Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is now available to binge on Netflix, with the four-episode series fitting neatly into the video games' established continuity.
As with the previous CG animated movies (including Degradation, Damnation and Vendetta), the events of Infinite Darkness are all part of the official Resident Evil canon. This means that the version of Leon S. Kennedy you see in the show is meant to be the same one who rescued the president's daughter in Resident Evil 4, and who will later go on to star in Resident Evil 6.
In terms of the overall timeline, Newsweek has already published a piece explaining precisely where Infinite Darkness fits in the grand scheme of things. There are over 25 years' worth of games, mobile spin-offs, comic books and novelisations to sift through, so it is all a little complicated.
However, the basic gist is that the Netflix show is sandwiched somewhere between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, acting as a kind of prequel to the latter. As such, anyone who hasn't played the fifth mainline game, or has forgotten about most of it, may come out of Infinite Darkness slightly confused by its ending.
What Happened to Secretary Wilson?
For a brief recap, near the end of the show, it's revealed that Secretary Wilson orchestrated a bioweapon attack on the White House to provoke the U.S into misguidedly declaring war on China. The corrupt politician hoped that his own bioweapons would be used in the resulting conflict, infecting the populace in the war zones and leaving everybody desperate for a cure. Naturally, he would emerge as the sole supplier of any such vaccine.
In a nutshell, Wilson wanted to trick America into infecting the world with a deadly pathogen, so that he could then mass-produce the inoculation boosters and sell them for a huge profit.
His scheme is ultimately foiled when one of his genetic experiments tracks him down for revenge and wrecks the lab. In the ensuing carnage, the bioweapon also bites a chunk out of Wilson's shoulder, thereby infecting his bloodstream with the virus.
This is the last we see of the villain until an ambiguous tease near the end of Infinite Darkness, which depicts him at a clandestine meeting with a mysterious figure. In this scene, Wilson is shown convulsing as he tries to hold the infection at bay, before his associate eventually hands him a briefcase filled with inoculation boosters. The camera then tracks up to reveal the Tricell logo is plastered on the container.
What Is Tricell?
Most fans were probably expecting to see the iconic Umbrella logo on the briefcase instead, especially after multiple allusions were made throughout the show to a pharmaceutical giant being involved with Wilson's plot. After all, Umbrella is the go-to sinister corporation in this universe, having been directly responsible for the events of Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, and, to a lesser extent, Resident Evil 4.
Tricell just happens to be yet another nefarious pharmaceutical company in the Resident Evil canon and, like Umbrella, it too specializes in the mass production of monsters. What are the odds?
To date, the organization's biggest role was in Resident Evil 5, where it introduced the mutated Uroboros strain into the African city of Kijuju and collaborated with series antagonist Albert Wesker. Specifically, they experimented on and weaponized the parasite found in Resident Evil 4 and then let it spread throughout Kijuju in order to test its efficiency. This attracted the attention of the BSAA (the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) who stepped in to put a stop to their scheme.
After the events of Resident Evil 5, Tricell was implicated in numerous human rights violations and was faced with international terrorism charges. As such, it was inevitably disbanded and it's never mentioned again in any subsequent titles, apart from in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, where Claire Redfield clarifies that the company has indeed gone for good.
Will Tricell Be Returning?
Given that Infinite Darkness is actually set a few years before Resident Evil 5, there is potential for more Tricell appearances further down the line. The ending of the show certainly indicates that we have not seen the last of the company, as they presumably have something bigger planned for Wilson's bioweapons.
At the time of writing, we do not know if Infinite Darkness will be getting a direct continuation (in the form of a second season) or if Tricell might instead be turning up in another animated adaptation.
What we do know for certain is that Netflix has given the green light to a live-action Resident Evil show, which exists in an entirely separate universe from Infinite Darkness. More information about this was revealed during Capcom's April showcase. Meanwhile, a new Resident Evil movie is also slated for release this September and that will act as a hard reboot for the cinematic version of the franchise.
All four episodes of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness are available to stream on Netflix now.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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