Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 Remake plans to make some major changes to the horror series’ most successful entry. Of all the remake’s changes, none are more apparent than the redesign of Resi 4 villain Ramón Salazar, who now looks like a zombie Margaret Thatcher.
In the original game, Salazar was designed as a child-like Napoleon. Looking like a ten-year-old boy in 1700s military cosplay, the 4-foot villain was adorably petite. Unfortunately, he now looks like The Iron Lady which is certainly horrifying.
Revealed in a new round of previews for Capcom’s survival horror remake, the villain’s redesign has spread online to mixed response. While some fans have relished in sheer disgust of the villain’s new face, others do miss the hilarity of his original appearance.
In the GameCube original, Salazar was an underdeveloped 20-year-old. For the remake, the Napoleon cosplayer looks far older — likely from the Los Plagas virus — with explosive grey hair, ladylike eyelashes and a heavy amount of blush.
However, in his facial structure, Salazar does look suspiciously like long-hated, rightfully vilified, just-as-evil, thankfully deceased Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Hilda Thatcher. The witch might be dead, but her look lives on.
It’s a fitting move. In the original game, Salazar was too much fun to take seriously. In Resident Evil 4, at least the majority of British players can be scared back under the covers by the mere prospect of huge interest spikes, mass unemployment, decline of public healthcare and a massive housing crisis. Oh wait, that’s the modern Conservative Party, too!
Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake may have changed the look of its iconic villain, but it’s a good fit for the reimagined story. While technically scarier and more serious, it’s still remarkably silly, just as we like it.
Resident Evil 4 Remake releases on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4 and PC on March 24th, 2023. The game will also receive a full VR-capable patch on PSVR 2 sometime in the future.