Resident Evil Requiem is the perfect Resident Evil game, but they made this fan favorite too dirty

Resident Evil Requiem is a stunning horror experience and that should be clear by now. From the bracing and cathartic action combat facilitated by Leon Kennedy to the slower and more tense passages built around Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem is a great victory lap for the storied franchise, arriving just in time for its 30th anniversary.

Spoilers ahead Resident Evil Requiem

How long Resident Evil fan, Resident Evil Requiem is particularly satisfying to me. make no mistake Requiem it doesn't have MCU levels of references, easter eggs, or callbacks, but it certainly doesn't shy away from fan service. One could argue that the very presence of Leon Kennedy, the protagonist he came to define Resident Evil brand, is a fan service in itself. Other surprises, like the return of the Raccoon City Police Department or the revenge of the mutant Tyrant, are protected from feeling nostalgic by not overstaying their welcome: they play the part they need and don't take center stage. This touch-and-go philosophy seems to have been applied to a certain third-act cameo as well, and while I still think the moment is effective, perhaps its fleeting, blink-and-you'll-miss-it nature made it a bit of an anticlimax.

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HUNK Resident Evil Requiem Showdown is an abrupt end for the character

Famous mercenary and Umbrella agent HUNK, whose title has been speculated to mean “human unit, never killed”, appears in Resident Evil Requiemthe last act. It's a huge surprise as a character that has been playable in several Resident Evil games and has a legacy of overpowering, he ambushes Leon when he least expects it. This leads to a war battle between the two that is very reminiscent of a Krauser knife fight Resident Evil 4.

There has been some debate as to whether this forward is actually a HUNK; I even thought it might be Umbrella Corps initially the protagonist. But certain HUNK-specific details, like the iconic finger-wagging motions, give him away.

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Naturally, Leon overpowers HUNK and emerges victorious, and the epic battle looks like it's over before it even begins. The relative ease with which Leon dispatches HUNKA is rather ironic since both characters were introduced Resident Evil 2HUNK was meant to serve as a cathartic power fantasy, his game mode only available after you've fought for safety and resources in the main story. Back then, Leon was a cub compared to HUNK; now Leon can defeat him in a few minutes of single combat. In this sense, the meeting in Requiem serves to remind viewers how much Leon has grown since 1998.

But we don't know that anymore? Resident Evil 4 set him up as a globe-trotting, near-superhuman special agent, and he's basically Kratos v RE Requiem. HUNK, on the other hand, has been largely absent from the franchise for quite some time now, and his quick death at the end of Leon's hatchet business life seems a little undeserved. At the very least, HUNK should have been more of a threat to Leon, maybe even acting as one Resident Evil's stalker enemies before he meets his demise.

Does HUNK really die in Resident Evil Requiem?

We should touch on the elephant in the room: if you return to the battle site with the battleaxe, HUNK's body will disappear. Bodies seem to persist in the game world otherwise, so this was interpreted as evidence of HUNK's survival. He is famous for his ability to survive anything.

I think this uncertainty may have been Capcom's plan. There is enough uncertainty that HUNK will return in the future Resident Evil games wouldn't be completely unrealistic, but he doesn't have to come back either. Modern Resident Evil is defined by flexibility and experimentation, and not ruling anything out when it comes to a character like HUNK seems in line with that policy—albeit a bit dirty.