Resident Evil Death Island is basically The Avengers
Let's be honest, the live-action Resident Evil movies haven't exactly been vying for any Academy Awards, have they? The animated outings also aren't winning any awards, but as a faithful continuation of Capcom's lore from the video games, they wipe the floor with their live-action counterparts.
Filling in the gaps between mainline games once again, Eiichirō Hasumi's Resident Evil: Death Island looks like the franchise's most batsh*t outing yet. Fitting neatly between the maligned Resident Evil 6 and lauded Resident Evil 7, Death Island is the sequel to Netflix's Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness series.
Who's who in Resident Evil: Death Island?
This time, we're packing our bags for Alcatraz, as a mysterious outbreak at the prison facility lures together a who's who of Resiverse favourites for its own version of Marvel's Avengers. A new trailer is out, and safe to say, it's giving us some serious vibes of Joss Whedon's The Avengers from 2012 (or Avengers Assemble, depending on where you saw it).
We've already covered how Death Island brings back the MIA Jill Valentine after she sat out Resident Evil 6, but now, the trailer has given us our very own "Avengers, assemble" moment.
This S.T.A.R.S-studded cast brings together Resident Evil's Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Rebecca Chambers, alongside Resident Evil 2 alumni Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy for the first time ever.
Despite their legendary status and both being present for the Raccoon City incident, Jill and Leon have never crossed paths. The first times don't end there, as it's the first time Claire and Rebecca have met, and a long-awaited reunion between the Redfield siblings - having been apart since Code: Veronica.
During the big moment, we see the rag-tag team of heroes jump over a zombie whale(?) fin and shoot at it in slow motion. All the while, there's a musical score that wouldn't feel out of place in an Avengers movie.
What's the story of Death Island?
Taking place in 2015, Resident Evil: Death Island recruits D.S.O agent Kennedy to rescue Dr. Antonio Taylor from kidnappers. B.S.A.A. agent Chris Redfield looks into the zombie outbreak in San Francisco, while Chambers and Valentine get involved as former S.T.A.R.S. members.
Finally, Claire completes the group as a member of the TerraSave human rights organisation. As the post-credit scene of Resident Evil Village is the current endpoint of the timeline - and a lot of these characters are MIA by that point - here's hoping Death Island can "flesh" out their whereabouts.
With Chris sporting a Hawaiian shirt and a rocket launcher, a snarling villain worthy of Albert Wesker, and Jill's gnarly parkour, Dead Island is the kind of campiness we've come to expect from the Resiverse. Capcom confirms Death Island will hit Japanese theatres on July 7, but there's no news on the Western release
