| “ | A gang of criminals, dissidents and free-thinkers who have chosen to reject a corrupt system of power and live instead by their own code. As the price on their heads continues to grow, so does the struggle to remain free. | „ |
| ~ Rockstar Games |
The Van der Linde gang, also known as Dutch's Boys, are the overarching protagonists of the 2010 video game, Red Dead Redemption and the main protagonists of its 2018 prequel, Red Dead Redemption II.
History[]
The Van der Linde gang was formed sometime around the 1870s when a con man named Hosea Matthews attempted to rob Dutch van der Linde at a campfire in Chicago, however he failed at doing so, then they laughed it off and started a partnership.
Eventually Dutch and Hosea found a kid named Arthur Morgan who was an orphan, Dutch and Hosea took him and mentored him. Arthur started to see Dutch and Hosea as father figures. eventually they pick up a young John Marston, Dutch and Hosea started robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, however they stopped doing this after several heists. Dutch also started to be romantically involved with a woman named Susan Grimshaw, who became the overseer of the gang and stayed even after Dutch moved on to a younger woman named Annabelle.
Dutch at one point was friends with Colm O'Driscoll, and formed a partnership that went on for a while but ended when Dutch killed Colm's brother and Colm killed Annabelle.
They later pulled off the first bank heist in 1887, where they stole five thousand dollars and redistributed it to the poor and the homeless. However, the gang's generous streak ended soon when they eventually let the gang get into money lending with Leopold Strauss who took desperate people and pushed them into deals that made his life better at the expense of others.
They later picked up other notable members like Sean MacGuire, Lenny Summers, Javier Escuella and Bill Williamson.
Red Dead Redemption II[]
With the 1800s coming to an end so was the outlaw era, and Dutch started going insane, constantly having to remind the gang that they could outrun the federal agents and live freely. Eventually after a failed bank robbery, Dutch and key members of the camp are temporarily stranded in Guarma and Hosea gets killed by federal agents. This leads Dutch to grow even more insane and paranoid to the point of tearing the gang apart through the deception of Micah Bell. Eventually, the gang gets split up in two sides and Micah Bell kills Arthur Morgan as the gang ends up being officially disbanded. Eight years later, Micah and Dutch are still partners and John Marston kills Micah, helped by Dutch in a conscience moment before walking off.
Hierarchy[]
Leader[]
Co-Leaders[]
Soldiers[]
- Charles Smith
- Sadie Adler
- John Marston †
- Javier Escuella †
- Bill Williamson †
- Mac Callander †
- Davey Callander †
- Lenny Summers †
- Sean MacGuire †
Associates[]
- Josiah Trelawny
- Reverend Orville Swanson
- Tilly Jackson
- Mary-Beth Gaskill
- Simon Pearson
- Jack Marston
- Jenny Kirk †
- Abigail Marston †
- Uncle †
- Karen Jones †
- Leopold Strauss †
- Molly O'Shea †
Temporary Members[]
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- O'Driscoll Boys (formerly)
- Colm O'Driscoll † (formerly)
- Marston Family (formerly)
- Annabelle (Dutch's ex-lover)
- Bessie Mathews
- Susan Grimshaw's unnamed husband
- Seamus (Fence)
- Clay and Clive Davies
- Alden Carruthers
- Thomas (Fisherman)
- Wapiti tribe
Enemies[]
- O'Driscoll Boys (arch-enemies)
- Colm O'Driscoll †
- U.S. Government
- U.S. Army
- Law enforcement
- Murfree Brood
- Angelo Bronte †
- Braithwaite Family
- Catherine Braithwaite †
- Gray Family
- Leviticus Cornwall †
- The Pinkerton Detective Agency (secondary arch-enemies)
- Andrew Milton †
- Edgar Ross †
- Foreman Brothers
- Laramie Gang
- Night Folk
- Porter Family
- Skinner Brothers
- Lemoyne Raiders
- Colonel Henry Favours
Trivia[]
- Out of the 29 members of the Van der Linde Gang:
- Three die (Jenny, the Callander brothers) before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, seven die during Arthur's portion of the story (Sean, Kieran, Hosea, Lenny, Molly, Susan, Arthur) and four more died (Strauss, Cleet, Joe and Micah) die during the epilogue, putting the total Red Dead Redemption 2 death count at 14. 13 are confirmed to be alive by the end of the epilogue (John, Abigail, Jack, Uncle, Sadie, Charles, Javier, Bill, Dutch, Swanson, Pearson, Mary-Beth, Tilly), with the fates of two members left unclear (Karen and Trelawny).
- In Red Dead Redemption, six more members die (Javier, Bill, Dutch, Uncle, John and Abigail), leaving only nine members (Jack, Sadie, Charles, Swanson, Pearson, Mary-Beth, Tilly, Karen and Trelawny) possibly still alive.
- The only confirmed living former member by Red Dead Redemption's epilogue is Jack Marston.
- The earliest in-game reference to the formation of the gang is mentioned in a newspaper dating back to 1877 where Dutch did a job with Hosea, meaning the gang was at least 22 years old at the time of it being disbanded.
- If Arthur decides to play Dominoes with Tilly, she'll jokingly ask if killing Ms. Grimshaw would make Dutch mad, to which Arthur replies "I think, as a general rule, Dutch likes to avoid murder within the camp. I mean, there was that one time but, h-he was a traitor." It's unknown if Arthur was joking about the traitor existing at all, murder in the camp, or both, or if he was serious about a former member of the gang being killed for allegedly betraying them.
- Tilly and Susan relationship will later improve, opposite to Karen.
- Pearson, Bill, and Kieran are the only members of the gang to have served in the military, although Pearson served in the Navy whereas Bill and Kieran served in the Army.
- Arthur and Dutch are the tallest members of the Van der Linde gang, with both standing at 180cm (5 foot, 11 inches feet) tall.
- Pearson is the heaviest member of the Van der Linde gang, weighing 89kg (196 pounds).
- While Davey Callander's body can briefly be seen during the opening cut-scene of Red Dead Redemption II, Mac Callander is the only member of the Van der Linde gang that is never seen on screen, not even having his own grave or a drawing from Arthur or John. Jenny Kirk neither is seen in-person, although she is sketched in Arthur's journal
External Link[]
- Van der Linde gang on the Heroes Wiki
- Van der Linde Gang on the Red Dead Wiki
