Physical Appearance
As computer graphics have changed over the years, so has Chris' physical appearance. Join us as we explore the ever changing Mr Redfield, from generic hero to pretty boy to rough and rugged.
This is how Chris looked the very first time we saw him, played by an actual actor. Here Chris is your typical badass army-type soldier. Spikey crew cut, army fatigues, cigarette, stony glare, the whole deal. You don't get much more stereotypical than this guy right here. But despite being a really bad, really cheesy actor, he's still pretty cute, and gave us our first real taste of the Redfield that was to come.
The above guy, pixelated. What else can you say really? He's still your average game hero at this point in time, nothing to really distinguish him in looks from anyone else. He has a pretty generic video game look, because at this point graphics really won't allow him to look any different.
The difference a year can make. Resident Evil 2 (battle game) Chris is still your typical badass hero, but with improving graphics he's starting to get just a little bit of facial defintion. We can see the first signs of the trademark Redfield frown, as well as an angry sneer forming on his top lip.
With graphics technology moving in leaps and bounds, by the time Code Veronica comes along Chris has finally developed a unique look. He's now an actual character with defining features and a specific appearance. The stony glare from previous incarnations remains, but here Chris starts to turn into a more attractive man. Less stereotypical angry soldier and more of a pretty boy. A flawless face for one who's been through so much, really.
Chris as we know him in the REmake. Again as technology keeps improving, so does Chris. The most realistic version of him so far (real actor not included, of course), he's a combination of the angry soldier from the early days and the pretty boy we were introduced to in Code Veronica. Stony glare mixed with softer features to give us not only one very attractive man, but a hardened fighter as well.
Chris as he appears in the Umbrella Chronicles. His look here is very similar to the REmake version Chris although the new scenario actually takes place at least 4 years after the Raccoon City incident (and Code Veronica) so the man definitely ages well ;) This is the Chris that we love, the determined soldier with the Hollywood star looks although it's refreshing to see that he hasn't lost that icy glare which has become his trademark.
Darkside Chronicles Chris gives us a peek at what Chris would have looked like in Code Veronica if technology had been as advanced back then. He's easily recognizable as Chris from the REmake version, albeit a bit older looking but then it has been a long 5 months for Chris ;)
Resident Evil 5 gave us the Chris Redfield of our dreams! (I don't think I'm just speaking for myself here). Resident Evil 5 takes place almost 11 years after the Mansion Incident and boy, has Chris changed in that time. He's almost double his original size, packing about 40 extra pounds of pure muscle and surprisingly also grown 3 inches! I'm not complaining. His hair has grown out from his military standard haircut he sported back in the first games and he has a stubble beard. Let's just take a moment to really appreciate those arms!! His biceps are bigger than his head. His face isn't the babyface we got accustomed to in previous games but I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to envision this as an older version of Chris from REmake. The pretty boy Chris is starting to fade and we begin to see this ruggedly handsome man unfolding before us.
Lost In Nightmares obviously takes place before Resident Evil 5 and so Chris does look slightly younger. More noticeable though, he's more "freshfaced", this is because he's not carrying around the sorrow of losing Jill on his face like he does throughout most of RE5. I don't know if you notice but Chris has a "glow" when he's with Jill and he's a completely different person being partnered with her compared to any other character. This is really noticeable in Revelations.
Revelations Chris takes place before Lost in Nightmares and Resident Evil 5 so in actual fact is the start of his beefcake journey. This is when Chris had started hitting the protein shakes and raw eggs. His look is very similar to that of RE5 but obviously younger, his hair shorter and his stubble only just noticeable. Also, worth noting is that this is the last time we see Chris with blue eyes.
Resident Evil 6 is definitely my favourite Chris by far (although I have a feeling that RE8 Chris could possibly take the winning spot). This is the first time we see Chris with brown eyes (I have no idea why this came about but it was definitely a yes from me). Although slightly smaller than the RE5 hunk, he still looks Like he could give a huge boulder a hard time. When we first see Chris, he's looking like a broken man, drinking and smoking in excess and suffering from amnesia. We have one chapter which takes place before that scene and it goes without saying how different he is. The fiercly protective Captain who cares about his men, even manages a smile or two. However, throughtout most of the campaign we've got the Chris we all know and love from earlier games, pissed off, angry and the stony glare is back. The man sure does wear his heart on his sleeve in this one. At the end of the game, we have a softer, yet sad Chris, ready to save the world again.
Why Capcom? Why? Resident Evil 7 gave us a Chris which let's face it, had us all hoping that there was some twist and we'd discover it wasn't actually Chris at all. Sadly, this was not the case. Now, I can't fault the face model because in reality he's an attractive man who actually modelled some very attractive characters but this..... there are no words. We lose everything about Chris that we have come to love, his mouth, his nose, his eyes, his hair, his physique (even his voice) and we're left with a character which doesn't resemble Chris in the slightest. No love here!
This is how Resident Evil 7 Chris should have looked! The fact that this came out literally 5 months after Resident Evil 7 is a complete mystery as to why they went with that "definitely not Chris Redfield" monstrosity in the first place. Chris looks very similar to his RE6 self and although there's no specific dates, Vendetta takes place somewhere between 6 and 7. Chris, physically is utterly perfect. He's sober and back to being the protective Captain we adore, sure, he gets angry but rightly so.
At the end of the teaser trailer for Resident Evil 8, we got to see a newly designed Chris. Long gone is the "mess" of RE7 and instead we get the Chris we deserve and wanted. Now I'm assuming that RE8 will take place approx 9 years after the events of Resident Evil 6 and this is EXACTLY what Chris would look like. It's honestly perfect! The man has been through a lot, his looks have hardened and we can quite clearly see the years of experience, pain, suffering, love, loss on his face. But damn... what a face!