Landon Ricketts

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“	I spent twenty-five years killing men. Look at me now, sitting around here like some low rent would-be messiah. We're relics.	„
	—Landon Ricketts

Landon Ricketts is a Major character featured in Red Dead Redemption.

Background

Landon Ricketts was a famous gunslinger during the height of the Old West, and stories of his adventures and fights were commonplace during John Marston's childhood. He also appeared in many gunfights, including the infamous "Blackwater Massacre" of 1899. Ricketts moved to Chuparosa sometime later for a more "quiet" lifestyle where he serves the people as an unofficial lawman.

Interactions

John Marston meets Landon Ricketts in Chuparosa after he witnesses Marston killing three bandits who try to rob him. He gives him a Schofield Revolver to replace his less powerful Cattleman Revolver, and then he teaches him the third level of Dead-Eye by targeting glass bottles followed by shooting numerous birds in mid-flight. Marston then shows his newly taught skills accompanying Ricketts in retrieving a wagon stolen from the bank by bandits and rescuing a taken hostage.

John Marston meets Landon Ricketts later discussing with a few locals about the whereabouts of Javier Escuella, although they are not certain if the Escuella they are talking about is Javier or not. Marston and Ricketts then go on a mission to retrieve Emilio's sister Luisa Fortuna from the government jail. They are able to get past the guards with the help of Carlos, a butcher in El Matadero, who distracts them so Marston and Ricketts can enter. The pair of gunslingers shoot their way towards Luisa's cell. Ricketts rigs the locked door with dynamite while Marston keeps watch. The two find Luisa barely alive in her cell. Ricketts carries Luisa as he and Marston shoot their way out. They escape on horseback only to be pursued by more Mexican soldiers which are quickly taken care of. They then regroup with Carlos who takes Luisa for medical attention.

Marston meets Ricketts again at the bar in Chuparosa where he is playing poker with Andreas Müller, a German silver prospector and two other Mexican men, Manolo Santador and "The Stranger". Ricketts invites Marston to join them. After a couple of rounds, Muller accuses Marston of cheating to which he declines. Muller gets angry and stands up to pull out his gun which all the other four do the same. Muller challenges Marston to a duel, which he accepts. While walking to the duelling point, Ricketts gives Marston a few tips on duels. Marston successfully kills Muller and then he and Ricketts share a drink using Muller's money. A few moments later, they are interrupted by "The Stranger" who is threatening to slit a girl’s throat with a knife. Ricketts says to be careful as he knows her but Marston manages to shoot "The Stranger" without harming the girl. Four accomplices arrive who start shooting at Ricketts and Marston; the two of them prevail and part ways.

The two meet once again in the bar in Chuparosa, Marston asks him if he has any further information on Javier Escuella but Ricketts has none. Marston tells him his history of the gang he used to run in, they share a few drinks as they discuss their lives. Luisa enters the bar pleading for their help as innocent people are being sentenced to death by Colonel Allende without trial - merely for having an opinion. Ricketts and Marston ambush the convoy of wagons holding the prisoners. They each take control of a wagon, killing the Mexican soldiers who try stopping them. They reach the borderline to America where they are safe from the army and the prisoners are released. Landon Ricketts and John Marston say their farewells as John needs to get back on track with finding Javier Escuella. They never meet again.

Epilogue

In the final issue of the Blackwater Ledger, it is revealed that Landon Ricketts passed away quietly in his sleep, a week before the events of "Remember My Family". The paper stated that with his passing, another piece of the Old West was lost.

Undead Nightmare

In the Undead Nightmare DLC episode, Ricketts is now living in Casa Madrugada, apparently singlehandedly defending the town from Undead hordes, making it a permanent Safe Zone. He will ask you to give him some Undead Bait and some dynamite for him, which he combines to make Boom Bait, which lures zombies over, then explodes.

Landon Ricketts can be killed in the Undead Nightmare expansion. After completion of his mission in Mexico where he made Boom bait for you, you see Ricketts sitting on a chair. If you shoot a bottle near him he will attack you. Then you can kill him, and the story won't be affected at all.

After 100% completion of the Undead Nightmare you can find a zombie Landon Ricketts roaming outside of Fort Mercer.

Mission Appearances

Trivia

His appearance appears to be based on Lee Van Cleef who appeared in a number of western movies, although his voice and signature mustache also bear a strong resemblance to Sam Elliott, particularly his character in Tombstone.
At one point, he was married. This is clear when he states "Thank God my wife died." in the mission "Lucky in Love".
Soon after the quote above, if the player looks under the table when the shot widens as Marston sits down, on Ricketts' right thigh is what seems to be a playing card. Either this is a contraption for keeping an extra card for cheating, or simply a constant glitch in the cinematic. It is most likely a secret card since moments before, Ricketts is seen to be winning a lot of chips and later states he has already beaten Muller. Another reason it could be deliberate is because when Marston cheats (while wearing the Elegant Suit), he briefly puts both hands under the table when switching cards.
Because Landon Ricketts teaches the player level three of Dead-Eye Targeting, this has led some to speculate that he may have also played a role in Jack Marston's training. Surprisingly, when Jack wins a duel he will usually quote "Landon Ricketts: eat your heart out!" hinting a possible connection between the two. However this may have just been a reference to all the duels Landon Ricketts won. However, sometimes Jack will say something along the lines of "Landon Ricketts was my father's friend!" during a shootout. This shows that Jack knew of his father's connection with Ricketts and further adds to the possibility of him recieving some training from him.
His character is based upon John Wayne's character from the movie "The Shootist." Both characters are gunfighters that live past their prime and teach a young upstart how to duel.
In addition to Landon's resemblence to spaghetti western legend, Lee Van Cleef - Ricketts was 63 when he died, living just one year less than Van Cleef himself. If this is accidental or not, isn't safe to say.
On Xbox-Live Marketplace and the PSN Store, Landon is shown as a promo for 'Legends and Killers Pack' although he is not in it.
In the newspaper that can be bought at MacFarlane's Ranch at the beginning of the game, there's an article that states that the last of the great gunslingers went to Mexico. This is probably a reference to Ricketts.
John mentions that Landon was and is the fastest draw in the West, though this is not proven.
On a newswire post Rockstar had this to say "Regarding Landon – well there is bad news and good news… the bad news is that he isn’t in this set of playable characters from the Liars and Cheats Pack. The good news is you have not seen the last of him. Let’s just say he’s been rather busy dealing with some surprising phenomena. More info soon. " This could be hinting an appearance in the Undead Nightmare DLC. A zombie in the background of the upcoming pack appears to be him, without his cap, so the chances are very high. This is confirmed in multiplayer as Zombie Ricketts is one of the characters in the Outfitter. He seems fine in single player though.
He also looks very alike to Revolver/Liquid Ocelot from the Metal Gear Solid Series. Though that is not surprising, as Revolver Ocelot was designed to resemble Lee Van Cleef.
A new version of him depicted as a zombie is a playable character through Undead Nightmare's multiplayer.
Landon Ricketts can be killed in the Undead Nightmare expansion.
His name may be a reference to two players on the soccer team LA Galaxy, striker Landon Donovan and goalie Donovan Ricketts. Galaxy is the closest Major League Soccer team to San Diego, where the game was developed.

Quotes

"I'm a fighter sir, and I'll fight to the end."

Gallery

Hey there, cowboy. This article looks a little bit small.
I reckon you could impress me by contributing to it. Don't be shy now.