TheRed Dead Redemptionfranchise is one of the mostpopular series in Rockstar Games' historyand in the history of video games. The first game was released in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and the prequel arrived in 2018, albeit with much better graphics and gameplay on PlayStation 4.
RELATED:Red Dead Redemption 2: Challenges To Make The Game Harder
The series featured so many memorable characters, mostly reprehensible, but always memorable. Some were likable despite their moral fragilities, and others were just downright evil, but fans loved to hate them. Rockstar Games took what fans love from the Western genre in popular culture, and turned it into an iconic game with some of the best characters to ever feature in the genre. Here’s a look at the best of a wild bunch of characters.
10Micah Bell
The main antagonist ofRed Dead Redemption 2and a real nasty piece of work, Micah Bell is a character that will go down in history as one of thebest villains in Rockstar games.
RELATED:Most Evil Characters In Red Dead Redemption
Micah is known for crossing lines that not even his gang would cross despite their despicable nature. He’s a shameful narcissist and a truly sadistic outlaw who loves to kill more than anything. When he enters a town called Strawberry, he kills a former friend and his wife, purely to reclaim his prized revolvers.
9Hosea Matthews
A man of many contradictions sums up Hosea Matthews. On one hand, he is a gentleman, on the other, a master thief and con artist. He is a father figure to the protagonist Arthur Morgan and often finds himself getting into bother because of his big mouth.
His relationships with the Van Der Linde crew make him a very important character in the franchise, and fans were saddened when he was killed off.
8Abraham Reyes
One of the most memorable characters to feature in the originalRed Dead Redemptiongame back in 2010 was Abraham Reyes. Players first encounter him when he is kidnapped and sentenced to death. John Marston rescues him and the rest is history.
The epilogue sees Reyes become a dictator. He is alleged to have executed a crowd of protesters which is ironic in relation to when the player first meets him.
7Bill Williamson
Bill Williamson appears in both games in theRed Dead Redemptionseries and is one of the main characters in the second game. He’s a member of the Van Der Linde gang and fans of theopen-world gamelove to hate him.
RELATED:Red Dead Redemption 2: Every Gang, Ranked From The Least To Most Evil
One of the big mysteries about his character is whether he is gay or not. He was dishonorably discharged from the army for what was referred to as ‘deviancy’'. Americans at Rest is a memorable mission, and in one of the funniest lines in the series, when Bill grabs a man and starts a bar fight, Arthur quips “He about to kiss that guy or punch him?”. It’s one of the game’slegendary dark quotesthat relate to his sexuality and adds mystery to this great character.
6Abigail Marston
Abigail Marston is as tough as characters get in this franchise, and she’s one of the best characters to appear in it. She features sparingly in both games but leaves a memorable mark on the overall narrative.
RELATED:Red Dead Redemption 2 Characters Who Deserve Spinoffs
She had humble beginnings as a prostitute before marrying John Marston and became largely responsible for maintaining their ranch. It’s a sad moment when her character dies, but it’s often been suggested that she could feature in a prequel spin-off if it ever came to fruition.
5Rains Fall
Rains Fall is the chief of the Wapiti Indian tribe, and his job and mission is the safety of his tribe in an increasingly dangerous world.
The chief is one of the most haunted characters in theRed Dead Redemptionuniverse. He’s lost many loved ones, all in the service of protecting his people. In the game, he has one remaining son called Eagle Flies. The relationship is strained with his son as they disagree over Rains' pacifist tendencies. It all ends in tears when Eagle is killed in an attack after saving Arthur’s life. It’s a tragic ending to the Rains Falls arc, but he is easily the most decent character in the franchise.
4Dutch Van Der Linde
Another character to feature in both games is Dutch. He is the leader of the Van Der Linde gang and one of the most featured characters in the whole series.
RELATED:Most Frustrating Missions In The Red Dead Redemption Games
Dutch is a fascinating character as he doesn’t see himself as a criminal. The system is corrupt, and he is merely fighting back, in his view. He answers to nobody and wants to steal wealth from others. As a player, it’s hard not to like Dutch, and appreciate his worldview despite it not being morally correct.
3Sadie Adler
Sadie became a fan favorite with her ferocious nature and interesting backstory. In contrast to most of the other characters in this franchise, she had a happy life before the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2. Her husband was murdered and that changed everything for her.
Sadie is a grieving character for the first couple of chapters of the game, but then she gets to grips with her tortured past and comes into her own in a largely male-populated world. She is by far the best female character in the whole franchise.
2John Marston
John Marston was the original protagonist inRed Dead Redemptionand also features as a major character in the prequel,Red Dead Redemption 2. Once a criminal and one of the Van Der Linde gang members, he’s trying to make amends for his tortured past. He does this by killing the members of his gang in order to rescue his family.
RELATED:Games That Would Make Great TV Shows
An interesting fact about the hat he wears in 1899 is that it’s very similar to Butch Cassidy’s hat from the 1969 movie. It’s one of many loving nods toButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidin the series.
1Arthur Morgan
Red Dead Redemption 2is by far the superior game in the series. It was released in 2018, and it improved on every aspect set up in the first game. The protagonist, Arthur Morgan is the best character in the whole series, and fans love to follow him throughout thestory-heavynarrative.
He’s a morally challenged individual like most of the characters in this universe, but he’s also by far the most likable. He has killed so many innocent people and wreaks havoc in every town he sets foot in, but fans still love him because he has a tender side to him. That is the ultimate sign of a three-dimensional character.
