Ada Wong: Resident Evil's stealthy viper

 

Hello my dears. I am the Raven who speaks to you.

Resident Evil, as a franchise, has been on the market for over two decades. The series underwent several transformations, including changing the genre itself, which was initially more focused on survivor horror (with puzzle elements) and, later, adopted an action adventure-oriented direction. The audience that consumes the franchise is quite diverse, but what really interests me are the events of Racoon City. The tone, the threat, the tragedy, the mystery, the sudden chaos that throws the city into complete pandemonium within hours. A criminal biological attack that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, the nefarious figures and true heroes involved. It's the Resident Evil that really attracts me and that stayed in the past, even though recently remakes about this golden era of the franchise have been produced.

Naturally, my predilection for Ada involves the character's lack of transparency, unpredictability, the moral compass that transits from one extreme to the other and the absurd technical competence that she possesses, being a sort of synthesis of the Racoon City setting and what exactly it means. A synthesis of those elements all summed up in the strong and blurred personality of just one character.

Some people might question my predilection for Ada when there are captivating and sensational characters like Jill Valentine on the scene. Or even the franchise's most recurring villain, Albert Wesker, who is quite revered by the fandom as well. In this sense, I need to make further clarifications, therefore: the fact that a character is considered a hero, villain or even an anti-hero, who does not fit into either of the two profiles mentioned is not enough for me to like or dislike it. The determining factor in my choice will always be with regard to its concept, how it was presented and developed. In other words, what makes me like a character is how well his script, which describes and makes the personality revealed, is well written or not. And in that sense, Ada Wong is the most conceptually interesting character for me of the entire franchise, even though she is still a secondary one. And this is even a strong sign of what I'm talking about: Ada doesn't need to be on the scene all the time, because in the few moments she appears, she'll leave marks, do some damage and make the plot much more interesting and entertaining.

The games that contain Leon Kennedy as the protagonist are so popular, as well as the character himself, in my opinion is only possible because of Ada’s presence. There's a golden rule in Resident Evil games, as everyone knows: where there is Chris Redfield, there is Albert Wesker. Where there is Leon Kennedy, there is Ada Wong. And Leon's plots become much more interesting, unpredictable and tense because with Ada around we never know exactly what can happen. There is always a great plot and central antagonist... and there is also Ada, who works as something beyond, an addition that can result in great impact or not.

It's never clear exactly which side Ada is on because, in essence, Ada's side is just her side. Ada is quite narcissistic; she is not moved in any respect by a sense of guilt. But still at times she ends up being moved by a feeling of retribution (which can translate into cooperation or revenge, depending on what gesture was made to her). While constantly giving trouble to Leon, who always falls for Ada's manipulation and seduction, she is also known to have saved his ass a few times and he certainly wouldn't be alive without her intervention. Maybe she wouldn't be either if she had taken that shot from Annette Birkin in Racoon City, which Leon ended up taking to save her.

Ada is a curious character: although her heart is cold most of the time, which she obviously doesn't let on because she is a stealthy viper that waits in the shadows, that is always disguising and transmitting an image of someone that she is not, there are a few brief moments and flashes where we can sense that there is some humanity and fire left in her heart. There is a constant ambivalence going on in Ada's feelings. She symbolizes chaos in the form of a woman, with all the hormones on the surface, but which she channels and manages her energy in the form of a pheromone to do her job well. The fact that she is still emotionally involved is something that we can see that bothers her a lot. She does not hide her dissatisfaction with herself for allowing to be carried away for a brief moment by the company of Leon Kennedy. It is something that Ada tries to combat and pathologically eliminate from her day-to-day life given the level of professionalism, demand with herself and the state of constant vigilance she needs, as practically everyone is or will be Ada's enemy: she cheats bad guys and good guys, her allies and enemies alike, mainly by refusing to play by the rules of both sides.

As everything about Ada is a mystery, until today we don't know exactly what is her main motivation. Her name is possibly not even the real one, we don't even know that. Ada is stealthy in absolutely every aspect of her persona and the only moments we can discover something about her is when she risks her life for something or someone. In these rare occasions we can observe some real honesty in her actions and expressions, because Ada is very cautious and does not like to expose herself to risks that she cannot have some kind of control. Most of the time Ada is an actress: when her life isn't at the razor's edge, which is when the various masks she wears momentarily fall away, Ada is Resident Evil's most underhanded, dangerous, and unpredictable character. And that's what I find fascinating about her.

Since the first Resident Evil 2 Ada has always represented the certainty that something above average and predictable could happen. The constant backstabbing of her contractors, the fact that she plays both sides at once and ultimately screws up both, ends in something that over time we've become trained to expect. But not necessarily understand the reason.

Unlike all other Resident Evil characters, Ada Wong is ambiguous. All the others have very defined and transparent traits and personalities, except Ada. When asked about my evaluation of her, according to the moral compass, I always answer that Ada is not a heroine or anti-heroine, as many tend to consider her. For me, she is closer to a villain, given the degree of individualism and what she is capable of doing to achieve her goal (including sacrificing innocent lives). But that doesn't mean that it will be something she will do either, because Ada's goal always goes to page two, it can change abruptly and that's one more reason why I don't think of Ada as altruistic.

Her past is dark and what little we know is about her involvement with criminal organizations, where she was trained to be the expert thief and assassin that she is. Ada, in certain ways, reminds me a little of Natasha Romanoff (Marvel's Black Widow) and Selina Kyle (DC's Catwoman). Someone who has the physical and behavioral repertoire of the two, but much less attached to moral values. Natasha and Selina, while capable of doing problematic things, are characters that have become milder with the passage of time. Ada has always been and continues to be a sphinx: “decipher me or I'll devour you”. And she devours without pity.

As ridiculous as that sounds, the exception to all her coldness and calculation was helping the young rookie Leon Kennedy. There is certainly a story, antecedents that can help us understand why Ada, this person who does not reveal her identity, origin or any other data from the past, became who she is. But she doesn't reveal information that could be used against her, which obviously includes personal information. To be honest, I hope Capcom keeps omitting information as much as possible to protect the mystique and mystery that surrounds Ada. She is like that red flag, that highly sensual woman who we know is going to use and leave us in the gutter, but who is attractive in such a way that we are stupidly hypnotized by her. Many men (and probably women too) must have taken risks with Ada and fallen prey to her. And we are well aware that some of them did not live to tell the tale. Leon, I repeat, is the exception, not the rule.

Having said that, how could I associate Ada with the franchise's homeland saviors like Chris, Jill, Claire, and Leon? That's not possible. Just as it is not possible for me to associate her, in any dimension, with Albert Wesker. Wesker has become the franchise's most recurring and powerful villain, but next to Ada, he's far too predictable. Wesker's biggest problem has always been his inflated ego: he was someone who always had too much confidence in his abilities. Ada, on the contrary, would never do that, because it would leave her exposed and more susceptible to mistakes. Wesker, as we know, is a chatterbox, another classic narcissist who loves to hear his own voice. Ada hates gossip. Lots of talk and little action makes Ada someone who wants to kick your ass. She doesn't waste time with promises and speaks only what is necessary, according to the plans she has. Ada can be an extremely sociable and communicative person, but only If it is necessary to her ultimate goal. Besides, she is not interested in your opinion, in what you have to say. She doesn't give a shit. Ada can give you undivided attention as long as she needs some information from you, that she hopes will slip between your lips. She will be your lover and confidant until she gets what she really needs from you. The second game in the franchise, for example, made that very clear.

Ada is as narcissistic as Wesker, but unlike him, she is not a megalomaniac. She has no glimpses or ideals of greatness and, for this reason, even though Wesker has developed, acquired superhuman strength and speed, I have always considered him inferior to Ada as someone to be feared. Wesker is easy to read, as he is overly confident and tries to hold his own in strength. Ada doesn't have the same physical ability and skill as him, but she has plans B, C, D and Z up her sleeve should they be needed. If hypothetically it was Ada who had been in Wesker's place on the show, maybe things would have been much, much worse than they were. The damage would be much greater in my opinion, analyzing her psychological profile. Lucky for the protagonists of the series that she is not very interested in that. Being the central villain or Leon's girlfriend? That’s nothing: this is too predictable, boring. It's anti-Ada. Ada is the open element of the series, whom Capcom can always turn to if they want experimentation and introduce a new, unexpected element.

Ada's charm and beauty, which are also visible, is just the surface of a much deeper and complex character that still has an abyss of unexplored depth. When we met Ada, we were immediately enchanted by her adventures, all dressed in a beautiful tight red dress (accompanied by some black clothing, always Ada's favorite colors) and wearing heels that god knows how she manages to walk, climb and deliver the absurd martial blows she is proficient with. Ada is probably a character with a horrible past, full of traumas and scars (she has already hinted that this is the case and, frankly, for someone who has done the things she has done, she is certainly not someone perfectly balanced, psychologically speaking). But this is the central question of her personality and apparently also her biggest villain: the sporadic and rare moments of hesitation or internal conflicts generate frustration, visible in her facial expressions.

Ada has always been very well crafted, both in the old games, newer and movies as well. Although I am only a fan of the survival horror games, the fact that Ada is present in newer productions always makes me curious to know what she is possibly doing. She is very attractive in the sense of latent potential, which can be decisive in taking the plot out of the ordinary and guaranteeing moments of great entertainment, adrenaline and satisfaction. And that's why, among all the characters in the franchise, she is my favorite.

Corvid greetings!