Ever since the release of the firstResident Evilgame back in 1996, the survival-horror series has produced a strong lineup of games, terrifying monsters, and characters that players fell in love with. Given the current hype for Capcom’s still unconfirmed remake of the thirdResident Evilgame, let us dive into the history and overall impact of one of the most important characters in the franchise and the star ofResident Evil 3, Jill Valentine.
Although players haven’t seen Jill Valentine in recentResident Evilgames, the former STARS officer remains to beone of the most popular characters in the franchise. Her strong-willed personality, ability to remain calm in stressful situations, and her overall badass fighting skills made Jill one of the most iconic female video game characters similar to the likes of Lara Croft and Ellie. A fair warning to those unfamiliar withResident Evilthat the article will delve into the events of several games in the franchise.
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Humble Beginnings
Jill Valentinewas first introduced to gamers as one of the original characters ofResident Evilalongside Chris Redfield. Back then, Jill was a member of Raccoon City’s elite taskforce STARS as rear security for the Alpha team. During the events of the first game, Jill along with her comrades from the Alpha team was sent to rescue the members of the Bravo Team who were sent to investigate mysterious murders happening in the outskirts of Raccoon City. The team was led to the infamous Spencer Mansion where Jill, Chris, and a few others uncovered the atrocities committed by the Umbrella Corporation and marked the start of her longtime mission to fight against the threat of bioweapons.
Jill made a comeback inResident Evil 3, where players witnessed her last escape and the ultimate destruction of Raccoon City, where up until this point has been the primary setting ofResident Evilgames. Although Jill’s personality remained the same from the firstResident Evil, it wasn’t untilResident Evil 3that Jill proved to be a capable fighter after defeating the iconic tyrant Nemesis singlehandedly. In the wake of Raccoon City’s destruction, Jill banded together with Chris and founded the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), and traveled across the globe to fight against bioweapons as portrayed inResident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, andResident Evil Revelations.
WhenResident Evil 5came out in 2009, players were shocked when one of the trailers for the game showed Chris Redfield laying down flowers on a grave bearing Jill’s name. Many longtime fans ofResident Evilwere heartbroken, and many questioned why Capcom would kill off one of the franchise’s most beloved characters off-screen. Of course, playing throughResident Evil 5revealed that Jill was captured and mind-controlled by Albert Wesker after an attempt to save Chris' life. Players would soon be able to release Jill who would then aid Chris, and his new partner Sheva, in killing Wesker once and for all.
Memorable Moments
ThroughoutResident Evill’s23-year history, Jill has amassed a wide variety of memorable moments. InResident Evil, Jill often fell victim to Bary Burton’s infamous dialogues such as the “Master of Unlocking”, and the ever-popular “Jill Sandwich”, that has since been cemented in gaming culture. InResident Evil 3during the Clock Tower part, many players were fooled into thinking that the game has ended after Jill was able to signal the helicopter that would take her out of the city.
Of course, we now know that the helicopter was eventually shot down by Nemesis, which proves the saying that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. Finally, at the end ofResident Evil 3, Jill was able to killNemesisand uttered one of the most iconic dialogues inResident Evil’shistory, “You want STARS? I’ll give you STARS!”
Several years later, who could forget Jill and Chris' emotional reunion after being freed from Wesker’s control. This is probably one of the most heartfelt scenes in aResident Evilgame, as Jill tells Chris and Sheva that she wasn’t able to control her actions but was aware of what she was doing. It revealed her traumatizing struggle as she was forced to kill her longtime partner, and showed just how strong the bond is betweenResident Evil’soriginal characters.
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Jill’s Place in Resident Evil’s Timeline
As previously mentioned, it has been quite a while since players saw Jill Valentine appear in aResident Evilgame. From the perspective of the franchise’s timeline, Jill was last seen during the events ofResident Evil 5, where she was freed from years of forced servitude under the hands of Wesker. After the events of the Kijuju Incident, players haven’t heard much from Jill apart from an email she sent Barry, which was revealed during the events ofResident Evil Revelations 2. It is currently unclear whether Jill would ever make a comeback on a newResident Evilgame. Of course, we certainly hope to see her again soon as it would be interesting to see how Jill recovered from the events ofResident Evil 5and her eventual return to action as a defender against bioterror. Who knows, maybe this would be the directionResident Evil 8is headed to?
A Lasting Legacy
It is without a doubt thatResident Evilwouldn’t be the franchise that it is today without Jill Valentine. Her strong-willed determination and her constant pursuit to end bioterrorism have made Jill one of the most recognizable female characters in the history of video games. Apart from being oneResident Evil’sfirst characters, Jill’s long-lasting legacy has also made an impact in the genre as a whole given that she is the first female protagonist to ever appear on a survival horror game.
Although it is unclear whether Capcom would ever decide to put Jill back in a newResident Evilgame, many are anticipating her long-awaited comeback in the rumored remake ofResident Evil 3. Of course, we still have to wait for Capcom to make the official confirmation. Luckily, it is rumored thatResident Evil 3will be announcedin a couple of days at Sony’s final State of Play for 2019 on December 10 at 6 AM PT.
