Strange Man

The Strange Man is a minor character and stranger featured in Red Dead Redemption.

A mysterious and metaphysical character, there are several interpretations of the character's strange behavior and apparent supernatural abilities. None have been confirmed.

Background
The Strange Man reveals a detailed knowledge of John Marston's history. He is impeccably dressed in a three piece suit with a large top hat. The man appears to be calm and collected, even in the arid wilderness. . When questioned, he claims to be "an accountant... in a way", but apparently claims he cannot remember his own name.

He also, in passing, mentions that he "had a son".

Interactions
The Strange Man is the focus of the stranger side mission I Know You, which is only available for John Marston. Marston encounters the strange man three times while in the wilderness: once in New Austin, once in Nuevo Paraiso and once in West Elizabeth. This ensures that the players interactions with the man are spread throughout the story narrative.

In the final confrontation, Marston fires three rounds at the Strange Man in frustration, with his equipped handgun, to no effect. These three shots could symbolise the three dead former gang members. The man continues to walk away, unwounded and unconcerned with the attempted assault. Marston looks at his handgun, then looks to the man who has disappeared. This confrontation notably occurs on the ridge at the Marston Ranch where John would eventually be buried alongside Abigail and Uncle.

Interpretations
No formal explanation is given for the strange man, leaving players to form their own conclusions about his nature. The Strange Man's apparent invulnerability to bullets, his bizarre calm in the wilderness and his unusual knowledge of Marston's own criminal past, and nature of Marston's victims seem out of place. Additionally, the Strange Man seems to foreshadow the location of their final encounter as a "nice spot", where John would eventually be buried.

Deity

 * Several popular interpretations include the strange man being a moral or religious deity, or powerful supernatural agent. In this interpretation, the strange man is testing Marston's supposed redemption from crime and evil.


 * Some players have insisted that the when he claims to have had a son, it is a reference to the Abrahamic Deity, and specifically the Christian interpretation of Jesus Christ.


 * When the Strange Man responds to John's curse of "damn you!" with the retort of "yes, many have", this could allude to a number of colloquial blasphemous profanities involving the damnation of deities throughout numerous religions.


 * It has also been suggested that the Strange Man is a personification of Death; as only John interacts with him during the crucial events leading up to his death.


 * The Strange Man has also been be said to possibly be an incorporeal manifestation of John's deceased father; once again citing the Strange Man having a son, and his ambiguous profession.
 * It is also noticed that he is completely ignored by the dangerous animals that surround him. Wolves often pass through his camp in Nueva Paraiso without attacking him as they would other strangers.
 * Some players have assumed the man with the devil of the religion Christianity, as his is sent to see if John should go to hell after a life of robing people, but giving most of the revenue to the poor. He tasks john with several missions which have strong moral choices and based on what happens during these tasks will be the outcome of the character when he dies (i.e. he is told that he can help a nun (of Christian faith) with donations to help war torn mexico or rob her for self benefit which is the sin of greed). As he seem to not be affected by animals who may be aware that he is indeed not a living thing, just an apparition. This is also true as when he is over looking the spot where john is going to be burred and calling it nice which may indicate that he knows when he will die and where he will buried. He tells john that his is an "accountant of sorts" this may be referring to his position as a keeper of souls. When John says "Damn you" he replies, "Many people have" which may show the reaction that many people have when they appear in front of him in hell.

Personal

 * Another explanation posits the strange man as a hallucination or manifestation of John's own conscience. This explanation seems to conflict with the fact that when the Strange Man issues John a task, he has intimate knowledge of this situation; knowledge that Marston alone could not posses.

Trivia

 * An early rumor circulated just after the games release, suggested that the Strange Man is present in the mob that during the mission The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed . This has since proven to be false.


 * It is actually possible to kill the Strange Man. Just shoot him before triggering the cut scene. Doing so, however, will fail the mission.


 * Supernatural intervention has been a theme in several classic western films including 1973 High Plains Drifter.


 * The Strange Man bears a thematic resemblance to the satanic character Judge Holden from Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian; a novel about genocide in the Western part of the continent during the mid-19th century. Like Holden, the Strange Man imparts crucial information about the character as an antagonist and makes claims regarding the judgment of morality.


 * The Strange Man may be a homage to Randall Flagg, a prominent character from Stephen King's Dark Tower novel series.
 * If you point a gun at him, he can pull out a Cattleman Revolver and shoot and kill you.
 * The Strange Man has a strange simularity to Half-Life's G-man.
 * The character may be a reference to the Mysterious Stranger by Twain.

Quotes
"Damn you!"

- John Marston

"Yes, many have."

- Strange Man