Summary
- Ethan Winters was originally designed as a player stand-in to enhance immersion in the RE8 game.
- Concept art reveals Ethan was supposed to carry a bulky backpack in Village instead of a suitcase.
- Ethan's powers are stronger than fans think, with his supernatural connection lasting even after his demise.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Resident Evil Village over the last few months. Fans of Resident Evil are hungry for more info on the upcoming mainline entry while the internet has fallen in love with Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu. As of now, the Lady of the castle has claimed the spotlight, but fans are still eager to know more about the entire cast of RE8.
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When Resident Evil: Village was revealed in June of 2020, fans were shocked at some of the returning faces (chief among these being legendary hero Chris Redfield). Players will once again be taking control of Ethan Winters, the protagonist of Resident Evil 7. Not much is known about Ethan or his background, but he's much more than just a pair of hands that players control.
Updated on January 4, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Resident Evil 9 leaks supposedly teasing the return (or rather, reunion) of Chris Redfield with fellow anti-bioterrorism specialists Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Barry Burton, fans of the franchise might be excited to finally see what happened to these fan-favorites during the events of Resident Evil 7 and Village. However, fans who want to relive the return to form of Resident Evil to its survival horror roots might want to dig deeper into Ethan Winters, the new protagonist introduced in these FPS titles. Among interesting trivia include some prototypes of his design, as well as design aspects that would have definitely made his character more compelling.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
18 Originally Intended As A Player Stand-In
A Blank Face For The Players To Jump In
One of the best appeals of Resident Evil as a series is the fact that players learn the stories of its protagonists by playing them throughout their games. It’s through playing across the series that players learn how Chris Redfield transitioned from being a spec-ops agent into an anti-bioterrorism specialist, among other spectacular tales. As such, it didn’t come off as a surprise that Ethan’s arrival in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village also meant carrying baggage that players had to solve.
However, the developers revealed that Ethan hadn’t been originally designed to star in his own story. Instead, their original intention was for Ethan to have quite the “generic” storyline so that players could “enter” the world of Resident Evil through him - a move that would’ve made for a more immersive experience, especially with the transition to first-person. While Ethan not having his own personality meant the absence of emotional impact from his relationships with Mia and Rosemary, some fans may clamor for a player stand-in character - especially if it comeswith customization features.
17 Originally Carried A Backpack, Not A Suitcase
A Much-Needed Realistic Detail
When fans begin exploring the Village in Resident Evil Village, one of the upgrades they can get from the Duke's shop is much-needed inventory storage upgrades. This visual comes in the form of a suitcase, which reflects the suitcase-style inventory of the actual game. Fans might see this as some sort of callback to Resident Evil 4’s inventory, which follows a similar style (and funnily enough, a similar story) - especially when RE7 followed a smartphone-style inventory, RE6 had a more dynamic inventory that changed depending on scenarios, and RE5 focused more on co-op inventory management.
However, fans might be interested in learning that Ethan’s inventory style in Resident Evil Village wasn't supposed to be a suitcase, but instead, a backpack. Concept art revealed Ethan traversing with a rather bulky backpack - something that realistically made sense given the remote nature of the Village. Although the suitcase in the final release was a nice touch that followed Village’s penchant for retro-esque style, a backpack could’ve aided the realism.
16 He Was Conceptualized As An Investigator
A Detective Investigating A Mystery Involving A Scientist
Players who managed to get access to “The Tragedy of Ethan Winters” artbook might be surprised to see an early sketch of Ethan Winters as someone dressed in a rather familiar law enforcement attire: the standard white button-up shirt, loose tie, and dress pants - a look similar to True Detective’s Rust Cohle. This is quite unlike Ethan’s actual look of a disheveled husband who got lost looking for his wife.
This is because this concept art of Ethan is actually of a completely different character idea. In the artbook, it appears Ethan was originally conceptualized as a private detective or an investigator tasked with finding or exploring the circumstances surrounding Mia’s whereabouts. In this concept, Mia isn’t Ethan’s wife either, which would give players a supposed disconnect between the two. Some find relief that this concept didn’t make the final cut, as Ethan being a “regular guy” was a welcome break from the high-intensity action star protagonists that the series featured previously.
15 He Went Through Military Training Between Resident Evil 7 And Village
Received Much-Needed Combat Training
This is mentioned directly during the course of Resident Evil Village, but any player could miss it if they blink. After the events of Resident Evil 7 and the ordeal at the Baker Estate, Ethan underwent military training.
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It is always a little funny when a throwaway line is put into the game to try and explain why a character is so apt at combat. It is especially interesting in Resident Evil Village because Ethan more than proves his combat prowess in Resident Evil 7 where he can already handle numerous firearms and parry enemy attacks.
14 Ethan's Preferred Weapon Is The Shotgun
Incredibly Proficient With The Weapon
Though not technically confirmed, it seems pretty likely that Ethan's go-to weapon is the shotgun. Capcom wanted Ethan to be a blank vessel for the player to immerse themselves through, so maybe it's no surprise that the shotgun is Ethan's favorite weapon! In the promotional images for Village's mercenaries mode, Ethan is wielding the shotgun. His preference for this weapon was further confirmed in the Shadows of Rose DLC.
Near the end of the DLC, Rose is confronted by Mother Miranda while inside the collective memories of the mutamycete. She has just lost her powers granted by the mold, and she is seemingly defenseless against Miranda. That is until her father Ethan Winters shows up with a shotgun in hand. Throughout the DLC, players can infer that both Ethan and Miranda have solid control over the mutamycete's abilities. With this in mind, Ethan could give himself any gun he wanted. He gave his daughter a handgun at the beginning of the DLC, so why not give himself a magnum akin to Barry Burton's super magnum from Resident Evil 1? One reasonable conclusion is that Ethan just loves the shotgun too much and feels more comfortable with it over any other weapon he's used or was trained with.
13 Ethan Winters' Powers Are Stronger Than We Think
A Supernatural Force Greater Than Bio-Weapons
Resident Evil Village ends with Ethan Winters' tragic demise. His life ends saving Rosemary and killing Mother Miranda. However, the post-credits scene hints at his continued existence.
A figure approaches the car Rose is in, and upon closer observation, this model is Ethan Winters. The Shadows of Rose DLC confirmed that this figure is, in fact, Ethan Winters. He remains connected to Rose through the mutamycete and, despite his physical death, his consciousness and soul live on through his daughter. As Rose tells the agent at the end of Village, she has powers that "not even Chris knows about." She is surely hinting at her connection with Ethan, who helped her develop her powers throughout the Shadows of Rose DLC.
12 His In-Game Model Does Not Have A Head
No One Knows What He Really Looks Like
When Resident Evil 8 was announced to have a photo mode, people thought it would be a great opportunity to finally see Ethan's face. Unfortunately, the photo mode does not let you see him.
Someone did make a third-person camera mod, however, and it reveals that Ethan's model does not actually have a head. It's quite common for parts of a model to be missing in a first-person game, but it does not make it any less humorous.
The Resident Evil Village Gold Edition released an official third-person mode for players to enjoy. Capcom was determined to uphold the practice of not revealing Ethan's face though, so players can never fully see his face in the game. They at least gave the poor guy a head this time though!
11 Worked As A Systems Engineer
A Non-Combat Job Perfect For A Horror Game
Before the events of Resident Evil 7, Ethan Winters lived in Los Angeles and worked as a systems engineer. Unlike other series' protagonists, Ethan isn't a supercop or special forces member. He was just a regular guy living happily with his wife, Mia, until she went missing.
Ethan had nearly given up hope of finding her until she sent a desperate video call to him. With no prior combat training or experience, Ethan decided to go to Dulvey, Louisiana in search of his lost wife. He was intent on rescuing her, no matter the cost.
10 He Never Knew His Wife's Real Job
Kept In The Dark The Whole Time
Before Ethan learns more about his wife Mia's dark secrets, he assumes she works in a trading company that requires her to travel often. Little did Ethan know that Mia's real line of work was much more sinister. Mia actually worked for a secret company known only as "The Connections."
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This company dealt with bioweapons research and development. Mia worked as a handler and agent with The Connections and hid this from Ethan for their entire relationship together before the Dulvey incident. How such a regular guy like Ethan Winters ended up married to an agent from a bioweapons company remains a mystery. By the end of Resident Evil Village, Ethan still does not fully realize Mia's involvement with the criminal group.
9 Lost (& Regained) A Couple Of Limbs
An Interesting Perk From An Infection
Throughout the first hours of Resident Evil 7, players find themselves trapped in the Baker family residence. Ethan is unable to fight his way through everything like a typical heroic protagonist though and ends up getting attacked repeatedly. He even loses his hand to his infected wife, Mia, before losing his foot to Jack Baker, the head of the Baker family. Luckily for Ethan, there's no shortage of advanced healing salves and liquids that allow his injuries to heal unbelievably well.
Ethan can continue to use these miracle-working healing agents throughout the game, allowing him to face the nightmares of the Baker family farm head-on.
Resident Evil Village finally explains Ethan's magnificent healing abilities. He actually died during the beginning of Resident Evil 7 and became infected with the Mold immediately. His high affinity with the Mold led to his impressive regeneration abilities. It is just a shame the Mold could not numb the pain.