Resident Evil Village Merchant: Is it the Same Character From Resident Evil 4?

For Resident Evil fans, the most exciting part of the trailer was catching a glimpse of the new Resident Evil Village Merchant.

The nostalgic catchphrase “Got something that might interest you” from Resident Evil 4 was the first thing fans remembered on spotting the new merchant in the new Resident Evil title. That is not the only reason as many suspects that the Duke in Resident Evil Village is the same Merchant in RE4.

1. Who is the Duke in Resident Evil Village?

The Duke is the new merchant in Resident Evil Village, serving the protagonist Ethan Winters. The Duke will be the one-stop shop if you need to buy anything in the new Resident Evil title.

Having an actual merchant character than just a menu based shop system was a welcoming change from the past RE releases but what’s more interesting is many fans have claimed that RE4’s merchant and the new Duke is the same person.

2. Is The Duke The Same Person As Resident Evil 4’s Merchant?

At first glance, it is quite hard to say that the Duke is the same as Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 4 as both of them are stark opposites. Trench coat weaning, Leon was a member of the Ganado. At the same time, The Duke meets no resemblance and looks physically quite different, but RE has changed the designs of many significant characters, so it is not enough to diminish the possibility that they might be the same.

The key similarities are that both have the same ability to acquire a powerful arsenal, escape the foes and have friendly relations with the game’s hero. Even Capcom says that “the merchant makes a return”, but that could be said in general about the return of the merchant system.

With the current information, The Duke and The Merchant from RE4 seem to be two different people. Unless the merchant beat the Ganado infection and escaped the events of RE4, it is implied that there may be more than one merchants in the Resident Evil universe.

This doesn’t mean that Capcom didn’t insert any references to the trusty old merchant. If you interact with the Duke, you can hear him say ‘What’re ya buying?” in a similar way as his older counterpart and even referring to Leon as an “Old Friend”. All in all, the new merchant character feels more integrated into the storyline and I quite enjoy his character as he genuinely helps us along our way.

3. About Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the tenth major installment in the Resident Evil series.
The story begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living happily in a new place, free from their past nightmares, a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard. Just as they are starting their new life together, they are once again struck by tragedy. When Captain Chris Redfield of the BSAA attacks their house, Ethan has to go to hell again to get back his kidnapped daughter.