Jill Valentine

Origin

Jill Valentine is currently an American Special Operations Agent within the group Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, also known as the BSAA, an organization she helped founded alongside close ally Chris Redfield and includes members such as Sheva Alomar, Jessica Sherawat, and Piers Nivans. Jill has a long and impressive history as members of various peacekeeping, military and defense forces and organizations. Jill's first foray into this lifestyle was with the U.S. Army's Delta Force.

Jill's impressive fighting abilities and bomb-defusing expertise granted her a spot into S.T.A.R.S unit. It's an Alpha team. As far as her family lineage, it is believed that she is the daughter of a famous mobster, her father also French in nationality and her mother being of Japanese descent and also known as Nikkei, making Jill half french and half Japanese.

Jill has been a part of several notorious incidents involving bioterrorism and the pharmaceutical corporation Umbrella Inc. The first of which is known as the Mansion Incident, in which her team S.T.A.R.S Alpha squad and associated team S.T.A.R.S Bravo squad were forced to fight against crazed zombie-like creatures in a mansion in the Arkley mountain range. Jill managed to survive that incident alongside Barry Burton, Chris Redfield, Rebecca Chambers, and Brad Vickers fellow survivors.

The second incident, this time on a much larger scale, ended with the utter devastation of Raccoon City with a tactical nuclear strike destroying the city leaving a death toll of over one hundred thousand. Both incidents involved the Umbrella Corporation and former S.T.A.R.S team member Albert Wesker. Some years after those incidents Jill and Chris would form the BSAA to dedicate their lives to stopping the looming threats of bioterrorism.

Creation

Jill Valentine first appeared on the Playstation video game Resident Evil (known as "Biohazard" in Japan) developed and published by Capcom. The character of Jill owing her creation to numbers Capcom employees, most notably Takahiro Arimitsu, with character designs by Isao Ohishi and motion capture and modeling by Jun Takeuchi. Jill would feature as one of the stars and main protagonists of the first game in the franchise, the first of many. Released in 1996 the game would become instantly popular in Japan and North America before becoming a hit around the world, ensuring future sequels.

Jill is the primary female protagonist was created specifically to be physically smaller and weaker than her partner Chris Redfield, but this is compensated by giving her more ammunition, combat slots, and also the ability to pick locks, a trait which the character becomes well known for.

Eventually, the character of Jill Valentine would be adapted into different media as the Resident Evil franchise grew to include movies, novels, and comic books and graphic novels. Jill, alongside many of the iconic Resident Evil characters, would appear in the comic series Resident Evil published by Image comics. Jill's first appearance was in Resident Evil #1 - S.T.A.R.S. Files which was released in 1998.

Character Evolution

Jill Valentine is one of the most popular and referenced female protagonists not just in the Resident Evil franchise, but video games in general, with the character even making inroads into other mediums, and appearing in many other media formats. Originally from humble beginnings in the original survival horror video game Resident Evil, Jill was one of only two main playable characters that began the franchise.

Although her character was somewhat generic the priority of such video games being plot and action-orientated, with popular sequels her character and backstory was fleshed out to create a more rounded out character with her own set of ideals, motivations, and connections with other characters. Comparisons with Tomb Raider star Lara Croft have been made, with both heroines respectively starring in two of the Playstation's most profitable and highest-selling game franchises.

Jill's popularity and strong association to the entire franchise of Resident Evil ensuring her appearing frequently with anything to do with Resident Evil. Sienna Guillory would portray the character in the franchises live-action film pieces. Currently, Jill Valentine's likeness is borrowed from Canadian model and actress Julia Voth. The events of Resident Evil 5 would trigger a substantial change in Jill's character, after a near-death experience and several years missing she has enhanced physical abilities and a new blonde look. Amusingly, due to translation issues with the original video game, Jill has become the star of several online memes poking fun at some of the corny dialogue directed at her by the Barry Burton character. Namely the 'master of unlocking' and the 'Jill sandwich' references.

Major Story Arcs

Mansion Incident

In the year of 1998, Jill and her fellow S.T.A.R.S Alpha team were sent on a mission to rescue the S.T.A.R.S Bravo team, whose helicopter had malfunctioned and crashed in the mountains of Raccoon city. In the search for Bravo team's helicopter, they were attacked by mutant dogs and forced to flee into a nearby mansion. They would learn the Mansion was also interconnected with a research facility that they would later know as the Arkley Research Facility.

Jill and Chris would be separated at first and work independently of each other learning shocking truths about the cause and catalysts behind the several incidents plaguing them teams. Together they would become aware of Umbrellas involvement, the blackmailing of teammate and friend Barry Burton, the involvement and betrayal of Albert Wesker, their team leader and the forced execution of some of their teammates by Wesker's hands.

They would also be attacked by various mutated creatures ranging from giant snakes, zombified crows and strange reptilian hunter creatures. Also, during the search through the monster-infested mansion, she and the other members discovered that it was the work of an experimental virus made by Umbrella Inc. called the T-Virus. After defeating a dangerous prototype bio-organic weapon known as 'Tyrant' the survivors would escape in a helicopter.

City of the Dead

Months had passed since the mansion incident. Chris and the other S.T.A.R.S members were missing and Jill was the only one left in Raccoon City. The T-Virus outbreak at the Spencer mansion had spread via infected rats. Soon the citizens of Raccoon City became infected and a full-scale biological outbreak developed. Trying to escape her neighborhood she encounters Brad, her fellow S.T.A.R.S member, being attacked by a zombie.

After that, she arrives at the RPD where she once again finds Brad and has her first encounter with the hulking creature known as Nemesis. After meeting Carlos and Nicolai they team up to find a way out through the clock tower to call a chopper, Nemesis shoots it down only moments later. After that Jill gets infected by the T-Virus and Carlos has to find a vaccine in Raccoon Hospital. After finding the cure Jill and Carlos try to find a way out through a nearby factory.

While venturing through a park, Jill finds documents revealing that the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (which both Carlos and Nicolai were members of) had been sent as guinea pigs to be test subjects for the BOW's (Bio-Organic-Weapons).

After arriving at the factory Carlos tells Jill that they are going to neutralize the virus by destroying Raccoon City with a nuclear blast, running against time Jill finds a way out via radio broadcast transmission, however, before she can board the chopper she is attacked once again by Nemesis whom she has to defeat in order to escape. After killing the monster, she ventures outside where she finds out that it was Barry broadcasting the signal. After narrowly escaping with Carlos and Barry she continued her quest to destroy Umbrella, but first, she has to find Chris Redfield.

Queen Zenobia Incident

Jill and Chris, having devoted their lives to fighting bioterrorism, would found and create the BSAA. The BSAA or Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. Operating under the UN, the establishment of this group/organization allowing Jill, Chris and others to better face down the rapidly increasing rates of bioterrorism incidents occurring around the globe. Shortly after the BSAA was formed Jill and Chris would face a challenge in trying to take down Il Veltro, a new bioterrorist group.

Jill has a new partner, Parker Luciani and the two BSAA agents track down a ship known as the SS Queen Zenobia to locate Chris and his new partner Jessica Sherawat. However, this turns out to be a ruse of sorts as Jill and Parker are captured. They would escape however and would be joined by Chris and Jessica confronting Veltro operatives and learning about the ships connections to Terragrigia. Jill and Chris eventually reunite and defeat the head of Veltro.

Spencer Estate and Kijuju Incident

After defeating Veltro, Jill and Chris would attempt to arrest the head of Umbrella Ozwell Spencer. Whilst investigating his estate the agents would encounter Wesker, who just murdered Spencer himself. A fight would ensue with the physically enhanced Wesker managing to toy with both BSAA agents. Before landing a killing blow on Chris, Wesker would find himself interrupted and forced through a window into a steep drop off of a cliff by Jill.

Sacrificing herself to save Chris and defeat Wesker, Jill would presumably fall to her death. The BSAA would search for the remains of both Jill and Wesker but neither were discovered. Despite being declared officially dead, Jill's friend and former partner Chris Redfield are staggered to learn that Jill may very well be alive still during a mission in Africa with his new BSAA partner Sheva Alomar.

Powers and Abilities

Jill Valentine is a trained and skilled soldier and fighter. She has served in the USA army under their Delta Force trained program, and as a S.T.A.R.S agent and BSAA agent (having founded the latter). Jill is proficient with a number of armed weapons, including pistols, handguns, machine guns, rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, explosives, and incendiary devices.

Jill is adept with electronics having a natural affinity with them, as well as being extremely proficient in picking locks. Jill has chemistry knowledge. Jill Valentine is also a great hand to hand combatant.

After the incident involving Wesker at the Spencer estate and her capture and cryogenic slumber, Jill's abilities were enhanced after exposure to the P30 chemical. Her strength and speed were increased, and her already impressive fight skills were improved to such an extent that she could easily overpower even much larger opponents including even Chris. Additionally, Jill was kitted out in a sleeker combat-ready bodysuit, giving her additional durability.

Other Media

Video Games

Resident Evil (1996)

Jill Valentine is one of the lead protagonists of the original Resident Evil game along with Chris Redfield. The game was originally released on the Playstation One and was later ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. Resident Evil was remade for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2002 with improved graphics, voice acting, scripting, and various gameplay tweaks. This version was later ported to the Nintendo Wii. In 2015 there was an HD remastered version of the game released for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4.

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)

Jill Valentine returns as the lead protagonist for the third Resident Evil game, which was released in 1999 for the Playstation One, and later on the Dreamcast and Gamecube. The game chronicles the events on the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City, and Jill's attempts to escape. She also has her first confrontation with the fearsome Nemesis, created by Umbrella.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

Exclusive for the Nintendo Wii, the game was released on the 13th November 2009 in America and the 15th November in Japan. The game is a retelling of the events which took place in Resident Evil: Zero, Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Nemesis, and an all-new scenario created for the game which features Jill and Chris in Russia, attempting to close down an Umbrella facility.

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Released on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC, Chris Redfield is the lead protagonist. At the beginning of the game it is actually believed that his former partner, Jill, is dead, but he later comes across information suggesting she is still alive and being held captive of Albert Wesker.

While initially not a playable character in the game, Capcom released several add-ons for the game which can be purchased on the Xbox live store, PS Network, or Steam, with Jill now being featured as a playable character.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000)

Jill appears in the popular and much loved 2-D fighting game pitting many of Capcom's most iconic and popular characters against many of Marvel's biggest and most cherished characters.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)

Jill is a playable character in Marvel vs Capcom 3. In her character-specific ending, she is forced to team up with Blade to fight the Legion Of Monsters. Jill appears in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds sporting her Resident Evil 5 look, mannerisms, and abilities.

Films

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

A live-action film starring Milla Jovovich, Jill Valentine is played by Sienna Guillory.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

The 4th film in the live-action Resident Evil franchise, Sienna Guillory returns as Jill, with her appearance heavily inspired by Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Sienna Guillory reprises her role as Jill Valentine for the live-action movies. Resident Evil Retribution counting as one of her largest and most important roles yet, as she stars as an antagonist in the film before her brainwashing is reversed and she rejoins out movies heroes.

Paperback Novels

Pocket Star Books have published seven novels set in the Resident Evil universe, all of which have been written by author S.D. Perry.

• Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy - Novelization of the original game, follows Jill's POV.
• Resident Evil: Nemesis - Novelization of the video game RE3, follows Jill's POV.
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica - Novelization of the video game of the same name, Jill is mentioned in passing.