The Golden Boy of the Van der Linde gang, John Marston, is a gunslinger with a hopeful future, a man who deserves more than this life of outlaws, robbers, and killers so he can provide for a wife and son. This might not be a dream shared by John Marston, but it’s shared by those closest to him across the Red Dead Redemption series.
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John Marston in Red Dead Redemption has some extremely important figures in his life that helped shape him into a killer, a man, a farmer, and a husband and father. Those important to John Marston can be found below, along with what it is that they did which made them so vital to him.
7
Hosea Matthews
Fatherly Advice from a Worried Old Man
Hosea Matthews was one of the surrogate fathers of John Marston, who helped to raise the troubled orphaned boy. However, John was a stubborn kid, and he didn’t exactly gel well with Hosea’s ideas of honor and safety, instead electing to follow Dutch more than he would Hosea, but this is still a man who meant a lot to John Marston.
“We all gotta die but you… got the chance to live.”
Hosea was kind and intelligent, and he never filled John’s head with fantasies, only realities, even if said realities weren’t exactly what John wanted to hear. Hosea’s kind nature meant he always had John’s best interest at heart, and wanted him to give more to life for him, Jack, and Abigail than running with a foolish lot of outlaws.
6
Bonnie MacFarlane
A Rancher Who Saved John and Showed Him How to Farm
Bonnie MacFarlane is one of the few flawless individuals that John Marston meets in New Austin, and she’s a woman who also saved his life from a gunshot wound sustained by Bill Williamson. While it’s obvious that Bonnie has a crush on John, what may be less obvious is how appreciative he needs to be for her care, as she saved his life and taught him how to properly farm on the MacFarlane Ranch.
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Bonnie showed John that there is goodness in the world, and he could take the skills that she taught him back to Beecher’s Hope so that he could be a better farmer and appreciate his wife more than he already did as the faithful man he already was.
5
Arthur Morgan
A Teasing yet Caring Older Brother
Arthur Morgan and John Marston were raised together, but Arthur’s hardened childhood and the fact that he was older meant that he had a better understanding of the world, and quite a streak of jealousy when Dutch gave John more attention. As such, there was a spot of sibling rivalry between the two, where Arthur would often tease John, but that didn’t mean they were not brothers.
“Get the Hell out of here and be a goddamn man.”
Arthur’s teasing and bullying of John only comes from a heart that cares too much, as he would often belittle John in an effort to get him to grow up and look after what matters most: Abigail and Jack. Even when Arthur got sick, he would prioritize the safety of his little brother and sacrifice his own life so that John could escape to have a life that he could never obtain.
4
Dutch Van der Linde
The Manipulative Father Figure Who Sold Dreams of an Outlaw
When Dutch Van der Linde saved a young orphaned John Marston from a hanging, the young boy knew that the words Dutch spoke to him were ones he resonated with. Dutch’s dreams and ideals for an America that isn’t plagued by society, laws, and civilization are something that John blindly follows at such a young age, and it radicalizes him into the perfect soldier and outlaw.
“We can’t always fight nature, John…”
Dutch is a smart talker, and many of the words he speaks resonate with John. While Dutch did teach John how to write, shoot, and read, he also taught him how to see the world from his perspective, which would one day result in John forfeiting his own life.
3
Uncle
A Lazy Leech Who Helped John Build a Home
Uncle describes himself as someone who isn’t lazy, but just hates work, which basically just means he’s lazy with extra steps. Constantly blaming his lack of work ethic on lumbago, Uncle will always be found lying down and napping, unless there’s an open bottle of whisky for him to leech off of – but there’s still a certain charm for the sad old man that has John keep him around, not that John would be able to get rid of him anyway.
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Sure, Uncle is lazy and somewhat rude, but he does care. Uncle helps John with Beecher’s Hope, turning the place from a dump to a home that a wife would love, which is exactly what John needs to get Abigail back. Uncle’s smarter than he looks, and the fact that he helped John build a house and a barn in 1907 proves that he’s a loyal friend, even if it was mainly so he too could have a roof over his head.
2
Jack Marston
A Son That John Tries So Very Hard to Take Care of
Jack Marston is the son of John Marston, and one that John wasn’t exactly happy about having. Most of the gang had already slept with Abigail, and the birth of Jack made John question everything. His love for Abigail, his commitment to being a father, and being an outlaw in a gang was not only the most fulfilling thing for him, but also the safest for those he cares about.
Jack Marston is an innocent in John’s way of life, but John tries so very hard to be a good father, even if that wasn’t always the case. John’s not good at talking to Jack because their lives are so different, but he does love his son, and he just wants to give him a good life, even if it frustrates him that it can be somewhat coddled compared to his own.
1
Abigail Marston
The Love of John’s Life, Who He Promised to Grow Up For
Abigail Roberts and John Marston met as young orphaned lovers in the Van der Linde gang, and when Abigail had their son, Jack, everything changed for John. Sure, John treated Abigail and Jack badly when the boy was first born, but John learned to appreciate family, and tried as hard as he could to leave the outlaw life behind to give Abigail the life she wanted, and deserved – simple folk who aren’t heroes or outlaws.
“And John… I love you. Don’t you forget that.”
Everything John does is for Abigail. Whether it’s buying Beecher’s Hope to give Abigail a farm of her own, or even going across country to kill the former members of his gang to bring his wife and son back home safe. John will do anything for Abigail, and it’s clear that this woman truly changed his life to provide him with love, growth, and responsibility.
- Released
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May 18, 2010
- Developer(s)
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Rockstar San Diego
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs