TheRed Dead Redemptiongames have huge ensemble casts, including some of gaming’s most memorable characters.Red Dead 1already hinted at some of the people John Marston had known throughout his life, butRed Dead 2blew the doors wide open, introducing almost all of the Van der Linde gang and showing how many kinds of story there are to be told in a world likeRed Dead’s.
There are a few characters from the series that have huge gaps in their stories that would be great to seeRed Dead Redemption 3or a future spin-off game fill in. Here are someRed Dead Redemptioncharacters who most deserve their own game.
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Javier Escuella
Javier Escuella was first introduced inRed Dead 1, where John Marston hunts him to Nuevo Paraiso, Mexico, and either shoots his former friend or turns him over to the authorities. The Javier that John encounters in the first game is brash, conniving, and a far cry from the quiet, respectful man players met as part ofthe Van der Linde gang inRed Dead Redemption 2.
The difference between Javier of 1899 and Javier of 1911 struck many fans as odd, but the time between these games creates a great opportunity to tell Javier’s story and explain how he became a more cynical man. Diving deeper intoRed Dead’s version of Mexicocould also create the opportunity to explore some interesting new locations, whileRed Deadfans' foreknowledge of Javier’s death would play into the series' themes of decline and struggling against nihilism. Javier’s story would be an opportunity to explore another part of theRed Deadworld, and to explore the secret life of a character revealed inRed Dead 2to have more dimensions than many first thought.
Jack Marston
Jack Marston’s story could be one of the most interesting for Rockstar to tell next, though it also comes with some risks. At the end ofRed Dead 1Jack avenges his father by killing Edgar Ross, the government agent who had John gunned down. By the time Jack takes revenge, it’s 1914, and the looming shadow of World War One couldn’t make the end of the era any clearer. The first game was set intentionally late for a western, and evenRed Dead 2explored how the gang felt anachronistic even at its height.
Continuing Jack’s story would allow Rockstar to take one ofRed Dead’s main themes - its characters struggling against their changing world - to an extreme. However, if not handled properly, there’s also the risk that Jack Marston’s story would undermine the other games. InRed Dead 1and2it’s clear that characters likeDutch van der Lindeare wrong to think they can fight change. Dutch admits as much, lamenting the “paradox” that he can’t fight nature, but that he also can’t fight his natural desire to fight nature. Having Jack’s story continue as a western could imply that resisting change is in fact possible. Jack Marston is deserving of a standalone game because his story has the potential to takeRed Dead’s themes to their breaking point, but with that potential comes considerable risk.
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Sadie Adler
Sadie Adler is one of the best candidates forRed Dead 3’s protagonist.Red Dead 2playersalready know part of her story, the loss of her husband and that after 1899 she became a bounty hunter. What she did between 1899 and 1907, however, remains a mystery - as does her fate after the end ofRed Dead 2. Either one of those times could be interesting to explore, and Sadie feels like protagonist material. As a bounty hunter she’s charged with preventing towns from slipping back into what one sheriff calls the “bad old days.”
Having a protagonist who is a willing agent of the forces of change could be interesting to explore. Players have seen characters attempt to resist or survive their changing worlds, but the games haven’t had the chance to explore the downsides of embracing change either. Even as a bounty hunterSadie Adlerrisks becoming a relic of the past, chewed up by the same law and order she helped prop up. As one ofRed Dead 2’s break-out characters, her story could explore the series' major themes from a new angle while retaining all its gunslinging glory.
Landon Ricketts
IfRed Dead 3wants to go even further back in time, Langdon Ricketts could be a great candidate for a player character. Langdon first appeared inRed Dead 1as an aging outlaw John Marston meets in Mexico, but the old man hints that he’s had plenty of adventures of his own. Langdon is old enough that John grew up hearing stories of his adventures, and in later life Langdon is said to have been involved in theBlackwatermassacre that kicks off the events ofRed Dead 2.
Langdon is the closing thing John has to an idea of what a true golden age gunslinger might look like. Exploring the ways in which the reality of Langdon’s life fail to live up to the legends could be an interesting way to furtherRed Dead’s themes. The games so far have always taken place in the dying days ofthe Wild West, but following Langdon’s adventures in the 1870s or 80s could show just how far from ideal the good old days were.
Hosea Matthews
Hosea Matthews is Dutch’s right-hand man at the start ofRed Dead 2, and he could be a great perspective character for exploring the earlier years of the Van der Linde gang. As with Langdon, he could show just how much the nostalgia holds up to scrutiny. As a con man, his character could feel like a nice change of pace given bothJohn and Arthuract as enforcers.Red Dead’s references to his earlier adventures - like having a noose shot from his neck when a sheriff tried to hang him for stealing a chicken - could form a foundation for the plot, or at least accounts for players to compare with the game’s actual story. Either way, takingRed Deadfurther into the past could help explore how, even then, its characters were struggling against their changing world.
Red Dead Redemptionis available now for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
