Where is Angela in Resident Evil Extinction?
Angela Ashford is not present in Resident Evil: Extinction. She does not appear, nor is she explicitly mentioned, within the film. The absence of Angela, alongside other characters from Resident Evil: Apocalypse, is left largely unexplained within the movie’s narrative. The prevalent supposition among fans is that Angela likely perished during the chaotic events that unfolded between the second and third films, a time marked by the significant loss of life within the convoy of survivors.
The Unexplained Fate of Characters Between Films
Resident Evil: Extinction picks up with a considerable time jump after the events of Apocalypse, where Angela played a significant role as the daughter of Dr. Charles Ashford. While the third film sees the introduction of new characters and focuses on Alice’s journey through the post-apocalyptic wasteland, it conspicuously omits any direct explanation regarding the fates of several previously established characters. The script does not specifically state if Angela died, however, the severe casualty rate suffered by the convoy in the interim, coupled with the hostile environment of the zombie-infested world, strongly suggests this outcome.
The Convoy’s High Mortality Rate
The film establishes that the “convoy,” a collection of survivors, experienced heavy losses during the timeframe separating Apocalypse and Extinction. This heavy attrition rate acts as an in-universe explanation for why many familiar faces are gone. The absence of a definite explanation for each individual character fuels speculation, which is unfortunately common for many characters in the film series. However, the context strongly hints that Angela, among others, could not have survived the dangerous journey.
The Absence of Explanation
Many fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of clear resolutions for these absent characters. The narrative focus shifted heavily toward Alice’s developing powers and her fight against Umbrella Corporation. While this allowed the series to explore new angles of the story, it came at the expense of concluding established character arcs. The lack of clarity surrounding Angela’s fate, for instance, created a void in the narrative continuity for some viewers.
Angela’s Significance in Resident Evil: Apocalypse
To understand why her absence is so notable, one needs to revisit Angela’s role in Resident Evil: Apocalypse. She was not just a damsel in distress.
Daughter of the T-Virus Creator
Angela is established as the daughter of Dr. Charles Ashford, the creator of the T-virus. She is portrayed as a somewhat helpless girl at first, trapped in a collapsing city and desperately needing rescue. Her connection to the very virus causing the apocalypse added an element of dramatic irony to her character. This family history also made her an asset that both sides were striving to obtain.
The Red Queen Connection (Misconception)
Early script drafts for Apocalypse indicated that Angela’s appearance was to be the inspiration for the Red Queen’s visual design. This early assumption proved inaccurate within the storyline of the movies. Resident Evil: Retribution clarifies that the Red Queen is based on the real young daughter of the Umbrella chairman. Despite the misdirection, Angela was initially portrayed as having a critical role in the world of the series, which made her later disappearance that much more curious.
Her Death in Another Canon
In a canon outside of the mainline movies, in Resident Evil: Degeneration, Angela is also the central female character who is saved by Leon. Her relationship with Leon, even if only briefly established, helps humanize her, demonstrating her potential had she lived within the main storyline. This can make the fact that she appears to have been unceremoniously killed off-screen even more frustrating for fans.
A Lost Potential
Ultimately, Angela’s disappearance from the main film series highlights a broader issue within the Resident Evil movies: a tendency to sacrifice character development and narrative consistency for the sake of action and spectacle. While the series certainly delivered on these elements, it often left viewers with lingering questions regarding the fates of significant characters. Angela’s story serves as a prime example of this approach to storytelling, leaving many wondering what could have been had she continued into the later films.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What happened to Jill Valentine in Resident Evil Extinction?
Jill Valentine is also absent from Resident Evil: Extinction. The actress had scheduling conflicts that prevented her return. There is no in-universe explanation offered for Jill’s disappearance. It is assumed she also perished with the group between the films.
2. How did Alice survive the crash at the end of Resident Evil: Apocalypse?
Alice’s T-virus infection granted her enhanced powers and resilience, which allowed her to survive the helicopter crash and later be revived by Isaacs.
3. Why is Alice so strong in the Resident Evil films?
The T-virus infection enhanced Alice’s abilities, granting her super-strength, speed, and a high degree of resilience. Her powers increase as the series progresses.
4. What is Project Alice?
Project Alice refers to the Umbrella Corporation’s experiments that gave Alice her unique abilities. She is an original creation for the film series and does not have a video game counterpart. It is eventually revealed she is one of many clones.
5. Does Alice have a daughter in the Resident Evil movies?
In Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice is shown living in a simulated suburban life and has a deaf daughter named Becky. Becky is not a biological daughter. She was manufactured as part of the Umbrella simulation.
6. What happened to Dr. Ashford?
Dr. Charles Ashford dies in Apocalypse, killed by Cain. However, he is reanimated as a zombie in Resident Evil: Apocalypse and is the first to attack and devour Cain.
7. Is the Red Queen based on Angela Ashford?
Initially, early drafts suggested the Red Queen was based on Angela, but this was incorrect. In Resident Evil: Retribution, it is revealed the Red Queen is based on the Umbrella chairman’s real-life daughter.
8. How did Leon and Angela meet?
Leon and Angela’s connection is established in Resident Evil: Degeneration. They are brought together when Leon rescues her from the zombie attack and gives her CPR. The ending suggests a future relationship.
9. Why did Leon kiss Angela in Resident Evil: Degeneration?
Leon kisses Angela in a pool of water to provide her with air. However, their post-rescue conversation suggests a deeper, mutual romantic connection may have formed during this interaction.
10. Is Alice a clone?
Yes, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter confirms that the main Alice is a clone. The previous movies already hinted at this with numerous clones of Alice being introduced.
11. Is Alice in the Resident Evil video games?
Alice is an original character created for the movies, and she does not appear in any of the Resident Evil video games.
12. What Resident Evil movie comes after Extinction?
Resident Evil: Afterlife is the movie that directly follows Extinction. This is where Alice begins to encounter other characters that appear in the games.
13. Why did Jill Valentine’s hair turn blonde in Resident Evil 5?
Jill’s blonde hair is not due to the P30 chemical but rather a reactivation of her prior T-Virus infection. This was the storyline established in the video games.
14. Who is Chris Redfield’s wife?
In a non-canon storyline, Jill Valentine becomes Chris Redfield’s wife after the events of Resident Evil 5. This is not officially recognized in most of the games or storylines but exists within fan fiction and alternate universes.
15. How did Jill Valentine survive her initial T-Virus infection?
Carlos Oliviera helped to cure her of the T-Virus in Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Later, her immunity became a tool for Wesker to test the Uroboros virus, which gave her abilities and kept her under control.