweapon deal in progress involving Ricardo Irving, a known bio-terrorist, kicked off the Kijuju Incident in the Kijuju Autonomous Zone in Africa.

Africa was in disarray. Kijuju fell victim to the Uroboros virus, which produced a new type of B.O.W. that, if you remember correctly, featured unhinged jaws, a mouth lined with sharp teeth, and the occasional mutant capable of wielding a chainsaw with reckless abandon.

Chris and Sheva tackled one problem after another, from zombies to Kipepeo, until they found themselves face-to-face with a mutated Irving. Despite the complexity of fighting the now highly-mutated Irving, who injected himself with the Las Plagas parasite, Chris and Sheva couldn't rest. A superhuman Wesker arrived in Africa, proving once more that he was a formidable opponent.

On Dec. 24, 2012, Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans, now partnered for the foreseeable future at the BSAA, worked alongside Ben Airhart, Carl Alfonso, Finn Macauley, and Andy Walker following reports of a new B.O.W. known as J'avo released in Edonia. The kicker here is that Edonia was, at the time, embroiled in an all out civil war.

Upon arrival to the Eastern European state, Redfield and company endured attacks by J'avo, who destroyed the BSAA APC, forcing the team to flee. Amidst the civil war, the bio-weapon — the C-Virus — released by Neo Umbrella, created Chrysalids and other mutations. A woman claiming to be Ada Wong captured the BSAA team, mutating Andy, Carl, Ben, and Finn using the C-Virus. Redfield and Nivans escaped, though Redfield suffered from post-traumatic amnesia as a result.

Upon awaking in an unknown hospital, Redfield, still unsure of who he was, took on work as a bodyguard. He was violent, drunk, and wandering Eastern Europe alone. Nivans and the BSAA tracked him down, just in time for the Lanshiang Incident.

Following the events in Lanshiang China, Chris Redfield continued to serve the BSAA, albeit with one less partner in tow. He turned his attention to North America, which had remained relatively free of B.O.W. outbreaks. Redfield was tasked with supervising a sting in Mexico to catch the infamous weapons dealer Glenn Arias, who was reported to be selling new batch of B.O.W.s in the near future.

Reports claimed Arias was holed up in an abandoned mansion in Querétaro. Upon arrival, Redfield and his team fought back an ambush of zombies, plus a new mutation that infected his soldiers. The Plaga parasite, released by Los Iluminados, was yet another mutation of the original t-Virus that creates unique and ever-dangerous B.O.W.s.

Redfield, outgunned and alone, turned to Leon Kennedy for help in tracking down Arias, who fled Mexico. Reports put the arms dealer in New York City, where he intended to release the Plaga parasite on the city's denizens. In the film Resident Evil Vendetta, the BSAA was unsuccessful in stopping the virus as it ripped through the city that never sleeps.

When Capcom announced Resident Evil Village, folks were both excited and confused. A Resident Evil game with werewolves and vampires? That's odd. But excitement continues to grow as more information releases. For instance, at the end of the announcement trailer, fans get a look at a seemingly revamped Chris Redfield — who is now a muscled mountain of a man — as he confronts Ethan and Mia Winters.

One theory considers the possibility that Chris Redfield is not aware of his actions. Folks think that Umbrella Corporation is controlling the former BSAA operative, using him to tie up loose ends, like killing Mia at the end of the trailer while Ethan begs for answers on the floor. For now, until more is known about Chris Redfield's presence in Resident Evil Village, players are coming up with their own theories — some genuinely zany and others a little more grounded in Resident Evil lore.