Red Dead Redemption 2 boasts an impressive roster of detestable villains. Found in the main story and across the open world, these antagonists face off against Arthur and the Van der Linde gang throughout the course of Red Dead Redemption 2. Whether they're killing beloved gang members or taking advantage of the innocent, characters like these make high morality playthroughs nearly impossible for some.
Many villains are well-known at this point, but others have backstories only revealed through found letters and ambient dialogue. Understanding the enemy is key to defeating them, and some of the richest backstories in Red Dead Redemption 2 come from its most despicable characters.
Jeremiah Compson
Jeremiah Compson is a minor character with a backstory rooted in the evils of history. Arthur Morgan first encounters Compson at the Rhodes Train Station, where Compson is lamenting the loss of his profession. He asks Arthur to visit his former home and retrieve some belongings, the last remnants of the life he lost. There, Arthur finds a journal detailing Compson's downfall.
Prior to the Civil War, Compson was a well-respected slave catcher, like his father and grandfather before him. His job became irrelevant once slavery was outlawed, stripping him of his high standing in Lemoyne society. After failed attempts to get work elsewhere, Compson was evicted from his home and left destitute. Compson's backstory is a great example of the impressive realism underpinning the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. When Arthur confronts Compson, he shows no remorse for his former profession. He complains about the world and rants that life was better prior to the Civil War. After throwing Compson's possessions in the fire, Arthur can either kill Compson or leave him wallowing in his misery, but a high morality playthrough demands the former.
Catherine Braithwaite
The Braithwaites are a powerful family in Lemoyne led by their matriarch Catherine Braithwaite. Like Jeremiah Compson, the Braithwaites amassed their fortune through the slave trade. After slavery was outlawed, Catherine maintained the Braithwaites' power by transitioning into the production and sale of moonshine. The Van der Linde gang encounters Catherine in their attempt to double-cross the two leading families of Lemoyne, the Braithwaites and the Grays. Unfortunately the Braithwaites catch on to the scheme and kidnap John Marston's child Jack. Dutch van der Linde leads an assault on the plantation which leaves most of the Braithwaite family dead, save for Catherine herself. She's dragged out of the house and interrogated before running back into the burning manor in an act of self-immolation.
Leviticus Cornwall
Leviticus Cornwall is a business magnate who personifies the ruthless capitalism of the late 19th century. With major influence over the railroad and oil industries, Cornwall represents industrialization and "progress" gradually closing in on the Van der Linde gang. He is a financial backer of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, funding Agent Milton and Ross in their hunt for Dutch and the rest of the gang.
Cornwall is by far the most wealthy and powerful antagonist in Red Dead Redemption 2. As an ally to the United States Army, Guarma's military dictator Alberto Fussar, and the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Cornwall funds and supports many of the Van der Linde gang's enemies. He also uses his capital to drive the Wapiti Indians off their reservation under the assumption that their lands are rich with oil. Inspired by real-life robber barons like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt, Cornwall poses a looming threat to the gang throughout Red Dead Redemption 2.
Dutch first earns Cornwall's ire when the gang robs one of his trains early in Chapter 1. Dutch assumes that getting rid of Cornwall will stop the Pinkertons from chasing the gang, but after killing Cornwall in Chapter 6, the Pinkertons only intensify their hunt. This leads to the conclusion of Arthur's story and the eventual demise of the Van der Linde gang.
The Aberdeen Siblings
Bray and Tammy Aberdeen are two minor characters with a disturbing way of life. The two siblings inherited Aberdeen Pig Farm from their parents, and a family portrait with their parents' eyes scratched out implies that the pair murdered their parents. Moreover, the two have an incestuous relationship, as Arthur witnesses an uncomfortable intimacy between the pair of siblings.
Only available in the open world, the Aberdeens are a rare RDR2 encounter in many playthroughs. Upon first meeting the Aberdeens, Arthur is invited into the house for a meal and a drink. Things take a turn once Bray offers Arthur a drink, after which Arthur passes out and is robbed blind. After waking up in a nearby ditch filled with the bodies of other victims, Arthur can reclaim his money and kill off the two siblings.
The Aberdeens are another example of characters based on historical figures in Red Dead Redemption 2. The Aberdeen were likely based on the family of serial killers from the 1870s known as the Bloody Benders, who reportedly lured at least 11 travelers to their death in Kansas. Like many of the antagonists in Red Dead Redemption 2, the Aberdeens were at least partly based on grim historical fact.
Angelo Bronte
Angelo Bronte is a wealthy businessman and crimelord who rules Saint Denis from its seedy underbelly. Born in Italy in the 1840s, Bronte is the leader of a crime syndicate based in Red Dead Redemption 2's version of New Orleans. His ties to several businesses around the city and financial support for the local law enforcement have elevated him above the law. He wields considerable influence over Mayor Henri Lemieux and the Saint Denis police department.
Bronte is responsible for Jack Marston's capture, as Catherine Braithwaite sold Jack to Bronte after kidnapping him. Bronte then feigns allegiance with Dutch and advises him to rob a trolley station in the city. After facing down the Saint Denis police department, the gang realizes Bronte set them up, narrowly escaping and vowing revenge on Bronte. This failure leads to the Saint Denis bank heist, causing Lenny and Hosea's deaths and shipwrecking some of the gang on the island of Guarma.
Micah Bell
Micah is a name Red Dead Redemption 2 players know and hate. While plenty of in-game details reveal just how bad Micah is, it's plain for most players to see from the start. Micah was born into the outlaw's life as his father's partner in crime, as the two were already on the lam for a brutal double murder by the time Micah was 17. After committing crimes with his brother Amos, Micah floated from gang to gang until he met Dutch in 1898. After only five months in the Van der Linde gang, Micah convinced Dutch to adjust the plan for the Blackwater heist, leading to the disastrous start to Red Dead Redemption 2's story.
Throughout the game, Micah gradually persuades Dutch to get rid of other members of the gang in order to increase his share of the Blackwater money. It's eventually revealed that Micah has also been feeding the Pinkertons information in order to save himself. Micah is responsible for Arthur's death at the end of the main story. Fortunately, players who continue on as John Marston can finally give Micah the ending he deserves.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
