In 2020, aResident Evil 3remake hit shelves worldwide and revealed that Nemesis had an unexpected connection toResident Evil 4. Early on in the game, it is heavily implied that the reoccurring antagonist had some kind of connection to Las Plagas, and this revelation has huge implications forResident Evil 4with how Las Plagas and the T-Virus will factor into the game’s greater universe.
TheResident Evil 3remake followed the critical and financial success of aResident Evil 2remake, and ultimatelyResident Evil 3wasn’t as well receivedas its predecessor - particularly criticized for cut content. However, the game did sell over five million copies worldwide, didn’t slow the momentum of the remake series, and featured a few new surprises regarding its main antagonist that will surely come back in the upcomingResident Evil 4.
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What is Las Plagas in Resident Evil 4?
Originally released in 2005,Resident Evil 4was a major turning point for Capcom. Widely considered to be one of if not the best games in the franchise, this installment veered the series away from traditional survival-horror elements into more action-based horror.Resident Evil 5and6would continue to push the series with mixed success, but aremake ofResident Evil 4was officially announcedin mid-2022 following years of rumors.
In addition to its action focus, the game also took several steps away from the rest of the franchise’s convoluted lore.Resident Evil’s timeline and overarching storycan be difficult to follow, but the fourth game operated as something of an in-continuity reboot. Umbrella as a company has since been destroyed, and the game’s main antagonist Osmund Saddler mostly appears to be an independent terrorist. In addition, it abandoned the traditionalResident Evilvirus formula in favor of a more naturally occurring parasite known as Las Plagas.
Resident Evil 4’s Las Plagas is based on a real parasitethat finds its way into the body and gradually grows, eventually taking control of its host. The parasites, in turn, obey Saddler and other higher-ranking Las Plagas creatures who typically make up the game’s boss fights. Eventually, Las Plagas bursts from the neck, causing one’s head to explode while the rest of the body is still fully functional - not unlike what Capcom would eventually do with Nemesis' minions in the remake ofResident Evil 3.
Nemesis' Connection to Las Plagas In Resident Evil 3
InResident Evil 3, Nemesis stalks and attempts to kill Jill Valentine alongside other members of S.T.A.R.S. Early in the game, Jill can go back-and-forth between various areas whereNemesis will stalk Jill like Mr. Xthe remake ofResident Evil 2. However, the remake introduced one major twist.
Before launch,Resident Evil 3released a playable demothat gave players a taste of what was to come. In this more open area, Nemesis takes a hold of zombies scattered throughout the city, and put some kind of parasitical creature on their head which, in turn, would take control of them. Fans noticed that the creature looked suspiciously similar to Las Plagas once they burst from the host’s neck, and it turned out this was by design.
During a2020 interview withResident Evil 3director Kiyohiko Sakata, it was revealed that in the remake’s timeline, Nemesis was created with a parasite known as NE-a. This particular parasite was a lab-grown creature created by Umbrella that was based on Las Plagas. While some may write this off as lazy, it connects Las Plagas to the biggerResident Eviluniverse, and ultimately gives the parasite a bigger role alongside the T-Virus.
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Connecting Las Plagus and the T-Virus in Resident Evil 4
Despite a mention ofAlbert Wesker inResident Evil 4and Ada Wong’s storyline, one of the game’s primary selling points was how distant it felt from the rest of the franchise. Now it appears that Umbrella had some exposure to Las Plagas, which could also mean that Osmund Saddler may have some connection to Umbrella that’s explored in the remake. When it comes to the T-Virus and Las Plagas, the implications are a little different.
In the first threeResident Evilgames, the T-Virusis the primary source of zombie infections. Nemesis, in turn, will take these zombies and infect them with the parasite that is carried in his body. However, it is clear that one does not need to be infected by the T-Virus to be susceptible to these parasites, as Jill herself can be taken over by these creatures. If there is a larger connection between the T-Virus and Las Plagas it will likely be revealed in theResident Evil 4remake, but for now there’s little evidence of a connection beyond the fact that both are used as prospective bioweapons by Umbrella.
It could just be that these apparent connections are red herrings. The Las Plagas connection was never actually mentioned inResident Evil 3remake, so the connection could be discarded altogether. At the same time, it’s clear that the developer is trying to retell the arc of the franchise, and theResident Evil 4remake story trailer has already teased a few surprises. Whether the developers opt to make it part of the greater franchise story in a more direct way remains to be seen.
Resident Evil 4launches on March 24 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
