Renowned Resident Evil leaker, Dusk Golem, has revealed that Leon Kennedy will undoubtedly be taking the lead in Resident Evil 9. However, fan-favorite Jill Valentine will not be joining him as a main protagonist, and may not even make a substantial appearance.

In a recent social media post, Dusk Golem stated unequivocally, "Leon is 100% the protagonist of RE9, and Jill has no real role in it.  She might be mentioned in a file or something similar, but she's not a key player in this installment. There are other reasons why previous rumors are inaccurate, but if you've heard anything about Jill being a main character, it's false."

Last year, several rumors circulated suggesting that both Leon and Jill would be headlining Resident Evil 9. It's possible these earlier leaks represented outdated information or planned concepts that evolved during the game's development.

In October 2023, Dusk Golem also disclosed that Resident Evil 9 will not be a direct sequel to Resident Evil Village.  While RE8 and RE9 were initially conceived as a continuous narrative to conclude the current storyline, RE9, while providing closure, will also serve as a fresh start for the series by introducing a new narrative direction.