Resident Evil Requiem is breaking new ground with protagonist Grace Ashcroft, an FBI investigator, but it is also returning to the series’ roots by revisiting a derelict Raccoon City decades after the fateful T-Virus outbreak. While RE9‘s director confirmed Chris Redfield is sitting this entry out, the door is still open for Leon Kennedy’s return, and a new leak seems to lend credence to the rumors of his appearance in Requiem.

Originally leaked on 4chan, a supposed, confidential Resident Evil Requiem document was then shared by Reddit user AnchovyKing, with a translation provided by Birkin92 in the comments. It appears to be a sales pitch of sorts, potentially a team within Capcom vying for a role in Resident Evil Requiem‘s development or a document used in an internal presentation. The most interesting part of the leak, though, is what may be Leon Kennedy’s new appearance in RE9: the iconic character is shown with gray hair, an aged face, and an eye patch.

Click here to see the allegedly leaked RE9 document, hosted on Imgur.

RE9 Leak Shows Leon Kennedy’s Potential New Design

Leon’s Last Mainline Appearance Was Resident Evil 6

In the leaked document, Leon’s face appears below images of potential enemies found in Requiem – a two-headed, quadrupedal creature, and a zombie in a Raccoon Police Department uniform. It should be made clear that even if this leaked document is legitimate, it does not guarantee Leon’s involvement in Resident Evil Requiem. The series’ ninth mainline installment has been kept under fairly tight wraps, and previous developer comments have even suggested that Leon doesn’t fit into the game’s vision.

Leon’s return has been long rumored nonetheless. The star of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 hasn’t had a mainline game appearance since the universally panned Resident Evil 6. Leon’s potential new look is also a dramatic shift for the moody agent. The eye patch is giving Metal Gear Solid 5‘s Big Boss, another aging rendition of an iconic gaming character. He also appears to have a short beard, contributing to him appearing more grizzled than his usual clean-shaven depiction.

Requiem May Be Leon’s Long Awaited Return To Raccoon City

Back To Where It All Began

Destroyed Raccoon City in Resident Evil Requiem

All the pieces have not yet fallen into place regarding RE9‘s premise (and they likely won’t until the game releases in February), but it’s clear that at least part of the game will return to the ruins of Raccoon City. If Leon does make an appearance in Requiem, he will potentially step back into the place where his journey began. Leon entered the series as a Raccoon City police officer, thrust into the T-Virus outbreak that eventually led to the city’s destruction.

Resident Evil 2 takes place concurrently with its release in 1998, with Requiem set roughly 30 years later, sometime around 2028. This disparity would explain Leon’s supposed design change, with his gray hair and wrinkled face. Until he’s officially revealed, though, don’t count on Leon being in Resident Evil Requiem, even if this leaked document looks legitimate.