The 2023Resident Evil 4remake might not seem like it changes as much as the remakes of the second and third games did, but there are dozens of subtle changes to the 2005 source material. Gameplay tweaks make it smoother and the story is significantly fleshed out. Many characters get a lot more time to shine in the spotlight and receive more characterization, including Leon Kennedy.
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The original Leon Kennedy is a beloved character and there is a lot of that DNA in the new version of him, but he has changed in interesting, relevant ways. Fortunately, most of these are positive and justify the remake as it updates the character to make him feel like a modern-day protagonist with the proper care and attention given to his character.
1He Has A Different Voice Actor
In the originalResident Evil 4,Leon Kennedy was played by Paul Mercier. He does a perfectly fine job and even reprised the role in the 2009 light gun gameThe Darkside Chroniclesfor the Nintendo Wii. The voice acting in general is miles above the endearingly cheesy acting of the PS1 games.
2023’sResident Evil 4follows in thefootsteps of theResident Evil 2remakeand uses the same voice actor for Leon: Nick Apostolides. He does a great job of conveying the changes Leon has gone through between the two games. Where Leon feels like a different person in the PS1Resident Evil 2and the firstResident Evil 4, there’s a more coherent connection between the remakes' versions of Leon.
2He Is Less Problematic
In the originalResident Evil 4, Leon takes after a lot of B-movie action heroes from the 1980s and 1990s, including sometimes problematic attitudes toward women. The original game ends with him telling Hunnigan that she’s cute without her glasses and that they should go on a date.
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Considering they are coworkers, it’s pretty inappropriate. This and more of Leon’s lines toward Hunnigan and Ashley are completely gone. Some similar interactions calling back to moments like these are changed to be more innocent and less creepy.
3He Is Shown To Have More Trauma
The opening cutscene of both games details the events betweenResident Evil 2and4and what happened to Leon after escaping Raccoon City. The original game stays pretty simple and just says he became a special agent for the president. In the remake, though, he makes it clear that theexperience in Raccoon Cityhad a significant impact on him.
Leon is clearly haunted by the events ofResident Evil 2and is motivated by this trauma to make sure that he succeeds with his mission. One could even take this a step further and say that his jests are a defense mechanism to not let the trauma affect him.
4His Relationship With Jack Krauser
TheResident Evil 4remake has the advantage of taking games released after the originalResident Evil 4and using them to flesh out the story of this game. This is used the most effectively with Jack Krauser and his relationship with Leon Kennedy. He is a cool character in the 2005 game but players do not learn a lot about him.
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He feels more like Boba Fett’s characterization in the originalStar Wars. He’s cool and malicious but mysterious. The remake paints a clearer picture and shows that Krauser trained Leon. The ending of their fight is also more emotional, with Leon directly driving a knife through Krauser’s heart.
5He Shows More Sympathy Towards Others
The original Leon Kennedyfeels constantly aloof despite his intense combat prowess. This is most evident in his interactions with Ashley. The president’s daughter is a young adult who was kidnapped and Leon does not show any sympathy toward her. To be fair, Ashley herself in the original game is not a convincing portrayal of somebody running away from horrific monsters.
In the remake, Leon seems to be more understanding of Ashley’s situation and tries to comfort her in several cutscenes. There is even a scene where Ashley is going through an extremely painful procedure and he grabs her hand while she is writhing in pain. It’s a subtle touch that shows a huge change in Leon between the two versions of the game.
6His Training Was Under Duress
Interestingly enough, theResident Evil 4remake implies that Leon did not have any choice as to his current employment. It seems like he was forced to undergo this training and become an agent for the president. It does beg the question; why would they entrust the fate of the president’s daughter to somebody who was forced into the job in the first place?
Regardless, the change falls in line with themes of government distrust that zombie fiction often explores. This change also makes the dangerous mission in South America that he and Krauser went on more believable. The team was considered expendable and the government had no qualms about covering up the incident.
Resident Evil 4 RemakeIs Available For PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, and PC
