Highlights
- Dutch van der Linde's character arc in Red Dead Redemption 2 showcases a gradual moral decline, as he becomes more willing to harm innocents and abandon his crew.
- The parallels between Dutch and his rival Colm O'Driscoll become evident as Dutch begins to exhibit ruthless and cold-blooded behavior similar to O'Driscoll's.
- Dutch's transformation in Red Dead Redemption shows him becoming everything he once despised, as he recruits disposable soldiers and mercilessly kills anyone in his way.
When Red Dead Redemption 2 hit shelves and digital storefronts it blew gamers and critics away. While the game was not without its detractors, it would go on to become one of the best-selling games of all time. The story of Red Dead Redemption 2 has been listed as Rockstar Games' best thanks to its dense narrative and complicated characters. A lot of what made the story work was Dutch van der Linde.
Dutch is a major recurring character in the Red Dead Redemption franchise. Cited as one of Rockstar Games' most dangerous individuals, he was one of the first game's antagonists before becoming a supporting character in the second. Red Dead Redemption 2 would ultimately give players a better understanding of the character and where things went wrong with him and his gang. Ironically over the course of both installments, the character became everything he hated in his rival Colm O'Driscoll.
Dutch's Gradual Moral Decline in Red Dead Redemption 2
At the start of Red Dead Redemption 2, the Van der Linde Gang has an almost heroic outlaw vibe. While it's clear that the gang is made up of bad people who do bad things, they seem like saints when compared to their peers. This is especially true when compared to the Van der Linde Gang's main rivals, the O'Driscoll Boys.
Early on in Red Dead Redemption 2, Dutch makes a point to positively compare his gang to O'Driscoll Boys. He specifically cites how the gang's leader, Colm O'Driscoll, will recruit every random stranger he finds on the road. On the other hand, the Van der Linde Gang is a small crew full of reliable professional criminals. Additionally, Dutch and his men try not to harm innocents and women in particular. This is something that their rivals have no qualms about.
Dutch's morals decline in Red Dead Redemption 2 but he never falls quite as far as O'Driscoll in the prequel. Still, later on in the game, the parallels do begin to show themselves. He begins to view his team as more disposable and becomes more willing to abandon them to their fates. Dutch would also kill women in cold blood for particular reasons, much to the shock of those who had known him the longest. Later on, he brings two new characters into the gang who no one really knew except Micah Bell; these recruits felt more akin to the type of ruthless outlaw that O'Driscoll would recruit.
How Dutch was Everything He Hated In Red Dead Redemption
By the time players meet Dutch in the first Red Dead Redemption, he's truly a shadow of his former self. It's not entirely clear what happened to him in between the games, but by this point, the man has no qualms about gunning down innocents whenever it suits him. When the player first encounters the character in the game he shoots an innocent woman in the head just to slow John Marston down.
Furthermore, Dutch no longer commands a handful of loyal crew members. He now commands an army of men, made up of unidentified enemy NPCs that Dutch likely doesn't know all that well and probably considers disposable. In this regard, Dutch van der Linde ultimately became everything he hated about O'Driscoll. Specifically, the once beloved leader of the Van der Linde Gang became the kind of outlaw who would recruit anyone off the street who could hold a gun and mow down any man, woman, or child who got in his way.
Red Dead Redemption 2's story remains a potent one in no small part to the character and his arc. Some have even suggested Dutch be the center character of Red Dead Redemption 3, which could explore his younger days and rivalry with Colm O'Driscoll. Regardless of what direction it takes, the character's ending eventually sees him become no better than his longtime adversary.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
