A short explanation on why Ethan Winters and Leon Kennedy are alike in ideals, but actually very different fundamentally.
*This is a translation combining the overall opinions of a Lil Rednote post and its comment section.
For many people play and are fans of the Resident Evil series:
Leon is the “god-tier” male lead & ideal hero.
Chris is the hardened battle-tested veteran.
And…Ethan is just an “ordinary person”.
But upon further and deeper reflection, we should come to the realization that using “ordinary person” is actually a very lazy generalization. This label doesn’t really say anything about who Ethan is. This label doesn’t do justice to everything Ethan has sacrificed.
Many people like to compare Leon and Ethan, but their biggest difference has never been that one is a hero while the other is an ordinary person. Rather, it’s that they place their responsibilities (duty) in different places.
Leon’s responsibility belongs to the world.
That’s why Leon, time and time again, repeatedly walks into bioterror crises. Even if the government wasn’t involved with his life, Leon would still dedicate his life towards the same cause (just as Claire). This is just simply who he is, and this was also why he became a cop in the first place. Give Leon a purpose aligned with protecting the weak and innocent, and he will walk down the same path.
Ethan’s responsibility belongs to his family.
Every time Ethan moves forward, with each and every step he takes, it is simply because he wants to go home. Home isn’t a physical place, home is: the normality of his pre-RE storyline life & where his wife is. The thing with Ethan is that his obligations are only limited to his life: his loved ones. Not saying that he is a selfish asshole, but he wouldn’t care (as much as the RE protagonists) on the safety and security of the world. Ethan is only focused on what directly affects him (aka his family).
In Resident Evil 7, many people say Ethan was just looking for his wife. On the surface it appears that way, but fundamentally it is something much deeper. Actually and more accurately, Ethan was fulfilling a husband’s responsibility to his family. From the moment he received that email, he never hesitated. Even when he was hunted down, had his hand severed, and endured unimaginable suffering-torture, he never once considered giving up. Because what drives him has never been heroism…it was the incredibly simple, deeply genuine, and humble sense of responsibility toward his family.
“She is my wife, so I am going to bring her home.”
Ethan Winters’ character was well received by the fans because he resonated with the average person. He isn’t driven by global politics or a duty to the people, instead he is relatable because of his simple desire to protect his loved ones.
Unlike Leon, whose motivation often stems from a duty to protect society at large, Ethan’s determination is intensely personal. He doesn’t fight because he sees himself as a hero - he fights because, in his mind, bringing Mia home is simply what a husband does. And it is that quiet unwavering devotion that distinguishes him from the series’ other and more traditionally heroic protagonists.
Sure, we could say Ethan Winters is an ordinary person. But…we cannot ever forget that he is also a husband and a father. We should never overlook the motives that pushes him in his journey: family.
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