Resident Evil Requiem's The Connections Explained

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Resident Evil Requiem, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil Village.

Every great horror series needs a compelling villain, and the Resident Evil franchise is home to a small army of them. From individual adversaries like the gleefully menacing Albert Wesker and the instantly iconic Lady Dimitrescu, to overarching threats like Umbrella, Resident Evil has delivered plenty of memorable foes over the last 30 years.

Like its predecessors, Resident Evil Requiem introduces a new cast of villains to the ever-growing pool while also shedding new light on some of the series’ oldest and most important antagonists. Given Resident Evil Requiem‘s confirmed return to Raccoon City, many fans likely went into the game expecting at least a few revelations regarding Umbrella’s past. But some may not have expected those revelations to tie directly to The Connections, an organization that’s seemingly been pulling the strings since the very beginning of the Resident Evil timeline.

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Everything Known About Resident Evil’s The Connections Prior to Requiem

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The first canonical mention of The Connections came in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, with Resident Evil Village expanding on the organization’s origins and its role in the world of black market bioweapon smuggling. In the 1950s, Oswell E. Spencer (one of the founders of Umbrella) met an Eastern European priestess and biologist named Miranda. Miranda showed Spencer a special fungus that grew underneath her village simply dubbed the ‘Mold’, and he used the organism’s unique properties to form the basis of his work on the T-Virus.

The Creation of Eveline

A few decades later, unknown representatives of The Connections met with Miranda. In exchange for samples of the Mold, The Connections promised to help Miranda resurrect her daughter Eva. The organization used those Mold samples to develop a series of child bioweapons capable of controlling minds. By 2014, just one child remained: the E-Type, Eveline.

Following a raid on their Munich facility by the B.S.A.A. counter-terrorism group, The Connections were forced to transport Eveline to a new lab in Central America. Eveline was accompanied by two handlers on this trip: Alan Droney, and Mia Winters. During the journey, Eveline lost control of her powers, causing the ship to run aground deep in the Louisiana bayou. The Connections hired Lucas Baker to keep an eye on the girl and continue researching her abilities.

At the end of Resident Evil 7, Eveline dies at the hands of Ethan Winters, who’s assisted by B.S.A.A agent Chris Redfield. In exchange for her freedom, Mia Winters agrees to tell the B.S.A.A. everything she knows about The Connections, including the rumor that it was founded by Brandon Bailey, the protégé of Umbrella co-founder Dr. James Marcus.

Everything Resident Evil Requiem Reveals About The Connections

Resident Evil Requiem introduces Victor Gideon as its new primary antagonist. It’s quickly revealed that Gideon is a former Umbrella researcher who wishes to continue the work of Oswell E. Spencer, a man he views as an infallible genius. Gideon’s research on new strains of the T-Virus catches the attention of The Connections, who send the operative Zeno to bring Gideon into the fold.

Together, Gideon and Zeno begin their search for Elpis, which The Connections believe to be the final virus of Spencer’s creation, one that’s said to dramatically shift the military balance of the world. Resident Evil Requiem‘s canon ending sees Grace Ashcroft releasing Elpis, which turns out to be a cure for the T-Virus made by Spencer as a form of atonement. Believing that this antivirus was made by Spencer to incite global anarchy, Gideon attempts to take Elpis for himself. Zeno tries to stop him, uttering the words “The Connections is done with you” before losing his head to Gideon’s mutated, Nemesis-like arm.

Grace’s Report Reveals The Truth Behind Raccoon City’s Destruction

After finishing Resident Evil Requiem for the first time, players unlock ‘Grace’s Report’, a text document detailing Grace’s understanding of the events that led up to the destruction of Raccoon City, and The Connections’ role in it all. Grace’s report claims that The Connections sent money to James Marcus and then, following his death, his protégé, Brandon Bailey. This money was given in exchange for both men to keep The Connections up to date on Umbrella’s inner workings. This also confirms that Bailey was not a founder of The Connections like Mia Winters had speculated.

During the Raccoon City Outbreak, The Connections used its influence within the US Government to push for the dropping of the thermobaric bomb. While the bomb was dropped under the guise of stopping the spread of the infection, The Connections used it to destroy any evidence of its role in Umbrella’s research and to place the blame solely at the feet of Oswell Spencer. The organization’s plan worked, and it used its ties with Tricell and Albert Wesker to ensure that Spencer would be condemned by the US Government.

With Spencer charged for his crimes and the Umbrella Corporation bankrupt, The Connections seized control of Umbrella’s remaining assets. This included the ARK, a secret underground facility in the center of Raccoon City where Umbrella were manufacturing all manner of bioweapons. The Connections used the ARK to continue producing and trafficking bioweapons, and sought to uncover the secret of Elpis which was held in the heart of the facility.

Grace’s report also implies that President Adam Benford’s assassination in Resident Evil 6 may have been orchestrated by The Connections as a way to ensure that he didn’t reveal the truth behind the destruction of Raccoon City. The report ends with Grace noting that most records of The Connections were destroyed in the ARK’s collapse, and that it’s unclear if the organization still has roots in the US Government.