The Story of Zoe Baker’s Disappearance

Warning: This article includes spoilers for Resident Evil 7, its downloadable content (DLC), and Resident Evil Village.

When Resident Evil 7: Biohazard hit the scene, it brought fans face-to-face with the chilling Baker Family. These characters, known for their unsettling transformations and fractured relationships, left a lasting impression. Unlike previous installments focused predominantly on zombie combat, Resident Evil 7 offered something fresh. Players stepped into the shoes of Ethan Winters, combing through the eerie Baker household as he searched for his missing wife while unraveling the mysterious control and infection spread by Eveline.

As the story unfolds, Ethan battles the likes of Jack and Marguerite Baker while navigating Lucas Baker’s deadly traps scattered across the property. Zoe Baker stands out as a rare ally not fully under Eveline’s sway, despite being infected. Her guidance is crucial in Ethan’s quest to escape the sinister ranch. Zoe’s fate in the narrative is as compelling as it is mysterious.

Zoe Baker’s narrative in Resident Evil 7 sees her mostly guiding Ethan remotely, through phone calls. Her role parallels Ada Wong’s from Resident Evil 4, offering assistance but remaining largely in the background. She emerges more prominently in the “Daughters” tape from the Banned Footage Vol. 2 DLC. This prequel insight shows that Eveline’s influence drove Zoe’s determination to oppose her family and seek a cure—a mission Ethan inadvertently becomes entwined in.

Ethan’s journey culminates in only managing to retrieve one cure, which he chooses to use on his wife, Mia. This decision leaves Zoe stranded at the ranch’s pier, an event that leads into the End of Zoe DLC.

End of Zoe picks up right after Ethan and Mia depart. Eveline finds Zoe, punishing her by turning her to stone. However, she remains alive. Months later, Chris Redfield and Blue Umbrella mount a rescue op, finding themselves at Joe Baker’s cabin—Joe being Zoe’s uncle. As players take on Joe’s role, they traverse swamps and battle against the Swamp Man, a terrifying new form of Jack Baker, to find the cure for Zoe.

Once victorious, Chris Redfield and his allies successfully rescue Zoe. While in recovery, Zoe receives a reassuring phone call from Ethan, thanking him for his efforts. Later, a slideshow reveal in Resident Evil 8’s deluxe edition unveils that Zoe starts anew as a journalist in New Orleans, diving deeper into Eveline’s origins and their ties to a criminal group known as The Connections. She also learns about the Winters family’s move to Eastern Europe.

Though she hasn’t yet appeared in Resident Evil Village, her reporting teased in the game’s additional content suggests she may emerge again. Whether Zoe returns in future games as a playable character or supportive lead remains uncertain. However, her interactions with other iconic Resident Evil figures would undoubtedly be engaging to witness in whatever lies ahead for the series.