Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City lands in just a few days and fans of the games are nervous. Despite repeated promises that it’ll be way more faithful to the franchise than any previous movie, the first trailer wasn’t great. Even so, advance reviews have been broadly positive, and a common thread is that it’s clearly been made with love for Capcom’s survival horror smashes.
But, sadly, one of the games’ most terrifying monsters didn’t make it in: Resident Evil 2’s stompy, raincoat-clad Tyrant Mr. X. Director Johannes Roberts says he wanted to include the baddie, but just couldn’t fit him in, though eagle-eyed viewers may spot a reference. Speaking with Comicbook.com’s podcast, he said:
The one thing that I wanted to put in and I didn’t, I just couldn’t find a way to put in was Mr. X. There is a nod. It’s tricky to see in the shot and I was like, “Just use that shot,” but it doesn’t work in the movie. And I was like, “Okay,” with a movie you have to actually tell a proper movie rather than just use the shots that you want.
It’s a shame because Mr. X feels like an easy win for a movie adaptation. Briefly introduced in 1998’s Resident Evil 2, he was upgraded to a major threat in the critically acclaimed 2019 remake. Endowed with a complex AI system, he’d relentlessly patrol the corridors of the RCPD for you, with the terror created by his thudding footsteps an all-time highlight of the franchise.
On top of that, on film, you can basically treat him like Resident Evil‘s equivalent of the Terminator. He’s single-mindedly set on your death, can’t be reasoned with, and conventional weapons can only slow him down.
Oh well, maybe any movie sequels will feature the Nemesis, who fulfills much the same function, albeit with more tentacles and a rocket launcher. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that nod to Mr. X, but I wish they could have found a way to have him in the movie.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hits theaters on November 24.
