John Marston

John Marston Sr.
Gameplay
Game	Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2
Biography
Nicknames	Cowboy Scarface (?) Wolf Man (?) Rip Van Winkle (?) Jim Milton (?) "John" Jim (?) Jimmy Milton (?) James (?) JM (?) J.M. (?) Mr. Martin (?) The Rock Farmer (?) That Government Boy (?) The Man from Blackwater (?) Mr Jesus of Nazareth (?) Johnny (?) Johnny Boy (?) Mr. Mansion (?) Chicken headed guy (?) Gringo Old Boy (?)
Nationality	American (Scottish descent)
Gender	Male
Location	Beecher's Hope in Great Plains, Commonwealth of West Elizabeth Pronghorn Ranch in Big Valley, Commonwealth of West Elizabeth (temporarily; 1907) MacFarlane's Ranch in Hennigan's Stead, State of New Austin (temporarily; 1911) Transitory
Affiliations	Marston family (patriarch) Van der Linde gang (1885-1899) Gray family (temporarily) Bureau of Investigation (unwillingly; 1911) MacFarlane's Ranch Armadillo Sheriff office Mexican Army (temporarily) Reyes' Rebels
Family	Unnamed great-great grandfather dead Unnamed great-great grandmother dead Mr. Marston (father) dead Unnamed mother dead Abigail Marston (wife) Jack Marston (son) Unnamed daughter dead Rufus (dog)
Occupation	Outlaw (formerly) Bounty hunter Rancher Delivery man (temporarily; 1907) Ranch hand (temporarily; 1907)
Additional info
Weapon	Custom Cattleman Revolver Custom Lancaster Repeater John's Knife Player's choice
Actor	Rob Wiethoff
Mount	Silver Bay Thoroughbred (formerly) Old Boy (1899) Rachel (1907) Buell (gift/determinant) Painted Standardbred (temporarily) Cleveland Bay or War Horse (gift) Kentucky Saddler (rewarded) Player's choice

“	People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven.	„
	—John Marston to Bonnie MacFarlane in "Women and Cattle"

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John Marston is a recurring character in the Red Dead series, appearing as a central character and the primary protagonist of Red Dead Redemption and its non-canon Undead Nightmare expansion pack, and is a central character and the secondary protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2.

With the addition of the Liars and Cheats DLC pack, John Marston is also a multiplayer character model that may be selected in the "Redemption" section of the Outfitter.

With the addition of the Undead Nightmare DLC pack, an undead version of him, known as Zombie Marston, is a Multiplayer character model that may be selected in the "Zombies" section of the Outfitter.

Quick Answers

How does John Marston die in the Red Dead series?

John Marston, the Red Dead Redemption main character, meets his end when a firing squad guns him down following his use of Dead Eye. Post his death, control shifts to Jack, who discovers John's bullet-riddled body at the ranch. John's final resting place is a hill that overlooks the ranch.

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What is the age of John Marston in Red Dead Redemption 2?

In Red Dead Redemption 2, John Marston's age is 26. This is calculated from his birth year, 1873, and the game's setting in 1899.

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Who is Jim Milton in relation to John Marston?

John Marston, the main character in Red Dead Redemption, uses the alias Jim Milton. Following an incident involving a shooting, John and his family relocate to Strawberry. Under the pseudonym Jim Milton, John secures employment delivering supplies to Pronghorn Ranch.

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Who is the main character in Red Dead Redemption?

John Marston serves as the protagonist and central figure in Red Dead Redemption. The game's narrative unfolds from his perspective, making him an integral part of the storyline. He is also a member of the Van der Linde gang.

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What is the significance of John Marston's death in the Red Dead series?

John Marston's demise in the Red Dead series signifies the unescapable past and the end of the outlaw era. His past deeds lead to his death by law enforcement, despite his reformation efforts. His death paves the way for his son Jack, suggesting the cycle of violence and retribution may continue.

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History

Background

“	John has been Dutch's protege since he was 12. He is now at a personal crossroads in his life. Husband in all but lawful status to Abigail, and the father of Jack, he isn't always sure about where his priorities lie. John was badly wounded during the Blackwater events that occur just prior to the beginning of the story.	„
	—Red Dead Redemption 2: The Complete Official Guide.

Biography in RDR 2 (click to enlarge)

John Marston was born in 1873 in the northern United States. His father was an illiterate Scottish immigrant who was born on the boat to New York, while his mother was a prostitute, who died during John's birth. John initially lived with his father, a heavy drinker who loved Scotland and always talked about it, and despised the English for what they did to his great grandparents. However, he was blinded in a bar fight south of Chicago and died later on in 1881, when John was eight years old. The circumstances around his death are unknown, although John was told that he died in a bar fight.

John spent the next few years in a rough orphanage before running away to make his own luck on the streets. At the age of 11, John committed his first murder when he shot a man, although he claimed it was not his fault. In 1885, at the age of 12, Marston had been caught stealing by homesteaders in Illinois, who planned on hanging him. Dutch van der Linde stepped in and saved the young boy, taking him under his wing; John was thus inducted into the Van der Linde gang, alongside Hosea Matthews, Arthur Morgan, and Susan Grimshaw. The gang became a surrogate family to the young boy, with Dutch becoming his mentor and father figure. He taught John how to read, shoot, hunt, gather, and instilled him with a love of nature and things other than power. Dutch would also often read to him from books by Evelyn Miller and Waldo Emerson, although the young John struggled to understand the former and found the latter to be out of touch.

John developed into an experienced outlaw, running with Dutch, Hosea, Arthur, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and several others, committing robberies, raids, murders, kidnappings and other crimes across the American frontier. Alongside Morgan, Marston was viewed as Dutch's proudest protégé; many members of the gang including Arthur himself considered John to be Dutch's favorite and "golden boy", much to the envy of certain people, such as Bill. Marston had fallen under the sway of Dutch's philosophy, believing that the gang stole and fought for a reason. In stealing from the rich, they, in turn, gave to the poor. They wanted to elicit change in the people of the West, although he later came to admit that these were excuses to let them rob and steal indiscriminately.

At some point in his life, John met a man who would be been bitten by a dog and die an hour later.

In 1894, a prostitute named Abigail Roberts joined the gang. Despite having sexual relations with most of the gang members, she eventually fell in love with John, becoming pregnant soon after. They later had a son together in 1895, whom they named Jack. The gang became an extended family to Jack, with most of the members becoming aunts and uncles to him. In his early years, John struggled to connect with his son due to doubts as to whether or not he was Jack's biological father, as well as fears about his own ability to raise him. Around 1896, John left the gang for a year. His return was met well with Dutch, Hosea, and certain other members of the gang, whilst Arthur felt betrayed by his actions. A rift between Arthur and John steadily grew over the next few years.

The gang picked up new members such as Micah Bell, Lenny Summers, and Charles Smith as they traversed the Grizzlies in late 1898. They continued moving east until they reached the up-and-coming port town of Blackwater, where they decided to stay for a while. Here, Micah encouraged Dutch to pursue a lucrative ferry heist, which John participated in alongside Javier, Sean, and Callander brothers Mac and Davey in April of 1899. The heist went wrong when Dutch shot a defenseless young woman named Heidi McCourt in the head, which John and Javier witnessed, and a unit of Pinkerton agents ambushed the gang, resulting in an eruption of violence. The gang escaped and managed to stash the money from the boat somewhere in Blackwater. The heist was a disaster, leading to the deaths of Davey and Jenny Kirk, Mac being separated, and Sean's capture by bounty hunters. John took a bullet in the arm and escaped with the rest of the gang, heading north towards Big Valley.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2

“	Once an orphaned street kid taken under Dutch's wing at the age of twelve, John has always had to live by his wits. Shrewd, fearless and strong-willed, he and Arthur are Dutch’s proudest protégés.	„
	—Rockstar Games' description of John.

Colter Chapter

In their attempt to escape the Pinkertons, the Van der Linde gang continue to flee north and end up caught in a snowstorm in the mountains of Ambarino. While the rest of the gang look for shelter, Dutch sends John and Micah scouting for additional shelter and supplies. Eventually, Abigail becomes concerned when John has not returned after two days. She pleads a reluctant Arthur to find him and, after Hosea steps in, Arthur and Javier set out to find John.

They eventually manage to track him down and find him up in the mountains, badly injured and his horse killed. He reveales that he had gotten lost a day or so prior, ending up on a cliff near the peak of a mountain after being attacked by wolves that badly lacerated his right cheek and nose, giving him his signature scars. They proceed to bring him back to safety, although Morgan is forced to fend off several wolves that had come after the trio while Escuella carried Marston on his horse.

Once they return to Colter, Abigail scolds Marston for his actions, and he is left to recover during the rest of their stay. At some point afterwards, John asks Dutch if he can join the train robbery crew, but Dutch refuses and tells him that he needs to rest. During the ride out of the mountains, John is seen being loaded up in a stretcher onto a wagon, with his face still covered in bandages and badly injured.

Horseshoe Overlook Chapter

John at Horseshoe Overlook.

After recovering from his injuries, John, along with Arthur and Bill, assaults an O'Driscoll hideout at Six Point Cabin, using information given by Kieran Duffy, a former member of the O'Driscolls. John takes Kieran on his horse, and they arrive at a forested area outside of the camp. The three take out some of the O'Driscolls silently, before a shootout ensues. The three emerge victorious, and after Kieran saves Arthur's life, John and Bill convince Arthur to let him stay, and the two take him back to camp.

Later, John partakes in Sean's homecoming party, where he becomes drunk and fights with Abigail. It is possible for him to alos drunkenly flirt with Karen Jones during this event.

John, Arthur, and Charles (before being joined by Sean) rob a train passing through Scarlett Meadows. They manage to steal a Cornwall wagon and put it on the tracks to force the train to stop. During the robbery, John deals with the passengers, carrying a loot bag for them to put their valuables in. However, the law shows up quickly, prompting suspicion from John, although they still manage to make off with the money.

Around this time, John and Dutch's relationship becomes more tense, due to the former having witnessed the latter’s actions in Blackwater, leading to some friction. As a result, he begins doubting Dutch's stability and rhetoric.

Following the train heist, John devises a plan to steal a herd of sheep from Emerald Ranch and sell them at the Valentine auction, enlisting Arthur's help. After successfully negotiating a price with suspicious auctioneer Morris Peyton, the pair rendezvous with Dutch and Leopold Strauss at the nearby saloon. Dutch sends John and Strauss to collect the payment for the stolen sheep while he and Arthur grab a drink. However, Leviticus Cornwall and his hired guns intercept Marston and Strauss and hold them hostage. Arthur and Dutch rescue them, before fighting their way out of Valentine. The gang then promptly picks up camp and leaves the area, while John sneaks back into the auction yard to collect the money.

Clemens Point Chapter

As part of the gang's ongoing scheme to scam the feuding Gray and Braithwaite families, Dutch initially directs John to accompany Hosea in selling stolen moonshine for the Braithwaites. Dutch later changes his mind and instructs John to look into a business opportunity with the Grays instead.

Thus, John, Javier, and Arthur make a deal with the Grays, in which they will steal the Braithwaites' prized horses and sell them for five thousand dollars. The three of them talk their way into the grounds, before subduing the stable-hand and stealing the horses. John takes the lead during the escape and arrives at the horse fence in Clemens Cove. There, the trio sell the horses to Clay Davies, who informs them that they have been deceived and that the horses are only worth a meager seven hundred dollars.

When Jack is kidnapped by the Braithwaites in retaliation, a furious John takes part in the assault against Braithwaite Manor in the hopes of rescuing him. After razing the manor, Catherine Braithwaite informs the gang that Jack is being held hostage by Saint Denis kingpin Angelo Bronte.

Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross locate the gang's camp soon after. Milton promises John and the rest of the gang amnesty in exchange for Dutch, to which they refuse. Milton promises to return with fifty men, forcing the gang to relocate. Hoping to set up a new camp there, John and Arthur travel to Shady Belle and clear out the remaining Lemoyne Raiders. After dumping the bodies in the nearby swamp, John goes back to direct the gang to the new camp. During this time, John reflects on his poor parenting, now determined to be a better father to Jack in the future.

Saint Denis Chapter

John readying his draw against Bronte.

John, Arthur and Dutch break into Angelo Bronte's mansion in search of Jack. Bronte offers the boy's freedom in exchange for riding the Saint Denis Cemetery of grave robbers. Arthur and John then kill the grave robbers and sneak away from the scene after the police arrive. When they return to Bronte's mansion, Dutch is there waiting for them, along with Jack. They then head back to camp, and the gang throw a party to celebrate Jack's return. During the party, John, wanting to be a more active husband and father, suggests to Abigail that she and Jack sleep in his room from now on.

John's relationship with Dutch begins to deteriorate after Jack returns. Dutch begins to worry that John is becoming too close to his family, and that Abigail is turning John against him. In turn, John begins challenging some of Dutch's decisions.

When Bronte sets the gang up by giving them a faulty roberry tip, John and the other gunmen storm his mansion in retaliation. Inside the house, John finds Bronte and knocks him unconscious, and brings him onto a boat with the rest the gang. Although Dutch planned to hold Bronte ransom, he quickly loses his temper and feeds the crime boss to an alligator instead. Dutch's actions shocked John, further eroding his faith. During the failed bank robbery in Saint Denis soon afterwards, John is arrested and incarcerated in Sisika Penitentiary.

Beaver Hollow Chapter

After Dutch and four others travel back from Guarma, Arthur scouts the penitentiary using a hot air balloon and locates John. Arthur and Sadie Adler soon manage to bust John out of prison and take him to the new camp in Beaver Hollow. However, Dutch berates Arthur and Sadie for freeing John earlier than intended, despite there having been talk of hanging him. Dutch begins to develop paranoia, now convinced that John is a traitor. John also mentions to Arthur that Dutch witnessed his arrest in Saint Denis but did nothing to stop it. With tensions in the gang at an all-time high, other members of the gang such as Bill and Javier also suspect that John is a turncoat.

On orders from Dutch, John and Arthur blow up Bacchus Bridge with stolen dynamite. During this operation, Arthur convinces John that he and his family should run away from the crumbling gang, once they have enough money. The two begin making plans, and John informs Arthur that Abigail knows where the gang's money stash is. The urgency of escape intensifies as Dutch continues to descend into madness, with Micah increasingly feeding his worst impulses. John is later present with the rest of the Van der Linde gang during the battle against the U.S. Army at the oil fields.

John takes part in the final robbery of the Van der Linde gang, which involves robbing army payroll from a train. When uncoupling a burning train carriage, John gets shot in the shoulder by a train guard and falls off the train. Dutch goes back to save him, but ultimately decides to leave John to die. After the robbery, John is presumed dead by the rest of the gang.

When rescuing Abigail (who had been captured by Pinkertons), Arthur and Sadie learn from Agent Milton that Micah had betrayed the gang, having fed information to the Pinkertons since the gang's return from Guarma. Arthur has Sadie accompany Abigail to safety at Copperhead Landing, where Tilly and Jack are hiding, while he goes to camp in order to confront Micah. During a stand-off between Micah and Arthur about the former being a traitor, John makes a shock return, still injured, accusing Dutch of leaving him to die. John and Susan Grimshaw side with Arthur, while the rest of the gang sides with Dutch and Micah. Susan threatens Micah at gunpoint, but he kills her while she’s distracted by the news of the Pinkertons' arrival. Dutch then draws his revolvers and demands to know who is "with" him, and who is "betraying" him, ultimately leading to the gang uniting behind him and against Arthur and John, holding the two at gunpoint. Before the pair can be gunned down by the others, the standoff is interrupted by a Pinkerton assault on the camp, forcing the gang members to scatter.

John and Arthur flee the area using the caves underneath the camp. Once they get out of the caves and try to escape through the forest, Arthur tells John that Micah was the rat and that his family are safe at Copperhead Landing. They are then forced to run while being pursued by Dutch, Micah, Cleet and Joe, who declare that the pair are traitors. After John and Arthur outrun their pursuers, their horses are shot from under them. It becomes clear that the whole area has been surrounded by Pinkertons and their chances of getting out alive are slim, forcing Arthur to make a decision. The following set of events will depend on the player's choice:

If Arthur helps John to escape: Arthur decides to ensure that John will get back to his family at all costs, so the two decide to traverse the mountains — with the Pinkertons on their tail. John and Arthur fight their way to the top of the mountain until Arthur decides that, due to his illness, he can no longer push forward, so he suggests that he stays behind to distract the Pinkertons while John makes his escape. Arthur gives John his hat and satchel, while John acknowledges Arthur as being his “brother”, and reluctantly continues on his way to his family while Arthur fights off the Pinkertons alone.

If Arthur goes back for the money: Arthur claims that the gang's money was left at the camp's caves, but John refuses to go back there, as he needs to get back to his family. Arthur then gives John his hat and satchel, saying his final goodbyes as the two friends part ways, with John leaving the area to reach his family while Arthur goes back to the camp to get the money.

Either way, John manages to escape and reunite with his family along with Sadie and Tilly at Copperhead Landing, while Arthur dies, either from his Tuberculosis or from being killed by Micah. Sadie and John vow to one day kill Micah for his treachery, should they ever find him.

Post-Gang Years

After departing with Sadie in 1899, John and his family planned to live an honest life. Wishing to buy some land, they moved to the Yukon to take part in the ongoing gold rush, but failed to turn a profit. With little money and a price on John's head, the Marston family would spend the next few years wandering the northern states. Due to John repeatedly blowing his cover, they could rarely stay in one place for longer than a few weeks. In 1907, John shot a man in Roanoke Ridge who he claimed attempted to rob him. However, John would later admit that he murdered the man based off of a suspicious gaze. The family would travel the countryside for the next few months to avoid detection by the law. Over the years, John's inability to maintain to a legitimate profession would heavily strain his relationship with Abigail and Jack.

Pronghorn Ranch Chapter

John Marston in "The Wheel".

In June of 1907, the Marston family arrives in Strawberry to try their luck. There, Abigail and Jack land a job in the town clinic. Meanwhile, John, under the pseudonym "Jim Milton", temporarily gets a job working for Coopers General Store, delivering goods to David Geddes at Pronghorn Ranch. John arrives at the ranch on time and fends off the Laramie Gang, who have been harassing the ranch hands. Shortly after, Geddes hires him as a ranch hand. News of John's clash with the Laramies angers Abigail, who worries that he will not be able to remain incognito.

Nevertheless, Abigail and John manage to get by with their newfound life. John helps Mr. Geddes and ranch foreman Tom Dickens with more work, such as milking cows, birthing foals and building fences around the property. He also teaches David Geddes' youngest son, Duncan, how to tame and ride a horse. At Abigail's request, John makes an effort to connect with Jack, teaching him how to ride a pony taking him on a trip to retrieve mail from Strawberry Depot.

After collecting a package at the post office, John and Jack are followed by three men connected to the incident in Roanoke Ridge. John is forced to kill them, triggering Jack's anxiety. After they return to theranch, Abigail becomes increasingly worried after seeing Jack anxious and John failing to keep his promise to her. This concern ignites after the Laramies attack the Pronghorn Ranch and steal cattle. John and the ranch hands assault Hanging Dog Ranch, where they successfully retrieve the cattle from the gang. John also kills their leader for mocking him.

The event angers Abigail and she leaves John quietly the next morning, taking Jack with her. John continues to work at the ranch and after some time, he asks Mr. Geddes to put good faith on his name so that he can borrow loans from the bank and buy a plot of land. Hoping to convince Abigail he's changed, John takes on a loan from West Elizabeth Co-Operative Bank in order to buy Beecher's Hope, with the intention of turning it into a ranch.

Beecher's Hope Chapter

John successfully buys Beecher's Hope after clearing away squatters living there. He reunites with Uncle in Blackwater and Charles in Saint Denis, who help Marston build his ranch, as well as Sadie in Valentine, who provides him with various bounty hunting jobs to pay off his bank loans. Abigail and Jack head back to John after receiving a letter from him. John spends more time with his family, such as fishing with Jack and Rufus, and visiting Blackwater with Abigail. During their trip to town, John successfully proposes to Abigail on the lake.

John confronting Micah's gang.

Eventually, Sadie discovers a lead regarding Micah's whereabouts. She enlists the help of Charles and John, who agrees despite Abigail's pleas. In order to find their nemesis, the trio track down Cleet in Strawberry, who reveals that Micah and his gang are located on Mount Hagen. The player can then decide whether to hang Cleet or spare him, though the latter results in Sadie killing him instead. The three journey to Mount Hagen, where Charles and Sadie both sustain injuries; with Charles getting shot in the shoulder by a sniper and Sadie being stabbed in the abdomen during a scuffle with one of Micah's henchmen. John is forced to continue on without them. He soon confronts and kills Joe, before eventually finding Micah. A shootout ensues between the two and they end up in a deadlock, which ends when a wounded Sadie appears and holds Micah at gunpoint. However, Dutch makes a sudden appearance, emerging from a cabin with his revolvers drawn, providing an opening for Micah to subdue Sadie and hold her hostage.

A three-way standoff develops between John, Micah and Dutch, with Dutch initially appearing to be on Micah’s side. After an exchange of words between the three, Dutch shoots Micah in the chest, mortally wounding him and freeing Sadie. Enraged, Micah tries to shoot Dutch and John in a last-ditch effort, but John outdraws Micah and shoots him numerous times, killing him. Dutch then takes his leave without saying a word, ignoring John's attempt to thank him. Marston subsequently finds the Blackwater ferry robbery money stash and returns to the ranch with Charles and Sadie. Afterwards, with his mortgage having been paid off thanks to the money stash, John formally marries Abigail, with both looking forward to living a new life on their ranch with Jack.

Sadie and Charles leave Beecher's Hope and the Marston family on good terms. Meanwhile, Edgar Ross, the newly appointed head of the Bureau of Investigation catches wind of the events on Mount Hagen and goes to investigate, finding Micah's frozen corpse and no trace of the missing Blackwater money. Alongside his new subordinate, Archer Fordham, they begin a manhunt for the culprit, questioning various people until they trace the murder to John's location at Beecher's Hope. John continues working on his ranch with his family for the next few years, unaware that his revenge on Micah meant the Bureau knew exactly who he was and where to find him.

Post-Redemption 2

After paying off his bank debt, John would spend the next few years working as a rancher, hoping to put his past behind him. During this time, John hunted a massive bear in Tall Trees.

At some point prior to October 1911, John and Abigail would have a daughter, who died of unknown causes.

Events of Red Dead Redemption

“	Our hero is a failed apostle. He is a man who fell in with Dutch van der Linde's vision, until he saw it become insane. And, he gave up his former life to become a farmer and a family man. John grew up in a rough orphanage and started stealing and killing when he was young. Dutch saved him from a hanging and educated the illiterate Marston. He taught him ethics and a love of nature, a belief in things other than violence- other than power. John never really believed he could escape his past, especially after the killing on the train, but spent three years trying. Now, his past has returned in the form of a government agency that is hell-bent on solving these murders and is prepared to use his family to do so. He is a man who understands that human beings change, and that the world cannot be held up by one man's dreams. He is both Van der Linde's greatest success, and his ultimate undoing.	„
	—Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition Guide

John walking beside Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham, during the mission "Exodus in America."

Four years later in 1911, the old American West is dying. Encroaching technological advances such as railroads, telegram offices, and stronger law enforcement begin to integrate themselves into western society. The federal government wants the Bureau of Investigation to aid in the process of civilizing the west by ridding the region of all of the savage gangs running wild and unchallenged, especially that of Bill Williamson and Dutch van der Linde. Not wanting to make martyrs out of them, Ross decides to use an ex-associate of Williamson's that the Bureau had been watching to hunt him down: former outlaw John Marston. By kidnapping John's wife and son, Ross forces him to comply. Thus, John is forced to roam the frontier once again to protect his family.

New Austin

In October of that year, John arrives in Blackwater on the ferry Morningstar and is escorted by Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham through town to be sent off by train to Armadillo. Once there, John finds a guide named Jake hired by the local marshal in the saloon. The talkative guide questions Marston about his motives but gets no answers in return. He leads John to the walls of Fort Mercer, the main hideout of the Williamson gang. In confronting his old friend, Marston tries to reason with Williamson in giving up peacefully, but Williamson taunts John for his vocabulary, proudly proclaiming that he is now in charge of his own gang. John reaches for his revolver but gets shot in his lower right torso by one of Bill's men.

After suffering through the night and eventually passing out on the side of the road, Bonnie MacFarlane and her ranch hand Amos find John and take him to Nathaniel Johnston's doctor office in Armadillo. After treating his wounds, Bonnie provides John with lodging, food, and drink, on condition he helps her around the ranch.

John works off his debt of $15 and his life to Bonnie and her father Drew MacFarlane by doing various ranch jobs such as night patrol, cattle-herding, and horse-taming. However, Williamson finds out that John has survived and is staying at the MacFarlane Ranch, and orders his gang to set the barn on fire. John rescues the trapped horses and Bonnie promises to sell him some cattle when he settles on his ranch again.

John and his allies prepare to assault Fort Mercer.

After assisting U.S. Marshal Leigh Johnson with various jobs in and around Armadillo, John and the Marshal begin to plan an assault on the fort. To gather a posse and the necessary resources to conduct the attack, John works with snake oil salesman Nigel West Dickens and, through him, Irish and Seth Briars. However, their plans are temporarily delayed when Bonnie MacFarlane is kidnapped, to which John volunteers to help Marshal Johnson save her from being hanged. After saving Bonnie, John and his allies carry out an assault on Fort Mercer, using a "Trojan Horse" strategy by sneaking John and a Gatling Gun inside the fort in Dickens' wagon. West Dickens gives them a lecture about what is inside his "miracle" wagon, before rapping sharply on the side of the wagon to signal John, who shows himself and kills most of the outlaws while assaulting the fort. However, after the battle, the crew discover that Williamson had fled the previous morning and went into exile in the Mexican province of Nuevo Paraíso with Javier Escuella.

Nuevo Paraíso

Irish escorts John south of the border to the Mexican province, Nuevo Paraíso, where he meets the region's provisional governor, Colonel Allende, and his subordinate right-hand man, Captain de Santa. He is forced to work for them to gain information on Williamson and Escuella. At the same time, John encounters the aging famed gunslinger Landon Ricketts who teaches him new gun fighting skills and commits raids on the Mexican Army. Marston also aids Abraham Reyes and Luisa Fortuna, two lover revolutionaries working to overthrow Allende and their president, General Sanchez, with numerous revolutionary attacks. He attempts to extract any information possible from both Allende and Reyes regarding the whereabouts of Williamson and Escuella.

However, Allende, aware of John's loyalties, betrays John and has his men attempt to kill him. However, Reyes and his rebels arrive in time and rescue John before he is to be executed. John kills Captain Espinoza in the ensuing battle and sides with Reyes in the revolution. After Captain De Santa is dealt with, John participates in an attack on El Presidio. Marston confronts Javier and holds him at gunpoint, although Javier manages to escape. Marston pursues him, and Javier is either killed or captured by John in the ensuing struggle. Dead or alive, Javier is handed over to the newly arrived Ross and Fordham. Eventually, the rebels lead an attack on Allende's villa. In the midst of the bloodshed, Luisa is gunned down by Allende's men, although she is avenged when John kills Raul Zubieta and two of his soldiers in retaliation. As the rebels storm the villa, Allende and Williamson, who was also seeking protection from the Army, make their escape. They are subsequently hunted down and killed by Marston and Reyes, allowing the rebels to take over Nuevo Paraíso and make plans to march on Mexico's capital, continuing the revolution. With Williamson dead, John is required to head back to Blackwater in America to meet with agents Ross and Fordham once again.

West Elizabeth

Though John's business with Williamson and Escuella is over, Ross informs him that he still needs to subdue Dutch van der Linde, the former leader of the Van der Linde gang, if he wishes to get his family back. John, along with Ross, Fordham, and other Bureau Agents, engage in several skirmishes with Dutch and his gang of Natives across West Elizabeth, but fail to capture or kill Van der Linde. Marston also works with incompetent Yale Professor Harold MacDougal and Native American informant Nastas in tracking Dutch down. Eventually, John and the Bureau of Investigation join forces with the American Army in ambushing Dutch's hideout. He confronts Dutch himself, who warns John that the government will find a new "monster" to justify their pay. Rather than dying or being taken captive by John, Dutch chooses to commit suicide by falling from a cliff.

After the raid, John is released by the government and finally reunites with his family at their ranch in Beecher's Hope. He settles down with his wife Abigail and sixteen-year-old son Jack, along with old family friend Uncle, and attempts to return to a crime-free life as a farmer and rancher with his family. In order to get the ranch going, he returns to MacFarlane's Ranch to purchase some cattle, breaks some horses with Uncle, and goes out hunting with Jack, even saving him from a bear in one instance.

However, as per Dutch's warning, Ross double-crosses John. He, along with the Bureau, US Army, and U.S. Marshals, launch an attack on the Marston ranch. Uncle is killed during the shootout, while John and Jack continue holding off the attackers. John tells Abigail and Jack to run while he stays behind in the barn to defend them. Knowing that the chances of survival for John are slim, Abigail and John seal their love with a passionate kiss before the former rides off. In the end, John realizes that the only way to save his family from the government's crosshairs is to lay down his life.

John's last stand.

John sacrifices himself in a last stand against Ross and his men. After exiting the barn and standing before a large firing squad, he draws his pistol and takes out as many men as he can until they open fire on him. Still standing, breathing harshly and with multiple bullet wounds on his body, he drops his revolver, falls to his knees, and then eventually collapses back to the ground. As Ross watches Marston dying, he callously lights a cigar, satisfied with knowing that the final member of the Van der Linde gang is dead, before departing with his men. Abigail and Jack, presumably upon hearing a sudden ceasefire, return to find John's body in a pool of blood, riddled with bullet holes. They bury him up on top of the hill overlooking the ranch, next to Uncle. His grave is inscribed "Blessed are the Peacemakers."

Epilogue

John's grave overlooking Beecher's Hope.

John's death at the hands of Ross is a poetic end to his life. His journey has been about what he would do for his family: he kills for them, he helps swindle people in order to get to Bill Williamson, he works for both sides of the Mexican Civil War, he tortures a man with a prolonged beating to get information about Javier Escuella, he confronts the man who raised him, and in the end, he sacrifices himself to save his family so they could lead a better life - the reason he sought redemption in the first place. By his death, he knew that Ross wouldn't persecute Abigail or Jack any longer, allowing them to start life fresh, allowing Jack the chance to grow up without the brutality and violence that shaped John's early life.

In 1914, three years after John was killed, Abigail dies from unknown causes. An older Jack, now a mirror image of his father, buries her up on the hill next to John and Uncle's graves. From then on, he is playable throughout the remainder of the game, retaining all of his father's weapons, clothes, money, horses, houses, and fame/honor. Despite his father's sacrifice, Jack begins his adult life on the path of an outlaw; he tracks down and kills Edgar Ross in a duel, avenging John's death.

Events of Undead Nightmare

Note: The events of Undead Nightmare are not considered part of the same canon as Red Dead Redemption. The following description is therefore not contiguous with the preceding section on Red Dead Redemption.

West Elizabeth

In Undead Nightmare, John Marston, the protagonist, rides to Beecher's Hope, the Marston family ranch, while on a wagon. In the house with his wife, Abigail, and son, Jack, they are all talking about general things, like a book Jack is reading. However they mention that Uncle hasn't returned from what he was doing yet. John states that because of the current storm, and that Uncle has probably sheltered in a dry place nearby waiting for the storm to subside.

As John and Abigail sleep, Uncle arrives in their bedroom, hideous in appearance, with moldy skin and blood marked across his body. John heads to a nearby shed on the ranch to grab his gun. When he returns, Uncle has bitten Abigail in the neck. John shoots Uncle in the head and tends to Abigail. Jack comes outside and tries to help his mother, leaning towards her. Without hesitation, Abigail bites Jack in the neck, and turns into an Undead, while turning Jack into an Undead as well. John then has to hogtie both of them, and after giving them both a plate of food, he leaves them in the house and sets out to find a cure, simply brushing the problem as a "fever".

John goes to Blackwater, the buildings lit on fire and coded with text like "We are all going to hell", or "God save us". He quickly finds Professor MacDougal, who returned from Yale to document the undead infestation. MacDougal is ambushed and killed by an undead Nastas, with John killing the undead Nastas and eventually MacDougal. He is forced to clear out Blackwater and look for more survivors. He finds a family on a roof, but as they're more interested in arguing with each other, they are of no help. John finds another group of survivors, who give him various theories for how the plague started, including a "snake oil merchant" and a "freak with a glass eye".

If John goes to Tanner's Reach, he will meet a hunter who claims to have just shot a Sasquatch and makes him hunt the elusive creatures. Eventually, John learns that his hunting has doomed the Sasquatches and the last one there asks John to kill him because his family is dead. John can choose to kill him or not.

New Austin

If John decides to follow the "snake oil merchant" lead, he will find Nigel West Dickens in Fort Mercer, trying to sell his elixir as a cure and repellent to the plague. John, however, forces Nigel to stop selling it, and Nigel, though annoyed by Marston's interference, complies and hands out free samples to see if they like it. The elixir, however, is actually more of a bait, and the drinker is killed by zombies soon after drinking. Nigel is disappointed and asks John to retrieve ingredients to see if he can make a better cure. He also gives John some of the elixir to use as bait. After John returns with the ingredients, Nigel makes a phosphorus coating with it, and then asks John to find him some old parts he needs. After John finds the parts, Nigel uses them to make a Blunderbuss, telling John that it is the ideal weapon for zombie killing. He also tells John that he is trying to get to Mexico and should be in Solomon's Folly in a few days. At Solomon's Folly, John finds out that all paths to Mexico are blocked, and that Nigel has no way of getting to Mexico. However, Nigel tells John that if he gets a U.S. Army uniform from some deserters, he can sneak on a train manned by the U.S. Army that is headed to Mexico. Nigel goes off and John doesn't meet him again.

If John decides to follow the "freak with a glass eye" lead, he will find Seth Briars in The Old Bacchus Place, playing cards with an undead Moses Forth. John asks Seth if there's a cure to the plague, and Seth tells him to clear the graveyards. After John clears out three graveyards and goes back to Seth, Seth tells him that the cause of all this has something to do with the Aztecs, "Or, or Incas" and tells him to head down to Mexico if he wants to cure the plague.

In MacFarlane's Ranch, John meets Bonnie MacFarlane, who tasks him with trying to find her father, Drew MacFarlane in the barn, although she tells him he has been in there for more than a day. John finds Drew in the barn, zombified. John is forced to kill Drew, and he goes to Bonnie and tells her what happened.

In Plainview, John finds D.S. MacKenna, who tells John to bring him a Retcher, because MacKenna desires to make a zombie movie, aimed at "the lowest common denominator". Once John does so, MacKenna sets it and another zombie loose, and they both proceed to attack him, who is then turned into a zombie. John can kill all three of them.

In Armadillo, John meets Marshal Leigh Johnson, and Johnson asks John to find Eli and Jonah, who have been missing for a few hours. John finds Eli eating Jonah, and they both attack John. John then has to kill them both, and tell Johnson the news. Johnson also gives John a Sawed-off Shotgun.

In Fort Mercer, John sees an Army Captain posting up a missing persons poster for Millicent Waterbury. The captain asks John to find the girl, and John finds Millicent in Pleasance House, where zombies are trying to attack her. After John saves Millicent, they head back to Fort Mercer and the captain thanks John and tells him that there are more missing persons if he wants to help them.

If John heads to the deserters, he finds them being attacked by zombies, he can either help them and earn the uniform, or steal it and suffer the consequences. After John obtains the uniform, he can head to the train, where he finds the U.S. Army being lightly hassled by zombies. After John helps them clear it out, the train heads to the border. At the border, the captain tells them all to get off and clear the roadblock. However, they are attacked by zombies and the U.S. Army retreats, leaving John to kill the zombies. After he has dealt with them, John can man the train and smash through the roadblock into Mexico.

Nuevo Paraíso

In Nuevo Paraíso, John finds that Mexico is actually in worse shape than America, and he heads to Las Hermanas, where he meets the Mother Superior. She tells John that the other nuns are not as resourceful as her, and that he needs to head inside Las Hermanas and save the town. After doing so, Mother Superior thanks John and John asks her why the plague is happening. She tells John that she needs a normal undead to really find out. After John brings her a normal undead, Mother Superior tells John that she suspects evil, and she pours Holy Water on the zombie, who is briefly bathed in blue flame, but is not killed. She asks John if he can clear out the Sepulcro graveyard for her, and she gives him Holy Water. After he returns, Mother Superior tells him that a woman told her that the cause of all this is because of something Abraham Reyes has done. John is then tasked with heading to Escalera and finding out what's really causing all this.

In Casa Madrugada, John meets Landon Ricketts, who is busy ridding the town of zombies. Landon seems to be holding off all the zombies by himself, and Landon tells John that if he can find something that attracts the zombies, he can combine it with dynamite and really kill the zombies quick. After John brings Landon bait and dynamite, Landon combines them and makes Boom Bait, after handing it to John, they say farewells and John leaves.

In Escalera, John finds a woman, who tells him that Reyes is up ahead, John finds Reyes, however, he is zombified and is trying to kill a woman. After John kills Reyes, the woman tells John that the cause of all this is because Reyes' lust for invulnerability made him steal an ancient Aztec mask, and this is why the plague started. They take the mask to the crypt where Reyes found it, and after John places the mask back in the altar, the zombies are returned to normal and John heads home.

Epilogue

Upon heading back to Beecher's Hope, John finds that Abigail and Jack are fine, and they are happy again. A few months later, John is dead. In Escalera, Seth is shown stealing the ancient mask once again, causing the dead to rise again, including John Marston. However, as John was buried with Holy Water, he returns as an undead with a man's soul, allowing the player to still play as him.

Character

Personality

“	I am always honest... maybe not always good... but I'm always honest.	„
	—John Marston to Abigail Marston in "The Wheel"

John has a strong dislike of birds and a rather dull imagination, especially when compared to his son Jack. When it comes to how he feels about religion, in-game quotes suggest that he is likely a Christian who is not overtly religious.  

He is also a fairly serious individual with very little patience for the eccentricities of both life and the various people he meets during the events of Red Dead Redemption. He frequently threatens Irish into sobering up so as to be of some use to him, and he is clearly disturbed/disgusted by Seth's habitual grave robbing. However, he is not above employing sarcasm in conversation with certain characters, particularly those he sees as exhibiting hypocrisy, which can be seen in his interactions with both Abraham Reyes and Agustin Allende. John is also shown assisting both sides of the revolution in Mexico, suggesting he is willing to be morality apathetic to save his family.  

He greatly respects women and refuses to commit adultery yet can be quick to anger and never seems to feel guilty or remorseful about the deaths he's caused both past and present. Despite Dutch leaving him for dead and devolving to a deranged maniac, John still holds respect for him as a former father figure in his life. The familial bond created when Dutch took in an orphaned teenage John is still somewhat evident, as John is noticeably reluctant to kill Dutch when given the chance; even years after his time in the gang, John still has some of Dutch's more progressive, less violent philosophical beliefs, such as viewing modern society to be deeply unfair and having a low opinion of the government. However, John does seem to have matured since his criminal days and is unbending in his desire to live out the rest of his life with his family.

John is also extremely polite to women, often calling Bonnie "Miss MacFarlane" despite her insistence that he call her "Bonnie." He also does anything possible to keep women safe, even pistol-whipping Irish to defend two nuns he was holding up. In contrast to his politeness to women, John is unafraid to take the moral high ground when dealing with less than reputable characters, like Irish with his alcoholism and Nigel West Dickens with his swindling of gullible people. John seems to be one of the only men who is loyal to his wife. He also seems to get irritated when someone mentions his wife's past rather than his own.

Unlike many people of the time, John doesn't hold racist views and even sarcastically mocks those that do. John is also skeptical of new technology, dismissing the automobile as "slow" while preferring a horse. He is cynical of the government as a whole, stating that "most men can't handle power", and explaining to Marshal Leigh Johnson the irony of murder being a crime "unless it's ordered by a court of law". However, John does nothing to solve these supposed problems in government, and instead seems to unintentionally further them. He helps Marshal Johnson murder criminals and aids Abraham Reyes in leading a revolution, the latter of whom ultimately becomes a tyrant after winning power. It seems that John has come to a realization that civilization will always be littered with hypocrisy, violence, unfairness, and corruption. Unlike his former gang members, John stops trying to fight it and instead chooses a path to live a peaceful life as a rancher with a loving family, away from all these problems.

Like other playable characters in the series, John has the capacity for both honorable and dishonorable actions, mostly depending on player choice during gameplay. Within the story of Red Dead Redemption, the extent of John's merciful nature or desire for vengeance is somewhat influenced by the player during key moments. At different points in the story, the player can choose whether to personally kill Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella, and Captain De Santa out of vengeance or simply leave their demise to other characters. However, John is usually depicted as being morally ambiguous with a sense of honor in the context of plot and general personality.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, a younger John Marston is depicted. Unlike his older self, John is seen as having a more apathetic, colder personality towards his family. He avoids his responsibly of being a father to Jack, even believing for a time that Jack wasn't his son and often expressing annoyance at Abigail when she chastises him for this. At one point, John even jokes about his family "seeing corpses" in reference to all the people he's killed, showing that he has no moral qualms around his family. As the Van der Linde gang faces increasingly dire situations, John frequently questions Dutch's plans and the overall morality of the gang. At the same time, John realizes how much of a poor husband and father he's been, due to the growing danger his family are being put in due to his actions, which ultimately causes him to change after his wife and son leave him in 1907.

Appearance

“	I was always ugly, Dutch…it’s just a scratch.	„
	—John Marston, regarding his facial scars

1899

When he first appears, John is shown with huge, bleeding scars on his face from the wolves in the Grizzlies, with a thick, black coat (closed version of the in-game Western Coat). After being rescued, John continues wearing this outfit, but with blood-soaked bandages covering about half of his face. Later on, in Chapter 2, John is seen with stitching where the scars are and wears an orange union suit with either a scout coat or a black leather jacket and dark black pants.

For the rest of the game, he wears a grey shotgun coat with a black shirt, white union suit, an orange leather vest, light grey, striped trousers with the worn gambler hat. He will sometimes be seen only with his black shirt, or sometimes with his white union suit and beige vest. Throughout 1899, John has fairly long, collar-length, right-parted off-black hair and initially has a faint goatee and sideburns, which he slightly grows out into light stubble in Chapter 3.

During "Banking, The Old American Art" and at his wedding in 1907, he wears a dark blue suit with a white shirt and pinstriped vest, an outfit that strongly resembles the Elegant Suit.

While imprisoned at Sisika Penitentiary, he is seen in black and white prison garb and has thick stubble.

1907

Eight years later, John has aged somewhat. His scars have fully healed, leaving two noticeable lines on his cheek and one on his upper lip where his beard was unable to grow back. By default, he has level 1 left parted off-black hair and a thick beard of level 4 length.

John's default outfit throughout the Epilogue is his signature outfit, "The Cowboy", which consists of the denim Gunslinger Vest with a white Cassimere Shirt and white Cotton Suspenders underneath, dark blue Ranch Pants and dark brown Worn Roper Boots with yellow Gerden Spurs. He also sports a red High Neckerchief, a pair of black Range Gloves and his classic hat.

During "The Wheel", John is seen with dark blue trousers, a worn flat cap, red and white buttoned-shirt and his black Western Coat, though he also wears his old gambler's hat and a combination of various pants and shirts While working as a ranch hand at Pronghorn Ranch.

After completing "American Venom", John's default outfit is changed to "The Rancher", consisting of a black Thompson Vest over a grey buttoned-up Flannel Overshirt, brown Ranch Pants, dark brown Worn Roper Boots, black Range Gloves and his classic hat.

While pursuing Micah on Mount Hagen, John will don the outfit, "The Winter Cowboy", which is identical to his normal Cowboy Outfit outside of the addition of a black Western Coat worn on top of the Gunslinger Vest.

After the mission "Motherhood", Marston's appearance can be modified by the player. The player can choose his hair style, clothing, and cleanliness.

Like Arthur, players must also take basic care of John, which in turn influences his weight. A healthy John will retain his stocky appearance. Over-feeding him will lead to weight gain, giving him more health but limiting his stamina, while neglecting nutrition will thin John out, negatively affecting his health but increasing his stamina.

1911

In 1911, John looks older, and his hair is right parted and dark brown, styled very similar to how it was in 1899, but shorter and slightly lighter in shade. His default outfit is his signature striped, grey trousers, a loose-fitting beige shirt, a dark denim vest and his classic hat.

John's Cowboy Outfit sports a few differences from its appearance in 1907. His previously white Cassimere Shirt, which now has its collar buttoned, has turned beige with age, his gloves are tighter fitting, and the lower buttons on his denim vest are unbuttoned. His Ranch Pants also no longer have a sewn-on patch

John's facial hair stays at a permanent short stubble, with the exception of the Gentleman's Attire, where his hair is longer, and his stubble is shaved down to an elegant mustache.

After reuniting with his family, Marston redons his Rancher Outfit, consisting of brown pants, a grey shirt with leather gloves and an undone black vest, along with black boots and his classic hat.

Skills

John in a gunfight.

“	I heard that John Marston depopulated an entire town.	„
	—A bystander describing John's exploits.

Unparalleled with a gun in his hand, John's exploits are the stuff of legend among citizens and outlaws alike. He is is among the most formidable and skilled of Dutch's disciples, boasting over 25 years of experience as career criminal.

Throughout Red Dead Redemption, John leaves a blood-stained path across the frontier, inspiring fear and awe among its denizens. By the time he returns from Mexico, John's reputation is such that he is the first person lawmen and pedestrians attribute the destruction of local gangs to. Amateur gunslingers, aware of his fame, will challenge John to streetside duels to prove their skills.

John's marksmanship is peerless, even capable of outdrawing legendary gunslingers such as Emmet Granger, Billy Midnight, Flaco Hernández, and Jim "Boy" Calloway. His speed and accuracy is exemplified during the Valentine Massacre of 1899, where, after being freed from the grasp of one of Levitucus Cornwall's men, John swiftly grabs his captor's falling revolver and shoots another guard in the head with it before he reaches the ground. An expert in a broad variety of weapons, John displays lethal prowess with anything from a rustic bow and arrow to a cutting-edge High Power Pistol. Beyond his talent as a sharpshooter, John is also a proficient demolitionist, able to handle dynamite and the Explosive Rifle with ease. Although not on the level of fellow gang members Arthur Morgan and Charles Smith, John is a dangerous unarmed combatant, able to fell towering individuals such as Bertram in a one-on-one brawl, and exhibits deadly finesse with a Bowie Knife.

John is an cunning leader in battle, able to keep cool under pressure and route numerically superior groups with only a few allies at his side. Examples of this include the attack on Fort Mercer, where he took down nearly the entire Williamson gang with only three other gunmen by his side, as well as the assault on Beecher's Hope, where he held off the U.S. for a considerable amount of time with only Uncle to fight along side him. While partaking in the Mexican Revolution, John spearheads multiple battles. Most notably, while escorting a train to Chuparosa, John fends off a full-scale assualt from the Rebels only a Browning Gun, Espinoza and a small detachment of new recruits as backup. The odds were so stacked against him that the job was believed to be a suicide mission by Captain De Santa.

John's greatest display of dominance on the battlefield is during his final confrontation with Micah's gang 1907. Despite being outnumbered more than twenty to one and possessing a major tactical disadvantage, John single-handedly guns down every single member that crosses his path. John's physical strength and firearm accuracy is so great that it can even appear supernatural to laymen, such that Nigel West Dickens used John's capabilities as a selling point for his elixir.

John's time riding with the gang has made him a seasoned outdoorsman. He can track, hunt and skin animals with proficiency, and is a master equestrian. John is also a skilled herdsman. After only a short period of time at MacFarlane's Ranch, he is able to round up and lead multiple animals such as a herd of cows with ease.

However, unlike his former mentors Dutch and Hosea, and his late partner Arthur, John shows little skill at hiding in plain sight. During the Epilogue, John raises constant suspicion at Pronghorn Ranch, failing to speak his fake name correctly after accidentally giving out his real first name and having his inexperience as a farmhand readily apparent. John later gives his real name in the post office at Strawberry knowing he is a wanted criminal, leading to him being recognized by a man whose brother he killed. After meeting Sadie in Valentine, she even ridicules John's alias, which he recognizes is too revealing.

Dead Eye Targeting

Like other protagonists in the Red Dead series, John can use the trademark Dead Eye ability to slow time to a crawl and carefully pick out shots to cripple or kill his enemies. In Red Dead Redemption 2, John's use of the ability is also capable of pinpointing critical areas of the target.

Eagle Eye

Introduced in Red Dead Redemption 2 as a representation of John's well-developed survivalist skills, this new gameplay mechanic highlights animal tracks, objectives, and other points of interest, allowing the player to track targets effectively over long distances.

Relationships

Main article: John Marston/Relationships

Mission appearances

Red Dead Redemption

• As the protagonist, he appears in all missions other than the stranger side mission "Remember My Family"

Undead Nightmare

• As the protagonist, he appears in all missions.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• "Enter, Pursued by a Memory"
• "Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall?"
• "Eastward Bound"
• "Paying a Social Call"
• "Pouring Forth Oil I"
• "Pouring Forth Oil III"
• "Pouring Forth Oil IV"
• "The Sheep and the Goats"
• "Advertising, The New American Art"
• "Horse Flesh for Dinner"
• "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern"
• "The Battle of Shady Belle"
• "Angelo Bronte, A Man of Honor"
• "Horsemen, Apocalypses"
• "Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten"
• "Banking, The Old American Art"
• "A Fork in the Road" (voice only)
• "Icarus and Friends"
• "Visiting Hours"
• "The Delights of Van Horn"
• "The Bridge to Nowhere"
• "My Last Boy"
• "Our Best Selves"
• "Red Dead Redemption"
• As the protagonist after Chapter 6, he appears in all missions.

Notable Murders Committed

Main missions

Mandatory

• Laramie gang leader - Shot in the head in "Jim Milton Rides, Again?".
• Joe - Shot dead in "American Venom".
• Micah Bell - Shot dead in "American Venom".
• Leander Holland - Shot dead in self-defense in "A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman".
• Alwyn Lloyd - Shot dead in self-defense in "A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman".
• Andreas Müller - Shot dead in a duel in "Lucky in Love".
• The Stranger - Shot dead to save a woman's life in a duel in "Lucky in Love".
• Espinoza - Shot dead in "Cowards Die Many Times".
• Raul Zubieta - Shot dead in a duel in "An Appointed Time".

Optional

• Gerald Braithwaite - Shot dead in "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern".
• Gareth Braithwaite- Shot dead in "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern".
• James Langton - Can be killed in "An Honest Day's Labors".
• Cleet - Can be hanged in "American Venom".
• Walton Lowe - Can be killed in "Political Realities in Armadillo".
• Moses Forth - Can be killed in "Exhuming and Other Fine Hobbies".
• Vincente de Santa - Can be killed in "Captain De Santa's Downfall".
• Javier Escuella - Can be killed in "The Gates of El Presidio".
• Agustin Allende - Can be killed in "An Appointed Time".
• Bill Williamson - Can be killed in "An Appointed Time".
• Archer Fordham - Can be killed in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed".

Stranger missions and bounties

Mandatory

• Emmet Granger - Killed in a duel in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Flaco Hernández - Killed in a duel in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Jim "Boy" Calloway - Killed in a duel in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Mario Alcalde - Killed in a duel in "Eva in Peril".
• Harold Thornton - Killed in a duel in "The Wronged Woman".

Optional

Strangers

• Billy Midnight - Can be killed in a duel in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Anselmo - Can be killed at Flaco Hernández's camp in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Elisio - Can be killed at Flaco Hernández's camp in "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman".
• Edmund Lowry Jr. - Can be killed during "American Dreams".
• Jeremiah Compson - Can be killed after completing "The Iniquities of History".
• Jean-Marc Mercier - Can be killed during "Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners".
• Charlotte Balfour - Can be killed during her stranger mission, unlocked after "A Fork in the Road".
• Jenny - Can be killed after completing "Jenny's Faith.
• Randall Forrester - Can be killed during "American Appetites".
• Andrew Holifield - Can be killed during "American Appetites".
• Clyde Evans - Can be killed during "Water and Honesty".
• Alfred MacAlister - Can be killed after completing "Water and Honesty".
• Basilio Aguirre Olmos de la Vargas - Can be killed during "Aztec Gold".
• Uriah Tollets - Can be killed during "Poppycock".
• Mr. Philmore - Can be killed during "American Lobbyist".
• Aldous Worthington - Can be killed during "American Lobbyist".
• Abner Forsyth - Can be killed during "The Prohibitionist".

Bounty targets

• Lindsey Wofford
• Camille de Millemont
• Bart Cavanaugh
• Elias Green
• Otis Skinner
• Esteban Cortez

Quotes

Main article: John Marston/Quotes

Trivia

General

• John and Abigail share the same first names as the second President of the United States and the second First Lady; John Adams and his wife, Abigail.
• John and Abigail also share the same names with Arthur Miller's characters Abigail Williams and John Proctor, who have a secret relationship in 'The Crucible'.
• The character of John Marston and its story were greatly inspired by Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969). John is mostly based off of former outlaw Deke Thornton, who was portrayed by western actor Robert Ryan:
  • Pike Bishop, the leader of the gang, left Deke for dead after he got shot at by the authorities. Deke was later sent to Yuma and had to endure constant torture for many years while being imprisoned.
  • Deke is coerced into hunting down his former gang members during the closing days of the Old West, in the year 1913, in exchange of his freedom. However, the Railroad Company is responsible for forcing Deke into doing this, not a government agency.
  • The gang considered Deke to be a traitor for "turning states".
  • Thornton finds himself in the middle of a conflict during the Mexican Revolution between the military, rebels and his former gang.
  • Deke Thornton's journey ends when all of the members of his gang are killed.
    • As an addendum, gang member Tector Gorch wears an outfit similar to John Marston's bounty hunter attire, which is most likely where Rockstar got it from.
• John is the first official Rockstar protagonist to be playable in more than one game. The only possible exception could be optional protagonists that can be chosen to have a recurring role in GTA London 1969 and GTA London 1961.
  • Technically John could be second after Max Payne, but Payne was not initially a Rockstar character; the company only developed the third game, whereas they published the first two games by Remedy.

Red Dead Redemption

• Marston and Red Harlow have similar scars and hats. This is due to the fact Rockstar originally intended John to be the son of Red Harlow in the scrapped Red Dead Revolver sequel, with the scars serving as a shared feature between father and son.
• John's parents' relationship with each other is left ambiguous. As his mother was a prostitute, John implied that his father was her pimp, but even then, he still struggled with what to label him.
• John's grave marker reads "Blessed are the peacemakers", signifying his long road to redemption and peace for his family in a lawless land.
  • "Blessed are the peacemakers" is a beatitude that was recorded in Matthew 5:9, in what is called the Sermon on the Mount; Arthur's epitaphs have the same origin.
  • "Peacemaker" is coincidentally a nickname for the Cattleman Revolver, John's starting firearm, giving his epitaph a slight dark irony since it would twist the meaning in "Blessed are the guns".
• Before Red Dead Redemption came out, in the trailers, John looked much younger and thinner.
• Marston, along with Leigh Johnson, Abraham Reyes, Luisa Fortuna, Bonnie MacFarlane, and Drew MacFarlane, sounded different during development.
• John is #2 in Game Informer's "30 Characters who Defined a Decade" list in their December 2010 edition and is also #1 in Game Informer's "Top Ten Heroes" list.
• If the player presses (PS3) or (360) while near Abigail, Jack, Uncle, or Amos, John will tip his hat, as usual, but he won't speak.
• According to Rob Wiethoff in a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption, the way John lies on his back - one leg straight, and the other leg bent, dubbed the "Number Four" position by Wiethoff - was intentionally done as a tribute to his real-life wife, Tayler Wiethoff, which he made sure to portray "as many times as he could" in motion-capture.
  • This is more easily spotted during the mission "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed" when John collapses to the ground.

Undead Nightmare

• Zombie Marston walks and runs lopsided, but when he draws a weapon his stance returns to normal. Also, he walks and runs normally during Multiplayer.
• As per his affliction, other zombies will ignore Zombie Marston until he provokes them (walking too close, shooting them, having a torch out near them, etc.)
• If you look at his head while he is wearing the Undead Cowboy Outfit, you will see what appears to be a bullet hole in his head above his right eye. However, if you change to the Undead Hunter Outfit where he has no headgear, there will be no bullet wound. Perhaps his instant death with a gunshot to the head was a back handed "thank you" for stopping the Undead Nightmare.
• The bullet wound seems to indicate a changing in the events of how John died, as in the main story his head was the only part of his body that wasn't hit by Ross' firing squad, and not only is he wearing a different outfit but the outfit also has no bullet wounds.
• His stance as an undead is the same as it was when he was shot and killed in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed".
• Zombie Marston's left foot appears crooked, indicating that his ankle is broken.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• John has his own theme music that can be heard in various missions where he is involved. He is one of four characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 to have their own leitmotif associated with them, the others being Sadie Adler, Colm O'Driscoll and Angelo Bronte.
• John has unique facial animations when aiming firearms. While Arthur squints both eyes while aiming, John aims with his right eye wide open and his left eye shut.
• When playable, John cannot swim. When entering any deep body of water, his stamina immediately depletes (even if it is fortified), and although the player can somewhat influence his movements, John's health will rapidly drain and he will drown soon after. However, if the player manages to get John as a companion via glitch and enters deep water, John will be able to swim.
  • Interestingly, John's inability to swim, which was a gameplay mechanic, in both the first game and this game, was incorporated into his backstory as him having never learnt to swim. During a camp interaction at Clemens Point, Arthur will comment on how their camp being near the water is making John nervous, which annoys the latter. Moreover, Arthur references John being unable to swim when playing Poker with him.
• When playable, John is able to activate Eagle Eye like Arthur.
• The Dead Eye sound effect for John is different from Arthur's Dead Eye sound effect, with John's being the original effect from Red Dead Redemption.
• If the player antagonizes the camp enough, John may punch Arthur and throw him out of the camp, just like Lenny, Javier, Bill, Sean, and Charles.
• In addition to having poorer quality points of interest, Marston's handwriting also appears messy compared to Arthur's with more errors and words crossed out.
• On the gunbelt he wears when first rescued from the Grizzlies, its holster is a perfect fit for the Mauser Pistol.
  • This is due to his Colter outfit being an identical recreation of Silence's outfit in The Great Silence. Silence duels with a Mauser and uses the holster as a stock in the film.
• As a playable character, unlike Arthur or himself in Red Dead Redemption, John lacks any quotes for when he wants his horse to speed up (i.e. "let's go!" or "giddy up!"). He instead simply clicks his tongue, though he has the appropriate quotes for slowing down the horse.
• The gold rush in the Yukon which John participates in soon after leaving the gang is a direct reference to the real-life Klondike Gold Rush, which took place in the Yukon and ended in 1899.
• The hat John wears in 1899 (before the introduction of his classic hat seen in Redemption) is similar to the hat of Butch Cassidy from the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a movie that all three games took inspiration from. John is similar to Sundance Kid from the movie as both cannot swim.
• John wears four main hats in-game. His worn gambler hat, a new blue version of his gambler hat, his classic hat, and Arthur's hat.
  • Marston's "Worn Gambler Hat" can be saved by getting it knocked off and picking it up in the epilogue.
  • During the Saint Denis bank robbery, he wears a much fancier and elegant version of his gambler hat, with a silver band around the middle.
• Several mission and pre-release images show playable John with his hairstyle as it was in Chapters 1-6, as well as briefly in a flashback during "A New Jerusalem". However, in-game, his hair is by default styled left-parted, similar to Arthur's, and is off-black in color as opposed to being right-parted and dark brown as seen in Red Dead Redemption.
• John reuses Arthur's vomiting noise whenever the player eats Oleander Sage as well as Arthur's stance, walking and running animations at Beecher's Hope.
• During the encounter with the Pinkertons at Clemens Point, when Agent Milton asks John who he is, he replies with 'Rip Van Winkle'. This is a reference to the 19th-century short story of the same name, in which an elderly man falls asleep on a hill and wakes up 20 years in his future.
• In the epilogue, John uses Arthur's torso and leg models. Certain details of his head, such as his neck proportions were significantly altered in order to fit onto Arthur's torso, and his hair models are recolored from Arthur's.
• During the epilogue, if the player returns to any of the previous camp locations, John will get flashbacks from the past and the player will be able to hear quotes from other gang members during the specific chapter that John visits.

Red Dead Online

• "The Clelland" outfit in Red Dead Online is based on his default cowboy outfit.
• The bounty target Gene "Beau" Finley bears a resemblance to John.

Other Media

• John Marston makes a cameo in the character creator of Grand Theft Auto Online. He can be chosen as the player's father, allowing the player to determine their looks based on Marston's and another female's genes.
• He is Gabriel Sloyer's favorite character.

• A parody of Marston's hat appears as an Easter egg in L.A. Noire, also published by Rockstar Games. A Hollywood actor portraying the role of a cowboy is seen wearing it during the game's introductory cutscene.

• A picture of John can be seen on a bike rental stand employee's shirt in the GTA V mission "Daddy's Little Girl".

• John is extremely similar to Johnny Klebitz, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.
  • Both speak with very rough voices and have shady backgrounds, both rode in a gang and were betrayed by their gang's leader after they had gone insane.
  • Both Marston and Klebitz are called 'Johnny Boy' by other characters.
  • Both are canonically killed on screen.
  • Both were killed by a person that they had an uneasy working relationship with, in Marston's case it was Edgar Ross, while in Klebitz's case it was Trevor Philips.
  • When both Marston and Klebitz were killed, their bodies were cradled by the women they loved. In Marston's case, it was his wife, Abigail, while in Klebitz's case it was Ashley Butler. Both Abigail and Ashley would later die as well.
  • Both have a skeptical and hating view of how the US government operates, yet, they are forced to work for a government agent/politician in order to save themselves and the ones they care about (in Marston's case it was himself and his family, and in Klebitz's case it was himself and his club).
  • Both speak a little Spanish through the game.
  • Women of both were "every man's wife" or the gang's whore at some point in their lives.
  • Johnny is able to play cards and arm wrestling, which are activities that can also be done in Red Dead Redemption.
  • Both are pictured wielding a sawed-off shotgun in their official artworks.
  • Johnny is nicknamed 'Cowboy' by Trevor, which might emphasize these similarities.
  • Both have scars on the same side of their face (though John's was caused by being mauled by a wolf, while Johnny's was from a methamphetamine addiction).
  • Both were involved in kidnapping at least once. In Johnny's case it was kidnapping Niko Bellic's cousin, while in Marston's case it was bounty hunting.
  • Both eventually returned "back from the dead" in some form in a Halloween-related content (Marston as a playable zombie in Undead Nightmare and Klebitz as a ghost in San Andreas Mercenaries), except Marston's return happened in an alternative timeline separate from Red Dead Redemption's continuity.
• John's relationship with Abigail has similarities to Michael De Santa's relationship with his wife, Amanda, from Grand Theft Auto V, as both couples separate over the course of their story and later reconcile. In addition, both Amanda and Abigail previously worked as prostitute.

Gallery

Main article: John Marston/Gallery