RDR2: John Marston’s Biggest Mistakes

John Marston is one of the youngest members of the Van der Linde gang, and while he is not the brightest, he is regarded and teased as the golden boy for being a protégé to Dutch Van der Linde. In Red Dead Redemption 2, John Marston’s young attitude is a catalyst to his tragic fate, and he made plenty of mistakes from 1899 to 1911 that directed his life in such a way.

While John Marston isn’t exactly evil, he has done some bad things. Whether it’s to people he’s never met, to himself, or his wife and son. Across Red Dead Redemption 2, there’s a study that can be made to evaluate the mistakes of John Marston and what drove the events of his life moving forward.

Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption & Red Dead Redemption 2!

8

Putting Too Much Faith in Dutch

John Should Have Left When Others Did

By the time the gang reaches Beaver Hollow, things are looking bleak. John has been put in prison to await hanging, and others are straight-up miserable. By the time John is rescued, it should have been a wake-up call that his wife and son are more important than this foolish crusade of an outlaw’s life, and he should have taken them far away.

While loyalty matters to John, even Arthur knows that it is the right thing to do. John shouldn’t have helped Dutch with one more score as it resulted in his betrayal after he got shot off the train. Like Swanson, Pearson, and all the others – John should have left when he had the chance.

7

Purchasing Beecher’s Hope

A Ranch With Infertile Land Close to a Town John is Wanted At

Beecher’s Hope is the first land that John Marston stumbles upon that he believes that he can afford from the Blackwater Bank so that he can provide himself with a home for himself, Abigail, and their son Jack. While John purchases the land to impress Abigail, it’s also one of the worst decisions he has ever made, even if it was for love and to show Abigail he was listening to her dreams.

While becoming a rancher wasn’t a bad idea, Beecher’s Hope is some very poor land to invest in. Not only is it so close to Blackwater, the same town that John had to run from at the start of Red Dead Redemption 2, but it’s also terrible land for growing plants, and raising livestock, and it’s near the wild plains where the Skinner Brothers lurk.

6

Returning West With His Family

John Returns to the Same Land Where His Gang Fell

Despite how big America is, John for some reason thought the best idea for him and his family was to do a 180 and head directly back to the area where he ran from in 1899 after the collapse of the Van der Linde gang. John and his wife could have started a new life somewhere but didn’t.

With all of America to explore, and the fact that nobody would know who John Marston is as an outlaw so far West, or wherever he ended up, it seems foolish that John returned to New Austin where he was being hunted by Pinkertons for years.

5

Mistreated Jack and Abigail When Jack Was Born

John Refusesd to Believe Jack Was His Until It Was Too Late

Jack Marston is 4 years old in 1899, and while the Van der Linde gang treats him as their own, its only mainly because John Marston seems to want nothing to do with him. It’s upsetting to see how John brushes off Jack like a nuisance as if he refuses to believe it’s his son just because Abigail has slept with others in the gang before.

John’s frustrations as a young father and a husband with his own responsibilities make him seem childish, and he doesn’t really seem to grow out of it until he has already hurt Jack and Abigail’s feelings. Sure, John does come around and does become a good husband and father, but there are still elements of his outlaw life that make it hard for him to connect.

4

Ignoring Arthur’s Final Plea

Arthur Wanted John to Get Out of This Life and Be a Man

Arthur Morgan’s last words to John Marston are words that will forever be etched into his head. Arthur and John try to escape Beaver Hollow – betrayed by the gang and hunted by the Pinkertons, Arthur knows this is his last fight, which is why he gives his life so that John can escape.

Arthur knows he has no future except his memory, and if he can help John get back to his wife and son, then he will have done the right thing, and John can go be with his family and be a man. Except, John can’t get out of the life, even after he watches Arthur give his for it.

3

Not Killing Agent Ross

Edgar Ross is the Reason John Marston Suffers

Edgar Ross is the leading agent of the Pinkertons who is responsible for finding John Marston and forcing him on a mission to kill the last surviving members of the Van der Linde gang. Ross has John’s wife and son (and Uncle), so with them in his custody, John must do exactly as they ask or they could be sent to prison or worse.

John obeys the Pinkertons, but even after plenty of warnings and experiences of how unrelenting they are, even from his old mentor, John fails to see that he’s a loose end that needs to be dealt with. When John reunited with his family, he should have either killed Edgar Ross or fled Beecher’s Hope.

2

Seeking Revenge on Micah Bell

John Fails to Understand That Revenge is a Fool’s Game

It’s made pretty clear that Micah Bell cannot be allowed to live. Not only is he the man responsible for the fall of the Van der Linde gang, but he also provides some threatening remarks to John, Abigail, and Jack – which is something that John Marston won’t let go, especially when this is the same man who got his brother (not by blood), Arthur Morgan, killed.

When Sadie finds the location of Micah, John is the first to agree to ride with her, effectively betraying his wife by embarking on a life of murder again, even if it is just one more time. This time, things are different, as killing Micah leads the remaining Pinkertons onto John’s trail, where they easily manage to find him and his family at Beecher’s Hope.

1

Traumatizing Jack to a Life of Killers

Jack Marston Becomes His Father Instead of the Modern Man

By 1911, the age of outlaws had well and truly disappeared, and while remnants of them remain, society and civilization are coming in to snuff it all out for something smarter and more elegant. This is why Jack Marston is an avid reader of literature and is rather sheltered when it comes to handling weapons or even engaging in farm work.

However, John’s a bit tough on his son because John doesn’t really understand how to be a father. Sure, he loves Jack, but without a father of his own to look to for guidance, he ends up doing more bad than good, and Jack even witnesses John kill multiple people. While it was to save Jack, it still traumatizes the poor boy and leads to his dark future as an outlaw.