Did Leon Get Infected in Resident Evil 4? Definitively Yes.

To provide a clear, definitive answer right away – yes, protagonist Leon S. Kennedy does get infected in Resident Evil 4 by the mind-controlling Las Plagas parasite, introduced in that game. This harrowing new bio-organic threat leaves a lasting impact on his character.

Leon‘s Mission That Sets Everything in Motion

As a refresher, here‘s the context of Leon‘s role in Resident Evil 4:

• Six years after surviving the Raccoon City tragedy, Leon became a special agent for the U.S. government, assigned to investigate and combat biological weapons.
• In 2004, the President‘s daughter Ashley Graham is kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult during her college studies in Europe.
• Leon is immediately dispatched on a solo mission to locate and rescue her.

Unbeknownst to Leon initially, this cult behind Ashley‘s abduction is an illusive group named Los Illuminados – the "Enlightened Ones" in Spanish. And recovery of the President‘s daughter proves far more harrowing than expected, exposing Bio-organic Weapons (B.O.W.s) more terrifying than anything Leon has faced before.

The Las Plagas Parasite Changes Everything

Early in his mission to Spain‘s countryside and remote rural villages, Leon discovers the horrifying means through which Los Illuminados exerts control over its followers:

• Through notes and research, Leon learns of a dominant, mind-controlling parasite called Las Plagas (Spanish for "The Plague").
• This parasite attaches itself to the central nervous system upon entering a host body.
• It has multiple insectoid forms during its lifecycle, ultimate evolving into its controlling phase unless a suitable medication is administered first.

I‘ve constructed a quick visual overview here of the Las Plagas parasite‘s biology and effects:

As this table illustrates, the Las Plagas parasite represents an alarming new viral threat beyond anything Leon or medical experts have dealt with previously.

Leon Gets Infected With Las Plagas!

So how and when exactly does heroic protagonist Leon get infected himself by this menacing Las Plagas parasite?

• During Leon‘s initial forays into the isolated rural village areas, he crosses paths with Los Illuminados members.
• Villagers under the sway of Las Plagas attack Leon, allowing cult members to apprehend him, along with his impromptu guide, Luis Sera.
• While captured, Leon and Luis are forcibly injected with Las Plagas eggs, which quickly hatch and attach to their spinal cords.

So very early in Resident Evil 4‘s storyline, Leon unfortunately joins Ashley as an unwilling new host for this weaponized parasite that Los Illuminados relies upon.

Leon‘s Fight Against the Infection

Once Leon escapes his initial capture and reunites with Luis Sera, his desperate struggle to resist the growing Las Plagas threat begins:

• Leon displays early symptoms as the parasite matures, including convulsions, weakness, and bleeding eyes
• He knows if the parasite fully spreads through his central nervous systems, he becomes a slave to Los Illuminados.
• With Luis‘s guidance, Leon races to subdue the infection through specialized pills that suppress but don‘t destroy the parasite.
• These have unfortunate side effects however, and aren‘t a cure, buying Leon only limited time.

Below is a progression overview I created showing the estimated timeline for the Las Plagas parasite reaching total maturity. It highlights the risk Leon faces at various points:

As we can see, Leon has a dire timeframe of just over 1 day before falling fully under the control of Las Plagas without an actual vaccine.

Discovering a Cure

Throughout his ongoing mission, Leon continues receiving advice via radio from Ingrid Hunnigan, his government contact. She sets up collaboration with unexpected sources to try diagnosing and developing a genuine antidote.

• Various bio-organic experts determine that securing a dominant "Control Plaga" specimen is essential to formulating a true vaccine.
• This special Plaga strain allows controlling infected hosts directly, perfected after years of research by Los Illuminados.
• Ultimately, Leon succeeds in retrieving this unique Las Plagas sample, leveraged by medical teams to generate a viable vaccine.
• Leon is cured and gains immunity thanks to the vaccine‘s development – but the threat of Plagas persists.

Impacts on Leon Kennedy

We can see Resident Evil 4‘s surprising injection of the weaponized Las Plagas parasite leaves lasting ripples for protagonist Leon S. Kennedy specifically:

• Having a mind-controlling organism implanted forcibly is a traumatic moment for Leon‘s character.
• His grueling struggle to resist losing control or identity impacts him on a personal level.
• The experience also adds to his expertise battling viral bio-organic weapons created for terrorism and warfare.
• It forges connections with key NPCs and research groups to call upon in future outbreak events.
• Leon‘s sense of duty and self-sacrifice strengthens after these threats expand in scope.

In many ways, the Las Plagas arc represents a crucible experience that reshapes Leon as a hero able to take on steadily escalating challenges from sinister sources in later series installments.

So in summary – yes, Leon definitively does get infected by the radically dangerous Las Plagas parasite over the course of Resident Evil 4‘s storyline. He‘s forced to tap every ounce of his capabilities to resist its dominating effects until ultimately developing a cure. This leaves our protagonist uniquely changed and transformed for future conflicts still ahead.

Let me know if you have any other fun Resident Evil topics you‘d enjoy unraveling and analyzing together!