10 Best Red Dead Redemption Characters Who Deserve Way More Attention

The Red Dead Redemption franchise features some of the most impressive and memorable writing in gaming history. The story both games tell about change, revenge, and cycles of violence is powerful and provides the backbone upon which this fictional version of America is built. And the characters in both games, namely the protagonists Arthur Morgan and John Marston, are written and acted with such depth as to make them feel like complex and dynamic people.

And they aren’t the only beautifully written characters inhabiting the world of Red Dead Redemption and its prequel. Every gang member and family member, every enemy and ally, and even every quest-giving stranger is given some great characterization and played to perfection. Some, like Dutch Van Der Linde, tend to get most of the attention from the player base. But these ten characters each deserve their own chance to get some recognition for what they bring to this series.

10

Black Belle Lives Up To Her Reputation

The Last Of The Gunslingers

“The Noblest of Men, and a Woman” is a quest that sees the player track down old gunslingers, in an effort to tell their tale. Most turn out to be washed-up, cowardly, or frauds who embellished their exploits, though there does seem to be one exception. Black Belle seems to be a genuinely tough, clever, and ruthless gunslinger who never lost her passion for stealing or showmanship.

Her part of the quest is the only one that doesn’t end with the player killing the gunslinger they went to speak to, since she’s actually willing to speak with them if they help her fend off some bounty hunters. She is rather gruff and bloodthirsty in her short interaction, using dynamite to destroy her hunters and walking off afterward with a sack full of stolen goods, but she’s kind enough to help the player out, endearing her in many player’s eyes. She may not get the same focus as characters like Sadie Adler, but she is just as impressive of an outlaw.

9

Charles Smith Is One Of The Gang’s Strongest Members

A Powerful Ally To The End

The Van Der Linde gang is full of characters, and especially towards the beginning of the game, it can be hard to keep all the names and faces straight. Charles suffers early on from a lack of involvement in the main plot, since besides his hunting tutorial and a mission involving some poachers, there aren’t a ton of early opportunities to interact with the man.

But, as the game progresses, he proves himself to be one of the strongest and most admirable people in the gang. He’s a good shot and courageous in battle. He’s willing to risk himself to save others like Arthur. And when Dutch tries to take advantage of the Wapiti tribe, Charles actually stands by and supports them. He is even one of the characters who help John hunt down Micah in the finale, showing how much loyalty he has to him and to Arthur. He really stands out in the game’s latter half as an ally worth having.

8

Albert Mason Is Ceaselessly Optimistic

A Bright Spot Among The Stranger Missions

Albert Mason is a character Arthur or John can meet during a series of Stranger missions, each following the bumbling photographer as he navigates the American wilds. As an aspiring wildlife photographer, Mason is looking to get action shots of wolves, gators, horses, and more, all with the noble goal of preserving their existence. Mason’s friendly demeanor, good intentions, and willingness to ask for help all make him a rather likable character, even if he requires constant rescuing.

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The player can keep seeking out Mason and providing the life-saving help he needs as he stumbles into dangerous situations without a clue as to how to survive on his own. His incompetence can be annoying, but his self-awareness and thankfulness towards the player keep it from being too abrasive. And unlike many of the other Stranger mission characters, he has no ulterior motive or mysterious backstory. He’s just a kind but naive man looking to help animals.

7

Reverend Swanson’s Redemption Arc Deserves Attention

This Gang Member Turned His Life Around

Reverend Swanson is introduced to the story as a miserable drunk, almost getting himself killed three different ways before Arthur finally convinces him to return to camp. He spends most of the game’s first three acts wallowing in self-pity and drinking himself into a stupor, all while the other gang members are simultaneously sorry for and disgusted by him.

But somehow, Swanson manages to turn things around. While Arthur and Dutch are lost in Guarma, he gets sober and actually starts helping around camp. He can be seen later in act 6 speaking more coherently, trying to convince the others to see how Dutch has changed, but to no avail. Eventually, he becomes one of the first members to desert the gang entirely, seemingly realizing how bad it was for him to stay with them. Swanson’s reclamation of his sobriety and his former identity contrasts with Arthur’s situation: both men realize that Dutch is leading them down a dark path, but while Swanson can heal and escape, Arthur cannot.

6

Hamish Sinclair Is The Perfect Friend For Arthur Morgan

The Right Person At The Right Time

Hamish Sinclair, or “The Veteran,” is the focus of a Stranger mission that anyone playing through act six should make sure to complete. This old man is friendly to Arthur, regardless of his honor level, and invites him on a series of hunting and fishing trips. The two form an unlikely but pleasant friendship, at a time when Arthur has never been more alone.

It makes it doubly sad when Hamish dies, one more friend that Arthur cannot save as his world comes crashing down. He leaves his horse, Buell, in Arthur’s care, and collecting this powerful steed is a great boon for any player. But Hamish’s role in Arthur’s story shouldn’t be understated, and his role in the game at large acts as a reminder of the swiftness of life and death and the importance of camaraderie.

5

Sister Calderon Plays A Pivotal Role In Arthur’s Journey

A Pinnacle Of Morality

Another character who is mainly important in impacting Arthur Morgan’s story is Sister Calderon, who acts as a very important figure for players trying to redeem Arthur before his death. The nun helps the poor and disenfranchised in Saint Denis, and gives Arthur the opportunity to do the same, making him feel like a good man for at least a little while.

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But the reason she’s on this list is due to one scene, which could happen if Arthur talks to her before she boards a train. This is when Arthur confesses his fears about dying, and how much regret he has over acts of cruelty he’s committed. Calderon is there to listen to Arthur, and give him some guidance on redeeming himself. Some players may not know that this same character appeared in the first Red Dead Redemption, acting as a moral test from the Strange Man for John Marston. It’s interesting how this character who represents redemption appears to both the main characters of the series.

4

Seth Briars Is A Creepy And Comical Character

An Interesting Side Character From The First Game

Speaking of the first Red Dead Redemption, Seth Briars manages to score a spot on this list just because of how entertaining and creepy he manages to be. Seth is a graverobber, searching for a treasure that has driven him insane. He helps John Marston infiltrate Bill’s fort, all the while dancing and laughing like he doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s well-acted as someone who has lost touch with morality and reality; and, to top it all off, he could even be seen as a symbol of how obsession can lead to self-destruction.

As it turns out, the “treasure” Seth sought for years was nothing but a glass eye, entirely worthless to him. He lost his mind, hurt and killed his friends, defiled their bodies, all for the sake of a treasure that didn’t even exist. The fact that it was a fake, sightless eye represents how blinded Seth was to his life falling apart, due to his greed. It’s reminiscent of Dutch’s actions in RDR2, constantly putting the gang more and more at risk just to get “one last score.”

3

Leopald Strauss Is An Underrated Member Of The Gang

This Loyal Outlaw Receives Too Much Hate

Leopald Strauss is far from the most beloved member of the Van Der Linde gang. He is cold and pompous, not useful in a fight, and he practices money lending, which the rest of the gang views as dishonorable. In their minds, the robbery and murder they commit is more respectable than coercing some poor soul into taking on an unreasonable debt, and doing missions for Strauss is even seen as directly deteriorating Arthur’s morals. And, lest anyone forget, it was one of Strauss’s debtors that gave Arthur tuberculosis in the first place.

All of that being said, Strauss does not deserve the hate he gets. When it comes down to it, he is doing all he can to support the gang in his own way, just like any other member. He is more loyal than some may expect, not leaving the gang until Arthur forces him out, and dying during interrogation rather than selling anyone out. He may have been pragmatic and cruel at times, but he was true to his friends when it mattered, and clearly had more strength than anyone gave him credit for.

2

Rains Fall Is Among The Most Sympathetic Characters In The Game

A Foil For Dutch Van Der Linde

Rains Fall is the chief of the Wapiti tribe, the group of Native Americans that Dutch manipulates during the game’s sixth act. He’s a weary and pessimistic man, who only wants his son and his people to stay safe and alive. His reluctance to fight drives a wedge between him and his son, Eagle Flies, that drives the young man into Dutch’s plots. In the end, Dutch gets Eagle Flies killed and lands the Wapiti in more trouble than they were already in.

Throughout all of this, Rains Fall is a voice of reason and peace, trying to minimize the bloodshed and keep his son from flying too close to the sun. The way he treats Eagle Flies and the other Wapiti directly contrasts how Dutch treats his gang. Both men claim to care for their people and want to give them a better life, but while Rains Fall makes personal sacrifices and struggles for a peaceful resolution, Dutch pulls his people into deadly fight after fight, abandoning them when they no longer stand to help him.

1

Bill Williamson Is More Complex Than He Gets Credit For

This Tertiary Antagonist Has Deep Characterization

Topping the list is Bill, a side character who remains important in both the first and second games, yet doesn’t get a proportionate amount of screen time. He’s a tertiary villain in Red Dead Redemption, setting the stage for Dutch and Javier, and he acts mostly as a comic relief in RDR2. Bill is viewed by the rest of the gang as incompetent and dull, but as he proves, he is capable of so much more.

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John is not given the option to spare Bill during his mission, and he does not consider it either. The reasons why he cannot be saved just make sense.

Viewing Bill’s story across both games shows that he is an angry man whose pride is continuously challenged and mocked, and who forms an inferiority complex big enough to fuel his later bloodshed. He puts together a gang dangerous enough to threaten a whole state, and does all of this to gain the respect he believes he deserves. It’s almost sad seeing him bullied by Arthur and the others in Red Dead Redemption 2, knowing where it will lead. Much like Dutch himself, Bill’s character development demonstrates how effectively a prequel can show the shaping of a villain.

Source: RedDeadRedemption/Reddit

Red Dead Redemption 2

Systems

9/10

Released

October 26, 2018

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Engine

RAGE