While the main protagonist of a potential Red Dead Redemption 3 could be anyone’s guess, and a character that audiences hadn’t even met in the previous games (like Arthur Morgan was in RDR2), there are some supporting characters who most certainly made their mark in Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 that could make quite the impact on Red Dead Redemption 3 (if it ever gets made).
Related
Red Dead Redemption 3: 8 Characters Perfect for a Protagonist Role in a Sequel/Prequel
Red Dead Redemption 3 is a dream shared by many fans, but it’s often hotly debated for who could lead the potential sequel/prequel.
With Red Dead Redemption 2 featuring so many supporting characters, and some who deserved more time to shine, it’s a great opportunity for Red Dead Redemption 3 to bring back these characters in a sequel setting, either before 1907 or after 1914, to bring about further complexity and story beats for the protagonist.
Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption & Red Dead Redemption 2!
8
Josiah Trelawny
One of the Very Best Scammers Who Just Can’t Quit
After the fall of the Van der Linde gang, Trelawny most likely returned safely to his wife and two children in their humble home of Saint Denis. However, Trelawny isn’t exactly able to escape this life, and even after being shot at, beaten, and nearly killed for the gang, it’s likely that he’s ready to scam again.
Trelawny enjoys it, and he can’t stay away from the life he leads, even if he has such a good and innocent one at home. While he’s no killer, he is a thief and a scam artist, and it would be nice to see what antics he’s gotten himself into in Red Dead Redemption 3.
7
Guido Martelli
An Italian Mob Boss That Shows a Shift from Outlaws to Crime Syndicates
After the death of Angelo Bronte, Guido Martelli stepped up to lead the mafia of Saint Denis, providing further organized crime and deeper funding of police pockets. Every official in Saint Denis is under the control of Guido Martelli, and a man that powerful surely holds grudges, especially against the Van der Linde gang and their remnants for the men they have killed in 1899.
Introducing Guido Martelli as an antagonist is a nice way to showcase the corruptible powers of Saint Denis, and also give players a modern vendetta as the line between outlaw and crime syndicate further blurs in the dawning of the 20th century.
6
Black Belle
A Veteran Gunslinger Who Never Stops Running
Black Belle may have only featured as a famous gunslinger from a bygone era for one Stranger Mission, but she left quite the impression. Black Belle is a female gunslinger on the run from bounty hunters and lawmen, and her dangerous streak is only aided by her wild side, who lives the thrill of the Wild West, even if the Wild West is all but tamed at this point.
Related
Red Dead Redemption 2: All Van der Linde Gang Members, Ranked by Honor
Each member of the Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 has their own sense of right and wrong, so how do they rank on an honor scale?
Having a zany and excitable character like Black Belle in her final years could be fun to see what fight she has left in her at that point, and to showcase whether she’ll die as an outlaw, or as an old woman too frail to hold a rifle and ride a horse into the sunset.
5
Reverend Swanson
A Minister Who Can Instill Goodness in Those Seeking Redemption
Reverand Swanson’s time with the Van der Linde gang was never a good time for him. While he enjoyed the people, the work and his vices were beyond corruptible, and made him forget his duties as a religious man devoted to God. Morphine and alcohol had a hold on Swanson like they were from the devil himself, so when he managed to break off his addiction, it was like a new chapter for the man.
Swanson left the Van der Linde gang and became a minister in New York, so while it’s doubtful he’ll be seen again, especially in such an industrial city, there’s still a chance he could be sent across country on a train to meet a new outlaw that could use his religious guidance.
4
Rains Fall
The Chief of a Once Great Tribe
Rains Fall has its story revolved around tragedy and mistreatment. His people were practically tortured mentally and physically by the U.S. Government, bullied off of their land with his wife and sons murdered in an unwinnable fight. Yet, Rains Fall is still alive, living to remember his son, Eagle Flies, and to protect what’s left of his people in Canada.
Related
Red Dead Redemption 2: How Every Character Joined the Van der Linde Gang
Every character in the van der Linde gang has a story about how they joined up with Dutch before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Since Rains Fall visits his son’s grave every year from Canada back to New Hanover, it would be nice to see him one day as the newest outlaw of Red Dead Redemption 3 comes into contact with him, learning of Rains Fall’s plight and understanding a few moral lessons.
3
Sadie Adler
A Bounty Hunter with a Death Wish
Sadie Adler’s life was robbed from her by the O’Driscolls when they destroyed her home and killed her husband, leaving her as a grieving and vengeful woman who now spends her days away from the Van der Linde gang as a ruthless bounty hunter who doesn’t so much care about bringing people to justice, but instead just loves the idea of wanting to die in a gunfight.
Sadie’s flaws and the sadness she carries can be felt with every bounty she brings in, and her death wish is something rather alarming that John Marston fails to notice. Perhaps if she meets another outlaw, or a potential bounty, she can get what she wants, or learns of something she never knew she wanted.
2
Mother Superior Calderon
A Nun with Concrete Morals and Understanding
Sister Calderon in Red Dead Redemption 2 actually appeared in Red Dead Redemption 2 as Mother Superior Calderon when John Marston visits Mexico. This character is one of the rare reoccurring characters between the games that isn’t part of the main gang, and as such, it seems only right that she gets to share more religious philosophy and care with the protagonist.
Mother Superior Calderon always knows what to say, and she helped to guide both John and Arthur on separate instances without ever corrupting their hearts into something all pure or all impure, which highlights her as an understanding ally.
1
Jack Marston
The Last Surviving Son of the Van der Linde Gang
It would make the most sense for Jack Marston to be the protagonist of a Red Dead Redemption 3 if the game were set after 1914, but considering the West was just about tamed by then, it seems unlikely a game would go that far in the timeline. However, there is a brief period between 1911 and 1914 of unexplored content for Jack Marston, but perhaps not as a protagonist.
Perhaps Jack Marston could have his story told from a second-person perspective, where the character that players experience gets to see Jack’s story unfold, and this protagonist can interact with Jack and learn of the grief that shaped him into the outlaw that killed the retired Edgar Ross.
Related
Red Dead Redemption 2: All Signature Guns of the Van der Linde Gang
The Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 all have distinct personalities and desires, which are somewhat represented by their guns.