Threads
- While many are familiar with Arthur Morgan’s story, due to Red Dead Redemption 2 being played more, John Marston’s story is far more tragic.
- Despite Arthur sacrificing himself for John and his family, John still ends up being dragged into the criminal life and faces his demise.
- The cycle continues with John’s son taking his father’s revenge as he did for Arthur, making John’s story tragic.
Rockstar never fails to amaze me with its brilliant storylines, and it took that to the next level with Red Dead Redemption 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 features one of the best stories in video games, if not in fiction throughout.
Serving as a prequel to the first game’s story, Red Dead Redemption 2 explored the story of the Van Der Linde gang. While many were introduced to the franchise with the second game, they had no idea about John Marston’s story that was to follow after the second game.
Arthur Morgan’s story is extremely tragic. He sacrifices himself for the sake of John and his family. Still, John didn’t get the happy ending that Arthur wanted for him, with Jack repeating the revenge cycle that John inherited from Arthur to John. This is why I believe that John’s story is far more tragic than Arthur’s.
Why It Matters: Many people have been introduced to the franchise through Red Dead Redemption 2. They think Arthur’s story was the most tragic. However, fans of the first entry will know that Red Dead Redemption 2 makes the original story even more tragic.
Arthur Was Satisfied With His Life
The angry cowboy had quite a tough upbringing, being a delinquent since he was a child after his parents got murdered and riding with a murderous gang; it wasn’t until Dutch and Hosea found him and welcomed him to the Van der Linde gang.
Arthur shared Dutch’s dream of living free without the law, who also became somewhat of a father figure and a close associate to him.
Frankly, Arthur enjoyed the time with the Van der Linde gang and didn’t regret that. Sure, his life in the second half of the game was extremely depressive after he caught Tuberculosis.
Arthur dies trying to undo all his mistakes, and with the high honor ending, he fixes most of them, aside from saving Dutch from Micah. Still, his life ends with him knowing that he saved Abigal, John, and his family.
I still consider Red Dead Redemption 2’s ending comparatively bittersweet, considering players don’t know what follows with the first game.
John Marston Struggling In Red Dead Redemption 1 Makes Arthur’s Death Pointless
Beyond Red Dead Redemption 2’s main storyline, the epilogue follows John and his family retreating to a ranch and working there. John eventually reconnects with Sadie and Charles to finally finish off Micah and avenge Arthur’s death.
The sad part is that if John had avoided chasing after Micah and given up on avenging Arthur’s death, maybe he would have had the happy ending he deserved. Dutch would’ve killed Micah eventually, or if not, the Pinkertons would’ve chased after them, leaving John and his family alone since they left the criminal life past them.
However, that’s a what-if scenario, and John’s past would catch up with him somehow. While momentarily, he did get the happy ending with Abigail and Jack at their ranch, for which Arthur sacrificed himself, John was eventually dragged into hunting the Van der Linde gang once again, forced by the Pinkertons.
In the end, Arthur’s efforts to save John’s family were in vain. John died not knowing what happened to his family, and all his attempts to escape the criminal life were down the drain.
Red Dead Redemption 1’s epilogue follows Jack as he hunts down his father’s murderers, implying that the same tragic cycle has repeated itself. GTA 5 features a book called Red Dead, written by J. Marston. The book clearly references Jack’s story after his revenge against Edgar Ross for his father’s death. The book implies that Jack got away from the outlaw life, and it has somewhat of a happy ending since both these games’ main stories were about giving Jack a happy life away from all this violence. Still, that’s not an explicit reference since GTA and Red Dead Redemption are set in different universes. We probably wouldn’t know about Jack’s real canon story since the age of outlaw ended in 1899, far before Jack even grew into an adult. Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋 How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔 [News Reporter] Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series. Get In Touch: shaheer@old.tech4gamers.com
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