Resident Evil Retribution (2012): Cast, Plot and Ending Explained

The full plot of Resident Evil: Retribution runs from the suburban nightmare to a last stand at the White House. The suburban life turns out to be a simulation, and Alice dies inside it. The real Alice is held in a secret underwater Umbrella base in Kamchatka, where outbreaks are staged in replica cities and clones are made.

She escapes her cell and meets Ada Wong, a former agent of Wesker. Wesker then appears on a screen and tells her that the Red Queen AI now controls Umbrella, so he needs Alice's help. A rescue team led by Leon Kennedy arrives to pull her out, and the group crosses the simulated cities, which are full of infected. Along the way Alice finds clones of her allies, Becky among them.

As the team nears the exit, Barry Burton sacrifices himself so the others can get away. On the surface, Jill and an enhanced, hostile clone of Rain attack the group. Alice removes Jill's mind control device and frees her. Rain kills Luther and knocks out Leon, and Alice then drops Rain into the water, where zombies drag her under. The survivors reach Wesker's fortified base at the White House, where he restores Alice's powers with a new strain of virus and tells her the Red Queen is out to wipe out humanity.

The Resident Evil Retribution ending leaves Alice at the White House with her powers restored and humanity facing a final wave of infected. After the escape, the survivors reach a fortified base where Wesker injects her with a new virus strain. On the roof he tells her that the Red Queen is trying to wipe out humanity, and the soldiers prepare for a huge wave of infected.

In my opinion, the ending works as a handoff more than a conclusion. Wesker, who earlier appeared on a screen to ask for Alice's help, is now an uneasy ally, and the Red Queen takes over as the threat. It could be argued that this is the film admitting the Umbrella story had run out of road, and that the machine is a cleaner enemy than a company. That setup pays off in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which opens with Alice waking in the ruined White House after Wesker betrayed her.

So, to answer what happened to everyone: Barry and Luther are dead, Rain was dragged under by zombies, Jill was freed from her mind control device, and Leon was knocked out by Rain. Is this the last movie? No, because the sixth film, also directed by Anderson, followed in 2017. Paradoxically, the clones are the film's most interesting idea, since a base that can rebuild anyone makes every death uncertain, and that is a retcon waiting to happen. Perhaps that is also why the fifth film feels more like a tour of set pieces than a story that moves forward. Readers who want more on how it fits can follow the Resident Evil timeline.