How Every Character Joined the Van der Linde Gang

While many might know the fates of the Van der Linde gang and how the events of Red Dead Redemption 2 unfold, they might not know how each gang member actually became part of the Van der Linde gang in the first place, leaving the origins for these outlaws untold.

With so many outlaws as a part of the Van der Linde gang, it’s worth knowing how each character found Dutch before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, and how joining the Van der Linde gang would forever change their lives for better or worse.

25

Dutch Van der Linde

Dutch Found Hosea, a Man Who Was His Thief Equal

• Performance by: Benjamin Byron Davis

Dutch Van der Linde formed the Van der Linde gang alongside Hosea Matthews after the two attempted to rob each other in the mid-1870s. The duo saw their potential after they managed to rob each other, and Dutch’s silver tongue convinced Hosea to partner up as a duo that could rob the rich and give to the poor – a notion that enticed the good moral standings of Hosea.

24

Hosea Matthews

Hosea Found Dutch, An Equally Talented Thief

• Performance by: Curzon Dobell

Hosea Matthews met Dutch Van der Linde at a campfire, where the duo, unknowingly robbed each other at the same time. Hosea, impressed by Dutch’s skills and charisma, decided to join him across America as the two would live their own version of a Robin Hood life to rob the rich and give to the poor, albeit without the interference of the law.

23

Arthur Morgan

Arthur Was An Orphan, Raised by Hosea and Dutch

• Performance by: Roger Clark

After the death of Lyle Morgan, Arthur Morgan’s father, Arthur was an orphan who didn’t have much skill, but when he ran into Dutch and Hosea in 1877, they saw his potential. The duo took Arthur in as their own and raised him as a son, teaching him how to read, write, shoot, and become an outlaw just like they were.

22

Susan Grimshaw

Dutch and Susan Had a Relationship Together

• Performance by: Kaili Vernoff

Also around 1877, Dutch Van der Linde got himself involved with a fiery woman known as Susan Grimshaw. The romance between them blossomed and may have later fizzled, but the two remained inseparable after she joined up with the trio, turning this old guard of outlaws into the beginnings of a family.

21

John Marston

John Was An Orphan, Saved and Raised by Dutch

• Performance by: Rob Wiethoff

Around 1885, a young orphan was to be hanged for thieving but was saved by Dutch Van der Linde. This young orphan was John Marston, who would soon come to be Dutch’s golden boy. Like Arthur, Dutch taught John how to read and shoot, and John would become the second son of the gang, with Arthur as his older brother. John is loyal to the Van der Linde gang, but he did leave them for a year after his son Jack was born.

20

Josiah Trelawny

A Charismatic Scammer Who Comes and Goes As He Pleases

• Performance by: Stephen Gevedon

It’s likely that Josiah Trelawny joined in with the Van der Linde gang escapades after being won over thanks to Dutch’s charisma, perhaps when the two met in a saloon. Josiah isn’t directly involved with the Van der Linde gang and comes and goes as he pleases, but he often has useful information regarding scores and bank jobs which has him cross paths with Dutch over the years.

19

Uncle

A Roaming Freeloader Who Becomes Dutch’s Court Jester

• Performance by: James McBride

Uncle would have joined up with the Van der Linde gang prior to 1894, and it’s not exactly specified why Uncle joined the gang or how Dutch found him. It’s more than likely that Dutch found Uncle amusing, and saw him as a court jester to keep him entertained and charmed, even if he was rather lazy and didn’t like doing any dirty work, or any work at all for that matter. Uncle was a good company to have around, so it’s likely that Dutch saw Uncle getting into drunken trouble in a local town and brought him with him.

18

Simon Pearson

A Navy Cook Who Got In Trouble With Loan Sharks

• Performance by: Jim Santangeli

After leaving the Navy after just a short stint, Simon Pearson was down on his luck and needed the financial aid of loan sharks. However, when things went south, Pearson was saved by Dutch Van der Linde, a passerby who took a liking to Pearson’s stories and abilities as a cook, and so Pearson joined as the camp’s cook.

17

Orville Swanson

A Reverand Who Saved Dutch’s Life

• Performance by: Sean Haberie

Orville Swanson may be a man of the cloth, but he’s also a man of alcohol and morphine. Swanson’s strong moral standing never gets in the way of his substance abuse, which is why he was of the right mind and body to save Dutch Van der Linde in an unspecified incident, perhaps an altercation at a saloon that Dutch was trying to rob with his charisma, only for Swanson to talk everybody down. Dutch owes Swanson, which is why this reverend is allowed to stick around.

16

Tilly Jackson

An Orphan Who Fled Her Gang to be Saved by Dutch

• Performance by: Meeya Davis

Tilly Jackson was forced to become an outlaw at the age of 12 after being kidnapped by the Foreman Brothers, a gang that would abuse her until she retaliated and killed the cousin of the gang’s leader, Malcolm Foreman. Alone and orphaned, Tilly was rescued on the roadside by Dutch Van der Linde, who raised her just as he had done before with Arthur and John.

15

Mac & Davey Callander

Two Brothers Who Rode Ruthlessly with the Van der Linde Gang

These two brothers were loyal to the Van der Linde gang, but extremely vicious and ready to attack anyone that even looked at them funny. While it’s not known how both Mac and Davey joined the gang, it’s more than likely that their rough attitude and similar age difference to Arthur and John saw the pairings meet in a saloon, perhaps over a fistfight or a drink – or both.

14

Leopold Strauss

An Immigrant Who Was Taken in by Dutch to be the Gang’s Financial Aid

• Performance by: Howard Pinhasik

Strauss seems like a late addition to the Van der Linde gang due to his more modern ways of squeezing money out of people by being a loan shark. Strauss was hired as a debtor for the Van der Linde gang after Dutch was impressed with his intellect and financial skills, but due to Strauss’ immigrant status and the gang’s need for financial records, it’s likely that Strauss was recruited later than other members.

13

Bill Williamson

A Frustrated Discharged Soldier Who Tried to Rob Dutch

• Performance by: Steve J. Palmer

After being dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army, Bill Williamson would hold a grudge against anyone that so much as looked at him, which is why by 1893, he made a strong impression on Dutch Van der Linde as this drunken dullard tried to rob him. Dutch empathized with Bill’s frustrations, and brought him home to the gang where he’s been loyal ever since.

12

Abigail Roberts

A Prostitute Who Was Brought to the Van der Linde Gang by Uncle

• Performance by: Cali Elizabeth Moore

1894 saw the Van der Linde gang introduced to Abigail Roberts, an orphan and a prostitute that was brought in by Uncle. Abigail took a liking to John Marston and decided to stay with the Van der Linde gang. While Abigail may have slept with most men in the camp, her affinity to John Marston quickly became love, and her loyalties remained with him.

11

Javier Escuella

A Mexican Revolutionist Who Adores Dutch’s Ideas About Society

• Performance by: Gabriel Sloyer

Javier Escuella eloped to America after becoming a notorious criminal in Mexico with a bounty on his head far too high to see him return to his home country. Javier had to flee his country after killing an important official in Mexico, and this revolutionary saw sense in Dutch’s ideals after the two met while trying to steal the same chickens.

10

Sean MacGuire

An Irishman Who Tried to Rob Dutch and Hosea

• Performance by: Michael Mellamphy

Somewhere in North Elizabeth, Sean MacGuire saw the perfect targets to rob with Hosea Matthews and Dutch Van der Linde. This young Irishman had the wrong men, as they had already emptied his revolver so that he couldn’t rob them. Instead of punishing the young lad, they gave him a place to stay within their gang.

9

Karen Jones

A Woman Who Made It Clear She Can Ride With the Boys

• Performance by: Jo Armeniox

It’s unknown how Karen Jones joined the Van der Linde gang, but her loud personality, love for adventure, and the outlaw life, more than likely made her a prime personality for Dutch to pluck out of the lesser society of some small town. It’s likely that Karen was entranced by Dutch’s promise of an outlaw life, leading to Karen joining in a few years prior to 1899.

8

Molly O’Shea

An Irish Woman of Wealth Who Fell in Love with Dutch and His Lifestyle

• Performance by: Penny O’Brien

Molly came from a wealthy family in Dublin, Ireland, but later abandoned them in a quest for adventure and romance. She found exactly that in America, where she fell in love with Dutch Van der Linde and joined the gang. Her youthful nature and jealous tendencies make her a freeloader with a relationship that isn’t set to last.

7

Mary-Beth Gaskill

A Ragabond who Eloped with the Van der Linde Gang After Being Caught Stealing

• Performance by: Samantha Strelitz

Mary-Beth was a simple street urchin who would use her innocent looks to pickpocket and steal off of unsuspecting folk. However, after getting on the wrong side of the wrong man, Mary-Beth is hunted for her crime, only for her to fall in with the Van der Linde gang for further protection.

6

Lenny Summers

A Young Man Who Runs From the Law After Killing His Father’s Killers

• Performance by: Harron Atkins

Sometime in 1898, the Van der Linde gang ran into Lenny Summers, a young man on the run from the law after committing a string of murders to avenge the lynching of his father. Lenny saw safety in the Van der Linde gang and decided to stop running from the law alone and start running from it with a band of professionals who would teach him a few tricks of the trade.