Please note that spoilers forResident Evil Villagewill be included throughout the article.
The incredible twist at the end ofResident Evil Villagetook many diehard fans by surprise. After the hours of venturing out with the newestResident Evilprotagonist, Ethan Winters, players couldn’t help but feel attached to the unlucky family man. Just when that emotional investment came to its peak, it all came crashing down with the inevitable death of Ethan Winters at the end of the game.
RELATED:Resident Evil Village: Crazy Facts You Never Knew About Ethan Winters
However, in the after-credits scene featuring a now teenage Rose, a mysterious figure is seen in the distance as the girl drives away from her father’s grave. After some digging, fans eventually discovered that that shadowy figure is in fact Ethan Winter himself! However, the open-ended implications of this last scene are still up for much interpretation. Here are a few interesting fan theories about the overall fate of Ethan Winters.
7The Duke Rescued Ethan At The End Of The Game
From the very moment players meet the suspicious merchant in the game, Duke’s role is a bit ambiguous. However, as the game progresses, that suspicion slowly fades. By the end, it isclear that The Duke is Ethan’s ally; in fact, the Duke even takes Ethan in his carriage after he is left for dead by Mother Miranda.
Many believe The Duke’s main motive for helping Ethan is to use him as a means of acquiringprecious loot and hidden treasuresthat he so generously marks on the map himself. However, in the end, The Duke is truthful and indeed helps Ethan rescue his daughter. Considering how quickly Duke can find his way around the village, it seems easy to imagine that perhaps the merchant made his way to Ethan before the explosion and rescued him once again.
6Ethan Is Somehow Related To Wesker
Long before the release ofResident Evil Village, many fans were speculating that perhaps Ethan Winters has some connection to long-time franchise villain, Albert Wesker. After seeing even more of Ethan’s supernatural powers, including the eerie ability to reattach mutilated limbs, fans were quick to assume that this theory is true. The game’s reluctance to fully reveal Ethan’s face furthered this suspicion.
If it comes out that Ethan has been somehow Wesker all along or has some connection with the villain (which would also help explain his god-like resilience), this would definitely secure his place in the series. Dead or alive, this particular theory solidifiesEthan having some kind of role in latertitles.
5The Mold -Brought Him Back Once Again
The unfortunate incident that occurred in the Baker residence was where Ethan first met his demise and then quickly after, his resurrection. The mold was responsible for his revival and then again for his superhuman-like endurance; so who is to say that that may have been the case once more?
Although the audience did see Ethan begin to calcify like the rest of his enemies once they meet their deaths, they never actually witness his demise on screen.Eveline once controlled the moldand perhaps kept Ethan alive to serve as her father figure. Now that the mold-born Rose is in the picture, perhaps the mold revived the protagonist once again in order to protect his real daughter.
4Ada Wong Rescued Ethan Off-Screen Before The Explosion
Dedicated fans may already know that the original drafts ofVillageinvolved Ada Wong, although her role remains uncertain. However, a popular fan theory as to why Ethan appears to be alive and well in the after-credits scene is that Ada Wong showed her heroic side once again and rescued the protagonist before setting off the explosion.
RELATED:Best Pieces Of Concept Art In Resident Evil Village
Where Ada stands and who she is affiliated with isn’t clear at the moment, as she hasn’t made an appearance in quite some time. However, it could be that after finding out about the curious case of Ethan Winters, she went off to save him for reasons unknown.
3Ethan’s Appearance Is Just A Hallucination
At the end of the game, it is a bit eerie to see Ethan still wearing his clothes from whenhe first rescued Rose from the village. It can be assumed that a good amount of time has passed since the events ofResident Evil Village; Rose appears to be much older and Ethan has a memorial/grave made in his honor. There isn’t any real way of knowing whose perspective the ending scene is being seen from.
It’s possible that Ethan’s appearance is simply from Rose’s point of view and her connection with the mold is what made her father’s figure appear in front of her. Eveline has appeared in Ethan’s mind before as the mold has said to catalog the consciousness of everyone it infects, consequently, it wouldn’t be a surprise ifVillage’s protagonist could now communicate with Rose in the same way. Perhaps theseries will follow Rose as Ethan’s consciousness continues to protecther along the way.
2Ethan’s Appearance Is Just A Fun Easter Egg
Another popular theory is that Ethan’s final appearance at the end of the game is simplymeant to be a fun Easter egg for fans to find; or alternatively, the mysterious figure could just be a nameless, identity-less figure for players to ponder over. It’s possible that Capcom wanted to end the game on a mysterious cliffhanger and just so happened to use Ethan’s character model purely out of convenience.
While a bit of a stretch, it is very much a possibility that Ethan isn’t actually making a return in any capacity. This particular theory, of course, entails the more unfortunate implication that Ethan truly did die off-screen at the end of the game.
1Ethan Is Now Somehow Involved With The Connections
It’s apparent that Mia knows a great deal about Ethan and his superhuman abilities, even more so than the protagonist himself. After Mia convinces Chris that Ethan is “special” enough to survive his first encounter with Mother Miranda, the protagonist then sees visions of Eveline who reveals to him the truth that even he didn’t seem to know.
Little is known about Mia and perhaps her statement about Ethan being “special” was a sly hint. It’s clear that Mia lied about her “babysitting” job and herwork with The Connections in the previous game, but the company wasn’t mentioned ever again. Perhaps Ethan was rescued or revived via members of The Connections. After all, the mold and Eveline were the group’s projects, and it’s possible they’ve chosen to use Ethan (or an entity that looks identical to him) as a means to get closer to the even more powerful Rose.
NEXT:Resident Evil Village: Fan Theories That Turned Out To Be True
