'Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness': All the Video Game Easter Eggs in the Netflix Show
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is now available to binge on Netflix. Set in 2006, the four-episode series bridges the gap between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, illuminating what Leon and Claire got up to during this unexplored chunk of the timeline.
Some viewers have expressed disappointment that the events of the show do not tie into the video games more directly or reveal any new lore. Instead, Infinite Darkness is mostly a self-contained adventure that acknowledges the series' canon but does not really engage with it.
That being said, given that it is part of the established Resident Evil continuity, Infinite Darkness still has a few callbacks and Easter eggs for fans to appreciate. Here are some of the best.
Ashley Graham References
The most obvious connection to any specific video game can be found in the references to President Graham's daughter Ashely. For those who are unaware, Resident Evil 4 saw Leon embark on a rescue operation in a geographically vague region of Europe (resembling Spain). His target was none other than Ashley, who had been kidnapped by a religious cult that planned to inseminate her with a monstrous parasite.
Over the course of the game, Leon fends off hordes of psychotic villagers, clashes with a giant leviathan, storms a medieval castle, hitches a ride on a rickety minecart, and battles a diminutive aristocrat who looks like Napoleon Bonaparte. Suffice it to say, it was a very strange time in Leon's life, and it feels all the more outlandish when compared to the relatively grounded tone of Infinite Darkness.
Despite the show feeling very different in style and atmosphere, it does feature a couple of callbacks to Resident Evil 4. In the first episode, President Graham admits that he is forever "indebted" to Leon for saving his daughter from the Los Illuminados cult and so entrusts him with investigating a terrorist attack on the White House.
Later in the same episode, the president is weighing up his options when it comes to a diplomatic crisis and looks over at a picture on his desk for guidance. An insert shot (at the 19:36 timecode) then reveals that he is actually looking at a photo of Ashely, wearing the exact same outfit that she donned in Resident Evil 4.
Raccoon City Callbacks
In Infinite Darkness' second episode, Leon and Jason have a heart-to-heart en route to Shanghai. During their conversation, Leon broaches the topic of Raccoon City and recounts his traumatic experience there in Resident Evil 2.
Jason then remarks that the city was sterilized by the government ("sterilized' being a euphemism here for "nuked") and the whole thing was covered up. This corroborates the opening narration of Resident Evil 4 and explains why everyone is still surprised by the existence of zombies and grotesque bioweapons.
A gentle piano underscores the entire scene, in a motif that sounds remarkably similar to the safe room music from Resident Evil 2. This is almost certainly a deliberate homage.
Elsewhere in the show, there is another moment where a character mentions that Leon had been dealing with a terrorist attack in Pittsburgh just before he got a call from the president. This might not be an intentional Easter egg, but it is worth noting that Raccoon City was originally modeled after Pittsburgh and is canonically situated nearby in Western Pennsylvania.
If you look at side-by-side images, the two look a lot alike. As such, this throwaway line of dialogue could be a nod to the franchise's history or it could equally just be a random coincidence.
The Same Old Leon and Claire
Resident Evil 2's protagonists have evolved quite a bit since their debut appearances. Leon has gone from a rookie cop in way over his head to a legendary government agent who is on the president's speed dial. Meanwhile, Claire is one of the leading members of the TerraSave organization and actively seeks out bioweapon conspiracies to expose.
While they have come a long way since Resident Evil 2, there are a few things about them that have not changed. For a start, in Infinite Darkness' English language localization, both characters are played by the exact same actors who depicted them in 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake. Nick Apostolides reprises his role as Leon, while Stephanie Panisello lends her voice to Claire.
There is also a sense of continuity in Claire's fashion choices, as she sports the same red leather jacket that she wore in Resident Evil 2. Meanwhile, Leon demonstrates that he has retained his knack for dispensing corny one-liners, when he reacts to a horde of mutated rats with: "Wish I had some cheese". It is the kind of risible dialogue that he delivers throughout Resident Evil 4 and, based on this evidence, he has clearly yet to kick the habit.
Gun Cameos
Several firearms from the Resident Evil games make blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances in Infinite Darkness.
When Jason, Leon and Shen arrive at their safehouse in episode 2, you can glimpse the G17 and M19 handguns lying on the table, with the same custom grips that they had in Resident Evil 7. Meanwhile, towards the end of the finale (when Leon is fighting the mutated Jason) he unholsters his iconic Lightning Hawk magnum from Resident Evil 2.
The Tyrant Boss Fight
Speaking of that action-packed finale, fans will recognize a number of homages to classic Resident Evil games here. In his new monstrous form, Jason increasingly resembles a Tyrant from the very first entry in the franchise, complete with the same exposed heart and throbbing sound effects.
The fight is also scored to intense choral music that evokes the climaxes of Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2. Lastly, as per series tradition, the whole thing culminates with our hero picking up a bazooka and firing it at the Tyrant. This is how almost every single Resident Evil game ends, with the exception of the more horror-oriented entires like Resident Evil Village.
The Tricell Logo
This one is less of an Easter egg and more of a blatant sequel-tease but, near the end of Infinite Darkness, we see Secretary Wilson in a clandestine meeting with a shady corporate representative. The camera then tracks up to the mystery man's briefcase, at which point the audience glimpses the Tricell logo.
Newsweek has already published a piece explaining who Tricell are and the implications of this ending. Essentially, they are the villains behind the events of Resident Evil 5, which Infinite Darkness serves as a kind of prequel for.
All 4 episodes of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness are streaming on Netflix from today.
