Summary
Like her S.T.A.R.S. comrades, Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker, the infamous Jill Valentine became an integral part ofResident Evillore after Alpha Team investigated a mysterious mansion full of animated corpses. Four years later, Jill headlined her own sequel,Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was remade in 2020. Ever since, she’s been betrayed, hunted, brainwashed, and brought back from the brink, but even throughout all the anguish and suffering, Jill never lost her biting sarcasm and rapier wit.
But Jill Valentine isn’t all angst and humor. Occasionally, she might impart some wisdom or drop an internal monologue that’s just as philosophically thought-provoking. Jill is a jack of all trades, so in several decades of theResident Evilfranchise, it isn’t surprising that she’s had the honor of uttering some of the series' bestquotes.
During the climax ofResident Evil 3, Jill will go toe-to-toe with Nemesis (again) in his final form, but unlike the 1999 version, Jill gets a handy rail gun to assist her in wiping out Nemesis for good. While it’s arguable that Capcom missed the perfect opportunity to insert the famous “You want S.T.A.R.S.?” quote here, there’s no denying that Jill’s one-liner as she shoves the barrel of the rail gun into Nemesis' mouth is just as satisfying to hear.
After all, she’s fought this creature twice already (directly) by this point, and Nemesis has been harassing her for the entire game, so she’s just releasing some pent-up frustration.
InResident Evil 5, once Chris and Sheva manage to overwhelm Wesker and Jill (or, ironically, wait seven minutes for Wesker to leave), there’s a cutscene that plays out in which Wesker takes a phone call and leaves Jill to fight Chris and Sheva alone. Eventually, Chris and Sheva can pry the P30 device off Jill’s chest and free her from Wesker’s control. When this happens,she will apologize to Sheva for her actions, saying she couldn’t help herself, but she was subconsciously aware the whole time.
Jill will encourage Chris to chase down Wesker, informing him of Wesker’s plot to unleash Uroboros on the unsuspecting citizens and initiate natural selection to thin the population. When Chris hesitates, Jill tugs at a heartstring by asking him if he trusts her, instilling that same loyalty they had before the incident at Spencer’s Mansion as seen in the Lost in Nightmares DLC.
As Jill and Chris depart the wreckage of the Queen Zenobia in the final moments ofResident Evil: Revelations, they discuss the aftermath of the Terragrigia Panic and the overhaul of the BSAA. As the helicopter ascends to take them to safety, Jill comments on the inevitability of their predicament, saying that while they managed to avert a crisis by obtaining the evidence needed to expose the FBC, it came at too high of a cost.
Jill also mentions that while the storm is gone, the worst is still yet to come, so the calm won’t last. The quote alone resonates deeply,but coupled with a killer soundtrackand the shot of Jill gazing out the window, it’s a moment that’s unforgettable.
InResident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the originalResident Evilgame, it is revealed that Jill Valentine suffers from arachnophobia. The novel chronicles the events pre-Resident Evilas Jill Valentine prepares to attenda meeting of the S.T.A.R.S. unit called by Albert Wesker. In one part, Jill discloses her fear of spiders, saying how she can effortlessly confront mindless zombies and horrific creatures of all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to spiders, she’s a big wimp.
Not only does the quote add another layer to Jill’s character by revealing one of her few vulnerabilities, but it also reminds fans of the franchise that while these characters are formidable cops, agents, and superhumans, they are — fundamentally — still controlled by the same emotions and fears as any average person.
As an ex-S.T.A.R.S. member and an RPD enforcer, Jill has always prioritized doing the right thing and seeking out justice. Even when she’s put through her paces by Nemesis, her belief in the justice system never wavers.Catherine Disher delivers one of the most captivating performances for Jill ValentineinResident Evil 3: Nemesis, and one that certainly stuck with many players in the years that followed, but she also had the honor and privilege of dropping some of the best quotes for Jill in one ofResident Evil’s best games.
Disher’s Jill is definitely more serious than comical, so her more inspiring quotes hit even harder and fit the overarching narrative ofResident Evil 3: Nemesisas an overall more grounded game than the remake, which doesn’t shy away from funnier moments.
Resident Evil: Resistancetakes place during the Raccoon City outbreak that forms the basis of Capcom’s two remakes,Resident Evil 2andResident Evil 3, and features characters from both of those titles. Jill’s VA, Nicole Tompkins, reprises her role fromResident Evil 3to drop some of the most effortlessly hilarious one-liners during her mission to take down the Mastermind. Tompkins' Jill certainly tickles the funny bone with her sidesplitting line delivery.
There are a few different voice lines for Jill — the master of unlocking — as she stumbles across a sealed door. But Tompkins' sarcastic delivery of this particular line brings Jill’s personality to life in a way that earlier games couldn’t.
Another line fromResident Evil: Resistancethat screams Nicole Tompkins also comes from Jill interacting with a locked door, which seems to be a bigger obstacle for her than the actual B.O.W.s. When Jill prepares to pick the lock, she’ll call herself a “trained door unlocker,” and if that isn’t the funniest way of saying that someone excels at picking locks, nothing is.
It only adds to the hilarity that Tompkins delivers the line so seriously, as if Jill is carrying excessive pride about being the best “door unlocker” around. Someone should really tell Jill that a “trained door unlocker” isn’t a real profession.
BothResident Evil 3: Nemesisand theResident Evil 3remake give Jill some of her best lines ever, particularly when directed at Nemesis. Jill clearly resents the hulking creature hellbent on destroying her, so she can’t help voicing her displeasure and disapproval at times. After setting Nemesis ablaze and watching him tumble head-first over a railing and into the river, Jill scoffs to herself and mocks the fact that he can’t swim, presuming that Nemesis drowned.
She’s quickly made to eat her words as Stage 2 Nemesis lunges out of the water and chases her to the clocktower plaza,where the game’s second major boss fight occurs. Jill might have spoken too soon, but the quote itself became a viral meme at the time of the game’s release.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesistakes place on September 28th, when Umbrella unleashes Nemesis on the forsaken Racoon City to eliminate any remaining members of the S.T.A.R.S. unit, who know too much aboutUmbrella’s involvement in the city’s destruction. Before she makes a vow to herself to leave Raccoon City for her “last escape,” Jill sets the scene and the tone of the game by mentioning how Raccoon City is overrun with zombies, and she’s surprised to be alive amid the chaos.
It’s a nice use of voice over to introduce Jill as a main character, but the narration also serves as the introduction toResident Evil 3: Nemesis, in which players are met with a sense of foreboding from Jill’s words, as if she’s fortunate to be alive, but something — Nemesis — is about to test her will to live.
Jill Valentine’s most famous and memorable quote is one that appears across bothResident Evil 3: Nemesisand the 2020 remake. In the original,Jill says the line after delivering the final blow to Nemesisas a taunting farewell and a massive “F you” that mocks Nemesis' constant pursuit of her. In the remake, Jill says the line after separating from Carlos and offering to use herself as bait to lure Nemesis away from the subway train and the survivors onboard.
Unfortunately, the line can be cut off inResident Evil 3if Nemesis punches Jill, but both Disher and Tompkins nail the quote, and it’s always remained Jill’s staple.
