Maybelle Elizabeth Colter, more commonly known as Black Belle, is a minor character featured in Red Dead Redemption 2 and a stranger in Red Dead Online. She is one of the subjects of the Stranger side-mission "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
Background
History
Following her first robbery in Rhodes, Bell became an infamous member of the Colter Tobin Gang, of which she is the sole surviving member. It is known that she was married six times to six gentlemen, although she has never divorced.
Events of Red Dead Online
Black Belle can be encountered at Old Harry Fen.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2
The player is sent to track down and potentially interview her. She is located at Canebreak Manor, and when the protagonist approaches, she asks if they are a bounty hunter.
The player states that he is not a bounty hunter and instead want to ask her about Jim "Boy" Calloway. Three bounty hunters are seen approaching the house and the protagonist offers to lie to the bounty hunters that she is not here. Black Belle dismisses this, however, and says that she would rather fight instead of hide. Black Belle says that she’ll tell the player about Calloway after they fight off the bounty hunters, and asks him to take control of explosive detonator.
One of the bounty hunters approaches stating that he has contract for her, and is holding her wanted poster. She tells the bounty hunter that she wants a "closer look"; the bounty hunter is tricked into walking over the explosives and is promptly blown to pieces when, at Black Belle's instruction, the player uses the detonator. This causes a gunfight to break out, where the other bounty hunters begin shooting at Black Belle and the player. The pair manage to defeat the invading bounty hunters, including one using a machine gun. With this, Black Belle keeps her promise and gives the player information on Jim "Boy" Calloway: she says that he was a coward who usually ran from a fight, and refers to him as "Little Boy Calloway". She also says that a genuine gunslinger would not spend time reporting stories of their exploits to newspapers, suggesting that tales of Calloway's gunslinging had been fabricated. The protagonist thanks Black Belle for the information and asks for a photograph of her. Black Belle poses for the player with her rifle, and her picture is taken. With all of this done, the player wishes Black Belle good luck as she mounts her horse, and she wink so at the protagonist before riding away. Black Belle is not seen or encountered again.
Mission appearances
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Red Dead Online
Trivia
- Belle was likely based on famed outlaw Belle Starr, nicknamed "The Bandit Queen" while active in Oklahoma and Missouri. Her attire also heavily resembles the clothing Starr was known to wear. She also shares traits with other famous western figures, such as sharpshooter Annie Oakley and frontierswoman Calamity Jane.
- Inside Black Belle’s cabin, a hat identical to John Marston’s iconic hat can be found hanging on a coat rack. The hat shares the same feather and scratch along the brim.
- Black Belle is the only legendary gunslinger who the player meets that will be willingly interviewed by the player. As a result, she does not have a unique weapon that the player can acquire.
- In Red Dead Online, accepting her missions will lower the player's Honor.
Gallery
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