John Marston is the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption and is featured as a major character in Red Dead Redemption 2. John is considered one of the best heroes in gaming, thanks in part to his faithfulness to his family, friends, and his honesty. What players might not know is that John did not always have these qualities. John always spoke about his time in the gang, and players were able to finally see a bit of his past.
Even with this glimpse into his life, there are still a few things the player can find out about John through talking to camp members and exploring the world of both games. Rockstar Games is known for developing games with a ton of detail, so it's easy to see why there are so many hidden things about Marston that keen-eyed players will notice as they experience the brilliance of the sandbox in this esteemed duology.
Updated on September 15, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption form two of the greatest games Rockstar has ever made. John Marston plays a central role as the protagonist in the first game, while he is only playable in the epilogue of the sequel. This rugged cowboy with a heart of gold has been through his fair share of ups and downs in life, being a major part of the story in Red Dead Redemption. There are many things about this character that players are left in the dark about unless they actually do some research or scour each and every inch of the open world present in both games to uncover the wealth of secrets surrounding this character.
10 John And Abigail Share The Same First Names As The Second President And His First Lady
Rockstar Games has a rocky relationship with America and its history, praising certain facets while lampooning others. The GTA games are a great example of how Rockstar has a distaste for rampant consumerism, a lack of gun control laws, and various other facets of American culture that are spoofed in this ultra-violent crime series. While these allegories are somewhat muted in the Red Dead Redemption series, there are certain things that point towards the connection between these titles and American history as a whole.
The best examples of this are the names of John and his wife, Abigail. These first names are identical to the second President of the United States, John Adams, and his wife, Abigail Adams. It's easy to write this off as a coincidence... but knowing Rockstar, it's very much possible that these similarities are completely intentional.
9 He's The First Rockstar Protagonist To Be Playable In Multiple Games
Rockstar has a penchant for not really relying too much on characters in one series, preferring instead to introduce a whole new batch of people in each game that players can interact with, forming some deep bonds in the process. Of course, it's true that Red Dead Redemption 2 bucks this trend by featuring returning characters from the first game, but this was inevitable given its nature as a prequel.
However, even then, it's pretty remarkable that the only protagonist to ever be playable in multiple Rockstar games is none other than the legendary John Marston himself. He's a central character until the very end of the first game and becomes the main character that players control in the epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2.
8 He Shares A Lot Of Similarities With Another Rockstar Protagonist, Johnny Klebitz
It's a shame that both Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 didn't get DLCs to allow players to enjoy a new chapter in these established worlds. After all, their precursors had made it quite evident that players loved the idea of checking out these additional chapters in the games, with Grand Theft Auto 4 being the poster child of how good DLC can elevate a game's quality to a whole new level. Both The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are excellent titles that need no introduction.
The first DLC released for GTA 4 is quite special since the protagonist of this chapter makes an appearance in GTA 5... only to be beaten mercilessly to death by an unhinged Trevor. Johnny Klebitz was a pretty complex character who shares a lot of parallels with John Marston. Both characters have disfigured faces, wield a sawed-off shotgun in their promotional artwork, died on-screen at the hands of people they had a shaky working relationship with, were a part of gangs with leaders who went nuts, and are called Johnny Boy by their friends... among many other similarities!
7 A Squirrel Version Of John Exists In The Second Game
In Red Dead Redemption 2, players are able to take part in a side mission where they must hunt down certain animals and mail in their pelts. The reward for this is a taxidermy squirrel, which looks very much like John. The squirrel is brought home, but Abigail is very much against it.
Abigail hides the statue six times, each time making it harder to find. The sixth time the squirrel is found on Mount Shann. Finding it here will place the squirrel permanently on the mantle, at least until the events of Red Dead Redemption.
6 He Had A Daughter Once
John and Abigail's son, Jack, is featured throughout both games. What players might not know is John and Abigail also had a daughter who died. It is not referenced much, but John can tell Bonnie MacFarlane he has a daughter in Heaven.
The daughter was born after John's time in the gang, as she is not seen or mentioned in Red Dead Redemption 2. In the first game, a crib can be found in the attic of the Marston house. This shows the daughter was born while they were living at Beecher's Hope.
5 He Can Be Chosen As GTA Online Parent
In Grand Theft Auto Online, John Marston can be chosen as a parent for the player. This wouldn't be possible, as the game takes place in 2013 and John died in 1911. It is a nice reference to the lovable cowboy.
Players are able to select John as a parent if their PSN username or Xbox Live Gamertags are linked to the Social Club. While it is cool to see John as a parent, it would have made more sense to make him a grandparent.
4 The Outlaw Joined Gang When He Was 12 Years Old
Like many of the other members of the gang, John joined when he was very young. John's mother died in childbirth and John's father was killed when John was young, causing him to be alone. John turned to crime, getting caught as he stole from a home. The owners tried to hang him until Dutch stepped in.
After this, John was loyal to the gang until Dutch started to become reckless. John tried to leave his life behind but was brought back into it by Edgar Ross. John had to hunt down the man who once saved it, which must have been hard.
3 He Has Poorer Drawing And Writing Skills Than Arthur
Compared to Arthur's writing and drawings, John can't compare. John's drawings look basic and some of his entries are full of spelling mistakes. There is also a noticeable difference in how John describes points of interest compared to Arthur.
It is fun to go back and see the difference between Arthur's section of the journal and John's section. Either way, it is nice John carried on Arthur's tradition of writing about the events of his life.
2 Poetically Enough, He Shot The Strange Man Where He Eventually Got Buried
As his name signifies, the Strange Man is strange. He takes an interest in John at some point, meeting with him during the events of the first game, and references John's life in the gang. The last meeting takes place very close to Beecher's Hope.
Players who beat the game might recognize the location as the burial sites of John, Abigail, and Uncle. It is interesting that John fires three bullets into the Strange Man, which do nothing. While it might be a coincidence, the three bullets might have been what killed the three that are buried there.
1 His Hat Is Found In Canebreak Manor
If players search inside Canebreak Manor, they can find a hat that looks very similar to John's from the first game. While it is possible John's hat was mass-produced by someone, it is interesting to see it hanging in the shack.
The shack can be located by taking the road north out of Saint-Denis. The hat even has the white feather that is featured in John's hat.