In every Resident Evil game, the hero comes up against a litany of deadly creatures. Some of them are specifically created from scratch by evil scientists. Most of them, however, were regular people that got infected with a virus that mutated and transformed them into grotesque monstrosities. In the process, they lose all their humanity and have no hope of returning to the life they once lived. So, it isn't a fate you'd wish on anybody.
Yet, some people in Resident Evil go through it voluntarily. They inject or infect themselves with a deadly virus to transform. Typically, they do it either as a last resort when they're about to die or in an effort to get more powerful. And it's a strangely common sight in the Resident Evil series. But how many times has it been done throughout the main games?
Only bosses and major villains count toward the total.
11 Resident Evil Bosses Have Transformed Themselves Into Monsters Throughout The Series
Throughout the main series and Revelations titles, 11 villains have transformed themselves into beasts. That is perhaps lower than expected, as it seems like it happens all the time.
This is because it is a somewhat recent trend in the series. In fact, in the first fourth main entries (RE, RE2, RE3, and Code: Veronica), it only occurred twice. It didn't begin to happen regularly until Resident Evil 4.
The Ustanak, the Dimitrescu family, Donna Beneviento, and Salvatore Moreau could've also counted since they seemed to willingly go through with getting infected - albeit some were manipulated. But they were still test subjects who wouldn't have had a choice regardless.
A contentious one that did count is Resident Evil 4's Bitores Mendez. He was manipulated by Saddler and gave his followers to the villain before being infected himself. Yet, the fact he got offered a better Plaga that allowed him to keep control of himself and his subjects makes him feel less like a victim than Salvatore Moreau or Alcina Dimitrescu.
The Villains In Resident Evil 4 Were More Prone To Infecting Themselves Than The Bosses From Other Games
Out of the 11 Resident Evil bosses to purposefully infect themselves, four of them came from RE4.
The self-made monsters from Leon's adventure in Spain were Ramon Salazar, Jack Krauser, Bitores Mendez, and Osmund Saddler.
They all infected themselves with the more powerful version of the Las Plagas that let them keep control of their brains. Plus, they also had control over their mutations, meaning they only became monsters when they wanted to.
If the infection turned them into gross mindless zombies, they might have avoided it.