A hotly debated and rather controversial topic in Red Dead Redemption is who Jack Marston’s legitimate father actually is. While it mainly goes undisputed that John Marston is Jack Marston’s father, a few teasing words from Dutch Van der Linde in the first Red Dead Redemption about Abigail Roberts, Jack’s mother, has always left some fans speculating about Jack’s dear old dad.
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While it’s somewhat obvious that John Marston is indeed Jack’s father, it’s worth indulging in some fun theories surrounding some of the Van der Linde gang members seen in Red Dead Redemption 2 and seeing if they could well and truly be the true father of Jack Marston.
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John Marston
The True Legitimate Father of Jack Marston
Was there ever any doubt? The most obvious candidate to be the father of Jack Marston is, of course, John Marston. The two look the same, and John’s feelings towards Jack are one that only a father could have. John might be skeptical of Jack’s legitimacy due to John’s own misguided youth and how Abigail was a prostitute, but John genuinely does have fatherly feelings towards the boy that develop as the game progresses.
While Jack and John don’t have much in common, that doesn’t mean he isn’t the father. Their face shape is the same, especially as Jack gets older. The only major difference between the two is that John is an outlaw and a gunslinger, whereas Jack is more sheltered and scared. While Jack isn’t exactly the man John wants him to be, he’s an example of an evolving world that John just isn’t ready to understand – but for his son, he tries.
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Javier Escuella
A Charmer With Past Sexual Relations With Abigail
Javier Escuella is one of the most debated characters who could be Jack’s real father, but the only real piece of evidence fans draw for this is in the facial hair of Javier and Jack’s older self, but that doesn’t even make much sense on its own because facial hair isn’t even hereditary. However, the facial hair isn’t the only reason.
When John confronts Javier in Red Dead Redemption, Javier asks: “Did Abigail miss me?” alluding to the fact that she and Javier had slept together previously. While it’s more than likely that Javier was just being crude to mess with John, it does throw a spanner in the works for Jack’s real father.
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Arthur Morgan
A Man Who Even Debated Asking Abigail to Marry Him Before John Marston Got Her Pregnant
The protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2 goes through quite the journey in the game, but his feelings for Abigail Marston are never really revealed, nor do they waver. When Arthur first speaks of John Marston to Hosea, he mentions how annoyed he is that John abandoned the gang for a year, and seems more annoyed that he left Abigail and Jack than anything. This overprotective nature, does it come out of genuine care for the gang, or out of jealousy that Abigail waits on a man like John, but not Arthur? Arthur does note in his journal that he had a thing for her “before she fell so hard for that fool Marston”, and even writes to himself that “Perhaps I should have married her.”
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Since some of the men in the gang had slept with Abigail in the past, it would make sense if Arthur was one of those men. After all, he has a fondness for Abigail, and he can be quite the charmer. This wouldn’t be the first time Arthur has been a father, as his first son, Isaac, was tragically killed in a robbery with the boy’s mother, Eliza. Yet, since Arthur’s been a father before, it wouldn’t make sense for Abigail to just not tell him that – unless she doesn’t really know who the father is. As far as Arthur is concerned, he’s an uncle.
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Dutch Van der Linde
The Leader of the Van der Linde Gang Who Has Slept With Abigail, and Enjoys Literature
Dutch Van der Linde is the leader of the gang, so it makes sense that he would see himself as a stature above the rest, to the point where his sophisticated seduction would work on new members of the gang, especially those who want to gain his favor. It’s not out of the question that Dutch slept with Abigail, as he even comments about how “We all had her” when confronted by John in the first Red Dead Redemption.
While there aren’t any physical similarities between Jack and Dutch, Dutch is overly kind and protective of Jack – and will kill anyone who tries to take him, and will also repeatedly have fatherly talks with the boy. Perhaps most striking is in their personalities, as while Jack is no confident leader, he does love to read, which is something that he and Dutch have in common.
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Uncle
The Man Who Introduced the Gang to Abigail When She Was an Orphaned Prostitute
Uncle is fairly repulsive and lazy, and his lumbago is one surefire excuse. While everyone can be fairly confident that Uncle is not the father to Jack Marston, it’s still pretty funny to consider, but quite sick when one actually thinks about it, since it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility when one remembers how Abigail Roberts actually met the Van der Linde gang.
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Uncle was the one who introduced the gang to Abigail back in 1894, but how did Uncle know to take Abigail in as an orphaned prostitute if he didn’t have some ulterior motives with her? It’s a pairing that we hope never happened, but in the late 19th century, who can be sure?
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Bill Williamson
A Rather Dirty Man Who Openly Bragged About Sleeping With Abigail
A man with a dishonorable discharge from the military, Bill Williamson is an angry brute who joined up with the Van der Linde gang soon after, and like the others, also had his way with Abigail. Yet, it probably wasn’t more than once, since there are heavy rumors and theories surrounding Bill’s sexuality as a gay man in Red Dead Redemption 2.
When John finally confronts Bill Williamson in a shootout, Bill wastes no time in teasing John about how he had relations with Abigail, followed by a laugh. Even in the midst of a shootout, Bill can’t help but throw a comment in about how “Jack probably ain’t even your son!”, as if it’s a common rumor around the gang that John isn’t the real father. Yet, Bill’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and his distinct facial features are certainly not passed to Jack.
- Released
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October 26, 2018