Resident Evil Netflix series creator talks Albert Wesker's return

Albert Wesker stands as the perennial bad guy in the Resident Evil universe, and now he's back in a new Netflix show. Lance Reddick – of John Wick and Lost fame – plays the villain, who's harboring some dark secrets. 

But considering that the console games serve as canon for the TV series – and that, in them, Wesker perished – how the heck is he still standing? Especially when you consider the series' main timeline (there are two) takes place in 2022? Perhaps the vials of his children’s blood that Wesker stores in the lab, and injects into himself, hold the key to that question...

“In game five, Wesker was blown up by a rocket launcher inside of a volcano,” acknowledges showrunner Andrew Dabb while talking to SFX magazine for the new issue, featuring Prey on the cover. "It happens. We’ve all been there! But the Albert Wesker on our show is the Albert Wesker after that. I will say there will be a very good explanation of why he is back and why he is the way that he is. That explanation does not include that he happened to be wearing volcano- and rocket launcher-proof clothes.

"His journey is somebody who is really trying to make up for sins of the past, some that were his and some which weren’t," he continues. "He is also someone who is into self-preservation. In the first episode, you see him injecting himself with the girls’ blood. There’s something going on there. There may be more to him than just the daughters."

Dabb may be conscious of servicing the Resident Evil fandom, but he says that won’t be the narrative’s driving force. Nonetheless, viewers can expect to see monstrous caterpillars, mutated Lickers, and, of course, zombie dogs. "The dogs are the iconic Resident Evil monster," Dabb concludes. "They were in there from the very beginning. They are such a hallmark of the lore. They kind of plant your flag. That being said, the dogs are pretty crazy, but trust me when I say... we go crazier."

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Resident Evil is on Netflix from July 14. For much more on the series, check out the current issue of SFX Magazine with Predator prequel Prey on the cover. For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.