There's little doubt Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as the first RDR, are each fantastic games with fantastic protagonists. John Marston and Arthur Morgan, despite being so different, share the trait of making their players relate and connect to them in a land inherently foreign to contemporary audiences. The Wild West shaped these men, yet in ways that are not unfamiliar.
As such, it's easy to look at John Marston and Arthur Morgan and simply choose which one related to a player more, yet when it comes down to it, John Marston is still a better character than Arthur Morgan by the end of Red Dead Redemption 2 (and acknowledging the events that take place afterward).
Loyalty
To say that both are good characters does not mean they are good-hearted characters, without flaw. One aspect where this can be seen is their loyalty in Red Dead Redemption 2- John questions his. He questions his loyalty to the gang and even his loyalty to his family, at one point leaving both for over a year. Yet, he returns to the gang for his family, not the gang, genuinely choosing where his loyalty should actually lie. John may not be the best father, but this character development shows he overcame his own hesistancy.
Arthur, on the other hand, is blindly loyal for the longest time, following Dutch Van Der Linde's "plans" time and time again. By this point, he should be fully aware that it will not work, and Arthur doesn't question Dutch externally until it's too little too late, leading to the game's end. Had Arthur not contracted tuberculousis in Red Dead Redemption 2, it stands to reason that his course would not have changed, keeping Arthur as stagnant as he was content.
A Fitting End
There's little doubt both characters have a heart-breaking, yet fitting, end. Arthur gives his life so that John can escape, facing off with Dutch and Micah despite his own illness. He knew he wouldn't survive, but he did it anyway. However, a lot of this can be pinned on Arthur for not acting sooner, and the fact that his death was no surprise in RDR2's story (given his absence in Red Dead Redemption 1).
John's death was the opposite; for many first time players, it was dramatic and surprising. It happened during an era where video game protagonists didn't typically die, so it had time on its side. Yet, for Red Dead Redemption 2, players could easily foresee Arthur's death, and Rockstar fans had this and Grand Theft Auto 5 to consider (where one protagonist could die). In other words, John's ending was more geniune for players, whereas Arthur's death in RDR2 had lost the magic well before it happened (though that doesn't make it any less heart-breaking)
Personality
Marston is younger in Red Dead Redemption 2, making it where players get a full trajectory for his personal character development. And by the events of the first game, Marston acts more like a full-blown outlaw with rough exterior. It shows how he went from the young man who still had a lot to learn and who still needed to be saved to the man who did the saving.
Yet, Arthur doesn't have as much character development, being confined to just one game, and even then his character is strange for what one might imagine as an outlaw. One example is the fact that he complains about several early in-game events instead of acting on them, and as an outlaw, he is far more sentimental that John at a similar age. John Marston's development is stretched out more, whereas Arthur's personality is confined to the events of Red Dead Redemption 2.
A Dying Breed
Both of these characters are based on the idea of the dying breed of outlaw, but for John, this is more true. He sees the rapid rise of industry and the changing Red Dead Redemption world, as he survived far longer than Arthur Morgan. While the latter's world is changing and outlaw practices are heavily criticized, it's simply not as true as John Marston's changes. Furthermore, Marston would have been content as a rancher and was okay with the changing times, whereas Morgan was so stuck in his ways that there really was no adapting and surviving for him, likely ending up more like Dutch had he not contracted his disease.
Redemption
As implied by the title, there is always some sort of redemption arc for the involved characters. This is massive, stretching the whole game, but Red Dead Redemption 2 contextualizes John's redemption more so than just the events of the first Red Dead Redemption. In it, players understand they are a father, a member of a dying breed, trying to set himself straight and provide for his family before being called back to his old ways to provide for said family. His reluctance, while acknowledged, is more evident in the second game.
Yet, Arthur Morgan's arc has less weight to it, as he is just trying to end his life right and do right by those he considers family. It's more timing, his illness, and time catching up to him than it is actually anything to do with him, even making John Marston's redemption arc stand out far more than his own in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
