Warning: This article contains spoilers for Resident Evil 4 and the RE4 remake.

Like in the Resident Evil 4 remake, Luis Serra plays an essential role in the original RE4. In the 2005 classic players first encounter Luis early in the game, when the dashing rogue is captured by infected Las Plagas villagers and held alongside protagonist Leon S. Kennedy. Luis is eventually revealed to be a former researcher with Los Illuminados, having helped the cult create the grotesque Las Plagas parasite that has not overrun a Spanish village. Luis serves as one of Leon's key allies, helping the hero when he and the President's daughter Ashley Graham fall victim to Las Plagas. Sadly, Luis is killed by Los Illuminados leader Osmund Saddler shortly afterward.

Luis Works For Umbrella In The Resident Evil 4 Remake

While it remains faithful to the original game, the Resident Evil 4 remake changes Luis' backstory to tie him more directly into the survival horror saga's story. Rather than being a former Los Illuminados researcher, Luis is revealed to be a former member of the franchise's iconic antagonistic organization Umbrella. While Luis has defected from Umbrella and works to undo his inhumane experiments by the events of the RE4 remake, this dramatic change nonetheless gives Serra a darker and more nefarious backstory. His history also ties more directly into the events of the overall Resident Evil narrative and makes his relationship with Leon more tense compared to the original version.

By making Luis a former member of Umbrella, these Resident Evil 4 remake story changes also give the repentant scientist a retroactive role in previous games' events. The RE4 remake reveals that Luis was a researcher at Umbrella's Europe Laboratory Six, which is referenced in Resident Evil 3 as the facility responsible for the creation of the iconic Nemesis bioweapon. The RE3 remake redesigned the Nemesis parasite to closely resemble Las Plagas, which is perfectly fitting considering Luis Serra's involvement in the creation of both parasites. Making Luis a member of Umbrella in the Resident Evil 4 remake also gives him new ties to another of the franchise's fan-favorite figures: Ada Wong.

Resident Evil 4 Remake Turns Luis & Ada Into Coworkers

First introduced in Resident Evil 2, Ada Wong is a mysterious spy who is often employed by the franchise's villains while also frequently lending a helping hand to its protagonists. The original version of Resident Evil 4 sees Ada and Leon cross paths yet again, with the elusive anti-hero apparently working to recover a sample of the Las Plagas parasite for Umbrella leader Albert Wesker. The 2005 title suggests a relationship between Ada and Luis, with Serra helping obtain this Plagas sample for Ada but sadly dying before he can get it to her, but the Resident Evil 4 remake makes their relationship much more clear.

While the original Resident Evil 4 does include a scene between Luis and Ada, the Resident Evil 4 remake version of Ada is more directly tied to Luis thanks to their shared history with Umbrella. The cutscene where the two meet, which occurs in both versions directly after Leon is injected with Plagas and he escapes Los Illuminados along with Luis, demonstrates their relationship much more effectively in the remake. While the original game gave the impression that Luis and Ada were practically strangers, in the Resident Evil 4 remake they call each other by name and are fully aware of each other's role in Umbrella's plot.

Resident Evil 4 Remake Can Give Luis A Legacy

By turning Luis Serra into a former member of Umbrella, the Resident Evil 4 remake opens the door for the roguish researcher to play a role in future installments. While he sadly dies at the hands of Kra in the RE4 remake, Luis' parasitic creations can pop back up and lead to continued mentions of the fan-favorite sidekick. Resident Evil 5 sees Chris Redfield battle against a Plagas outbreak in Africa, which could easily lead to an Easter egg mentioning Luis and his work with Umbrella's Europe Laboratory Six. Remakes of earlier games, like Resident Evil: Code Veronica, could even let Luis reappear in the flesh as an Umbrella employee years before his death.

By highlighting Luis in the Resident Evil 4 remake, Capcom can also give him a more lasting legacy in future games through the relationships he forged with Leon and Ada. The franchise has essentially portrayed every Umbrella worker as a morally repugnant antagonist, but Luis sets a precedent for upstanding Umbrella researchers who come to regret their immoral work. Leon could take this lesson to heart in future appearances, working to humanize and rehabilitate Umbrella scientists rather than convict them. Ada could also express regret for manipulating Luis, a fellow cog in the Umbrella machine, in future remakes or sequels.

While Luis Serra retains his roguish charm and dark backstory in the Resident Evil 4 remake, the modern retelling makes his past even more distasteful by portraying him as a former Umbrella scientist. This change to Luis' history gives him a closer relationship with Ada Wong, and connects his research to previous series installments like Resident Evil 3. Luis' ties to Umbrella could even affect stories moving forward, with the swashbuckling scientist showing up in prequel stories like Code Veronica or his research playing a key role in Resident Evil 5. While it doesn't change his entire character, Luis' backstory with Umbrella makes him even more repentant in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Source: Resident Evil/YouTube