Chris and Leon: A Essay Explaining Why They Work
1. Introduction
This is an essay that is a collection of my thoughts on the ship of Leon and Chris; or in layman’s terms Chreon. It is my belief that out of the many Leon ships only two are the most canon. Those ships being Aeon (Ada x Leon) and Chreon (Chris x Leon).
Now for those not involved that heavily with the fandom might be confused why this is case. Ada Wong and Leon have the longest and well documented situationship in practially all of gaming. Their relationship full of sexual tension and riddled with betrayals and manipulation. One would have to be blind to not see there’s something there.
But one would wonder why I put what seems a harmless gay ship on the same level on one of the main relationships of Leon (The other being Claire which I would get into in this essay slightly as well). And that’s because it’s my opinion that Chris and Leon has something in canon as strong as Leon and Ada relationship.
This essay will explain how Leon and Chris are both queercoded and summary of them as characters, a general timeline of the dynamic, popular fanon ideas, and lastly why they work so well as a couple. This is gonna be an essay based on my own thoughts and opinions so there might be some things you personally disagree with. That’s completely fair, this is just an essay I created to have fun and talk about my dumbass badasses. Now let’s get onto it!
2. Characterization and Queercoding of Leon:
Leon has become one of the sexiest video game men ever to exist. He’s sorta became for the people. Gay men, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Straight Men, and Women all are into the man. His appeal is beyond sexuality and gender. So course, with such a fanbase it’s no wonder why you could look at him as being queercoded.
When we are first introduced to him as a character in Resident Evil 2, he is late to work because of a hangover he got because he was canonically drinking his sorrows away because his ex girlfriend broke up with him. And we all know he proceeds to have the worst first day ever. Raccoon City is so important to understanding Leon as a character. Because that Rookie cop that feels he failed to save anyone is always a part of him. He has such strong survivor guilt over the situation when we all know it’s Umbrella fault for being greedy and playing god.
This game is also when he meets the two most important women in his life (also Sherry as well), those being Claire Redfield and Ada Wong. People always joke that he fell in love at first sight with Ada Wong. I don’t see their first meeting like that personally. Leon even before anything as a new cop he believed in the best of everyone. So of course he trusted Ada. She was one of the two that was there during the most horrible day of his life. Now I also don’t subscribe to the fact either that Ada never cared for Leon. She did that’s why she continues to have distance with him through out the series. She doesn’t want him to become a weakness of hers.
He also meets Claire Redfield, a fact important for this essay and the reason why Leon eventually becomes connected to the other main characters of the series. Claire and Leon have a special relationship because they both survived Raccoon City together. Whether you subscribe to them in a romantic light, you can’t disagree that the both of them are trauma bonded.
Now these two women have always been the most likely candidates for Leon’s love interest. So you might be wondering why I said Leon could be seen as a queercoded character. And that’s one major fact, Capcom hates writing specifics about Resident Evil characters relationships. So to this day, Leon has never gotten a canon relationship. Despite for Ada and Claire at the start having building blocks for a romance arc if Capcom really wished. One ship that makes no sense is Sherry and him especially knowing how she asked him to adopt her. Leon is more likely to be canonically bisexual than someone that would go for way too young a girl.
Now, I talked about the women in his life in detail. This isn’t queercoding. And you would be right actually. Therefore let’s talk about Resident Evil 4. First off let’s just shine a light to how tragic Leon is as a character. He canonically got blackmailed to work for the US government because of Sherry, an actual child that the government wanted to experiment on. And this even the last girl that’s experimented on by the US government in his games. There’s Manuela who’s infected with a variant of the Veronica Virus in one of the side games.
Which brings us to the first proof of Leon being queercoded. Jack Krauser or how I love to say Leon very toxic ex boyfriend. Leon and him were partners and trusted each other before he went off the deep end and faked his death. Where he appears back in Resident Evil 4 where the two of them fighting is one of the climaxes of the game.
The second proof is just the fact since Resident Evil 2, all the villains have weird sexual tension with Leon. Like one villain chokes him per game. And this is even more prevalent in him and Victor in the new game. In Resident Evil 4, there’s also another guy that Leon has canonical sexual tension with. And that is Luis Sera. How it’s actually written is Luis was in love with Leon but they didn’t have enough time. And he died trying to do the right thing.
This to say not only does Leon have sexual tension with villains but he has two men in one game that clearly were more than friends to him. Like there’s no way he isn’t bisexual. I also find it interesting that his main thing he desires in a romantic partner is someone that could watch his back. Like he wants to have trust in whoever is beside him. Even if Jack Krauser eventually betrayed him. He was Leon for partner once upon a time. And one of the primary reasons he starts to be a lone wolf.
I just find this interesting as when I delve into the timeline of moments between Chris and Leon. One of the core traits of them as a couple is how much they trust each other. Leon found the man that symbolizes trust and loyalty eventually.
3. Characterization and Queercoding of Chris:
Now there’s a case for arguing that Leon is completely heterosexual. But there’s no way in my mind that Chris isn’t a gay man. Jill and Sheva give more platonic soulmates than anything romantic to me. Chris is also tragic as a character from the start of the series. He had to give up his youth to care for Claire after their parents died. This is the reason he even joined the Air Force in the first place.
So he always gives me the idea that he was always on the grind making sure his baby sister is taken care of so he never had time for romance. When we are introduced to him for the first time he is part of STARS with Wesker leading the squad. How he is written there’s no way Chris didn’t have a crush on Albert Wesker before the betrayal happened. This relationship haunts Chris through out the series. (It’s also very funny to imagine the reason Wesker is like that because he fumbled the best man ever).
This game is also where Jill Valentine is introduced and Capcom was gonna make them canon but backtracked. They are actually platonic soulmates and in my opinion their relationship is way more better thinking it like that. Generally when he is paired with a women he tends to be friendly and professional than anything else.
Speaking of Albert Wesker and STARS, this is sorta the start of him being tragic. If Leon deals with guilt over not saving people during Raccoon City. Chris feels guilt that his teams die on his watch. When really it isn’t his fault. The teams had no chance against what they fight against. His emotional arcs all pertain to Jill, Claire or other men.
His most concrete relationship with women is either Jill being his platonic soulmate and the person he trusts to watch his back or Claire his baby sister. He also generally has a respectful friendly relationship with Rebecca Chambers. Leon out of the two of them is more surrounded by women. Though to be fair half of those are daughter figures.
Chris is just tragic to me because he fully believed taking down Wesker and Umbrella would be the end of everything. Only to sell his innocence and soul to what is practically a forever war. I remember how innocent and downright boyish he used to be before everything. He always just wanted to do the good thing and save people from the threats of bioterrorism. Only for to sadly realize he’s practically the BSAA abused dog that is always forced to take the blame and guilt for the organization at large mistakes.
Even in Resident Evil 5, he is already wanting to quit seeing how fighting endlessly against bioterrorism isn’t doing anything. As governments and organizations keep using BOWs and viruses for their own gain. No matter the consequences to the common people. By the end of the game, he begrudgingly continues to working for BSAA because he still wants to do good. He rather be doing something to help people than walk away when he could help.
This eventually leads to him becoming a Captain and meeting Piers Nivans. Another man super important to understanding Chris Redfield as a character. Chris had a canonical thing for Piers lowkey before what happened to him in Resident Evil 6. I just wanted to bring him up because his death is what brainwashed Chris to accept being BSAA lapdog, his mental health be damned. The BSAA dragged his amnesiac self to deal with BOWs so such things as medical leave for Chris. It’s why throughout his campaign, Chris was fully saying after this he’s gonna quit BSAA. It’s only Piers death that he accepted being a chained dog.
Chris may have started being willing to fight the war on bioterrorism because he wanted to save people. But by the end of Resident Evil 6 he’s just as trapped in the fight like Leon. It’s why their relationship works. It’s only when in the new gen of games he has gone rogue because BSAA is now just as evil as the likes of Umbrella or Wesker. They are mirrors to each other.
4. Timeline of Chris X Leon:
Chris and Leon always were sorta the big two of Resident Evil so it was always eventually gonna happen the two would cross paths. Leon and Chris always had a connection through Claire.
People sometimes forgot, that Claire whole reason for entering Raccoon when she did was to find her brother. That was her main motivation. Of course both Leon and Claire soon find out he isn’t present in the city. With Claire motivation changing to protect Sherry. So they always were one step away from meeting through her.
In fact, this technically happened during CODE: Veronica. When she is kidnapped, Leon gets involved and uses his new job to find where Chris is at and hunt him down. That’s the full reason why Chris shows up to save his sister. Even then there was a spark of what would become a fantastic queercoded relationship. Leon and Chris even when they were mostly strangers have such trust in each other. This is also why I adore Claire having to be the one to see the two of them pining for actual years. It’s hilarious to me.
They don’t really cross paths again until Resident Evil 6 but there’s a couple references in a games connecting to the two. For example, during the events of Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield is completely aware of the Kennedy Report. Which is pretty hilarious to me. Two facts everyone knows about the ghost agent Leon S Kennedy; that he practially was one man army against the Las Plagas and that he is completely in love with Captain Redfield. It’s noted that they generally know of each other because yes of their connection through Claire Redfield but also because they may both be part of opposing organizations but both will cooperate in order to stop the current bioterrorism threat.
This is of course is nothing when we reach Resident Evil 6 and above. Or how I like to call it, wait these two actually in love with each other. The whole premise for all of Resident Evil 6 faults (this game literally stopped Capcom from making any more Resident Evil titles for actual years) is that this game is spilt between numerous campaigns that cross and intersect as the characters try to figure out what exactly is happening.
Chris campaign has him getting amnesia after a bioterrorism attack. Which has Piers and the BSAA dragging him back to the field. A fact people need to pay more attention too. Chris has actual amnesia and needed time off to recuperate but his organization dragged him back in by force pretty much. This is what I mean by his curse being BSAA fault or his squad just not being as well prepared as him who has been fighting this war since his early twenties.
Leon meanwhile has him kill the President (who he was actually friends with) because of the whole Simmons conspiracy. His campaign eventually takes him to China where him and Chris meet on screen for the first time. (Though the way it goes it’s clear they are very close). Chris is having to deal with Amnesia so he and Leon get into a fight that’s full of sexual tension.
I’m sure, Capcom meant it to be a way to show how their main two are absolute units. But the way it’s shown with the body language. It’s just for full of sexual tension that it wouldn’t be shocking if they did kiss during this scene. It’s the way once Leon realizes who he was fighting his eyes lose any trance of aggression.
It’s the way despite Chris whole arc being him having amnesia. The way he immediately remembered Leon name. And was the turning point for him to go back to the Chris Redfield we know and love from the stressed out amnesiac self he was during the first half or so of his campaign. The way Leon words is what caused him to stop going on a revenge filled hunt for who they thought was Ada Wong.
The fact a scene later has Helena wondering if they can even trust Chris Redfield with Leon immediately coming out he trusts him as he’s been in this fight as long as he has. This is so important because in Resident Evil 6 has them start to be mirrors of the same coin. Both are heavily traumatized from their experiences but still continuing to fight to save who they can. Leon may always be wanting to die but Chris is such a special dude that needs BOWs to function. And well we know, Chris gay situationship with Piers has him cursed and brainwashed by guilt to continue fighting.
Their second major interaction is during Vendetta, where Chris is the one to get Leon to join him and Rebecca on the mission to deal with Glenn Arias. It’s important that Leon canonically lost his whole team. A fact which in the novelization Chris is the one to empathize sharing his pain dealing with the same thing. Generally, this whole animated movie has them fully being in love.
They flirt and banter. And team up together. Leon even cheekily calls Chris ”Boss”. Through out the movie there’s so much of this cheeky banter that sounds like straight flirting to be honest. Leon even asks Chris by the end of the movie how longer can they keep going like this. Chris responds with a smile saying he doesn’t know he doesn’t plan that far ahead. Generally Chris expressions through out this movie has him fully looking like he loves Leon. This movie is what caused people to make Chris x Leon the ship of the fandom. This movie is just so homosexual. It also brings back the fact that despite everything that Chris still has that boyish charm he had when he was in STARS.
Then we have Death Island which is a sequel to Vendetta. This animated movie is funny to me because it was the start of the Jill and Claire ship while building on Chris and Leon. Eventually Chris and Leon reunite at Alcatraz while everything starts to go down. Once they meet up, they at back at their easy banter that hedges on straight flirtation.
Chris is infected alongside Claire and imprisoned. It’s just funny to me that Jill and Leon team up while Chris and Claire team up. Truly Lesbian and Gay Alliance. Leon eventually gets infected and collapses in front of Chris and Claire’s cell. How it’s framed he crawled his way to where Chris is at it to lean against the bars. Despite both dying and slowly turning, the two smile at each other trusting Jill to save them all. Leon eventually gets the antidote and decides to again be a lone wolf and deal with the fucker himself. Once Chris gets the antidote he follows Leon to help him. Chris generally cares so much about people and that includes Leon. Chris and Leon even operate as a unit during the final battle. Again their banter being flirty as heck. The film ends with our guys saving the day yet again. A important fact for my queercoding proof is that Chris and Leon got the Narumitsu/Wrightworth treatment. As to celebrate the film release there was matching watches of Leon and Chris created. Pretty much the company canonizing the couple without offically canonizing the couple.
Then in the newest game, Resident Evil Requiem we have Chris sending his Hound Wolf squad to save Leon. Which after saying Chris name. Leon puts his ring back on. This caused the vast majority of shippers to joke Capcom offically made them gay husband for 7 years. This also means it’s very likely that a DLC or Resident Evil 10 would be focused on Chris and Leon. (I am thinking it’s the second primarily because I think Capcom is gonna remake the games where Chris Redfield is our main character like they did with Leon). So yeah, literally they are written to have the strongest relationship in the games and I consider them both queer icons.
5. Popular Fanon:
This is now more ideas or headcanons I have seen be fairly popular in the fandom. Chris being more innocent and oblivious to romance because he immediately gave up his youth for the grind. He has always been a gay man but just never had the time to think hard on his sexuality. Add on, his priorities definitely always on surviving the horror scenarios he gets himself into.
That Leon always knew he was Bisexual but even since his rookie days. He is sorta pathetic whenever it comes to romance. Both genders open to him and his way of flirting is bad puns. His looks are working overtime for him honestly. Chris was probably always a bit in love with Leon (Just watch the animated movies again. His eyes look at Leon like he is the fucking sun) but Leon definitely fell harder.
Claire having to see her two favorite men pine for each other for years. Another headcanon I saw is somehow Chris Redfield doesn’t realize how hot he is, again he’s a bit more on the shy side when it comes to romance. That everyone and their mother agrees that he is weak for compliments and flirting.
Chris laughs at Leon dumb jokes. Seriously if you saw how campy Chris was in Resident Evil no wonder why the ship works. The fact it’s funny that everyone in the fandom agrees every character but Chris knows Leon is down bad for him. The fact that Leon always has to figure out how to sleep because Chris always takes the full size of their post mission shitty motel bed.
Leon love language being making Chris breakfast is another popular headcanon I have been seeing around. Chris meanwhile everyone agrees yearns for compliments and hugs. Th fact that Chris whenever he gets in distress, Leon is already there to save his man.
Another favorite headcanon of mine is that Leon proposed in the most unromantic way possible. Like randomly throws Chris a ring mid fighting BOWs and Zombies. And we love to see the headcanon of Leon and Chris raising Rose together. (After Ethan entrusted her to Chris after the events of the village caused he returned to the mold.). And yeah the fact everyone with our Chris X Leon lens agrees the ring Leon has means he is married to Chris. They work so well together because they are soulmates by choice. Anyways I hope you enjoy my insanity. I love my tragic and heroic Resident Evil Gays.
