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| “ | People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven. | „ |
| ~ John to Bonnie MacFarlane. |
| “ | You're my brother. | „ |
| ~ John's final words to Arthur Morgan before his escape. |
John Marston Sr. is the main protagonist of the 2010 action-adventure game Red Dead Redemption and one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Dutch van der Linde) of its 2018 prequel, Red Dead Redemption II.
He was a former outlaw and member of the Van der Linde gang, determined to make amends for his past by tracking down and killing the other members of his gang to rescue his family, who was kidnapped by the government.
He is the father of Jack Marston and the husband of Abigail Roberts, as well as the best friend and brother-figure of Arthur Morgan, the second arch-nemesis of Micah Bell, the arch-nemesis of Edgar Ross, and the former protégé turned one the arch-enemies of Dutch Van Der Linde.
He was portrayed by Robert Allen Wiethoff in motion capture.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
John Marston was born in 1873 to an illiterate Scottish immigrant father who was born on a boat to New York and a prostitute mother who died giving birth to him. John was then raised alone by his father who died in a bar fight when he was 8 years old. He then spent the next few years in an orphanage until he ran away and lived as an orphan in the street, later being picked up by Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews, and taken into the Van der Linde gang a few years after they picked up Arthur Morgan.
Red Dead Redemption II[]
Colter Chapter[]
In the beginning of the game, we see that Arthur hates John, and mentions that John is a "Deadbeat Father" and makes fun of him for almost getting eaten by wolves. John is then saved by Arthur and Javier Escuella and is taken to the camp where Abigail berates him for almost getting eaten by wolves.
He later heals and participates in a train heist that they stole from Colm O'Driscoll.
Beaver Hollow Chapter[]
With John presumably dead after the train robbery, the gang or what's left of it, ride for Beaver Hollow. After Arthur and Sadie rescue Abigail, John will eventually turn up at Beaver Hollow during the final standoff between Arthur and Micah. John claims that Dutch had left him for dead during the train robbery. The Pinkertons eventually turn up at Beaver Hollow, forcing John and Arthur to escape through the caves. Arthur will eventually send John to his family at Copperhead Landing as he stays to hold off the Pinkertons, covering John's escape [if the player chose to help John escape], or Arthur will send John to his family at Copperhead Landing as Arthur fights his way back to Beaver Hollow [if the player chose to go back for the money].
Beecher's Hope Chapter[]
John eventually reunites with Charles, Uncle and Sadie.
They eventually hunt down Cleet to get information of Micah's whereabouts. John, Sadie and Charles ride to Mount Hagen to confront Micah. At some point prior to 1907, Dutch and Micah reunited after the fall out of the original gang and to start their own gang. Micah is hunted down and jointly killed by John and Dutch in revenge for betraying the old gang and ultimately causing Arthur's death.
Arthur's attempt at giving John a second chance at life will later be proven fruitful as he is now living peacefully with his family at Beecher's Hope as of 1907.
Red Dead Redemption[]
In 1911, Abigail and Jack were kidnapped by Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham and John was forced to travel to Armadillo to hunt down the members of the Williamson Gang and it's leader, Bill. He made friends with a Bonnie McFarlance and Abraham Reyes. He participated in the Mexican Civil War and assassinated Agustin Allende. He then murdered Bill and killed/kidnapped Javier, who joined Allende's posse. He would then be ordered by Ross to take out Dutch, his old mentor and father figure. After confronting Dutch, he committed suicide and Abigail and Jack were freed. However, Ross launched a raid on Beecher's Hope and ultimately killed Uncle and John. However, three years later, Jack avenged John by killing Ross.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
John can be used as a father for the GTA Online Protagonist in the character creation menu.
Personality[]
John 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 either an agnostic theist or a Christian who is not too 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, refusing to commit adultery even when people like Abraham Reyes suggest the idea and even when Abigail herself gets suspicious of his interactions with Bonnie, he also appears to shoot down the idea Bonnie had feelings for him when Abigail suggests it. 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 to be of some use to him, and he is disturbed/disgusted by Seth's habitual grave robbing. He also tells West Dickens that he won't hesitate to put a bullet in his skull if he steps out of line. However, he is not above employing sarcasm in conversation with certain characters, particularly those he sees as exhibiting hypocrisy, such as Abraham Reyes. Like Arthur Morgan, John is not a racist or sexist man and holds disgust to those who are. A rare trait for people in the time.
In 1899, John is arrogant, sarcastic, and constantly puts himself in danger. He seems somewhat disillusioned with life and is unable to assume the responsibilities of a father to Jack, or a husband to Abigail. His relationship with Arthur and the gang changes Marston, with him becoming increasingly wary of Dutch's actions and wondering if he really wants that life for himself. Due to this wariness, he became one of the first people to openly question Dutch's plans as he saw their unrealistic nature, earning him the latter’s contempt and eventual betrayal. Arthur's sacrifice had a profound impact on Marston's psyche, and he became more honorable and kind to those around him. He also sought revenge eight years after Arthur's death, believing he owed Arthur for helping him get the peaceful life he, Abigail and Jack were living.
In 1911, John is significantly older and wiser. Years after leaving the gang, he now does everything he can to get his family back from the hands of the government, going after Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Dutch van der Linde. His journey takes him from New Austin to Mexico and eventually to Blackwater and Cochinay. Depending on the player's actions, John may be more willing to help innocents or strangers, and to make honorable decisions. However, in the main story, he continues to help countless innocent people in Mexico and feel disgusted when he witnesses the state that the civil war has taken the country to. John usually lets others talk first, and doesn't like to talk much about himself or his past. Marston seems much more introspective and inclined to do the right thing. Although he has not lost his sharp tongue and sarcasm when placed alongside people he deems dishonest.
John also seems somewhat disturbed and fascinated by the inventions of the civilized world. He notably seems to hate cars, claiming that horses are much faster and more practical. Unlike Dutch, John seems to see the change in the world as an inevitability rather than a tragedy. During the story, John several times shows hatred and disgust for the killing he commits, and only does what he does to continue his mission to free his family.
At the end of the game, he sacrifices himself for Abigail and Jack to escape Beecher's Hope, only to be shot by Ross's men. Thus, repeating the same sacrifice Arthur made for him so many years ago.
Trivia[]
- John is about 178cm (5'10" feet) tall and weighs 80kg (176 pounds).
- Much like Tommy Vercetti, John is unable to swim in water, as he would drown and die in both games from it.
- It's possible that the wolf attack John suffered during the events of RDR2 left him partially or fully blind in his left eye.
- After being rescued by Arthur and Javier, his left eye is filled with blood and upon returning to camp, bandages are placed over it.
- While using dead eye in both games, John shuts his left eye.
- John wears an eyepatch over his left eye while he's wearing his "Deadly Assassin" outfit.
- Sometimes after shooting birds in RDR1, John will say "I think I got my eye back!", though this could just be slang from that time.
- Despite John’s death at the end of Red Dead Redemption, his actor Rob Wiethoff has expressed interest in reprising the role for another Red Dead Redemption game as a prequel or a remake of the first game.
External Links[]
- John Marston on the Heroes Wiki
- John Marston on the Red Dead Wiki
- John Marston on Wikipedia
