The amount of sense this makes is disturbing. Saddler was always a weirdo but faking an international incident so he can watch a cute blonde fight an army of monsters, rescue a damsel and blow him up with an RPG while he helps him survive by selling him weapons is an entirely different level of insanity
Bruh and Las Plagas isn't even real, Saddler did it just to meet the Great Leon S. Kennedy, whom he heard and saw from his Ganado 4k Phone (I wanted to put one joke in there) and Ashley is just a paid damsel in distress from the president as a favor for getting rid of the Croc and or Gator from RE2 sewers. It is also why Saddler knows where Leon is at those moments the Merch shows up. Think about it, He is always there before boss battles, meaning he could just be watching the show up until the final boss fight where he has enough time to tell Ada it is a mirage and get her to leave. Krauser also pretends to play dead, and Luis is actually killed because Saddler got tired of hearing the story of Don Quixote.
@@thesupanovasmokalive The actual story of RE4 is pretty much as stupid as everything you said already lol. This theory is the most "Resident Evil" there is, and that's why it's canon for me.
I always thought the merchant was Luis's grandfather, because knowing about the hidden tunnels Luis mentions in a note explains how he gets around so easily and is always where he needs to be. His grandfather being a hunter also puts him in the realm of owning a few guns at least, and it's not unlikely that he was a collector of firearms as well. The merchant also has a unique line for the Red-9, showing a clear appreciation for it as an antique, and it's possible that's why Luis chooses to use one. idk tho :33
I love this theory, but I have a slightly different take on it. I think that Saddler, before he fused with the Las Plagas parasite, had a strong enough will that even now, with his flesh consumed, there's still a semblance of the original man who is in there, horrified at how far things have gone, how much the Las Plagas have twisted his original vision. That bit of him, that last sliver of humanity, of lucidity, wants to die, but the parasite won't just let him destroy himself, so in the guise of the merchant, he helps Leon become the well-stocked warrior that can finally end the Las Plagas threat. I've only played through RE4 once and that was pretty recent, so maybe I'm way off base, but that's my personal headcanon from now on.
@@pandadares8905 Thank you. It just sort of occurred to me. Saddler as we know him, at least in my opinion, wouldn't want to die, but a pre-Plagas Saddler that's regretting things would, and that's the only reason I can think of why Saddler himself might want to actually help Leon.
That’s a great take, I’ve thought about the merchant and saddler having a Jekyll and Hyde situation where the good side is working to thwart the bad side
I played RE4 for the first time recently in December and I myself thought the guy was sus at first. I didn't think he was Saddler but he definitely had the same vibe. Of course once he showed his wares, that suspicion dropped pretty quick. He also has an error in his accent in that it's sometimes Australian. Here are some quotes where the accent is Australian. "What are you buying?" "What are ya sellin?" "Eh he he he he, thank yoo" "Come back anytime" And here are the quotes where he sounds more British "Ahhh, I'll buy it at a high price" "Got some rare things for sale, stranger" "Not enough cash, stranger". Now this could simply be Voice Actor error considering he also voices Leon. But if Saddler really is Spanish, putting on a fake accent isn't always gonna be consistent. Even if it's the other way around, you can lose your accent if your new accent is mostly used. This is not entirely related but the Voice Actors for the Ganados also made an error in that the accent and language is a mix of Traditional Spanish and Mexican Spanish. While Spaniards and Mexicans have little issue conversing with each other, the pronunciation is different for some letters.
Nice video! I have a theory that the Merchant was hired by Ada. He gets to keep money and land, hence why he has side quests in the remake - notice how it's usually always about cleaning up areas of enemies or pests or propaganda. Ada would do this to keep Leon safe, and also make sure she can use him. In the remake, when Ada meets the Merchant, she approaches him like she already knows him.
This is actually an insane but really good prediction , especially the one in chapter 3-3 where the merchant is right next to Ashely’s trap , I noticed that too like the marchant was literally right there when Sadler appeared wow had me questioning all video bro 🔥🔥
Thank you bro🔥 .That door has always bothered me...I mean who else but the Merchant was RIGHT THERE in that very moment, staring down the door strategically as if he was waiting for Luis
(0:09) Nice to see my comment up there on the top! Got to say, the idea of this wandering salesman keeping you afloat being the main reason you're pressing onward because this is all one big game to him is quite a gut punch of a theory. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
The Merchant is Sheik, the disguise of the princess Zelda in Ocarina of Time 😅 And regarding the red eyes, perhaps is a magic trick to apparent be a Ganado, to avoid be attacked by them.
Absolutely. You made the same point I made in another video actually. The red eyes could've been fake so he could fit in with the villagers in case of an emergency
you can also combine Saddler's amusement with seeing Leon fight before he turns with him requiring a trained operative to fight his ganados for BOW data on how the Plagas perform in a real scenario
It's so crazy how all of these tie in so well. Before you even made certain points, I was like, "The Merchant before killing Luis and the Merchant before the last boss fight." Too bad this would never be confirmed but it's a really good theory and I hope this picks up some traction in the RE4 community.
Thank you, I hope so too 🙏. Yeah I mean the place where Luis died is by far the biggest piece of Evidence. It's extremely suspicions and I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it before.
@@pandadares8905 idk if we should take into account the different eye color for ps2 and weii, cuz in them merchants eyes are just like the ganados, but it seems more reasonable to take what the lastly put into the game (pc version) because the game kinda produced in a rush mainly because it got cancelled 2 times one of them even became devil may cry as we know today. Btw i love your videos bro, keep it up 🙏.
I sometimes think of the Merchant as a hallucination. Think about it, his first appearance is made after Leon receives Las Plagas. In cutscenes we never see Leon using any other weapon than the handgun. Is like he really never bought or sell anything from him canonically. Maybe i´m just forgetting something. The only thing throwing this theory apart is his mention in RE8.
I LOVE this theory. Also, in the Remake, Leon's hallucinations are more prominent when his Plagas assimilation is near completion. Hell, when his eggs hatch at the lake. He has a nightmare that perfectly depicts the Las Plagas in his veins...At a time when Leon had NO IDEA that he was even infected. Saddler brings this to his attention at the church, very strange. You don't dream about things that you don't know. It has to be in your conscious or subconscious. I've long said that this dream in particular wasn't actually a dream at all and it was a real psychotic episode that he endured in between these 4 hours while he was unconscious. (That isn't shown on camera). Evidence of this is that the door is open when he enters the cabin, but when he wakes up...It's closed. More evidence is the Merchant's teleportation which is completely superficial, the dog...That I've made a whole video about regarding the theory that he wasn't real either. I think there's a lot of substance to this. As for RE8, I don't know lmao...Maybe all that food made him hallucinate about the Merchant also? 😂
@@pandadares8905 This is getting even better by the time, wasn´t expecting a character like the Merchant to be able to form so much theories about his persona. Hell, we are even questioning his existence in Leon´s journey now.
I like this theory. It's like a twisted version of the prince and the pauper. It makes sense he'd keep an eye on Ashley and Leon as their plaugas grew. Also, he gets to recoup all the treasure leon steals and even gives him treasure maps, making leon his unknowing pawn.
woah I'm greatly impressed by this, i thought he was the fisherman but him being Saddler is insanely awesome for resident evil lore, and it make sense why we never saw him after Saddler defeat! Great video as always!
This theory makes perfect sense as to why none of the enemies coming into his room and fuck with him. It's even more hilarious when you realize this whole time Leon inadvertently has been funding terrorism every time he does weapons deals with the guy.
One of my previous comments got featured and discussed in one of your video, now I can die in peace 🤣🤣 To be fair, I did mention that the merchant might be as high in rank, or maybe higher, than Saddler himself, and I did point out the similarities between the two, especially their attire, but I honestly did not really consider them to be one and the same person, truly amazing theory lol On a more serious note, I always noticed that Saddler barely ever speaks "normally", or "naturally", to Leon, he's always either : -faking it way too much by speaking in his high pitched, overly zealous voice, mostly in intercom exchanges, especially before the U3 boss fight "I have an idea, why don't I introduce you to IT ! IT should keep you busy" (he sounded way too happy saying that lol), -he's acting all high and mighty like the cult leader he is, trying to assert dominance and show he is in control or something like that, like when he was first introduce, or in his last cutscene before the battle, or "I can feel them, growing ever so slowly inside you" -he's overcome by his emotions, like anger, for example (and I think this is the only example) after he killed Luis. I personally believe that the only time in the entire game we got to hear the true voice of Saddler, when he was neither faking it, nor trying to project a certain image of himself, nor was he overcome by emotions, was when he said "Now, come to me... Ashley". The deliverance of that line gives me goosebumps every time, it was Saddler at his most raw and authentic.
Completely agree with everything here mate. Going over most of his vocal back and fourths with Leon, especially those where he's actually being authentic (The Ashley Line) they never sound the same, there's so much changes and nuances in his delivery that make it obvious that he's playing a character. His crazy personality doesn't allow a consistent voice to use as evidence AGAINST him being the Merchant, in fact, it plays heavily into this theory. And I wouldn't be surprised if Saddler could do a perfect Leon impression if he wanted to lmao 😂. When he says "I can feel them growing ever so slowly inside you". This also credits the point I made abut him being able to see through walls (The Merchant). That he can literally feel Leon's Plagas whenever they're close. They act like a beacon, a power that Saddler uses selectively to show up when most convenient
The names can even be broken down further: Osmund Saddler, and Osmund Merchant. He just changes it based on what he's doing and who he identifies as at the time. Now the bigger mystery is why did Osmund make being a "saddler" his main and public gig, and does he have any other professions?
Though it is a very interesting theory I don't buy it. The eye shapes of Saddler, and the Merchant are completely different. As are the wrinkle patterns on the face around the eyes.. If they were they were the same person they would have the same eye shape, as well as the same wrinkles. That would have been something the modelers/texture artists would have thought of as well. Also I just noticed the Merchant's nose looks kinda crooked. Saddler's is straight.
I think this video is far more hypothesis than theory, but the detail about them both being clearly British is fascinating. If I were to hypothesize a connection myself, I'd guess that there is a genuine connection between the two -- possibly familial, based on your side by side comparison -- and that they're enemies with each other. Which would explain why the merchant is so willing to do business in a place that only yields a couple customers; both of whom are actively working against Saddler.
There are some really interesting parallels here! The only thing that has me skeptical is the part where Leon rescues Ashley near the end, while Ada fights Saddler in the meantime. At the exact same time, the Merchant is right outside with Leon and Ashley, so I doubt he could be in two places at once. However, I like to think perhaps the Merchant could be Saddlers brother who is secretly working against him by helping Leon and Ada fight him!😅
No worries mate, I always love to involve the community in my videos🙏. My next video will be decided with a poll also. Will have that up in a couple of days
This means the Duke would have been friends with Saddler because in RE Village the duke acknowledges "one my friends used to say that" and hes talking about the merchant. Is there any files in RE village to further support this ? This anglo saxon lore is interesting this deserves way more views
Thank you mate, this video is doing better then anything else I've made recently, so I hope it keep going up 🤞. Yes, that discovery at the mural was extremely interesting, and what inspired me to follow-through on making a whole argument
This also makes sense on the reason why he sells you slightly better and better stuff.. (other than an obvious gameplay reason, lol.) because it's almost like he's toying with you, giving you just enough to stay alive whilst still struggling.
Great point. It's funny because he's actually stocked up with late game and NG+ weapons as early as chapter 1/2 (The cave at the lake and El Gigante's arena). Yet he doesn't offer them for sale which credits this even further
While I'm not inclined to believe this theory, this feels so deliberate that I'm convinced that this was absolutely intended to be a red herring for the players. If that's the case, that's actually even more mad than this theory itself.
Actually though, I still can't get over Luis's death cutscene...The Merchant was right there staring at "Saddler's" back if they were different people.
I think merchant is just a gameplay mechanic. Leon has a pistol in his cutscenes (can’t remember if he had any other gun) so he must’ve just picked up others guns in the canon?
Cool thery You forgot. To mention that saddler is taller than the merchant. In separate ways you fight him as his regular form.And he's taller than Ada Adas the same size as the merchant and so is leon
3:49 why are his eyes red sometimes Also good theory however it falls short for the fact that saddler is much taller than Leon and seeing that the merchant is nearly the same height as Leon it cannot have been saddler disguised as the merchant
Yes but Saddler is known to shapeshift as per his King Plagas and the Merchant is voluntarily lumped over due to the weigh on his back. I agree that the composition is wrong but it can be argued
One could argue that the Plaga is distorting Leon (and Ashley's) perception of reality, and Saddler is well aware of it. Even after having it removed, it could have some lingering effects for a short while.
The Remake plays into that a lot...While Leon's struggling to make his way to the operation room, he has these deluded perceptions and hallucinations that you speak off, as he's essentially on the brink of Plagas assimilation. It would be funny to think that the Merchant was literally just Saddler without any disguise and that he was just manipulating Leon's Las Plagas the entire game. Coincidently...The Merchant only shows up after Leon becomes infected.
@@pandadares8905I know this is all a theory and we have to take it with a grain of salt, however it is a stretch to say saddler can shapeshift, because his transformation does not really count as shapeshifting, it is more that he allowed the las plagas to take over and as for him being shorter because of the weight he’s carrying that is also an exaggeration, when you fight saddler as ada he absolutely towers over her
The Merchant and Saddler both seem to have a knack for slipping into various places undetected. Also, the backpack could very well be used to hide his Lord Saddler uniform, come to think of it. Last, but not least, after his first meeting with Leon and Ashley in the church, there is already a wave of Ganados waiting on the outside for them, giving Saddler the perfect opportunity to slip away to The Merchant's usual locales undetected.
Strange that he never does open the backpack despite him showcasing everything else he has in stock 🤔. I made a theory in the first Merchant video that he stored the Attaché Cases and treasure maps in his backpack to avoid damage. But he could fit A LOT more in there if he wanted to....Like his robe
That's an interresting theory , however I like to point some things out : Saddler didn't immidiatly kill Leon because he wanted to keep him as a puppet like all the other soldiers at the Island . He was trying to keep him as busy as possible until the parasite reaches it's final stage . He also didn't send Ashley back because he wanted to cash in . He musst have used Ashley as bait just so he can lure more soldiers . Testing if Leon is worth joining them . When Leon finds Ashley at the end he tries to manipulate him one last time "You are granted with such an awesome power and yet you rather choose death" . He manipulated a village , he manipulated Salazar , he managed to make an entire army base . This guy was this close of taking controll of Leon , sending Ashley to America and taking over the world if it wasn't for Ada . He is a con artist , his name might not even be Osmond Saddler . It's like he watched a bunch of american B movies and made it a reality . The way how he always tried to be "convincing" is what made him so creepy . I forgot to mention his plan B : If he fails to send Ashley back then he'll just send his Army there . So maybe some of the Ganados made it . Just because the queen bee dies , doesn't mean all the other bee die .
Story wise this makes no sense. Texture wise I can see your logic. I think it would have been easier to say it was his relative. Like as if they had a falling out and the merchant just wanted to pocket as much money as he could before leaving.
Story wise nothing in RE4 makes sense lol. Even it's own story is contradicted in Separate Ways so this theory isn't far fetched. The theory about them being relatives is really good too though.
@@SuperCasperman Look at the other comments haha. The fact that so many people are talking about it disproves your point. And no, compared to the story of RE4, this isn't that dumb in comparison, trust me 😂
@@pandadares8905the point about the Merchant watching Saddler killing Luis is just down right creepy to me though Has to be the most believable theory yet to be fair
This is absolutely wild if this is a recent theory. Have there been any fan speculations before like in old forums from back in the day when this game released?
There probably was some old speculations about this theory that I wasn't aware of. However, my friend and I were the first to create an argument for it I believe.
I enjoyed this theory, but i noticed that the merchant has eyebrows while saddler doesn't. Does this mean this man has removable eyebrows wen its Saddler time and just puts em back on wen its merchant time? Like nothing ever happened?😂
Well the Merchant sometimes has those red eyes, but cannot be killed by the PRL. This implies that they're also fake, I made the theory in another video that these are contact lenses so he can fit in with the villagers and avoid Mendez getting all up in his business 😂 I don't think it's farfetched to say that (with his mask) Saddler realised that not having eye brows was too much of a give away so he used fake eye brows also lol.
If you guys have ever noticed when we Saddler kills Luis in the ashley trap room in second floor, we get to meet with merchant right before we enter there. And he enters from right behind us
Has any capcom officials done a q and a on reddit or anything that has given info about the merchant? I thought that he could be luis grandfather, that migrated to spain and had a family with a native girl hence why he has the english accent
I went over that Theory in the last Merchant video actually. I like it a lot, but it was never conclusive enough to hold much weight after all these years
@@pandadares8905 that is true but if u use it on any normal they die but if u think about this tho on pro if u kill the merchant he never comes back but sadler dose
@@zombiemasterkillerelite4923that’s because it’s pro mode, pro mode is hard for Leon so it must be equally hard for saddler, it’s more convenient for him not to show back up to set up shop everywhere while having to deal with Leon. About the PRL, we know that the merchant has all kinds of wacky equipment and he’s the one who sells you the prl in the first place, who own such technology? saddler! And the merchant would have his jacket of course equipped with anti prl technology, which wouldn’t work for him when saddler is in his final form because the plaga is fully exposed. You’re welcome 😌
Kinda figures it’s saddler because one of his villager people shoot down the helicopter that Leon and Ashley were supposed to get to using a rocket launcher and the merchant has a bunch of them and he shot down another helicopter that the guy named mike was helping Leon using a rocket launcher and it kinda makes sense now that’s why the merchant wasn’t around after Leon kills saddler but then again why would saddler be helping Leon and selling stuff to him and then also trying to turn him into one of them at first for awhile I thought it would be Luis’s pappy but then I remember reading a note from the big cheese Mendez and he said if Luis’s pappy was still around he would of used him to help find Luis so now I guess it all makes sense
@ now we have to find out who agent hunk really is he’s another mystery because he doesn’t seem like the other agent hunks that died by William birkin or the ones that died on the first resident evil movie that has Alice on it or the ones on resident evil survivor he seems really smart and has a lot of battle experience then the other ones and he’s made it out alive a bunch of times
What if Saddler started developing slightly more paternal feelings towards Leon…someone he sees as a worthy adversary…or successor after assimilation with the Control plaga? He bested Ramon and Krauser and of course Saddler doesn’t seem fazed by losing his right hand men… Because Leon is the replacement in his eyes…Not just a guard but a Heir…more capable than Salazar and more skilled than Krauser in his HUMAN form(I have theories of close contact to various viruses giving Leon/Chris etc some low tier durability and strength increases as maybe Dormant strains of T- and G virus in them raised them to the close to supersoldier levels Chris and Leon are)… Now imagine Leon with a master parasite in him? We’re talking a wesker Level threat or even beyond.
100%. There's no denying that Saddler saw the massive potential of Leon, thus he was willing to sacrifice his crew just to bring Leon on board. Leon with a Dominant Species Las Plagas sounds completely invincible 😂
Tbh I had a feeling saddler was crushing on Leon, but my brain never truly put it together. Listening to his dialogue again, yea there is a strong infatuation there, which I can’t blame him. As Leon just has that ability to charm everyone he meets lol (well almost everyone). Either way, I’ll never be able to look at Leon x merchant content the same way again 😭
The amount of sense this makes is disturbing. Saddler was always a weirdo but faking an international incident so he can watch a cute blonde fight an army of monsters, rescue a damsel and blow him up with an RPG while he helps him survive by selling him weapons is an entirely different level of insanity
LMAO exactly 😂
Bruh and Las Plagas isn't even real, Saddler did it just to meet the Great Leon S. Kennedy, whom he heard and saw from his Ganado 4k Phone (I wanted to put one joke in there) and Ashley is just a paid damsel in distress from the president as a favor for getting rid of the Croc and or Gator from RE2 sewers. It is also why Saddler knows where Leon is at those moments the Merch shows up. Think about it, He is always there before boss battles, meaning he could just be watching the show up until the final boss fight where he has enough time to tell Ada it is a mirage and get her to leave. Krauser also pretends to play dead, and Luis is actually killed because Saddler got tired of hearing the story of Don Quixote.
@@thesupanovasmokalive The actual story of RE4 is pretty much as stupid as everything you said already lol. This theory is the most "Resident Evil" there is, and that's why it's canon for me.
@@Heisencoo I am convinced Resident Evil is an anime
I always thought the merchant was Luis's grandfather, because knowing about the hidden tunnels Luis mentions in a note explains how he gets around so easily and is always where he needs to be. His grandfather being a hunter also puts him in the realm of owning a few guns at least, and it's not unlikely that he was a collector of firearms as well. The merchant also has a unique line for the Red-9, showing a clear appreciation for it as an antique, and it's possible that's why Luis chooses to use one. idk tho :33
That's what I thought too!
I went over that in my first Merchant video, it's a great theory
The merchants real identity was the ganados we killed along the way
It was an absolute pleasure working on this together, I look forward to other detective mysteries that we might uncover! Thanks!
I love this theory, but I have a slightly different take on it.
I think that Saddler, before he fused with the Las Plagas parasite, had a strong enough will that even now, with his flesh consumed, there's still a semblance of the original man who is in there, horrified at how far things have gone, how much the Las Plagas have twisted his original vision. That bit of him, that last sliver of humanity, of lucidity, wants to die, but the parasite won't just let him destroy himself, so in the guise of the merchant, he helps Leon become the well-stocked warrior that can finally end the Las Plagas threat.
I've only played through RE4 once and that was pretty recent, so maybe I'm way off base, but that's my personal headcanon from now on.
Great theory 👏
@@pandadares8905 Thank you. It just sort of occurred to me. Saddler as we know him, at least in my opinion, wouldn't want to die, but a pre-Plagas Saddler that's regretting things would, and that's the only reason I can think of why Saddler himself might want to actually help Leon.
That’s a great take, I’ve thought about the merchant and saddler having a Jekyll and Hyde situation where the good side is working to thwart the bad side
Saddler be selling you the very tools that'll lead to his own demise
saddler being british is iconic😂
Lmfao, somehow he always seemed to have that British banter about him
I played RE4 for the first time recently in December and I myself thought the guy was sus at first. I didn't think he was Saddler but he definitely had the same vibe. Of course once he showed his wares, that suspicion dropped pretty quick.
He also has an error in his accent in that it's sometimes Australian.
Here are some quotes where the accent is Australian.
"What are you buying?" "What are ya sellin?"
"Eh he he he he, thank yoo" "Come back anytime"
And here are the quotes where he sounds more British
"Ahhh, I'll buy it at a high price" "Got some rare things for sale, stranger" "Not enough cash, stranger".
Now this could simply be Voice Actor error considering he also voices Leon. But if Saddler really is Spanish, putting on a fake accent isn't always gonna be consistent. Even if it's the other way around, you can lose your accent if your new accent is mostly used.
This is not entirely related but the Voice Actors for the Ganados also made an error in that the accent and language is a mix of Traditional Spanish and Mexican Spanish. While Spaniards and Mexicans have little issue conversing with each other, the pronunciation is different for some letters.
I always thought saddler and the merchant were siblings for some reason 😂
Lol maybe that's a theory worth talking about
Nice video! I have a theory that the Merchant was hired by Ada. He gets to keep money and land, hence why he has side quests in the remake - notice how it's usually always about cleaning up areas of enemies or pests or propaganda. Ada would do this to keep Leon safe, and also make sure she can use him. In the remake, when Ada meets the Merchant, she approaches him like she already knows him.
7:51 We got Fixed Camera RE4 before GTA 6.
Lmao
there's actually mods on pc version for that.
This is actually an insane but really good prediction , especially the one in chapter 3-3 where the merchant is right next to Ashely’s trap , I noticed that too like the marchant was literally right there when Sadler appeared wow had me questioning all video bro 🔥🔥
Thank you bro🔥 .That door has always bothered me...I mean who else but the Merchant was RIGHT THERE in that very moment, staring down the door strategically as if he was waiting for Luis
(0:09)
Nice to see my comment up there on the top!
Got to say, the idea of this wandering salesman keeping you afloat being the main reason you're pressing onward because this is all one big game to him is quite a gut punch of a theory. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
Saddler lost because his crush on Leon was greater than his desire to rule the world.
YES
The Merchant is Sheik, the disguise of the princess Zelda in Ocarina of Time 😅
And regarding the red eyes, perhaps is a magic trick to apparent be a Ganado, to avoid be attacked by them.
Good one 😂
@pandadares8905 Yeah 😅
Absolutely. You made the same point I made in another video actually. The red eyes could've been fake so he could fit in with the villagers in case of an emergency
you can also combine Saddler's amusement with seeing Leon fight before he turns with him requiring a trained operative to fight his ganados for BOW data on how the Plagas perform in a real scenario
It's so crazy how all of these tie in so well. Before you even made certain points, I was like, "The Merchant before killing Luis and the Merchant before the last boss fight."
Too bad this would never be confirmed but it's a really good theory and I hope this picks up some traction in the RE4 community.
Thank you, I hope so too 🙏. Yeah I mean the place where Luis died is by far the biggest piece of Evidence. It's extremely suspicions and I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it before.
oh shi, new lore dropped!
i'am speechless, how did i never thought of this.
Lmao it's so obvious but somehow I didn't know about it until my friend noticed the similar eyes in my first merchant video
@@pandadares8905 idk if we should take into account the different eye color for ps2 and weii, cuz in them merchants eyes are just like the ganados, but it seems more reasonable to take what the lastly put into the game (pc version) because the game kinda produced in a rush mainly because it got cancelled 2 times one of them even became devil may cry as we know today.
Btw i love your videos bro, keep it up 🙏.
Thank you bro, I remember you from back in the day actually. Good to see you again 🙏
I sometimes think of the Merchant as a hallucination. Think about it, his first appearance is made after Leon receives Las Plagas. In cutscenes we never see Leon using any other weapon than the handgun. Is like he really never bought or sell anything from him canonically. Maybe i´m just forgetting something. The only thing throwing this theory apart is his mention in RE8.
I LOVE this theory. Also, in the Remake, Leon's hallucinations are more prominent when his Plagas assimilation is near completion.
Hell, when his eggs hatch at the lake. He has a nightmare that perfectly depicts the Las Plagas in his veins...At a time when Leon had NO IDEA that he was even infected. Saddler brings this to his attention at the church, very strange. You don't dream about things that you don't know. It has to be in your conscious or subconscious.
I've long said that this dream in particular wasn't actually a dream at all and it was a real psychotic episode that he endured in between these 4 hours while he was unconscious. (That isn't shown on camera). Evidence of this is that the door is open when he enters the cabin, but when he wakes up...It's closed.
More evidence is the Merchant's teleportation which is completely superficial, the dog...That I've made a whole video about regarding the theory that he wasn't real either. I think there's a lot of substance to this.
As for RE8, I don't know lmao...Maybe all that food made him hallucinate about the Merchant also? 😂
@@pandadares8905 This is getting even better by the time, wasn´t expecting a character like the Merchant to be able to form so much theories about his persona. Hell, we are even questioning his existence in Leon´s journey now.
Quite literally the dumbest thing I've ever read 😂
He was actually Leon's imaginary friend made to cope with the loss of his policia comrades and Luis's abandonment after their meeting.
Oi, have some creative depth 😂
I like this theory. It's like a twisted version of the prince and the pauper. It makes sense he'd keep an eye on Ashley and Leon as their plaugas grew. Also, he gets to recoup all the treasure leon steals and even gives him treasure maps, making leon his unknowing pawn.
Saddler really is Jarl Balgruuf, who snuck out while Iraleth wasn’t looking to do some trolling with necromancy. Listen to the their voices.
woah I'm greatly impressed by this, i thought he was the fisherman but him being Saddler is insanely awesome for resident evil lore, and it make sense why we never saw him after Saddler defeat!
Great video as always!
Thank you 🙏
This theory makes perfect sense as to why none of the enemies coming into his room and fuck with him. It's even more hilarious when you realize this whole time Leon inadvertently has been funding terrorism every time he does weapons deals with the guy.
One of my previous comments got featured and discussed in one of your video, now I can die in peace 🤣🤣 To be fair, I did mention that the merchant might be as high in rank, or maybe higher, than Saddler himself, and I did point out the similarities between the two, especially their attire, but I honestly did not really consider them to be one and the same person, truly amazing theory lol
On a more serious note, I always noticed that Saddler barely ever speaks "normally", or "naturally", to Leon, he's always either :
-faking it way too much by speaking in his high pitched, overly zealous voice, mostly in intercom exchanges, especially before the U3 boss fight "I have an idea, why don't I introduce you to IT ! IT should keep you busy" (he sounded way too happy saying that lol),
-he's acting all high and mighty like the cult leader he is, trying to assert dominance and show he is in control or something like that, like when he was first introduce, or in his last cutscene before the battle, or "I can feel them, growing ever so slowly inside you"
-he's overcome by his emotions, like anger, for example (and I think this is the only example) after he killed Luis.
I personally believe that the only time in the entire game we got to hear the true voice of Saddler, when he was neither faking it, nor trying to project a certain image of himself, nor was he overcome by emotions, was when he said "Now, come to me... Ashley". The deliverance of that line gives me goosebumps every time, it was Saddler at his most raw and authentic.
Completely agree with everything here mate. Going over most of his vocal back and fourths with Leon, especially those where he's actually being authentic (The Ashley Line) they never sound the same, there's so much changes and nuances in his delivery that make it obvious that he's playing a character.
His crazy personality doesn't allow a consistent voice to use as evidence AGAINST him being the Merchant, in fact, it plays heavily into this theory. And I wouldn't be surprised if Saddler could do a perfect Leon impression if he wanted to lmao 😂.
When he says "I can feel them growing ever so slowly inside you". This also credits the point I made abut him being able to see through walls (The Merchant). That he can literally feel Leon's Plagas whenever they're close. They act like a beacon, a power that Saddler uses selectively to show up when most convenient
The names can even be broken down further: Osmund Saddler, and Osmund Merchant. He just changes it based on what he's doing and who he identifies as at the time. Now the bigger mystery is why did Osmund make being a "saddler" his main and public gig, and does he have any other professions?
The Ganados refer to him as "Lord Saddler"...Now, I don't know how good Osmund is at his day job. But he's obviously a legend of the craft 😅
@@pandadares8905he wanted Leon to ride his Saddle
Though it is a very interesting theory I don't buy it. The eye shapes of Saddler, and the Merchant are completely different. As are the wrinkle patterns on the face around the eyes.. If they were they were the same person they would have the same eye shape, as well as the same wrinkles. That would have been something the modelers/texture artists would have thought of as well.
Also I just noticed the Merchant's nose looks kinda crooked. Saddler's is straight.
I think this video is far more hypothesis than theory, but the detail about them both being clearly British is fascinating. If I were to hypothesize a connection myself, I'd guess that there is a genuine connection between the two -- possibly familial, based on your side by side comparison -- and that they're enemies with each other. Which would explain why the merchant is so willing to do business in a place that only yields a couple customers; both of whom are actively working against Saddler.
This is reaching more than Jordan did in his final Dunk in Space Jam🤦♂️
lmao
The Merchant infected with las plagas...not choosing violence...instead of making money😂😂😂😂
There are some really interesting parallels here!
The only thing that has me skeptical is the part where Leon rescues Ashley near the end, while Ada fights Saddler in the meantime.
At the exact same time, the Merchant is right outside with Leon and Ashley, so I doubt he could be in two places at once.
However, I like to think perhaps the Merchant could be Saddlers brother who is secretly working against him by helping Leon and Ada fight him!😅
the merchant is an hallucination of Leon and Ada thanks to Las Plagas
Thank you for using my comment in your video, I really appreciate it
No worries mate, I always love to involve the community in my videos🙏. My next video will be decided with a poll also. Will have that up in a couple of days
This was an interesting theory I'd think that Saddler would be The Merchant in RE4, I always thought he was a mysterious friendly person in the game.
Sorry I meant “I’d never think Saddler could ever the merchant”.
This means the Duke would have been friends with Saddler because in RE Village the duke acknowledges "one my friends used to say that" and hes talking about the merchant. Is there any files in RE village to further support this ? This anglo saxon lore is interesting this deserves way more views
Thank you mate, this video is doing better then anything else I've made recently, so I hope it keep going up 🤞.
Yes, that discovery at the mural was extremely interesting, and what inspired me to follow-through on making a whole argument
This also makes sense on the reason why he sells you slightly better and better stuff.. (other than an obvious gameplay reason, lol.) because it's almost like he's toying with you, giving you just enough to stay alive whilst still struggling.
Great point. It's funny because he's actually stocked up with late game and NG+ weapons as early as chapter 1/2 (The cave at the lake and El Gigante's arena). Yet he doesn't offer them for sale which credits this even further
Love the end of the Silent Hill 4 intro theme in the beginning 🤙
Thanks mate, I love that theme. Use it in almost every video 🎵
I like your theory, but the RPG point is weak because by the time you're at the island, at least 5 ganados all have launchers
Yes but they're not seen anywhere else before that. The Merchant is the only one with them in stock as early as chapter 1
@@pandadares8905 Some Zealots have RPGs too in the castle.
Ahh yes, those 2 at the shooting gallery. They must've had some money on them to afford 60,000 pesetas worth of RPG's 😂
While I'm not inclined to believe this theory, this feels so deliberate that I'm convinced that this was absolutely intended to be a red herring for the players. If that's the case, that's actually even more mad than this theory itself.
Actually though, I still can't get over Luis's death cutscene...The Merchant was right there staring at "Saddler's" back if they were different people.
Absolute epic video man, already from watching this I’ve come up with 2 more evidences, which I’ll tell you in private 😅
Sounds good mate lol
I like this theory. It reminds me of Dracula being his own driver
Lol true
I think merchant is just a gameplay mechanic. Leon has a pistol in his cutscenes (can’t remember if he had any other gun) so he must’ve just picked up others guns in the canon?
He's seen with the TMP and Riot Gun in separate ways, but those are the only two instances where he has any gun other than the Handgun
Cool thery You forgot.
To mention that saddler is taller than the merchant.
In separate ways you fight him as his regular form.And he's taller than Ada Adas the same size as the merchant and so is leon
He might be taller because the merchant hunches over, if the merchant stood up straight he may be the same size
Of course saddler had a crush on leon, who doesn't?
I know right 💖
But what if Saddler is actually Leon from another dimension? The Merchant is voiced by the same actor who voices Leon!
True...
6:56 but nether is Ashley which Leon left her there before the final boss fight.
Yes but there's still the cutscene where Ashley is there but the Merchant isn't. I just used the camera to validate it further
She must have been hiding in some dumpster
@@RaidMeftiyes right were she belongs
🤣
3:49 why are his eyes red sometimes
Also good theory however it falls short for the fact that saddler is much taller than Leon and seeing that the merchant is nearly the same height as Leon it cannot have been saddler disguised as the merchant
Yes but Saddler is known to shapeshift as per his King Plagas and the Merchant is voluntarily lumped over due to the weigh on his back. I agree that the composition is wrong but it can be argued
One could argue that the Plaga is distorting Leon (and Ashley's) perception of reality, and Saddler is well aware of it. Even after having it removed, it could have some lingering effects for a short while.
The Remake plays into that a lot...While Leon's struggling to make his way to the operation room, he has these deluded perceptions and hallucinations that you speak off, as he's essentially on the brink of Plagas assimilation.
It would be funny to think that the Merchant was literally just Saddler without any disguise and that he was just manipulating Leon's Las Plagas the entire game. Coincidently...The Merchant only shows up after Leon becomes infected.
@@pandadares8905I know this is all a theory and we have to take it with a grain of salt, however it is a stretch to say saddler can shapeshift, because his transformation does not really count as shapeshifting, it is more that he allowed the las plagas to take over and as for him being shorter because of the weight he’s carrying that is also an exaggeration, when you fight saddler as ada he absolutely towers over her
The Merchant and Saddler both seem to have a knack for slipping into various places undetected. Also, the backpack could very well be used to hide his Lord Saddler uniform, come to think of it. Last, but not least, after his first meeting with Leon and Ashley in the church, there is already a wave of Ganados waiting on the outside for them, giving Saddler the perfect opportunity to slip away to The Merchant's usual locales undetected.
Strange that he never does open the backpack despite him showcasing everything else he has in stock 🤔. I made a theory in the first Merchant video that he stored the Attaché Cases and treasure maps in his backpack to avoid damage. But he could fit A LOT more in there if he wanted to....Like his robe
That's an interresting theory , however I like to point some things out :
Saddler didn't immidiatly kill Leon because he wanted to keep him as a puppet like all the other soldiers at the Island . He was trying to keep him as busy as possible until the parasite reaches it's final stage . He also didn't send Ashley back because he wanted to cash in . He musst have used Ashley as bait just so he can lure more soldiers . Testing if Leon is worth joining them . When Leon finds Ashley at the end he tries to manipulate him one last time "You are granted with such an awesome power and yet you rather choose death" . He manipulated a village , he manipulated Salazar , he managed to make an entire army base . This guy was this close of taking controll of Leon , sending Ashley to America and taking over the world if it wasn't for Ada . He is a con artist , his name might not even be Osmond Saddler . It's like he watched a bunch of american B movies and made it a reality . The way how he always tried to be "convincing" is what made him so creepy .
I forgot to mention his plan B : If he fails to send Ashley back then he'll just send his Army there . So maybe some of the Ganados made it . Just because the queen bee dies , doesn't mean all the other bee die .
Story wise this makes no sense. Texture wise I can see your logic. I think it would have been easier to say it was his relative. Like as if they had a falling out and the merchant just wanted to pocket as much money as he could before leaving.
Story wise nothing in RE4 makes sense lol. Even it's own story is contradicted in Separate Ways so this theory isn't far fetched. The theory about them being relatives is really good too though.
No it isn't lmfao not even close to being a good theory@@Heisencoo
@@SuperCasperman Look at the other comments haha. The fact that so many people are talking about it disproves your point. And no, compared to the story of RE4, this isn't that dumb in comparison, trust me 😂
great video, got me interested
Thanks mate. A lot of fun to make this one
Very cool video!!
Thank you very much!
The Merchant could possibly be a relative of Osmond Saddler, rather than Saddler himself IMO. It's a good theory anyway.
Thank you
Annoying the Merchant had the same VA as Leon and not Sadler to cement this theory further haha
I know 😅. I knew that Leon and the Merchant were the same guy. But I had to look up Saddler to be sure while researching for the video.
@@pandadares8905the point about the Merchant watching Saddler killing Luis is just down right creepy to me though
Has to be the most believable theory yet to be fair
@@robjones721 That was the biggest piece of evidence I had. I was mind-blown when I realized that the Merchant was staring that door down.
@@robjones721I didn’t realise this one about the merchant waiting behind luis and I keep thinking about it, it actually does feel very creepy
@@Napprsomething really unsettling about that isn’t there 😩
This is absolutely wild if this is a recent theory. Have there been any fan speculations before like in old forums from back in the day when this game released?
There probably was some old speculations about this theory that I wasn't aware of. However, my friend and I were the first to create an argument for it I believe.
I enjoyed this theory, but i noticed that the merchant has eyebrows while saddler doesn't. Does this mean this man has removable eyebrows wen its Saddler time and just puts em back on wen its merchant time? Like nothing ever happened?😂
Well the Merchant sometimes has those red eyes, but cannot be killed by the PRL. This implies that they're also fake, I made the theory in another video that these are contact lenses so he can fit in with the villagers and avoid Mendez getting all up in his business 😂
I don't think it's farfetched to say that (with his mask) Saddler realised that not having eye brows was too much of a give away so he used fake eye brows also lol.
What lies, I AM THE MERCHANT
If you guys have ever noticed when we Saddler kills Luis in the ashley trap room in second floor, we get to meet with merchant right before we enter there. And he enters from right behind us
Has any capcom officials done a q and a on reddit or anything that has given info about the merchant? I thought that he could be luis grandfather, that migrated to spain and had a family with a native girl hence why he has the english accent
I went over that Theory in the last Merchant video actually. I like it a lot, but it was never conclusive enough to hold much weight after all these years
but wait if u use the prl is not kill the merchant tho so it cant be
Well Saddler's true form is PRL susceptible. (His exposed form) Saddler's human form is known to repel bullets and basically be invincible.
@@pandadares8905 that is true but if u use it on any normal they die but if u think about this tho on pro if u kill the merchant he never comes back but sadler dose
@@zombiemasterkillerelite4923that’s because it’s pro mode, pro mode is hard for Leon so it must be equally hard for saddler, it’s more convenient for him not to show back up to set up shop everywhere while having to deal with Leon.
About the PRL, we know that the merchant has all kinds of wacky equipment and he’s the one who sells you the prl in the first place, who own such technology? saddler!
And the merchant would have his jacket of course equipped with anti prl technology, which wouldn’t work for him when saddler is in his final form because the plaga is fully exposed.
You’re welcome 😌
@@Nappr ok mate nd thats a fair point
That British town is Coventry.
I can't believe the merchant is the ganado village butcher
Kinda figures it’s saddler because one of his villager people shoot down the helicopter that Leon and Ashley were supposed to get to using a rocket launcher and the merchant has a bunch of them and he shot down another helicopter that the guy named mike was helping Leon using a rocket launcher and it kinda makes sense now that’s why the merchant wasn’t around after Leon kills saddler but then again why would saddler be helping Leon and selling stuff to him and then also trying to turn him into one of them at first for awhile I thought it would be Luis’s pappy but then I remember reading a note from the big cheese Mendez and he said if Luis’s pappy was still around he would of used him to help find Luis so now I guess it all makes sense
Too many coincidences...
@ now we have to find out who agent hunk really is he’s another mystery because he doesn’t seem like the other agent hunks that died by William birkin or the ones that died on the first resident evil movie that has Alice on it or the ones on resident evil survivor he seems really smart and has a lot of battle experience then the other ones and he’s made it out alive a bunch of times
Saddler stalked Leon from the beginning I thought
What if Saddler started developing slightly more paternal feelings towards Leon…someone he sees as a worthy adversary…or successor after assimilation with the Control plaga? He bested Ramon and Krauser and of course Saddler doesn’t seem fazed by losing his right hand men…
Because Leon is the replacement in his eyes…Not just a guard but a Heir…more capable than Salazar and more skilled than Krauser in his HUMAN form(I have theories of close contact to various viruses giving Leon/Chris etc some low tier durability and strength increases as maybe Dormant strains of T- and G virus in them raised them to the close to supersoldier levels Chris and Leon are)…
Now imagine Leon with a master parasite in him? We’re talking a wesker Level threat or even beyond.
100%. There's no denying that Saddler saw the massive potential of Leon, thus he was willing to sacrifice his crew just to bring Leon on board. Leon with a Dominant Species Las Plagas sounds completely invincible 😂
@@pandadares8905 he’d give Wesker fucking nightmares fr
Twins
Imagine...
Tbh I had a feeling saddler was crushing on Leon, but my brain never truly put it together. Listening to his dialogue again, yea there is a strong infatuation there, which I can’t blame him. As Leon just has that ability to charm everyone he meets lol (well almost everyone). Either way, I’ll never be able to look at Leon x merchant content the same way again 😭
lmfao 😂😭
this is canon now.
Yep 😂. I won't accept anything else
Hahaha I had this theory in 2021
You should've made a video on it 😭. But mate I'm glad to hear that you share the theory and that you thought of it before I did
@ mehh... around that time?😅
bwi,ish
😂
#Mindblown!