Our first look at Resident Evil Requiem might have centered on a new character, Grace Ashcroft, but that hasn't stopped speculation the survival horror secretly also stars a more familiar face: Leon S. Kennedy.
An appearance by the floppy-haired fan-favorite has been suggested for some time by veteran Resident Evil leaker Dusk Golem — and we'll get to their latest claims shortly — but for now, let's take a look at what's in the first trailer for Resident Evil Requiem itself.
After a long sequence introducing Grace Ashcroft (seemingly the daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak's Alyssa Ashcroft), we get a good look at the now-ruined Raccoon City, destroyed by missile strike at the end of Resident Evil 3.
Numerous Resident Evil games have featured Raccoon City, but the most memorable, perhaps, was the Leon-starring Resident Evil 2. And here, in the trailer for Resident Evil 9, we see the battered remains of Leon's former place of employment, the Raccoon City Police Department. It's looking rather worse for wear, but still recognisable. Some fans even think Leon's old car is still parked outside.
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A return to this location certainly hints at a plotline featuring Leon, especially when paired with Ashcroft's position as a government agent. After the events in Raccoon City, Leon subsequently served as a special agent working for the U.S. president in both Resident Evil 4 and 6, leading some fans to suspect that Leon and Grace already know each other, or will soon cross paths.
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Some fans even believe the trailer includes our first snippet of Leon already. There's a line of dialogue at the 2:45 mark in the trailer where someone says: "Investigating all these strange deaths, huh?" which some believe to be spoken by Nick Apostolides, the actor who has provided the voice and performance capture for Leon in his most recent appearances, such as Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, and Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Take a look at Apostolides' online resume, and there's another possible clue. The actor now lists a "AAA Video Game" he cannot name due to being under NDA, with his role listed as voice and performance capture in the same style as his contributions to the other above Resident Evil projects.
Finally, to prolific Resident Evil leaker Dusk Golem, who has spilled numerous details about Requiem in the years leading up to its reveal, and has claimed the game features Leon as its main (but not only) playable character.
"Leon is the main character of RE9 Requiem," the leaker wrote ahead of the game's trailer being revealed. "You won't fully see him for a bit (though he is in the trailer), but in the final game you play far more as Leon than Grace. [This will] become more obvious as marketing continues, into the final game."
Dusk Golem has suggested Requiem is being planned as the final chapter in Leon's trilogy of games, completing his evolution from rookie cop to government agent, and now the mentor of a younger character: Grace. Here's hoping, if that is the case, Leon gets a happy ending after all he's gone through.
Resident Evil: Requiem was announced at Summer Game Fest 2025 for launch on February 27, 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
