How Old Chris Redfield Will Be Come Resident Evil 9

Chris Redfield was there when it all began, at the Arklay Mansion incident in the forests of Raccoon City, better known to players as the first Resident Evil. Twenty-three years of game chronology and real-time later, Chris is at the heart of it again in the newly released Resident Evil Village. Chris's graying hairline in RE8 shows the bioweapon killer isn't as young as he used to be, but he is still in his monster hunting, boulder-punching prime.

Admittedly, in the sci-fi saturated universe of Resident Evil where people come back from the dead all the time, age is just a number, but the real-time aging of the series has interesting implications for its heroes. Many may be curious how Chris will still be present, or if he will be, as the franchise moves forward.  Given the leap forward in time teased in the post credit sequence, one cannot help but wonder how old Chris is at the end of Resident Evil Village, and whether there will be enough fight left in the gunslinger for one more adventure.

Aging action male heroes are nothing new to games, even looking beyond immortals like God of War's Kratos or the Doom Slayer—see Marcus Fenix, Sam Fisher, and incarnation of Metal Gear Solid's Snake. The tantalizing end of RE8 name drops Chris directly, confirming that he is still alive and well in the future, but it also suggests he may be occupying a different role that what we have seen before as the franchise moves forward.

Chris Redfield's precise, canonical age is unknown, but there are some insights about the character's life that permit a rough estimate. Before the events of the original Resident Evil, Chris was in the US Air Force pilot prior to being recruited by Raccoon City's Special Tactics and Rescue Service. Assuming Chris enrolled in the Air Force Academy as early as possible (18 years old) and had a somewhat successful career, he would conservatively be in his mid-twenties when he joined STARS. Again, it is unknown exactly how long Chris was a member of STARS before the Arklay Mansion incident in 1998, but there are references to him winning annual shooting tournaments among the Raccoon City Police Force, and solving difficult cases alongside Barry Burton.

Assuming Chris was around 25 years old as of Resident Evil, the 23-year-long jump to the events of RE8 would have him pushing 50, which is consistent with his character's grizzled appearance. Again, that is no obstacle to fighting prowess in a video game, but fans also start to see how the character's age is getting the better of him in other ways.

Resident Evil 8's epilogue is focused on the now-teenage (or possibly twenty-something) Rosemary Winters. Rose visits her father's grave, relating the latest developments of her life in vague terms. Things get interesting when a black suited spook—likely a member of the BSAA—shows up to collect her. When the man in black makes an ill-advised crack about Rosemary's lineage, she slams him against the car and threatens to show him "things even Chris doesn't know [she] can do." It's an intriguing moment that suggests Chris has become a coach to Rose, training her how to use her unique gifts.