The long-anticipated release of Resident Evil Village is just behind the corner, ready to secure its rightful place in the chronology of the iconic survival horror Resident Evil series. It seems like although Lady Dimitrescu is the clear winner of the fans’ hearts, the game is packed with other villains, each unique in their personality and abilities, and of course, posing a different kind of grave threat to Ethan Winters in his nightmarish search for the missing daughter.

Let’s start off with an interesting fact: the central theme of the RE 8 game map is the Northern European style village (hence the name of the game) entailing different characters based on the area one wanders off to. Capcom seems to have brilliantly interconnected its detailed and atmospheric setting with the Four Lords – the main Resident Evil 8 villains, and the master of them all:

  • Alcina Dimitrescu
  • Karl Heisenberg
  • Salvatore Moreau
  • Donna Beneviento
  • Mother Miranda

Each Lord has a dedicated territory in the map, each differing radically and matching rather perfectly the personality of its host, based on what can be seen from gameplay excerpts released up to this point.

Lady Dimitrescu: a gothic vampire dream

It is only fitting that we begin the overview of Resident Evil Village villains with the first revealed Lord and hands down fan-favorite – Alcina Dimitrescu, the Vampire Lady. This 9’6” tall gothic madam is the embodiment of refinement until her wolverine claws are hovering over your face, spelling death. This woman is the ruler of the castle North of the village as shown on the map. The good thing about her is that her movements are slower and steps can be heard throughout the castle due to her body build. But, don’t rest easy. Her three daughters, although baptized with beautiful names – Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra – are far from pleasant: they can spawn anywhere and their agility makes up for Lady Dimitrescu’s slowness.

Lady Dimitrescu may be the slowest of Resident Evil 8 villains but her blows are lethal. Judging from Ethan’s interactions with the Vampire Lady shown in RE trailers, she has quite a fiery temper that can flare up easily. Perhaps this can be used to the player’s advantage throughout the exploration of Dimitrescu’s Castle. Tomonori Takano, the art director of RE Village, states that “village’s creatures and characters were inspired by classic gothic horror. Lady Dimitrescu was inspired by vampires, while other characters were based on werewolves, mermen, and ghosts”. Our Vampire Lady is already one of the most iconic vampire presentations in entertainment, but let’s look at other villains, what are they, and what can be concluded about their roles.

Karl Heisenberg: the extravagant Lycan leader

The second Resident Evil 8 villain that we have seen most of during screen time is Karl Heisenberg. In the trailer where all Four Lords gathered for the ceremony with Mother Miranda, Karl is seen to be in control of the Lycans, meaning that it’s likely he is the master Lycan. His personality seems rather goofy and all-action, which is in tune with the primitive nature of a Lycan, and we can already sense a fanbase of this jaunty wolf man. No wonder considering his leather jacket and overall sense of fashion screams 60s. Flamboyant? Oh, definitely. We can say for sure though that the man likes to play and he turns murder or torture into a game, like a predator certain that the prey is his to be had. Seems like Heisenberg may be the harshest of Resident Evil Village villains.

On the map, he resides in Heisenberg’s Factory Southeast of the village. You know you shouldn’t expect anything good when a factory is involved in a horror game… It is likely that the Factory might be the place where villagers are taken to be turned into Lycans, however, that remains a mystery until the game is finally released. What we do know that the Factory has modern facilities and equipment, likely the only place in tune with the modern times (everything else seems to come out of a century-old gothic story), reflecting Heisenberg’s personality – progressive and wasting no time on the past. The eerie Factory might very well become Ethan Winters’ machine grave, and Karl Heisenberg’s mischievous smile may linger at the moment of death.

Salvatore Moreau: the grotesque king of waters

South of the village, players will traverse Moreau’s Reservoir. On the map, we see a black aquatic monster cruising the waters of the Reservoir – it’s more than likely that we are looking at the true appearance of Salvatore, one of the Four Lords and the Resident Evil 8 villains. Salvatore is a villain that so far received the least screen time along with Donna Beneviento, and the mystery is exciting. The villain is inspired by merman portrayed in gothic fantasy stories: even in his regular form, he reminds of a disproportionate fish, with gills and such. He also seems incapable of communicating in human language, hence the aquatic nature and lack of human voice strings.

We can say for sure that Salvatore Moreau has the closest resemblance to typical Resident Evil monsters, and definitely the most repulsive of Resident Evil Village villains. He may look a little off with strange involuntary movements and inability to speak except for growling and making other strange noises to express emotions, and yet, let’s not draw any conclusions. Moreau may prove to be the most dangerous and bestial villain in the Resident Evil 8 Village game. We have one tip when in Moreau’s Reservoir: avoid water. It’s more than likely that Moreau’s true kingdom and power unleashes in water, his natural element. So long as you keep your feet steady on solid ground, you may just survive.

Donna Beneviento: the enigmatic puppetmaster

If Lady Dimitrescu is the embodiment of refinement, then Donna Beneviento embodies an intrigue. Clad in mourner’s shawl, we only see this RE 8 villain’s hands which seem human. Her inseparable companion seems to be an Anabelle-inspired doll called Angie, who wears a bride’s dress and has an annoying, loud personality unlike its master’s. Capcom definitely knows how to inspire awe with characters like Karl Heisenberg or Lady Dimitrescu, and how to inspire fear – shrouding Donna Beneviento in a veil of secrets makes her perhaps the scariest of the Four Lords. Angie, the little Corpse Bride look-alike, makes us wonder if that’s the only puppet at Donna’s disposal. Probably not…

House Beneviento is Northeast of the village, a huge residence hidden in mist. About her residence we know the least, which adds up to the mystery of the whole Donna Beneviento, as if we are dealing with the impenetrable terror of the unknown, a feeling one often experiences in authentic video games. Imagine Angie’s screechy voice echoing through the halls and chambers of the House Beneviento as you explore in search of Rose. Yeah, we find the idea alone fear-inducing as well. However, that only adds flavor to the gameplay and makes us eager to explore the Northeast of the Resident Evil Village map. Perhaps what lies beneath the pitch-black rope of Donna’s is far more terrifying than anything we’ve seen in the game so far.

Mother Miranda: the queen of all secrets

The hierarchy in Resident Evil 8 is evident, with Mother Miranda being at the very top of it. The Four Lords, terrifying as they might be in their unique ways, bow to this enigmatic figure together with the rest of the village. Capcom is proceeding strategically in terms of the Resident Evil 8 villains reveal. Mother Miranda is clearly the main antagonist behind all the happenings in the game, and her identity is the greatest mystery as of yet, although she featured in every trailer. 

It would seem we will learn about her as the narrative unfolds and we reach the climax of the story. However, one thing is certain: with all the different villains and characters, we can expect a full-fledged, dynamic Resident Evil gameplay filled with plenty of new experiences.

Pre-order the newest Resident Evil Village game and join millions of other players on 7th May to become a part of one of the most brilliant horror stories.