As a Wild Mass Guessing subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Defining what is canon for the first Resident Evil game is difficult because canon is a blend of both Chris and Jill’s scenarios. What is known is that the ending of both scenarios is canon: Chris, Jill, Barry, Rebecca, and Wesker survive the Mansion Incident. However, subsequent games have also revealed other things that are canon in this game. This is some of what has been confirmed as canon thus far:
- Chris, Jill, and Wesker arrive to the mansion at the beginning
- “Jill Sandwich”
- Wesker blackmails Barry
- Rebecca is found with Richard
- Richard is cured of poison
- Wesker is impaled by Tyrant’s claws
- Rebecca starts the self-destruct sequence
So based on these events, other events in the game can be confirmed as canon. Amongst which are the following:
- Finding Kenneth: Based on who arrived at the Mansion first, Chris would have been the one who found Kenneth. It also makes more sense for Chris to flee the first zombie as he did not have his gun.
- S.T.AR.S. separates: Generally Wesker runs in both scenarios, while also taking Jill with him. Since Barry canonically lives, what may have happened is that Barry arrived after Chris went to investigate the shots — and several dogs got into the main hall. This would have plausibly caused the S.T.A.R.S. to scatter without Wesker being outed yet. Wesker would have dealt with the dogs before Chris returned.
- Jill’s gun: You can follow the path to the shotgun without encountering any enemies. Jill may have dropped her gun in the main hall when she fled, which is where Chris would have found it.
- The blackmail: Barry starts acting suspiciously in Jill’s scenario after they first separate. So Wesker must have approached him with blackmail during this time.
- The shotgun: Related to above, since “Jill Sandwich” is canon to the RE universe, this means Jill is the one who finds the shotgun.
- Finding Forest: Since Jill is the only person who actually gets a weapon from Forest (the grenade launcher), it’s safe to say that she’s the one who finds him. Or at least she’s the first to find Forest.
- The radio: Since Rebecca being found with Richard is canon, that means Chris found Richard and got Richard’s radio.
- The piano: Chris requires Rebecca’s help, but Rebecca required Billy’s help in Resident Evil 0. What may have happened is that Jill found them both and helped them herself to unlock the Gold Emblem (which Chris takes). They all would have split up again after this.
- Yawn (first encounter): Since Rebecca being found with Richard is canon, this means it is likely that Chris did the first encounter with Yawn.
- Crimson Head Prototype: Though Chris had the first Yawn fight, by this point he would only have two weapons; his knife and Jill’s gun. Jill however would have the shotgun and grenade launcher, and can easily unlock the gate door outside of the art gallery. So it was most likely Jill who did this fight.
- The magnum: Chris puts up the better fight against the bee than Jill does, so it is likely he got the wind crest. And thus he is the one who got the magnum.
- Lisa Trevor (first encounter): Since Chris had Richard’s radio, he would have heard Wesker’s warning about Lisa Trevor over the radio and would not have gone further. Jill however would not have had the radio and thus did not know of the danger. So Jill was most likely the one who encountered Lisa Trevor in the cabin.
- Richard’s Death: Since Richard being cured of poison is canon, and given everything mentioned above, it is most likely that Richard is killed by Neptune saving Chris.
- Richard’s assault shotgun: Given above, Chris is the one who got the assault shotgun.
- Plant 42: Given above, Chris is most likely the one who fought Plant 42.
Now let’s talk about the Courtyard Sub-level, and the latter part of the game. Given other canon events, it is likely that Jill reached the Courtyard Sub-level before Chris. This relates to other matters:
- Yawn (second encounter): This was fought by Jill, as she had the acid rounds that could quickly dispatch it.
- Emblem room: Because Chris responds to Rebecca’s screams from inside, he is the one who most likely unlocked this room.
- Finding Enrico: Because of how the scene plays out, Jill would be the one who most likely found Enrico alive and witnessed his death.
- Black Tiger: By finding Enrico, Jill got the crank he had and fought this boss fight.
- Lisa Trevor (final encounter): I make the argument that this is actually a two-part fight based on how it was presented in both scenarios. To elaborate, Lisa Trevor arrives on the scene in Jill’s scenario, but in Chris’s scenario she’s already there. So Jill and Barry fought her first, and Chris and Wesker fought her second. Which leads to…
- The cell: Given that in canon Wesker is impaled by Tyrant, and Rebecca sets off the self-destruct sequence, this means that Jill is who ends up in the cell. But how did she get there? This is most likely related to the Lisa Trevor fight mentioned above. After Jill and Barry dispatch her (for the time being) Wesker happens upon them and incapacitates Jill. Jill may have learned the truth during the encounter as well (Wesker being a traitor and the blackmail). Wesker and Barry then trek to the Underground Laboratory with Jill and lock her up. Wesker then orders Barry to stay behind in the lab and destroy evidence, while Wesker backtracks to finish “tying up loose ends”. On the way back he encounters Lisa Trevor, and requires Chris’s assistance in the fight. After Lisa Trevor is gone for good, Wesker abandons backtracking and sends Chris ahead to the Labs, while he himself gets to the Tyrant room to get everything ready. And Rebecca, meanwhile, is having the easiest time of it chasing after everybody since between Chris, Jill, Barry, and Wesker all of the monsters along the way would have been taken out.
- Tyrant (first encounter): Chris, Barry, and Rebecca would then have the encounter with Wesker in the lab. The truths would have come out during this time and Wesker would become impaled by Tyrant’s claws and Rebecca would propose setting the self-destruct sequence. Rebecca and Barry would then go off to set this up while Chris goes and gets Jill.
- Tyrant (second encounter): Given that Wesker’s grudge is against Chris and not Jill, the person who fires the rocket launcher at Tyrant is most likely Chris.
So this is what most likely happened in canon. I didn’t account for keys during this because key placements don’t make sense if you apply them to the plot.
