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| “ | People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven. | „ |
| —John Marston to Bonnie MacFarlane |
John Marston is a recurring character in the Red Dead series, appearing as a central character and the main protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, and as a central character and the secondary protagonist in Red Dead Redemption 2. He is also the main protagonist of the non-canon Undead Nightmare expansion pack.
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.
History
Background
Biography in RDR 2 (click to enlarge)
John Marston was born in 1873. His father was an illiterate Scottish immigrant, who was born on the boat into New York, while his mother was a prostitute, who passed away during John's birth. John's father was blinded in both eyes during a bar fight south of Chicago. His father loved to talk about Scotland and hated the English for what they did to his great-grandparents, although he never met them.
In 1881, John's father died. John was only eight years old at the time and was sent to an orphanage, where he spent the next few years. He eventually ran away and tried to make his own luck living out in the streets. At the age of eleven, John committed his first murder when he shot a man to death, though 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 joined 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 shoot, hunt, gather, read, and instilled him with a love of nature and things other than power.
John had become an outlaw and gunslinger. He ran with Dutch, Bill Williamson, Arthur Morgan, Javier Escuella, and several others, committing robberies, raids, murders, kidnappings, and other crimes across the frontier. Marston, alongside Morgan, quickly became one of Dutch's proudest protégés. Many members of the gang 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.
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. Together they had a son 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 had a lot of difficulties connecting with his son due to doubts as to whether or not he's Jack's biological father as well as fears about his own ability to raise him. Around the time Jack was one year old, John left the gang for a year. His return was met well with Dutch and certain other members of the gang, whilst Arthur Morgan felt betrayed by his actions. A rift between the two steadily grew over the next few years.
The gang continued moving east until they reached Blackwater, where they decided to stay for a while. They picked up new members such as Micah Bell and Charles Smith. Micah ended up encouraging Dutch to pursue a boat heist, which John participated in alongside Javier, the Callander brothers Mac and Davey, and Sean. The heist went wrong when a unit of Pinkerton agents ambushed the gang. Dutch shot a girl named Heidi McCourt in the head during the struggle. 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 leg and escaped with the rest of the gang heading north towards Big Valley.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2
Colter Chapter
After the botched ferry incident in Blackwater, the Van der Linde gang fled north. As they seek shelter in Colter, John and Micah, one of the gang's newest recruits, scout for shelter and supplies. However, Abigail gets concerned when John didn't return to their shelter. She pleads Arthur to find him along with Javier. Arthur and Javier manage to track John down and found him up in the mountains, badly injured and his horse killed. He revealed 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 which badly scratched his right cheek and nose, giving him permanent scars. They proceed to bring him back to safety, although Morgan was forced to fend off several wolves that had come after the trio while Escuella carried Marston on his horse. Once back at their temporary shelter, Abigail scolded Marston for his actions and then was left to heal.
Horseshoe Overlook Chapter
After recovering from his injuries, John along with Arthur, Charles, and Sean rob a train passing through Rhodes. The law shows up almost immediately, prompting suspicion from John, however, they still manage to make off with the money. John and Arthur then go and steal a herd of goats, to sell them at the Valentine auction. When they go to the nearby Saloon to drink after the success, Dutch and Strauss show up. Strauss and John go outside and are captured by Cornwall and his guards. Arthur and Dutch rescue them, before escaping Valentine. They then promptly pick up camp and leave.
Clemens Point Chapter
John, along with Javier and Arthur make a deal with the Grays, in which they will steal the Braithwaite's prized horses and sell them for five thousand dollars. The three of them talk their way into the grounds, before killing the stable-hand and stealing the horses. John will take the lead during the escape until they sell them for a meager seven hundred dollars.
After Jack is kidnapped by the Braithwaites, John takes part in the assault against Braithwaite Manor in the hope of taking back his son. After his son is not at the manor, he grows furious.
Saint Denis Chapter
John along with Arthur and Dutch go to Angelo Bronte's manor, who they learn is holding Jack hostage. In order to get him back, Arthur and John go deal with a group of men robbing graves in the city's cemetery. In exchange, Bronte gives back Jack. Later, when the gang storm Bronte’s manor, John knocks Bronte unconscious with a punch in the face, and later witnessed Bronte being drowned by Dutch, before being fed to an alligator, which John was shocked by. During the failed bank robbery in Saint Denis, John gets captured and sent to Sisika Penitentiary where he is incarcerated.
Beaver Hollow Chapter
After Dutch and the remaining group traveled back from Guarma, Morgan and Sadie Adler scouted the penitentiary using a hot air balloon and manages to bust John out of prison where they returned to their camp in Beaver Hollow. However, Dutch berated Arthur and Sadie for getting John back earlier than intended.
John and Arthur, on orders from Dutch blowup Bacchus Bridge. During this operation, John and Arthur decide to run away from the crumbling gang with John's family, once they have the money.
John joins the final robbery for the Van der Linde gang which involves robbing army payroll from a train. When uncoupling a burning train carriage, John gets shot by a train guard and falls off the train. Dutch tells the gang that he attempted to save John, but it is revealed that he left John to die after John confronts him about it back at camp. He then sides with Arthur against the rest of the gang. After Pinkertons show up, the two flee the area using the caves underneath the camp. Once they get out of the caves, Arthur will decide to stay with John or go back for the money. Whichever method is chosen, Arthur will give John his hat and all of his possessions. If you go with John, Arthur will eventually tell John to run while he holds off the Pinkertons.
Pronghorn Ranch Chapter
Years after the gang disbanded, in 1907, the Marston family have an incident at Roanoke Ridge and headd to a destination unknown. The family plan to lead a good, honest life after leaving Dutch. They arrive in Strawberry to try their luck there where Abigail and Jack land a job in the town clinic and John temporarily working for the general store, delivering goods to David Geddes at Pronghorn Ranch. John arrives at the ranch on time and manages to stop the Laramie boys harassing the ranch. After this, John receives work as a ranch hand for the Geddes. His reunion with Abigail starts uneasy friction after she receives news of John's actions prior to their arrival.
Nevertheless, Abigail and John manage to get by with their newfound life. John helps Mr. Geddes and ranch foreman Tom Dickens with more ranch work such as teaching the David Geddes' younger son named Duncan Geddes how to tame and ride a horse and build fences around the ranch. During these times, John briefly connects with Jack, teaching him how to ride a pony and retrieving mail from Strawberry.
Their journey in getting packages at the post office was not easy after John and Jack were followed by people connected to the incident back at Roanoke Ridge. John is forced to kill them which triggers Jack's anxiety. After they return to their ranch, Abigail becomes increasingly worried after seeing Jack anxious and John failing his promise to her. This concern ignites after the Laramie attack the Pronghorn Ranch, and steal cattle. John and the ranch hands head to Hanging Dog Ranch where they successfully fight the gang and retrieve the cattle. John also kills their leader after he mocks John's work.
The event angers Abigail and she leaves John quietly the next morning. John continues to work at the ranch and after some time, Marston 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. John attempts to buy Beecher's Hope to convince Abigail he's changed, 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 and Charles, who help Marston build his ranch, as well as Sadie, who provides him with jobs to pay off his bank loans. Abigail and Jack head back to John after receiving the letter from him. John spends more time with his family, such as fishing with Jack and Rufus, and going to Blackwater with Abigail. During their trip to town, John proposes to Abigail on the lake.
Eventually, Marston comes across information leading to Bell's location. He, Sadie, and Charles go despite Abigail's pleas not to. In revenge for Morgan's death, Marston tracks down Cleet in Strawberry, who reveals that Micah and his gang are at Mount Hagen. The player can then decide whether to hang Cleet, or spare him, where he will be killed by Sadie instead. The three journey to Mount Hagen, and Sadie and Charles are both injured. John kills Joe during his trek up the mountain, and eventually finds Micah. The two end up in a deadlock, though this is ended when a wounded Sadie appears and holds Micah at gunpoint. However, Dutch makes a sudden appearance, emerging from a cabin and causing Sadie to be held hostage by Micah. A three-way standoff develops between John, Micah and Dutch, with Dutch initially appearing to be on Micah’s side. Eventually, however, Dutch shoots Micah in the chest, mortally wounding him and freeing Sadie. Micah is then gunned down and killed by John. Dutch then takes his leave without saying a word, ignoring any attempt to thank him. Marston finds the gang's old money stash and uses it to fully pay off his mortgage. Afterwards, he formally marries Abigail, with both looking forward to living a new life on their ranch.
Sadie and Charles leave Beecher's Hope and the Marston family on good terms. Agent Ross, the newly appointed head of the Bureau of Investigation catches wind of the events on Mount Hagen and goes to investigate, finding nothing but Micah's 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 discover 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 against Micah had cost him his freedom.
Events of Red Dead Redemption
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
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 Martson 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 Williamson's outlaws.
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.
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, John works with snake oil salesman Nigel West Dickens, and through him meets Irish and Seth Briars. However, their plans are temporarily delayed when Bonnie MacFarlane is kidnapped and John must 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 discovers that Williamson had fled the previous morning and went into hiding in the Mexican province of Nuevo Paraiso 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 runs into 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.
Allende, however, 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 executed. John kills Captain Espinoza 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 echoes Dutch's statement about Angelo Bronte when he says "It's either you or me. The way I see it, it might as well be you". Javier is either killed or captured by John in the ensuing struggle. Eventually, the rebels lead an attack on Allende's villa. Unfortunately, Luisa is gunned down by Allende's men, although she is avenged when Raul Zubieta and two of his soldiers are killed by John in retaliation. The rebels storm the villa, where Allende and Williamson (who was also seeking protection from the Army) escape. They are hunted down by Marston and Reyes, and both are killed by either of their pursuers. Reyes and his rebels take over Nuevo Paraíso and plan on marching to Mexico's capital, fighting for revolution. John heads back to Blackwater in America to meet with Edgar Ross again.
West Elizabeth
Though his business with Williamson and Escuella is over, Ross tells him that he still needs to kill Dutch van der Linde, former leader of John's old gang, or he will continue to keep his family in captivity. John, along with Ross, Fordham and other Bureau Agents meet in several fights across West Elizabeth against Dutch and his gang of Natives, but he escapes capture or death every time. 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 joined the American army in ambushing Dutch's hideout. He confronts Dutch himself, who warns John that the government will always find a new "monster" to justify their pay. Rather than dying or being taken captive by John's hand, 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.
However, as per Dutch's warning, Edgar double-crosses John. He, along with the Bureau and US Army, launches an attack on the Marston ranch. Uncle is killed during the shooting, while John and his son 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 so they can be free.
John sacrifices himself in the last stand against Ross and his men. After exiting the barn calmly 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 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 and is clearly satisfied with knowing that the final member of Dutch's gang is dead. Ross and his men leave the ranch. Abigail and Jack, upon hearing the cease-fire, return to find John's body in a pool of blood. They bury him up on top of the hill overlooking the ranch, alongside Uncle. His grave is inscribed "Blessed are the Peacemakers."
Epilogue
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 certainly kills for them, he helps swindle people in order to get at 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. Sadly, despite his father's sacrifice, Jack possibly still goes on to become an outlaw; he tracks down and kills Edgar Ross in revenge, without hesitation. The path to redemption, it seems, is a hard road to follow.
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 body up on the hill next to John's grave. 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. The rest of Jack's life is shrouded in mystery.
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, is in his 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 storm, Uncle has probably sheltered in a dry place nearby and will stay there until the storm subsides.
Uncle then arrives, hideous in appearance, and attempts to attack them. John heads to a nearby shed 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, but Abigail turns into an Undead because of the bite from Uncle and in turn she bites Jack, turning him 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.
John goes to Blackwater, where he finds Professor MacDougal, who returned from Yale to document the undead infestation. MacDougal is killed by an undead Nastas, however, and John 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
He 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 reveal that he is likely a Christian who is not overtly religious.
John is also extremely polite to women, often calling Bonnie MacFarlane "Miss MacFarlane", even after she has asked him to 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 in the game that is loyal to his wife. He also seems to get angrier when someone mentions his wife's past than his own.
John is a fairly serious individual with very little patience for the eccentricities of the various people he meets during the story. 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, such as Abraham Reyes.
John is very complicated from a moral perspective. He respects women and refuses to commit adultery, yet can be quick to anger and never seems to feel guilty or remorseful about the murders he's committed both past and present. However, he does seem to have matured since his criminal days and simply desires to live out the rest of his life with his family. Despite Dutch leaving him for dead and devolving to a mindless murderer, he still holds respect for him as he was a father figure in John's life. Dutch educated John as a teen and had more of a role in his development than his own biological father. In the end, John is reluctant to kill Dutch despite having numerous chances to do so, displaying the respect he still has for him. John is also shown assisting both sides of the revolution in Mexico, suggesting he is willing to be morality apathetic to save his family.
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 and the government as a whole. He once explains that "most men can't handle power" and explains to Marshal Leigh Johnson the irony of murder being a crime "unless it's ordered by a court of law." Interestingly enough, John does nothing to solve these problems in society, but instead seems to further them. He helps Marshal Johnson murder criminals and aids Abraham Reyes in leading a revolution where he eventually is described as becoming a tyrant. It seems 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.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, a younger John Marston is depicted. Unlike his older self, John is seen having a more apathetic, colder personality towards his family. Avoiding 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. At one point John even jokes about his family "seeing corpses" in reference to all the people he's murdered. As the Van der Linde gang faces increasingly dire situations, John frequently questions Dutch's plans and the overall morality of the gang. While at the same time, recognizing how much of a poor husband and father he's been due to the growing danger his family is being put in due to his actions which ultimately causes him to change after his wife and son leave him in 1907.
Appearance
1899, During his gang member days with the Van der Linde gang John is shown to with long, collar length dark brown hair and a faint goatee. When first encountered during "Enter, Pursued by a Memory", he is horribly bleeding with two later iconic scars running up his right cheek, across the bridge of his nose and one down through the right side of his lips. Later in Horseshoe Overlook, he is seen with stitching where the scars are but they are eventually removed after moving to Clemens Point. His usually attire consists of a grey shotgun coat with an orange vest, black shirt and grey and orange pinstripe pants along with a worn white hat.
During the epilogue, his appearance is completely determined by the player, however, during and after "The Wheel", he has level 1 left parted hair and a level 4 beard. His scars are still prominent however.
While on his mission to find and capture his brothers in arms in 1911, John looks more reminiscent of his gang days with slightly shorter, but still long hair with small amounts of grey if one looks closely, and thick stubble around his fully healed scars. While wearing the Gentleman's Attire, he shaves his stubble down to small mustache and his hair appears longer.
Relationships
- Main article: John Marston/Relationships
Mission appearances
- Red Dead Redemption
- As the protagonist, he appears in all missions.
- 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?"
- "Paying a Social Call"
- "Pouring Forth Oil I" (Boss)
- "Pouring Forth Oil IV" (Boss)
- "The Sheep and the Goats" (Boss)
- "Horse Flesh for Dinner" (Boss)
- "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"
- "Icarus and Friends"
- "Visiting Hours"
- "The Bridge to Nowhere" (Boss)
- "My Last Boy"
- "Our Best Selves"
- "Red Dead Redemption"
- As the protagonist after Chapter 6, he appears in all missions.
Quotes
- Main article: John Marston/Quotes
RDR:GOTY guidebook description
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. Thus, he gave up his former life up 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 mans' dreams. He is both Van der Linde's greatest success, and his ultimate undoing.
Trivia
Red Dead Redemption
- Marston and Red Harlow have similar scars and hat.
- 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.
- "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.
- He, along with Leigh Johnson, Abraham Reyes, Luisa Fortuna, Bonnie MacFarlane, and Drew MacFarlane, sounded different during development. This can be heard here and here.
- 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.
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.
- When falling off of something after going ragdoll, he has a unique animation which gives him more of a shambling appearance.
- 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
- When playable, John is able to swim for a few seconds despite not knowing how. However, John is a poor swimmer compared to Arthur and will drown not long after entering the water.
- John never learned how to swim. This is confirmed by the fact entering water in Red Dead Redemption results in death, and in Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan may say when greeting John at the Clemens Point campsite "Must make you nervous, being around all this water."
- When playable, John is able to activate Eagle Eye, like Arthur Morgan.
- The Dead Eye sound effect of John Marston is different from Arthur's Dead Eye sound effect; similar to the sound in Red Dead Redemption.
- Marston's eyes appear to be blue, while they were brown in the first game.
- If the player antagonizes the camp enough, John will punch Arthur out and throw him out the camp, just like Lenny, Bill, and Charles.
- Dialogue with Sadie during the mission “Gainful Employment” will reveal that shortly after the gang disbanded, John and his family left for the Yukon. Most likely referring to the Yukon gold rush that ended in 1899 as John will further explain that they didn’t earn much from it.
- The hat John Marston wears in 1899 (before the introduction of his classic hat seen in RDR) he wears a hat similer to the hat of Butch Cassidy from the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, a movie that RDRII took some inspiration from.
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.
- Marston's hat appears as an Easter egg in L.A. Noire, also published by Rockstar Games. It can be found at the start of "The Silk Stocking Murder" while following a trail of blood, hidden in a trashcan in an alleyway behind a police officer guarding the crime scene.
Gallery
- Main article: John Marston/Gallery
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