Why is Leon 50 in Resident Evil Requiem while Jill and Claire don’t age?

We’re only days away from Resident Evil Requiem, the latest chapter of Capcom’s long-running survival horror series. It will introduce a new character in Grace Ashford, and also bring back Leon S. Kennedy as an older hunk. It might leave you wishing you could see other heroes like Jill Valentine aged-up next, but don’t expect that anytime soon. That’s thanks to the dumbest piece of lore imaginable: the leading ladies of Resident Evil age very slowly.

The explanation is very convoluted, but it dates back to the 2023 animated movie Resident Evil: Death Island. Set between the events of Resident Evil 6 and 7, the team-up film has the series’ A-list stars going to Alcatraz to investigate a zombie outbreak. (It’s very stupid, but admittedly enjoyable.) At the time, though, it raised some eyebrows as fans noticed that Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Rebecca Chambers looked as though they hadn’t aged a day since the first three Resident Evil games.

You might be tempted to write that off with the explanation that video game heroes in long-running franchises don’t really age at all, but that’s not the case. In the lead-up to the film, the Resident Evil Portal account on X provided some background on Jill to set up her appearance in the film: “Fought against bio-terrorist attacks in S.T.A.R.S. alongside Chris. Her T-Virus infection has slowed her aging but left some psychological scars. She rejoins her team after rehabilitation.”

Indeed, Jill was infected with the T-Virus by Nemesis in Resident Evil 3, but she’s cured after Carlos injects her with a vaccine. (Vaccines retroactively cure diseases in Resident Evil, I guess!) She’s not the only one who’s been exposed to a disease like that, though. Claire Redfield? She gets hit with the fear-inducing T-Phobos Virus in Resident Evil: Revelations 2. And Rebecca Chambers is infected with the A-Virus in the film Resident Evil: Vendetta.

Thus, if we’re to follow Resident Evil logic, all three women may be showing signs of slowed aging due to their infections.

Don’t think about it too hard. Like a lot of Resident Evil lore, the explanation is wishy-washy and inconsistently handled throughout the series. Other fans have suggested that it’s just a case of the franchise reusing assets, or a societal double standard around pop culture’s hesitancy to depict older women as often as men. Whatever the actual reason may be, you probably shouldn’t expect to see cool aunt Claire or wine mom Jill in a Resident Evil game anytime soon, even if Leon is unc.

Resident Evil Requiem launches on Feb. 28 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.