Mark Johnson is a minor character featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.
History
Background
Years ago, Mark Johnson was a train and stagecoach robber, who was wanted across the American West. He decided to put his past behind him to live with his family, and disappeared for years while he and his wife raised their son. Despite this, he is still a wanted man, and is labeled "at large" by the law.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2
In Rhodes, the player can obtain a wanted poster regarding Mark Johnson, detailing his crimes and whereabouts. The player can subsequently encounter him at Siltwater Strand, where Johnson in seen teaching his son how to ride a horse. When confronted by the player, Johnson asks to say goodbye to his family, before turning around and quietly speaking to his son. Johnson seemingly hands himself in; he doesn't attempt to run away or make any kind of escape when confronted.
Johnson is placed on the back of the player's horse, and the two ride back to Rhodes. However, despite Johnson seeming to have turned himself in without any resistance, he manages to wriggle free of his binds and jumps off the player's horse. As he attempts to flee, armed bandits arrive on horseback and threaten the player, demanding that Johnson is let go. These men are then fought off, and Johnson is hogtied and taken to Rhodes Jail. Here, the player is rewarded $25 by Sheriff Thomas.
A few days later, Johnson's execution can be spectated behind the Sheriff Office. During Johnson's hanging, the player can either watch him hang or kill the lawmen and save his life. If he is saved, Johnson says to the player that he doesn't understand his reasons for doing such a thing. The player responds by telling him to take care of his son, to which Johnson replies by thanking him and saying that he will. If the player does this, they will lose Honor; allowing him to hang will not do so.
Mission appearances
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Trivia
- If Johnson's wife is killed, he becomes outraged at the player.
- Despite being able to kill his wife, the player can not harm or kill Johnson's son, otherwise the mission will fail.
- Various aspects of his character seem to be a play on John Marston:
- His initials reversed are identical to Marston's (MJ for Mark Johnson and JM for John Marston).
- His retirement from a life of crime but remaining a wanted man mirrors Marston's predicament.
- If he is captured by John, his remarks after being thrown in the cell could be seen as foreshadowing Marston's eventual fate.
- If the player does not let him say "goodbye" to his son, the armed bandits do not appear.
- Mark Johnson is hanged despite only having a $25 bounty. This is likely because he is deemed non-threatening and easy to catch.
Gallery
