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Jill Valentine: Famed Operator, Storied Survivor
Hello, everyone!
What does the name "Jill Valentine" bring to mind? For many of us, it's the tough and talented heroine who's been fighting off zombies since the first Resident Evil title.
Looking back on everything she's encountered and overcome, her innate strength shines through as bright as day precisely because we've been given many glimpses of her all-too-human vulnerability.
I'm here today to paint this vivid picture of Jill Valentine for you.
Jill Valentine is best known for her work in the Alpha Team of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.), a special task force under the Raccoon Police Department.
Assigned to Rear Security, Jill focuses on providing backup from her team's six.
With her quick fingers, she's also a deft hand at explosive ordnance disposal.
Jill tickling the ivories in Resident Evil HD Remaster. Looks like Moonlight Sonata comes just as easily to her as defusing bombs!
Jill has been a mainstay of the Resident Evil series since the very first title.
In the first Resident Evil game, the Bravo Team goes radio silent during their investigation of a series of bizarre murders on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Jill's team follows in search of them, only to be assaulted by strange creatures en route, kicking off their part in the Mansion Incident.
Jill and the Alpha Team fleeing B.O.W.s at the start of Resident Evil HD Remaster. This pivotal scene sets a tense, chilling tone for the rest of the game.
The Arklay mansion they flee into is far from the safe haven they'd hoped it to be. The interior is overrun with zombies, and secrets and traps line its perilous hallways. Jill is forced to use her sharp survival skills to escape this gauntlet of terror and break free from the inhuman clutches of the mansion's inhabitants.
Jill escaping the mansion. Her visible relief strikes a stark contrast with the bold determination etched across Chris's face.
The Jill we know and love today may be a reliable veteran in the field of bioterrorism, but she, too, once found herself lost and terrified in the face of an unknown threat. Players get a good look at her vulnerable side when an infamous bathtub zombie causes her to lose her lunch!
One can hardly blame her for letting her brave face slip when her world is turned on its head.
Not even Jill could have imagined an undead abomination rising from the murky water.
Despite her emotional turmoil in her first Resident Evil appearance, Jill's become an indomitable force by the time Resident Evil 3 rolls around!
In Resident Evil 3, the biochemical disaster engulfs the entirety of Raccoon City. Jill attempts her own desperate escape amidst the unfolding chaos.
The t-Virus sweeps through the city like a plague. The streets swarm with zombified victims, severing lifelines with the outside. Despite the looming danger, Jill worries about the surviving citizens, and tries to save as many as she can muster.
Even when she's on the verge of despair, her desire to help her fellow man continues to inspire awe.
Jill joins in the U.B.C.S. efforts to save civilians. The veteran Barry Burton got her out of tight spots many times in the first game, but by RE3 she's the one doing the saving!
In Resident Evil 3, Jill gets caught up in the large-scale biohazard incident in Raccoon City. What can she possibly do in the face of this crisis?
Yet the Umbrella Corporation has other ideas for S.T.A.R.S members like Jill who know the truth behind these events. In order to silence the remaining survivors, Umbrella sends an assassin of sorts into the collapsing city: a hulking brute of a bioweapon known as Nemesis. After countless near-deadly run-ins with the creature, Jill somehow manages to defeat it—with a little help from Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.) mercenary Carlos Oliveira, that is! Together, the pair evacuate Raccoon City.
The B.O.W. known to Jill only as the "Pursuer." Its sole goal is to snuff out all knowledge of the Mansion Incident.
Jill also contributes to the cause in Resident Evil: Revelations, which tells the tale of the early days since the founding of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA).
Jill partners with Parker Luciani in her search for Chris Redfield. Anyone can tell she's more than ready to take point by now!
Aboard the Queen Zenobia, the luxury cruise Chris was on before his comms went dead, Jill's investigation leads her straight into the trap of bioterrorists Il Veltro. She is rendered unconscious.
Upon coming to, she contacts BSAA director Clive R. O'Brian, only to discover that Chris's team had never gone missing—in fact, it was Jill's team being treated as MIA.
Jack Norman, the leader of Il Veltro. He packs quite the tactical noggin behind that gas mask!
Baffled as she is by this development, Jill succeeds in reuniting with Chris and exchanges intel with him. With the truth just about in reach, Jill and company escape the sinking Queen Zenobia and plunge into greater peril. Ultimately, they manage capture the true mastermind behind this incident.
Once the whole story comes to light, the Federal Bioterrorism Commission (FBC) is permanently disbanded, with the majority of its resources folded into the BSAA. Jill continues to actively participate in BSAA operations as one of its Original Eleven founders.
Click here for an article about the BSAA!
The BSAA and the Hound Wolf Squad: Sniffing Out the Truth
After the Queen Zenobia incident, Jill and Chris infiltrate the Spencer Estate, on orders from the BSAA to capture Umbrella founder Ozwell E. Spencer. They find, however, that Albert Wesker had already beaten them to the punch; with Spencer murdered, the pair enter combat with Wesker.
Wesker putting Jill on the ropes with his overwhelming combat prowess. The Uroboros Virus gives him abilities surpassing that of a normal man.
In an effort to protect Chris, Jill tackles Wesker, sending them both careening from the cliffs. With neither Wester nor Jill's body to be found, she is declared KIA.
Jill falling down the cliff with Wesker in tow, all to save her partner.
Jill would actually survive this ordeal, only to be brainwashed by Wesker.
Jill under Wesker's control, her hair turned blonde from the effects of the chemical compound he subjects her to. A new look for a hefty price.
With considerable effort, Chris and Sheva Alomar succeed in wresting the control device off of her body, returning Jill to her old self. She then escapes with BSAA Captain Josh Stone, adding this to the long list of incidents she has survived.
Josh and Chris work together to rescue Jill.
With the help of Chris and her comrades, Jill was freed from Wesker's control. Even so, some scars prove to run deeper than others.
In the animated movie Resident Evil: Death Island, Jill struggles with her feelings about having turned a gun on her allies, but comes away with personal growth. This feature is a must-see for those who want to see what becomes of Jill after the events of Resident Evil 5!
Click here to check out
Resident Evil: Death Island
Jill also begins rehabilitation after the RE5 brainwashing, which we get a glimpse of in her message to Barry in Resident Evil Revelations 2. The two share a tight bond of trust following the Mansion Incident.
Jill's e-mail to Barry. It's a happy sight to see Jill in good spirits after everything she's gone through!
This concludes our deep dive into Jill Valentine and her brave fight against bioterrorism across the Resident Evil series. What's your take on her story so far?
Use the hashtag #REBHFun to share your thoughts on Jill!
Thanks for reading, and see you in the next Under the Umbrella article!
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