Bill Williamson

"You always did have a high opinion of yourself, John!"

- Bill Williamson

William "Bill" Williamson was a Central character and one of the primary antagonists in Red Dead Redemption. He is a former gang partner of John Marston. Marston has been extorted into hunting down his former brothers in arms, with Bill Williamson being the primary target. The hunt for Bill Williamson serves as the impetus for the game's plot, and is the central motivating factor throughout.

With the addition of the Liars and Cheats DLC pack,  is also a Multiplayer character model that may be selected in the 'Damnation' section of the Outfitter.

Background
Bill Williamson was John's former partner in Dutch's Gang. During this time, Williamson seems to have had a casual sexual relationship with Abigail Marston. In 1908, a botched bank robbery leaves Marston wounded and disillusioned. Some time afterward, Dutch goes into semi-retirement and Williamson established his own gang in Fort Mercer.

Interactions
In 1911, John and Bill meet once again at Fort Mercer. John has been extorted into pursuing and apprehending Williamson due to his gang's vicious crimes. Edgar Ross and the Bureau Of Investigation threaten John's son and wife to force John to complete the task. Marston confronts Williamson from outside the fortified walls, appealing to him to surrender before any harm befalls him. Williamson refuses, has several men put Marston at gunpoint, and berates John for his reformation. John responds by reaching for his revolver, causing one of Williamson's men to open fire, and wounding him in the lower-right torso. They presume John dead and leave his corpse to the elements. Hours pass, until local ranchers, Bonnie MacFarlane and Amos discover him wounded. Bonnie and Amos altruistically take Marston back to MacFarlane's Ranch to treat his wounds. John recovers well after the doctor in Armadillo removes the bullet. In return for a $15 doctor's bill, John agrees to work at the ranch for a short time, but Bill later found out that John lived with Bonnie and burned the barn to the ground.

During that time, Marston recruited some people in New Austin with a cost of helping them. After helping Leigh Johnson, Nigel West Dickens, Seth Briars and Irish, John planned a strategy to raid Bill's hideout. The group breached the fort only to find out that Bill fled to Mexico with the help of a member of John's former gang, Javier Escuella.

John ventured to Mexico and was forced to work with Colonel Allende, the brutal dictator of a region in Mexico called Nuevo Paraiso. Even though Allende promised to deliver Escuella and Williamson to Marston, Allende betrayed Marston and attempted to kill him. Due to the betrayal, John joined with the anti-government rebels led by Abraham Reyes and attacked Allende's villa in Escalera. John managed to kill Allende and Williamson but Luisa Fortuna, a rebel freedom fighter, died as she protected Reyes from his executioners. Later, Reyes takes control of Mexico and becomes the new president.

Although Marston can choose to not shoot Williamson but instead shoot Allende, Williamson will pretend to turn himself in and instead draw his revolver to take a shot at Marston. If Marston isn't quick enough to shoot, Reyes will kill Williamson, then Reyes will utter angrily at Allende and then shoot him.

Quotes

 * "Dutch always said you were an arrogant son of a bitch!" (To John)
 * "Things are different now, John. Now I'm in charge."
 * "You always did have a high opinion of yourself, John!" 
 * "Get 'em boys!" (When attacking John and the marshals at Mercer Station)
 * "You always were one for fancy words." (To John)

Trivia

 * Interestingly, the English name William comes from the Germanic routes "will" (actually meaning will) and "helm" (meaning either helmut or protector).
 * Bill Williamson is the main antagonist for most of the game.
 * Bill is partly bald, revealed during his final appearance, when Allende shoves him out of the wagon, his hat falls off, revealing his baldness. It can also be seen by shooting off his hat, or by playing Poker or Liar's Dice with him.
 * Bill does not appear in Undead Nightmare physically but he is mentioned by John while talking to Mother Superior.
 * In the Liars and Cheats DLC pack, he is on the damnation list because of his acts during the game.
 * The BradyGames strategy guide incorrectly labels his age at 29. It is unknown how this mistake was made as Bill looks nowhere near this age nor does it correctly correspond with John's past events with Dutch's gang, which included Bill.
 * Most, if not all, of Bill's multiplayer quotes seem to be directed at John.
 * Bill Wiliamson could be based on Billy Grey from the GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned, both have similar names and are antagonists.
 * The official concept art for Williamson has him sporting a 'cowboy' hat, though ingame he wears a slouch hat and a red bandana/scarf is wrapped around his neck, also unseen in the concept art.
 * The name William Williamson suggests that he has a Welsh heritage since giving your children the same first and surname was a tradition in Wales in the 17th-20th centuries.
 * In one of the early trailers for Red Dead Redemption, Bill is seen drinking in a bar. This is never seen ingame, but it's most likely either cut content or a hidden sneak peak for the Liars and Cheats DLC Pack.

Mission Appearances

 * Exodus in America
 * Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit
 * An Appointed Time (Killed)

Gallery
Bill Williamson