Summary
HUNK, the Umbrella special agent who has sporadically appeared throughout theResident Evilseries, is somewhat of an enigma. Despite being a fairly important character in the longrunning story of the franchise, HUNK is barely ever seen in person, preferring to keep his identity concealed, but if anything, this has only made fans more intrigued to learn more about the one commonly referred to as “Mr. Death”.
Capcom are clearly well aware of how much fans want to see HUNK, and as a result, have allowed him to make a few cameos within some of the games, sometimes as part of the mainline story, while in others, simply as a bonus character who can be unlocked. However, so that players don’t need to boot up every game in the series just to get a glimpse of the masked man, today, we’ll be compiling all of HUNK’s appearances across the entireResident Evilfranchise. Before jumping in, this list will be classing original games and their respective remakes as a single entry, since HUNK largely acts the same in these kinds of entries, and also won’t be counting games where HUNK can only be used through cheating devices, as is the case withOutbreak.
HUNK’s introduction to the series would be in the originalResident Evil 2, but he would also re-appear in the remake too, where he would embark on the same mission; intercepting William Birkin and stealing a sample ofthe G-Virus. Despite the task going awry after Birkin slaughters the entire team, HUNK is the only one who manages to escape with his life intact.
This leads into the 4th Survivor bonus mission, where players take control of HUNK and must try to retrieve the virus, while also making a grand escape before the bombs drop on the zombie-infested Raccoon City. The fact HUNK is more than willing to navigate through the city on his own, just to complete the mission given to him, showed players exactly why he earned the nickname ‘Grim Reaper’ considering he’s been able to make it out alive of so many suicide missions.
At the end of the originalResident Evil 3, players can unlock several epilogue files that provide a glimpse into what would happen to the survivors of Raccoon City following their escape, including one that chronicles HUNK and his conversation with a helicopter pilot. The file explains that only HUNK is the one to, “once again”, survive such a nightmarish mission, only for Mr. Death to remain silent upon hearing the comment.
While the dialogue certainly says a lot about HUNK’ssilent and stoic persona, what is most shocking is the image of him where he can be seen, for the very first time, without a mask covering his face. It’s no wonder that he would end up looking like such a worn-out grizzled veteran considering the sheer number of grueling missions he’s managed to embark on throughout his career.
While HUNK doesn’t appear in the mainline story ofResident Evil 4, he can instead be found inthe Mercenaries modefor both the original and remake. In both versions, HUNK is a ton of fun to play thanks to his absurdly powerful machine gun, deadly melee moves, and of course, his iconic neck-break, which can instantly kill even the toughest of enemies, including Dr Salvador and the Bella Sisters.
After the surprising amount of love HUNK received from fans after the second game, it was a no-brainer that Capcom would need to bring him back, so instead of trying to shove him into the main story, reserving him for Mercenaries was a much better alternative.
Umbrella Chroniclesis anon-rails spin-offgame that acts as a re-telling of multiple stories at once, one of which being HUNK’s desperate escape out of Raccoon City. In keeping in line with the rest of the game, HUNK’s mission allows players to assume an FPS point of view where they must take out hordes of zombies and mutants, all while chatting with the Umbrella higher-ups over the radio.
Compared to the original 4th Survivor campaign, this mission goes a little deeper into HUNK’s mission, while also granting players a better insight into who the man behind the mask really is through his dialogue. At the same time, it’s also just an absolute blast to play as a character who is far more formidable and dangerous than the other playable protagonists in the game.
Memories of a Lost City is one of the four campaigns featured inDarkside Chronicles,which follows Leon and Claire as they try to make it out of Raccoon City while being surrounded by zombies, B.O.Ws, and all kinds of horrific monstrosities. While HUNK isn’t playable this time around, he does still pop up during a cutscene where he can be seen escaping Birkin’s lab with the G-Virus samples in hand.
Though many fans were already aware that this event took place within the story, one noticeable aspect of the scene is how HUNK is the one who pumps Birkin full of holes, showing just how merciless he can be when given strict orders. He would also be given a small bit of dialogue which might not seem like much, but fans will take any lines they can get from this guy, considering how little he tends to give away about himself.
After the staggering popularity ofResident Evil 5’sMercenaries mode, which brought back several fan-favorite characters such as Rebecca and Barry, Capcom decided it was finally time to pull the trigger on a dedicated spin-off title which revolved entirely around this bonus mode. WhileMercenaries 3Dtherefore plays similarly toResident Evil 5, it also includes a few new characters, including Claire, Krauser, and HUNK, who would, once again, be one of the very best in terms of weaponry and melee attacks.
HUNK’s knives, which are attached to his wrists and boots, allow him to make quick work of anyMajini or Ganadothat attempt to stand in his way, allowing him to rack up combos and earn time bonuses like nobody’s business. In reference to his iconic nickname, players are also able to unlock a Grim Reaper skin for HUNK, which emphasizes just how terrifying this lethal agent can really be when he’s at the top of his game.
Delta Team, who are a group of Umbrella operatives only ever seen inOperation Raccoon City, start off their mission being led by none other than HUNK himself. While HUNK only sticks around for roughlythe first hour of the game, essentially acting as a teacher for the player to help them get into the swing of the action-heavy gameplay, he then turns his attention to Birkin, before a door closes behind him.
Despite only being in the game for a short amount of time, HUNK is noticeably more talkative in this entry, speaking very openly about the state of the city, and the mission at hand. If players can’t get enough of HUNK, they are also able to play as him in the multiplayer mode, which is essentiallyResident Evil’sequivalent of a hero-shooter.
Resident Evil :Revelationswould replace the longtime Mercenaries bonus mode with Raid mode, which, while similar, is more based around unlocking new weapons and upgrades as part of its gameplay loop. The mode would include quite a surprising number of playable characters, and though HUNK originally wasn’t an option, he would later be introduced in theHD portsfor the game.
HUNK plays largely the same as he did inMercenaries 3D, though he’s been given a slightly creepier design with his eyes now being bright red. HUNK will also have some special dialogue options when paired with a few characters, including Rachael, who says that it’s an “honor” to be working alongside “Mr. Death” himself.
Revelations 2would bring back the Raid Mode seen in the original game, and with it, would also reintroduce HUNK as one of itsplayable characters. As would be expected, HUNK is still just as deadly in this game as he was before, primarily due to attacks like his shoulder barge and throat slit, which can obliterate enemies in one-go, making him extremely reliable.
By this point in the franchise, fans had been begging to see HUNK make a return to the mainline story in some way or another, but it seems as though Capcom simply weren’t ready to make him a major player just yet. Thankfully though, including him for the Raid Mode would be enough to remind players that Capcom are still aware of the hype surrounding him, and are willing to fit him into the experience any way they can.
