Ada Wong

Lore & Background

Ada Wong first appeared in Resident Evil 2 (1998), where she was hired by an unnamed organization to steal the G-virus from Umbrella. She allies with Leon S. Kennedy, but is outed as a mercenary by Annette Birkin. Despite being severely wounded, Ada helps Leon destroy the T-103 Tyrant and escapes Raccoon City before its nuclear destruction. In Resident Evil 4 (2005), Ada is sent by Albert Wesker to retrieve a sample of the Las Plagas parasite from the Los Iluminados cult.

She encounters Leon again as he rescues Ashley Graham, and after helping him kill cult leader Osmund Saddler, Ada steals the sample and escapes by helicopter. The "Separate Ways" scenario, added in the PlayStation 2 version, depicts the main game's events from her perspective and highlights her relationship with Leon. In Resident Evil 6 (2012), Ada investigates National Security Advisor Derek C. Simmons, a former associate obsessed with her, and discovers he transformed his assistant Carla Radames into her doppelgänger.

Carla is ultimately killed by Ada herself when Ada shoots her after Carla transforms into a monster, though the exact circumstances vary by campaign. Ada helps Leon defeat Simmons and destroys a lab associated with the cloning project before accepting a new assignment.

Reader's Guide

Ada Wong is defined by her ambiguity; she is neither a traditional hero nor a pure villain, but a spy and mercenary who betrays her employers on numerous occasions to save Leon S. Kennedy from dire situations. Her skillset includes espionage, stealth, and combat, often using firearms and gadgets with precision. Key moments include her first appearance in Resident Evil 2 (1998), where she helps Leon destroy the T-103 Tyrant despite being wounded; her mission in Resident Evil 4 (2005) to retrieve a Las Plagas sample for Albert Wesker, which she steals from Leon after helping him kill Osmund Saddler; and her investigation in Resident Evil 6 (2012) of Derek C. Simmons, which leads her to kill her doppelgänger Carla Radames and destroy the lab where the clone was created.

Ada's red dress from Resident Evil 4 (2005) has been discussed in terms of the male gaze and criticized for being overtly sexualized. In the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4, her red dress is replaced by a red woolly jumper and leather harness.

Did You Know?

• Ada was initially conceived as a researcher named Linda for the prototype of Resident Evil 2, but her name was changed to Ada and she was rewritten as a spy and mercenary for the final build.
• The name 'Ada' was conceived by Capcom designer Kazunori Kadoi and first mentioned in Resident Evil 2 (1998).
• Ada appears in the mid-credits scene of the live-action reboot film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021), though she was originally intended to have a larger role.