Honestly, if you played the first game before jumping into the prequel, seeing John Marston in the opening hours of Red Dead Redemption 2 was a bit of a localized trauma. He’s... not great. In fact, he’s kind of a deadbeat.
While Arthur Morgan is out there catching TB and trying to save the soul of a dying gang, John is busy being the "golden boy" who can’t even handle a few wolves without getting his face shredded. It’s jarring. We expected the hardened, witty, tragic hero from 1911, but instead, we got a 26-year-old who doesn't even want to admit he has a son.
But that’s exactly why the portrayal of Red Dead Redemption 2 John Marston is actually a masterclass in writing. Rockstar didn't give us a fanservice-heavy "badass" origin. They gave us a messy, flawed kid who had to be dragged kicking and screaming into manhood by a man who knew he himself was already dead.
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Why the "Stupid" John Marston is Essential
A lot of players complain that John feels "dumbed down" in the prequel compared to his poetic, cynical self in the original game. You’ve probably seen the forum posts. "Why is he so dense?" "Why can't he swim?" (Okay, the swimming thing is a hilarious mechanical carry-over that became lore, but still.)
The truth is, the John we meet in 1899 hasn't found his voice yet because he’s still living in the shadow of Dutch van der Linde’s pseudo-intellectualism and Arthur Morgan’s physical prowess. He’s a follower. When he runs away for a year—an event Arthur never truly forgives him for—it’s not a grand gesture of independence. It’s a scared kid panicking because life got real.
Arthur spends a good chunk of the game calling John out. It’s not just "big brother" teasing; it’s a desperate attempt to make John realize that the outlaw life is a lie. Arthur sees in John the one thing he can no longer have: a future. By making John somewhat unlikable and immature early on, the game makes his eventual transformation into the man who builds Beecher's Hope feel earned rather than scripted.
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The Scar and the Symbolism
We finally get the "origin story" of those iconic facial scars, and it’s almost pathetic. No epic duel. No heroic sacrifice. Just some hungry wolves and a lot of screaming in the snow.
It’s a reality check. In the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, legends aren't born from cool moments; they’re forged through survival and, more often than not, embarrassment. Those scars aren't a badge of honor in 1899—they're a mark of his incompetence. By 1911, they become the face of the "Legend of the West." That’s a massive gap to bridge, and the game takes its sweet time doing it.
The Epilogue is John's Real Redemption
You can’t talk about Red Dead Redemption 2 John Marston without talking about that massive, 10-hour epilogue. Some people hated it. They felt the "milking cows and building fences" simulator was a slog after the high-octane tragedy of Arthur's ending.
I'd argue it's the most important part of the entire series.
In the epilogue, we see John trying to be "Jim Milton." He’s terrible at it. He has a hair-trigger temper, he’s socially awkward, and he’s clearly miserable trying to live a quiet life. But he does it. He takes out a bank loan—the most "civilized" and soul-crushing thing an outlaw can do—to buy a piece of dirt called Beecher's Hope because Abigail wants it.
What Really Happened at Mount Hagen
The ending of the epilogue is where the tragedy of John Marston truly seals itself. When John, Sadie, and Charles go after Micah Bell on Mount Hagen, the game frames it as a triumphant moment of revenge. You finally pull the trigger. You get the Blackwater money. You go home and marry Abigail.
But look at the credits.
The Pinkertons—specifically Edgar Ross—use the trail of bodies John left on that mountain to find him. If John had just listened to Arthur, if he had "turned and never looked back," Ross might never have tracked him down. John’s inability to let go of his outlaw nature, even for a righteous cause like avenging Arthur, is exactly what leads to the events of the first game and his eventual death.
It wasn't Dutch who killed John. It wasn't the government. It was John’s own loyalty to a dead man’s memory.
Technical Nuance: Rob Wiethoff’s Performance
We have to give credit to Rob Wiethoff. He had retired from acting, moved back to Indiana, and was working in construction when Rockstar called him back for RDR2.
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The way he de-ages John’s voice is subtle. He sounds higher-pitched, more uncertain, and less gravelly than he did in 2010. He plays John with a specific kind of "young man" arrogance that masks deep-seated insecurity. It’s a performance that acknowledges the player’s history with the character while forcing them to see him in a new, less flattering light.
Small Details You Probably Missed
- The Journal: If you look at John’s drawings in the journal compared to Arthur’s, they are... rough. John is a terrible artist. It’s a hilarious and humanizing touch that shows he’s trying to emulate his "big brother" but just doesn't have the same natural talent.
- The Hat: John doesn't start with his iconic hat. He inherits it, along with the burden of being the protagonist, as the world of the outlaws collapses.
- The Swimming: If you try to swim as John in the epilogue, your stamina bar evaporates instantly. It’s a nod to the fact that in RDR1, water was instant death. Rockstar actually built a mechanical disadvantage into the character to maintain 12-year-old continuity.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough
If you're heading back into the heartlands, try these to get the full Marston experience:
- Antagonize him early: Seriously. The dialogue between Arthur and John in Chapters 2 and 3 is gold. It sets up the tension that makes their Chapter 6 reconciliation so much more powerful.
- Read the Journal in the Epilogue: Don't just skip to the missions. Read John’s entries. His internal monologue about Arthur, his fears of being a father, and his confusion about "Jim Milton" add layers the cutscenes don't always hit.
- Visit the Graves: As John, go find Arthur’s grave. The dialogue he delivers there is brief, but it’s the closest thing to a "goodbye" we get.
- Watch the credits: Don't skip them. They show the Pinkertons slowly closing the net on Beecher’s Hope, bridging the gap between 1907 and 1911 perfectly.
John Marston isn't a hero in Red Dead Redemption 2. He’s a survivor who barely made the cut. He’s a man who was given a second chance by a better man, and while he tried his best to honor that gift, he was always a creature of the old world. That’s what makes him one of the most tragic figures in gaming history. He didn't just lose his life at the end of the story; he lost the struggle to be the man Arthur wanted him to be.