After months of rumors, Resident Evil 8 was finally unveiled during the PS5's reveal event, but one of the most iconic Resident Evil protagonists, Leon Kennedy, was nowhere to be seen. Officially titled Resident Evil Village, the new game follows in the footsteps of the first-person style of Resident Evil 7.

One of the big surprises near the end of Resident Evil 7 was the return of Chris Redfield, who sported a brand new character design. The Resident Evil 8 trailer showed that Chris will appear once again, and will play a central role in the events of the game.

Related: Why Resident Evil 8 Embracing Magic Is A Good Thing

Even with the return of Chris Redfield, however, there's one other major Resident Evil character who's been conspicuously absent from the more recent games in the RE franchise. Leon Kennedy is easily the most popular protagonist from the Resident Evil series, and it's high time that he makes his triumphant return in Resident Evil 8.

Leon Has Been Absent From Resident Evil For Too Long

Resident Evil 4 Remake Development Team Size Capcom

While Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine may have been the first Resident Evil protagonists, Resident Evil 2's Leon Kennedy was a much more likable character. While Chris felt a bit stoic and flat, Leon was snarky and self-confident, even as a rookie cop. Those traits were only increased even more when Leon starred in Resident Evil 4, widely considered the best game in the series. It's easy to see why Leon is so popular, and he's even been the main character in the animated film trilogy. What's so strange then, is that it's been nearly seven years since Leon has appeared in a new Resident Evil game, the Resident Evil 2 remake notwithstanding.

Up through the release of Resident Evil 6 Leon usually factored into the series' story in some way; his position as a special agent for the United States usually brought him into conflicts. The series has undergone some drastic change recently, but Resident Evil 8 would be the perfect time to reintroduce Leon Kennedy. Resident Evil 7 was a mostly standalone story, but the end of the game and its DLC saw that story being looped into the overall narrative of the Resident Evil series. It looks like Resident Evil 8 will be doing that to an even greater extent, as Ethan Winters searches for Chris Redfield and answers. The series has reintroduced Leon with the Resident Evil 2 remake, providing even more characterization, and if rumors of the Resident Evil 4 remake are to be believed, fans will be seeing a lot more of him soon.

Resident Evil 7 struck out in a bold new way while the remakes re-examined the series' classic elements. Resident Evil 8 could be a way to combine those two separate ideologies and bring everything full circle. The series has been hinting at the return of the iconic villain Albert Wesker, and a massive new threat like that would urge the reappearance of Leon, Jill, and every other major protagonist.

Related: When Does Resident Evil 8 Take Place On The RE Game Timeline?

Another interesting note is the subtitle for Resident Evil 8, Village. The game's setting is a mysterious little European hamlet, which bears a striking similarity to the main setting of Resident Evil 4, the only other game in the series to focus on a single small village. The similarities between the two games are obvious, and it's easy to imagine that the new game has taken inspiration from Resident Evil 4 in some way.

The enemies in Resident Evil 4 were warped and mutated by the Plagas parasite, and the enemies of Resident Evil 8 could be affected by something very similar. Traditionally it's always been some kind of virus or parasite that's mutated the horrific enemies in Resident Evil, and that's even true of the Baker family in Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil Village could be the perfect opportunity to bring everything together and answer some serious questions like what Blue Umbrella is up to and how is Ethan Winters tied to the series. Resident Evil 7 was laser-focused on the Bakers and Ethan, but there's clearly more going on in the world at large. Resident Evil 8 is the perfect chance to tie everything together and put Leon back in the show in the process.

Next: What Happened To Ethan After Resident Evil 7?

Resident Evil 8 releases in 2021 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.