Even with all the surprising laughs in Zach Cregger's Resident Evil, the brilliant video game adaptation ends on a far more tragic note than you might have expected. After fighting his way through the local residents around and within Raccoon City, Bryan (Austin Abrams) finally makes his delivery, only to learn it's the one thing that can save him from the virus that has ravaged the area.
Warning: spoilers for the Resident Evil movie ending follow
Unfortunately, he doesn't have enough time to take it as the infection spreads, turning him into a monstrous creature that loses the antidote in the rubble of the Umbrella Corporation building. At this point, the film, which has been selective in the elements it takes from the franchise, veers into the kind of over-the-top, explosive, monstrous action that always comes with the final boss of a Resident Evil installment. The only difference, unfortunately, is that Bryan becomes the boss in this particular chapter.
But just what kind of monster is Bryan by the end of the film? Considering he's now got multiple bulging eyes that make for easy targets and various limbs from everyone he's inhaled, there's no doubt that he shares the kind of physical traits that make him a perfect fit for the Resident Evil franchise. Well, after scanning through the Umbrella Corporation archives, we think we've found the closest abomination that Bryan has become, and it appears in a Resident Evil title that no one ever really talks about anymore: The Nyx
What is Nyx?
Looking at his features (though not for too long; we've just had our lunch), Bryan shares very similar traits with a Bio-Organic Weapon (B.O.W.) called Nyx – a boss creature from 2004 PS2 online shooter Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2. The theory was already circulating online when the original trailer dropped, and we got the money shot of the multi-limbed monster in the doorway. In the game, which lets up to four players work together to battle an onslaught of monsters, the Nyx absorbs its prey into its body, causing it to grow in size. Like Bryan's final form, the Nyx has giant limbs and tentacles that can reach out and grab what they're after, just as our doomed hero does in the final moments of the movie. As is standard fare for many oversized, mutated foes you come up against in a Resident Evil game (most notably, the G-monster in the original RE), one of its biggest weak spots is its enormous eye, which Bryan ends up with as well.
When it comes to all the bloodthirsty monsters players have faced over the years in the Resident Evil franchise, the Nyx is something of a deep cut. Outbreak File #2 doesn't even make it into our rankings of the 10 best games from the series, making it hard to imagine even being a point of reference for the new film. It begs the question, then: is Cregger such a die-hard fan of the series that he took inspiration from the Nyx? This is the only game the creature appeared in, and it's not a very well-known entry in the pantheon of titles surrounding the Umbrella Corps' activities, either. Alternatively, could this, just like Bryan's journey through the film, be a case of pure dumb monstrous luck?
Does Bryan transform into the Nyx in the Resident Evil movie?
One thing the film makes sure not to bog down in is explaining how this virus got loose, or chronicling the various mutations it creates in the process. As a result, in the film's final moments, it never takes a breath to confirm that Bryan has indeed become the Nyx. Remember, kids, there are bodies to be squashed, torn apart, and eaten, after all.
It could be that Cregger's choice of creature for this feature is one purely bred from coincidence, even though it's an impressively hideous one. If anything, the virus's various attack methods and mutations that see it combine with other infected feel more like John Carpenter's The Thing (further reinforced by the snowy landscape Bryan spends his time trying to navigate), or even the nightmarish monster from Playdead's Inside.
Perhaps, if this new take on the Resident Evil universe proves successful and a sequel gets approved, the next chapter could dive deeper into the monsters born in this movie and end up ripping more people to shreds. What could make for a very interesting addition, though, is seeing Bryan back in all his beastly form as the big bad of the story. Or they might Nyx the idea altogether.
Resident Evil is out in theaters now. For more on the franchise, here's our guide to the best Resident Evil games. We've also got a round-up of all the new video game movies you need to know about too.
