Leading up to the launch ofResident Evil Village, fans could be forgiven if they thought that thetowering Lady Dimitrescuwas the main villain. After all, much ofResident Evil Village’s marketing revolved around Lady Dimitrescu and her castle, but once the full game was out, it was clear that her time in the game was relatively short and she was an underling to the true villain of the story: Mother Miranda.
Anyone that has completedResident Evil Villageand has made sure to read most of the files in the game can attest that Mother Miranda is hugely important. Not only does she serve as the primary antagonist inResident Evil Villageitself, but Miranda has a far-reaching impact on theResident Evilfranchise as a whole. In fact, even though she has only ever appeared in one game, the argument can be made that Mother Miranda is one of the most important characters in the entire series.
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To properly explain how Mother Miranda is one of the most importantResident Evilcharacters requires one to delve into spoiler territory. With that in mind, the rest of this article will haveMAJOR SPOILERSforResident Evil Village, and so anyone that has yet to complete the game should turn back now.
Mother Miranda in Resident Evil Village
Mother Miranda has an impact inResident Evil Villagefrom the very first scene, though fans won’t realize it until much later. It’s revealed that Mother Miranda has shapeshifting abilities, and is essentially able to transform herself into anyone that she wants. Miranda uses this ability throughoutResident Evil Village, perhaps most notably using it totake the place of Mia Wintersat the beginning of the game.
While posing as Mia Winters, Mother Miranda is able to get close to Ethan’s daughter Rose, who she plans on using to resurrect her own daughter who died from the Spanish flu.Chris Redfieldand his team then swarm Ethan’s house, shooting “Mia” to death, and believing that they have succeeded in killing Mother Miranda. However, Miranda merely shapeshifted into the form of a corpse, later reanimating herself to successfully kidnap Rose.
Miranda has a presence throughout the rest ofResident Evil Village. She can be seen talking to her four Lords, who reign over specific regions near the titular village, and Ethan also witnesses her killing one of the villagers in a field. The mysterious old woman that talks to Ethan throughout the game is revealed to be Mother Miranda in disguise, and eventually Ethan fights Mother Miranda in a one-on-one battle.
Miranda defeats Ethan in their first battle and believes him dead, so she heads off to complete the ritual. However, Ethan’s regenerative abilities help him stay alive long enough to fight Miranda yet again. Ethan defeats Miranda in this second fight, but it takes too much out of him, and so Ethan Winters dies as well.
Taking a look atResident Evil Villageby itself, it’s already clear why Mother Miranda is hugely important. She is directly involved with most of the major plot beats, and she also causes thedeath of newResident Evilprotagonist Ethan Winters. This will undoubtedly have huge ramifications on theResident Evilfranchise’s story moving forward, so Mother Miranda’s impact should be felt long afterResident Evil Village’s conclusion.
Mother Miranda Earlier in the Timeline
Resident Evil Villageis the latest game in theResident Eviltimeline, but Mother Miranda’s influence actually predates the original. While playing as Chris Redfield late inResident Evil Village, fans come across a letter that was written by none other than Oswell E. Spencer. For those that may not remember, Spencer was the founder of Umbrella, and the one who originated the research into the T-Virus. Spencer is also responsible for building the mansion that the firstResident Evilgame takes place in, so he is hugely important toResident Evil’s lore.
However, if there was never a Mother Miranda, there would never have been an Oswell E. Spencer. In the letter, it comes to light that Mother Miranda mentored Spencer, and is ultimately the one that influenced him to create the Umbrella Corporation and develop the T-Virus. It’s also revealed that Spencer and Miranda explored a cave together wherethey found the Umbrella symbol, which Spencer would later adopt as the symbol of his company.
This new information makesMother Mirandaeasily one of the most important characters in the entireResident Evilfranchise. Without Mother Miranda’s influence on Spencer, the events of the firstResident Evilgame would have never taken place. This means that Miranda is essentially responsible for theentire Resident Evilstoryline.
With Mother Miranda being such a hugely important character in theResident Evilmythos, it will be interesting to see how the villain is topped in theinevitableResident Evil 9game.
Resident Evil Villageis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
