Red Dead Redemption/Characters

A list of the various characters in the Rockstar game Red Dead Redemption. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and some of them are ugly - but they're certainly interesting.

John Marston

The main protagonist and playable character. A former outlaw who ran with Dutch Van Der Linde's gang, a huge falling-out with the gang led to John deciding to go straight and try to raise a family. However, the Bureau of Investigations wants to eliminate the gang, and they force John - by holding his family hostage - to take up his guns once again and hunt down and capture or kill the men he once called friends.

Anti-Hero: John is an Anti-Hero no matter how you play him, but the Karma Meter makes it somewhat difficult to ascertain exactly what Anti-Hero he is. A player who does consistently good deeds, along with Marston's willingness to help people in need and motivation for the main story for make him more of a Type II or a light Type III. A particularly nasty player can make him a Type IV or even a Type V.
The Atoner: It's right there in the title.
Back From the Dead: In Undead Nightmare, John returns to the world as a zombie.
Badass
- Badass Beard
- Badass Boast
- Badass Longcoat: Quite a few of his outfits.
- Badass Bandolier: Not at first, but you can get one.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Should the player feel so thus inclined in the Stranger missions.
Deadpan Snarker
Determinator: Nothing can stop John Marston from getting to his family, not even a pesky Mexican Army.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Good Lord, is it ever.
Estrogen Brigade Bait
Expy: Played with. as he resembles Red Harlow physically but not in personality
Good Scars, Evil Scars: While he can be good or evil depending on how you play, he sure didn't get them "falling over in church", as he puts it.
The Gunslinger
The Hero Dies
Handicapped Badass: There are several hints that point to John being nearly blind in his left eye. He's still quite a sharpshooter however.
Heroic Neutral: Just wants to be left alone with his family.
Heroic Sacrifice: He allows the government to kill him, so his wife and son can live the rest of their lives in peace. But he doesn't go down without taking a few with him.
- Face Death with Dignity
- Taking You with Me: it does not go as well as intended.
Karma Houdini: Ross considers him to be one of these, to the point that he kills him.
Knight in Sour Armor
Not in This For Your Revolution: He only started to openly work for the rebels after Allende and de Santa tried to screw him over and Reyes saved him. Otherwise he treats them as a means to an end, though he's somewhat sympathetic towards Luisa.
One-Man Army: He, by himself, fought off bandits, rebels, wolves, cougars, and the Mexican and US Armies (if only).
Outlaw Parents Want Good Kids: He and Abigail made Jack unaware of their profession, especially in regard to the days of Dutch's gang.
Papa Wolf
Retired Outlaw
Warrior Poet: He's a surprisingly eloquent speaker, something that Bill Williamson points out.
Wild Card: In Mexico, he's willing to work with whomever he thinks can get him to Williamson and Esquela.

New Austin Arc

Bonnie MacFarlane

A ranch hand that helps out John early in the game.

Action Girl
All Love Is Unrequited: It's implied that by the last time she meets John she's developed a crush on him. However it seemed that she got over it by the epilogue, where it's stated that she's married.
Christmas Cake: She's 29, which counts for that era.
Spirited Young Lady

Marshal Leigh Johnson

The no-nonsense District Marshal of Armadillo.

Badass
- Badass Grandpa
Knight in Sour Armor
Reasonable Authority Figure: To an extent.

Nigel West Dickens

A traveling salesman and a self-proclaimed man of science.

For Science!
Large Ham: When trying to advertise his wares.
Nice Hat: His top hat.
Smug Snake
Snake Oil Salesman: The current page image.
Ted Baxter

Irish

An arms dealer that John has to deal with as part of the assault on Bill Williamson.

Marston: I'm the guy who saved you from gettin' killed back there and who you owe your life to, remember?
Irish: Not really, happens to me all the time.

Butt Monkey
Dirty Coward: Notably, he happens to be "late" during the assault of Fort Mercer, where even West Dickens and Seth fight for a bit. However he'll fight back if he has absolutely no choice.
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: The epilogue states that he managed to get himself killed while drunkenly fiddling around with a gun in an outhouse.
Lovable Rogue
Oireland

Seth Briars

A maniacal treasure hunter that West Dickens sends John towards.

Butt Monkey
Captain Ersatz: Basically they took Gollum and put him in the Wild West.
Depraved Bisexual: States that he's had a wife and child once while implying that his relationship with Moses Forth was more than just partners.
Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted; while robbing a grave he expresses disgust at one of the corpses he exhumes laying with his sister... but then stated that that's just because he doesn't like women, full stop.
Shout-Out: West Dickens nicknames him Seth of the Death.
- In Undead Nightmare he also plays cards with his now undead friend Moses, in similar fashion the ending of Shaun of the Dead shows Shaun playing video games with zombie-Ed
Reverse Mole: His role as part of the assault on Williamson is getting inside Fort Mercer and opening the gates for John and the others.
Throw the Dog a Bone: In the epilogue it is mentioned that he actually found a real treasure and become rich.
- He also has a prominent role in the Undead Nightmare DLC.

Bill Williamson

The first of John's former gang members that he has to bring to justice.

Brains and Brawn: With Javier.
Disc One Final Boss: Think your job's done after killing him? Ross has other plans.
Dumb Muscle: John states that Bill was never the smartest one of the gang.

Nuevo Paradiso Arc

Agustin Allende

The provincial governor of Nuevo Paradiso. A brutal tyrant with a love of sexual violence.

Coronel Kilgore: His general policy towards rebels is to kill everyone.
Evil Overlord: For the part of Mexico that John is in, at least.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Tries to get John executed, but Reyes pulls a Big Damn Heroes.

Vincente de Santa

The second-in-command (maybe) of Allende, who openly supports his methods.

Affably Evil: Despite strongly supporting Allende's brutal, harsh methods, he appears to be a somewhat jovial, friendly guy.
Depraved Homosexual: Subverted; while his enemies claims that he is this trope, his style of villainy and general behaviour state otherwise.
Do with Him as You Will: A possible fate for him. If John decides not to personally kill him, he'll walk away and tell the rebels that he's all theirs, after which they'll proceed to perforate him with bullets.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: When de Santa first meets John, he acts extremely hostile, to the point of having his soldiers aim their weapons at him. A few seconds later he bursts out laughing and explains that he was joking. John is less than amused.
The Dragon: To Allende. Well, not if you ask Espinoza....
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: He hates Captain Espinoza, and attempts to get him killed along with John by sending them against a large group of rebels equipped only with unskilled new recruits.
Invisible to Gaydar: While his homosexuality is strongly hinted at in his interactions with the drink pourer and openly mocked by his enemies, he fits this trope.
Yes-Man

Landon Ricketts

A retired American gunslinger, now residing in Mexico protecting the local townsfolk and supporting the local rebel movement.

Badass
- Badass Grandpa: Despite his age, he is one of the best allies and one of the best fighters John has while in Mexico.
- Badass Moustache: OH HELL YES.
Berserk Button: Seeing good people come to harm. He really doesn't like it.
Expy: His resemblance to Sam Elliot has been noted.
Living Legend
One-Man Army: In Undead Nightmare, he single handedly keeps Casa Madrugada safe from the Undead.
The Obi-Wan: Helps John further improve his Dead Eye skills. He later does the same for Jack.
Papa Wolf: To the citizens of Chuparosa.
Retired Gunslinger: While his days as a legend of the west are over, he'll pick up that revolver to protect Chuparosa.

Luisa Fortuna

A young schoolteacher and a member of Reyes' rebels, who she sees as a great hero.

A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Attacking a group of government soldiers with just a knife was a stupid move.
Horrible Judge of Character: While generally a bright girl, Luisa is incredibly naive when it comes to Reyes, actually believing his lies.
Love Martyr
Stupid Good
Wide-Eyed Idealist: To the point of being blind to any of Reyes' faults. She also has trouble understanding that John doesn't care about the revolution as much as she does.

Abraham Reyes

The leader of the rebels. A charismatic son of nobles who proves to be not nearly as great as he says.

Big Bad: Technically this for Undead Nightmare. He's the one who starts the Zombie Apocalypse after taking an Aztec mask he thought would make him invincible.
Big Damn Heroes: Saves John from being executed by de Santa, returning the favor from earlier.
Glory Hound
Jerkass: It's pretty clear to John that Reyes is a man obsessed with power more than he is with actually doing any good. However, he does keep his side of the deal with John and in the end helps him get Esquela and Williamson.
Large Ham: An absolutely DELICIOUS one.
Really Gets Around: Claims that it's his duty to spread his seed amongst his citizens as future Presidente. In Undead Nighmares it's mentioned that pregnant girls tend to be tossed to the nuns however.
Full-Circle Revolution: It's revealed in the epilogue that after leading the rebellion to victory and becoming Presidente, Reyes becomes just another tyrannical dictator.

Javier Escuella

One of John's former gang members and evidently the brains of the group. He aided Bill in going to Nuevo Paraiso to escape from John.

Broken Pedestal: According to John, he was hit the hardest by Dutch going insane.
Brains and Brawn: With Bill.
Bunny Ears Lawyer

West Elizabeth Arc

Agent Edgar Ross

A federal agent forcing Marston to go after his former gang members. He's holding Marston's wife and son hostage, until he finishes the job... and even then, Ross still has something up his sleeve...

Big Bad
Dirty Cop: He's not above kidnapping someone's family to make them hunt down outlaws that he should be hunting down.
Jerkass
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: He gives John the high-powered pistol by shoving it barrel-first into John's stomach. But then again, he's not too concerned about John's well-being.
Kick the Dog: He seems to love making snide, insensitive remarks about John's family. And one of the first things we see him do is rudely shove a little boy selling newspapers out of his way.
Knight Templar: A very brutal version. So brutal, that he's often considered a Complete Monster by fans.
Karma Houdini: Until Jack kills him... and even then, he's seen as a hero.
Not So Different: Between John, and himself, they really aren't. Neither of them can escape their past. John can't escape his past life of crime, while Ross can't his life as a government employee, constantly being pulled back in to work.
Pet the Dog: When you're hunting him down as Jack, you talk to his wife and brother... and what they say hints that he has sympathetic traits despite being a menace to the Marston family.
Resignations Not Accepted: His wife tells Jack that while he's tried to retire, the government keeps pulling him back in.
Smug Snake: Both he and Fordham are irritatingly condescending to Marston whenever they meet.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He seems to love giving these to John.

Agent Archer Fordham

Ross' slightly dimwitted apprentice, who follows his orders no matter what.

The Dragon: To Ross.
Smug Snake: Though not quite as much as Ross is.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At least he thanks John if he gets Javier alive. And he even congratulates John after Dutch is taken cared of. Surprisingly, he doesent show up when Ross kills John.

Professor Harold MacDougal

A "researcher" of Native Americans, MacDougal is a perfect representation of science of his time.

Absent-Minded Professor: Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
Ax Crazy: Gets kicked out of Yale after beating a colleague over the head with a croquet mallet and climbing up to the roof completely naked, in what is described as a "savage" attack, likely after a bad trip.
For Science!
Innocent Bigot: Unlike Herbert Moon, who hates practically everybody, MacDougal is for the most part an Upper Class Twit who believes in crackpot theories and idiotic science and doesn't seem to really bear the natives any ill will.
The Load: Does nothing but make more trouble for you.
Man Hug: Gives one to John as he goes back to Yale.
The Stoner: Almost always tweaked out on cocaine.

Dutch Van Der Linde

John's former mentor, and Ross's main target.

Anti-Villain
Archnemesis Dad: Sorta. He adopted John, Bill, and Javier when they were children, and raised them as a part of his gang. MacDougal even states that the current relationship between John and Dutch is Oedipal in nature.
Ax Crazy: One of the more subtle examples out there.
Blood Knight: By his own admission. He barely believes in the causes he fights for anymore, but keeps killing because it's all he knows how to do.
Bomb Throwing Anarchist
Despair Event Horizon: Went past this a long time ago.
Driven to Suicide
Evil Former Friend
Fallen Hero: John believes that he was a good man. Was being the key word there.
The Fatalist: He becomes one right before his death.
Just Like Robin Hood: A long time ago.
Kick the Dog: The second time we see him, he holds a bank hostage and shoots some poor innocent woman in the head in front of John just to spite him.
Mighty Whitey: A villainous version. He leads the local Native Americans in a pointless guerilla war against civilization.
Social Darwinist: One who is willing to die to make sure that his ideals become reality.
Sociopathic Hero: In his own mind he is.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: His voice is actually pretty innocuous, but he certainly isn't.
Tragic Villain: In the end, it's revealed that he's just a sad man with not much else to live for.
Trigger Happy
Wicked Cultured: Considering that he taught John how to read, Dutch is probably rather well educated for his time. Also, when exploring his lair you can find a well-stocked bookshelf and a typewriter
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Formerly. John thinks that when Dutch realized that no matter how hard he fought, he could never make a real difference in the world, he snapped.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds

Abigail Marston

John's wife. A former prostitute who used to "work" with John's old gang before they got married.

Clingy Jealous Girl: Shows hints of this whenever Bonnie is mentioned, though it's mostly sarcastic.
Deadpan Snarker
Determined Homesteader'sWife: Literally.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Hot Mom
- Your Mileage May Vary on this one, though. Some people think she looks quite weird.
Ill Girl: She can be heard coughing heavily in gameplay. She also dies not long after John.
Lethal Chef: At least in John's opinion.
Never Learned to Read: The only illiterate Marston.
Vitriolic Best Buds: She and John are quite sarcastic around each other, but are still very much in love.

Minor characters and strangers

D.S. MacKenna

An eccentric early filmmaker.

Large Ham: And he knows it.
Punny Name
Too Dumb to Live: In Undead Nightmare.

Herbert Moon

The anti-Semitic and racist Armadillo shopkeeper.

Asshole Victim: Nothing stopping you from tying him up and leaving him on the rail tracks if you ever get tired of his racism. And you will.
- In Undead Nightmare, he is killed by zombies after going into a xenophobic rant.
Conspiracy Theorist: Blames the Zombies on the "Jewish British Catholic Homosexual elites", an accusation that leaves John somewhat baffled. He also states that the Jews killed Abraham Lincoln, stating that it's why there's a triangle on the dollar bill.
Does Not Understand Sarcasm
Large Ham: "HERBERT MOOOOOOOOOOON!"
Say My Name: He really likes hearing his own name.
Shop Keeper

SPOILERS-Open at your own risk!

Jack Marston

The son of John and Abigail Marston. He becomes the player character after "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed".

And Now for Someone Completely Different
Badass Bookworm
Best Served Cold
Expy: He looks a lot like Inigo Montoya. Now, what are both characters' motivations?
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Massively deconstructed. Before John's death, Jack was a kindly, idealistic young man with dreams of being a writer. In the epilogue where you play as Jack, it's revealed that he's become a jaded outlaw who drifts from place to place, haunted by his past, and ultimately has very little reason to live. In short, Jack ended up becoming everything his father didn't want him to be. And just to drive it further, even if Jack does manage to get his revenge, Ross is remembered by the masses as a hero who brought some dangerous criminals to justice, John is remembered as a brutal outlaw who learned the hard way that justice is inescapable, and Jack spends the rest of his days as a depressed, wandering loner with his life completely ruined. There is no happy ending for Red Dead Redemption.
Son of a Whore: Just like his father.
Took a Level In Badass: Before John's death? A bookish, somewhat awkward teenager, always getting himself into trouble. After John's death? He's become a Badass, just like his father, who hunts down and slays Edgar Ross in a duel as an act of vengeance. Unfortunately, this is the polar opposite of what John wanted his son to be.
Turn Out Like His Father: By killing Ross, Jack becomes an outlaw like his father, who didn't wish for him to become one.
You Killed My Father: So he kills Ross back.
Young Gun: When he fights with his father against the US Army, and later presumably trained by Landon Ricketts.
Younger Than They Look: After the Time Skip, no one can tell he's 19 years old.