Today is Valentine’s day, and while most people are preparing to spend the next few hours with their significant others, some Resident Evil fans will always dedicate this day to one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, Jill Valentine. In its 23-year history, Jill Valentine became one of the leading forces behind the fight against bioterrorism and is one of the few people who witnessed its beginning after discovering the evil works created by the now-defunct Umbrella Corporation.
Appearing in 4 mainline Resident Evil games as a major character, Jill is the third character in the franchise with most appearances behind Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker. Ever since her introduction in the series, Jill became one of Resident Evil’s most popular characters and is even the first from the game franchise to be featured in the Resident Evil live-action films. Given her calm demeanor and a strong sense of justice, Jill quickly became a fan favorite among Resident Evil fans and has dedicated two decades of her life protecting the world from zombie infection. Now, in honor of Valentine’s day, let’s take a trip down Resident Evil’s extensive history and see what made Jill Valentine one of the most iconic video game characters of all time.
History in Resident Evil
Jill Valentine debuted as one of Resident Evil’s first playable characters alongside Chris Redfield back in 1996. After a series of unresolved murders occurring in the outskirts of Raccoon City, Jill, and the rest of the elite STARS team were sent in to investigate. During their investigation in the forest, the team encountered infected dogs, forcing them to flee to a nearby mansion where they uncovered a hidden laboratory that is conducting illegal research. Jill and Chris then discovered that Umbrella is behind the creatures that were terrorizing the citizens of Raccoon City and that their team captain Albert Wesker, is working for the company as a double agent. After encountering zombies, monsters, and the terrifying Tyrant, Jill, Chris, Barry, and Rebecca were able to escape the mansion before it was blown to pieces via a self-destruct mechanism.
Upon returning to Raccoon City, Jill and the surviving members of STARS started their mission to expose the truth about Umbrella. However, with no concrete evidence to support their claims, and because Raccoon City’s Chief of Police is under Umbrella’s payroll, their investigation was suspended forcing most of the surviving members to flee Raccoon City and investigate elsewhere.
Moreover, Jill decided to remain in Raccoon City and a couple of months after the Mansion incident, the t-Virus was once again leaked and infected the population of the city. The events of Resident Evil 3 depicted Jill’s desperate escape from the doomed city as she once again encountered the horrific creatures that she thought she left behind in the Mansion incident. Due to the incriminating evidence she carries, Umbrella sent the tyrant Nemesis to Raccoon City in a mission to pursue and kill the surviving members of STARS, and players will be able to experience Jill’s escape once again with the release of Resident Evil 3 Remake on April 3, 2020.
After the destruction of Raccoon City, Jill reunited with Chris Redfield and together they formed the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). As founding members of the BSAA, Chris, and Jill were sent all over the world to combat the growing threat of bioterrorism even with the fall of the Umbrella Corporation. After receiving intel on the whereabouts of Umbrella’s founder Ozwell E. Spencer, Jill and Chris went on a mission to apprehend Spencer and make him pay for the countless lives lost in Raccoon City.
However, the duo found Spencer dead under the hands of their former captain Albert Wesker, who now possess superhuman powers after injecting himself with a virus. In their desperate attempt to take down their former captain, Jill made the ultimate sacrifice by throwing herself and Wesker down a cliff and was presumed dead shortly after. In Resident Evil 5, Chris discovered that Jill survived the ordeal but was taken hostage by Wesker who placed a mind control device on her. Fortunately, Chris was able to free Jill from captivity, and together with other BSAA agents, they were able to kill Wesker once and for all.
Big Jill Valentine Moments
Throughout her long stint in the Resident Evil franchise, Jill had many badass moments in the series. However, her most iconic moment in Resident Evil was when she single-handedly defeated Nemesis in Resident Evil 3. Throughout the game, Jill was pursued by the tyrant and was able to defeat its numerous mutations before finally putting the creature to its demise. In Jill’s final moment with Nemesis, she uttered the famous line, “you want STARS? I’ll give you STARS”, which we hope will be recreated in the upcoming remake.
Another badass moment that Ms. Valentine had in Resident Evil was when she fell under the control of Wesker. At first, fans were heartbroken upon thinking that one of Resident Evil’s primary protagonists turned over to the dark side. However, all made sense when it was revealed that Wesker placed a mind control device on Jill, who was forced to spread the Uroboros virus to the people of Africa in Wesker’s behalf. In Resident Evil 5, longtime partners Jill and Chris were forced to face one another in combat, which showed one of the most badass fighting scenes in the franchise. Fortunately enough, Chris was able to pull Jill away from Wesker’s mind control and helped him put an end to their longtime rival.
Evolution in Resident Evil
When Jill was introduced in Resident Evil back in 1996, she was designed as the character to play for beginner players. Although Jill was made to be physically weaker than Chris, she had more inventory slots to offer, which veterans of the franchise would know is an essential thing to have in a survival horror game. On numerous times, Barry Burton also aided Jill’s journey in the mansion by saving her from traps (which gave birth to the Jill Sandwich joke) and by providing her with powerful ammo. Despite this, Jill proved to be a capable police officer, given that she became one of the leading figures battling against bioterrorism as the series progressed.
Jill’s proficiency in combat was highlighted in succeeding Resident Evil games, most notably in Resident Evil 3. After the destruction of Raccoon City, Jill became a key figure in the BSAA and played a major role in the demise of the Umbrella Corporation. Jill was also able to take down the bioterror group Veltro before it was able to spread the new T-Abyss virus to the world’s oceans as depicted in Resident Evil Revelations. Prior to her disappearance and capture in Resident Evil 5, Jill took missions around the world and vowed to take down any organization following the footsteps of the Umbrella Corporation.
Future in the Franchise
Apart from the reimagining of Resident Evil 3 this April, which takes place in 1998 in the timeline of the franchise, it is currently unknown whether Jill will be featured in a new Resident Evil game. Her last appearance in Resident Evil’s timeline was in Resident Evil 5, which is set in the year 2009. It is assumed that after the events of the Kijuju Incident, Jill is recovering from the traumatic years she spent under the control of Wesker. In Resident Evil Revelations 2, an email sent to Barry Burton revealed that Jill has been undergoing rehabilitation and is confined in a laboratory after years of mind control. Jill then mentioned to Barry that, “At this point, I’d take a battlefield full of B.O.W.s over looking at another test tube again,” signifying her longing to return in action.
Besides this email, not much is known about the current status of Jill after Resident Evil 5. However, many fans were wondering whether Jill will be the main protagonist of the next Resident Evil game, but that remains to be unknown given that Capcom still hasn’t confirmed the development of a new mainline entry in the franchise. Unfortunately, Jill wasn’t mentioned in recent rumors about Resident Evil 8, which will reportedly star Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield, and will feature new-enemy types in the form of werewolf-like creatures.
And that ends our love letter to Ms. Valentine, who in a span of 23 years has dedicated her life to keeping the world safe from ultimate destruction. Although Capcom hasn’t revealed any plans for Jill in the future, it is likely that fans will hear about her once again given her importance to the franchise’s plot. For now, fans can look forward to her revival in the reimagining of Resident Evil 3, and who knows, maybe if the game turns out to be as successful as Resident Evil 2 Remake, then maybe Capcom would once again feature Jill Valentine in a future game.
Resident Evil 3 Remake is scheduled to release on April 3, 2020, for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
