Ada being trapped in “romantic” plots seems to be a recurring problem, as her subsequent appearance in Resident Evil 6 also involves the main villain having an unrequited infatuation with her. Consider how Ada is a part of Leon’s character development in RE4, but he still gets to develop without her. Because of that, we only see the more humanizing aspects of her character in relation to her romance with Leon. We don’t know a lot about Ada’s history or motives perhaps that’s intentional, to maintain her mysterious spy image. The problem isn’t the existence of the romance between Ada and Leon - it’s that their romance is the only vehicle for character development that Ada is given. For example, Leon and Ada’s conversations during the RE4 remake highlight how Ada has changed since Raccoon City, as she refuses to deliver the Plaga to Wesker in order to avoid casualties. However, their relationship also shows a more nuanced side to Ada beyond the coldhearted femme fatale, which I like. Sexpionage is when intimacy, romance, or sexual activity happens during espionage, and it happens every time Ada and Leon cross paths. Image: CapcomĪda has character moments that flesh her out, too, but the hitch is that they mostly involve Leon, a hallmark of the “ sexpionage” trope. Resident Evil Village concept art shows cut designs for Ada Wong. Seeing a cool and capable Asian woman in a game like this was actually really incredible! After all, there were very few Asian American characters in popular gaming when Ada stepped onto the scene in Resident Evil 4, and in 2005, our expectations for conscientious representation of Asian female characters were lower. On paper it might seem like Ada is composed of shallow sexy spy stereotypes, but I believe there is more nuance to her character than that. It is time we stop only capitalizing on the sexualized, eroticised, and mysterious Asian woman, and make space to honour every kind of Asian woman.” Gao made a post on Instagram addressing the harassment she had experienced and voicing her support for authentic casting, writing that “inauthentic casting perpetuates an unhealthy image that further dehumanizes the community they seek to reflect. The remake is also the first time in a Resident Evil game that Ada was voiced by an Asian actor, Lily Gao, who unfortunately faced harassment on social media for her performance. I correctly anticipated that the RE4 remake developers would change Ada’s dress in order to distance her from this trope.
#Tv tropes superpowered evil side movie#
Even her name reminds me of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese American movie star, who was often forced into playing these types of characters because of the limited roles available to Asian women.Ĭalling Ada a villain would be a stretch, since she actually has a soft spot for Leon and helps him throughout the game, but in RE4 her sexualized and shady persona - along with her famous red dress - is the “Dragon Lady” trope to a T. While all-American boy Leon Kennedy runs around Spain to save the president’s daughter, Ada stands in contrast to him in her modernized Chinese qipao while working in tandem with notorious Resident Evil villain Wesker. Oftentimes, these characters are dressed in sexualised Asian-inspired costumes to emphasize their foreignness. The movie is about a young woman who becomes an assassin and falls in love, and fans have noted that Ada’s love for a man (namely, Leon) is a trait they share.Īda is Asian American, though, and that impacts the reading of the femme fatale trope, since she also ends up falling very neatly into the derogatory “ Dragon Lady” trope, which portrays Asian female characters as deceitful, mysterious, villainous, and domineering. The title screen for Separate Ways gives a bump to her femme fatale reading: In a nod to the 1990 film La Femme Nikita, Ada is shown in the same pose as the titular Nikita in the movie’s poster. Others - especially the ones that apply to my favorite international spy - aren’t.
Some, like Leon’s terrible movie hero one-liners and head-exploding roundhouse kicks, are still really funny. But RE4’s cinematic approach comes with plenty of action-movie tropes. Polygon is diving into the world of espionage throughout fiction and pop culture history with Deep Cover, a two-week special issue covering all sorts of spy stories and gadgets.Īda is a very fun character in a fun game.
0 kommentar(er)
