Does the mysterious Ada Wong actually like Leon S. Kennedy?
As a long-time Resident Evil gamer and Ada Wong fan, this is a question I‘ve wrestled with for years. Across multiple games spanning over a decade, Ada and Leon have had charged encounters and moments that suggest Leon harbors intense feelings for the femme fatale spy. But does Ada share any genuine affection for Leon under her inscrutable exterior? Let‘s closely analyze the evidence.
Leon risks life and career for glimpses of Ada
Ada Wong is first introduced in Resident Evil 2, where rookie cop Leon instantly finds himself drawn to her bewitching charms. When Ada goes missing mid-way through the nightmarish zombie outbreak in Raccoon City, Leon puts aside his police duty to desperately search for her. Their connection only grows after Ada is wounded saving Leon‘s life, leading to a tender moment where she shares her real name. But just as soon as she re-enters Leon‘s life, Ada disappears again to stealthily procure a G-virus sample for her anonymous employer.
This kicks off a cycle for Leon and Ada‘s relationship – brief encounters and electrifying team-ups, often under bioterrorism duress, after which the alluring spy vanishes as abruptly as she emerged. For his part, Leon never loses his longing for Ada. In Resident Evil 4, Léon jumps at a risky government mission once he learns it could reunite him with her. In the Resident Evil Damnation movie, Leon goes rogue from his handlers because he suspects Ada needs help, willing to risk court martial to assist her.
Across these high-pressure scenarios, Ada does lend Leon a helping hand or vital intelligence. But is it ever motivated by affection for him?
Ada‘s actions always serve her hidden mission
Even when Ada returns to pull Leon out of harm‘s way, there are suggestions she is merely using him as a means to gain something critical for herself and her unnamed contracted employers.
At the end of Resident Evil 2, Ada refuses to escape the collapsing secret lab facility with Leon so she can secured a G-Virus pendant, likely her true mission objective from the start. In Damnation, Ada steals classified Plaga parasite samples in the interval she bought escaping from rebels with an smitten Leon. And in Resident Evil 6, mercenary Ada Wong puts a gun to agent Leon‘s head upon their long-awaited reunion, betraying that she is a secret clone.
So while Leon might interpret Ada‘s intermittent heroism towards him as affection, she invariably has other implicit aims driving her actions. As a spies go, Ada excels at manipulation and deception to reach her goals.
Aloof Ada heads for the hills after any intimacy
Ada shares a simmering chemistry with an eager Leon whenever thrown together, taking flirtatious jabs at one another between zombie attacks. Yet Ada pointedly disappears after any physically intimate moment passes between them. Early Resident Evil 4 concept art implies Ada and Leon spent “that night together” in passion before she embarked on her mission. And in the Resident Evil Degeneration movie, Ada exchanges a underwater kiss with Leon but withdraws from further companionship soon after.
So while she enjoys toying with a spellbound Leon, Ada flees into the shadows at signs of actual emotional intimacy. This suggests she sees Leon as a pleasurable diversion or tactical ally, not as someone to offer her heart to.
What do fans and critics make of Ada‘s intentions?
Resident Evil forums looking for answers on Ada and Leon‘s relationship status contain reams of speculation. A common fan theory is that Ada secretly loves Leon but must bury her feelings to focus on her risky espionage work. Some suggest she keeps distance from Leon for his own protection as she knows her double-agent role puts targets on her back from dangerous forces like Albert Wesker.
Other Leon/Ada supporters bitterly complain that Capcom teases this romance without ever explicitly stating Ada‘s true feelings. They want to see the pair walk off together for once rather settle for another vague parting or cliffhanging separation.
Meanwhile, skeptics argue Ada callously leverages Leon‘s attraction without reciprocating it for her own gains. They highlight that she inevitably marches off to her hidden controllers, never confiding in or giving Leon power over her. To these critics, Ada exhibits all the behaviors of an undercover femme fatale, not a woman concealing profound love.
The one point all Resident Evil followers concede is that Ada remains a bewitching enigma. She keeps friend and foe alike guessing as to her allegiances and desires. And that enticing cryptic mystique is part of what keeps Leon forever chasing Ada‘s affection.
Will Ada and Leon‘s future bring clarity?
As of the Resident Evil Village 2022 release, Capcom has left the Ada/Leon dynamic dangling as tenuously as ever – the perfect dose catnip for devoted fans like myself. Ada did not appear in Village while Leon had a cameo role with no reference to his connection with her.
But their eternally inconclusive relationship has lived on for over twenty-five years of Resident Evil games. Might Capcom finally clarify Ada‘s feelings for Leon in an upcoming sequel or movie? My fellow RE conspiracy theorists and I have debated possibilities ranging from a tearful deathbed confession from Ada to a surprise wedding announcement sending Leon fans into a fury.
Until then, the questioning burns on across message boards – does Ada actually like Leon or not? She continues to play her cards agonizingly close to her chest, keeping admirers and critics guessing if she secretly longs for Leon too or is merely exploiting the longing she knows Leon carries for her. Whatever the case may be, we know Leon will chase any glimpse or rumor of Ada to the ends of the earth. Can the same be said for the elusive lady in red toward him? The waiting continues…
