Doubling down on the kindness thing for Leon — it’s interesting to wonder what would happen if he met someone who’d put others put others before themself the exact way he does. Like, for one, I feel like he’d love them for it and their caring nature, but also be like “What no you take care of yourself first and let me do the hard work,,,” which would create conflict on its own considering he may fail to see his own self-sabotaging ways and how it would affect his lover. He would be staring into a mirror and I wonder how he’d handle that
This is a very good question!
Most selfless characters have one thing in common, and that’s being a hypocrite.
We see this in RE canon during the intro scenes of Death Island when Chris criticizes Jill for going ahead with the mission instead of waiting for backup. Chris of all people (and especially after his own actions in RE6 pre & post brain injury) is criticizing Jill for rushing ahead and not sticking to a clear plan.
I tend to base my interpretations with a realism approach, and I heavily believe that the more a character feels “perfect” then they are actually incredibly flawed inside (what isn’t captured by the camera)…because no one is perfect. The concept of being perfect is incredibly subjective so in a way if all the beings in existence is unable to decide on what perfection is, then we could never achieve perfection. This is why there are no many interpretations of Leon’s character out there (and they are all valid in their own way).
I think Leon meeting someone who is a mirror of himself (in terms of matching his selflessness and kindness) would probably counter any feelings of romance in him towards that person.
I always headcanon Leon as being inherently insecure and that’s why he tries extra hard to prove himself in order to justify his existence in the world. So, if he meets someone who mirrors him then I assume that he would see himself in them. And Leon also struggles with loving himself (thus why he is so self sacrificial), so he would be unable to see that individual in a romantic way. He will most likely develop platonic feelings towards them, and this is how I personally view his relationship with Claire (and Sherry as an extension). I interpret Leon’s feelings towards Claire alike to that of an older sibling and this is why how I view the interactions between them in Infinite Darkness:
Claire (to Leon): When are you going to stop treating me like a kid?
Leon’s Response: Probably Never.
To me, Leon had always been a person who requires stimuli. He unconsciously prefers high contrast and excitement instead of the mundane.
Since the start (Pre-RE2), Leon had always wanted a challenge (so he could prove himself) and that’s why he wanted to join the RPD because he wanted to investigate into the Arklay Mountain Murders. This also links to my argument on how Leon unconsciously manifested his role in the RE verse.
In terms of colour theory, Leon has always been associated with navy (blue). Blue’s contrast colour is Red, and Red is the colour that the two characters of his most popular heterosexual ships (Aeon & Cleon) happens to be associated with. Instead of complimentary colours that are subtle to the eyes, Leon’s Blue and Ada/Claire’s Red are in high contrast with each other.
The RPD uniform in RE3. His RE4 tactical clothing. The iconic China fit in RE6. His new tactical wear in RE9. Then in the recent movies: his leather jacket/tactical shirt was blue in Death Island, while in Infinite Darkness his suit/the dress shirt he pairs with his leather jacket is blue.
The above is why I interpret that Leon would most likely romantically prefer someone who is different from him.
And this is why the dynamics of Aeon works because Ada is assumed to be ruthless (mission first) and Leon had always been the compassionate hero, but Ada also retains her humanity (she saves Leon multiple times and saved Sherry/Jake) despite her profession and this is why Leon is still able to relate to her.
To be romantically compatible with Leon (in my opinion), this other person needs to be able to hold their own and without Leon needing to fuss over them. Leon had always shown an interest (or at least Capcom writes him in this way) in capable and independent women: Ada, Claire, Angela/Helena/Hunnigan (yes, I am including these three ladies because I feel that there were romantically coded scenes between them). This individual doesn’t necessarily have to be competent in terms of fighting, but they do need to be self sufficient/non reliant enough to allow Leon to avoid becoming a caretaker to them.
⚠️ Once again, the above is only my personal interpretation. I do not wish to engage in shipping discourse, I am simply just sharing my own thoughts.
