Red Dead Redemption takes place after Red Dead Redemption 2, but there are many ways the first game foreshadowed the events of the latter. Starting a story from its ending provided players with themes and hints that would later appear in RDR2 but wouldn’t spoil the storyline’s entirety. Many RDR2 characters failed to appear in the first game, likely because they hadn’t been created yet, but John Marston’s dialogue and other worldbuilding details hint at their existence. There are many signs in Red Dead Redemption that foreshadow important events within the prequel, but fans may not recognize them at first.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption, taking place during the last months of the Van der Linde gang. Instead of playing as John Marston, players control Arthur Morgan, Dutch Van der Linde’s best gunman. RDR2 takes place during the late 1800s when the Wild West was (mostly) conquered and civilized. Unfortunately, this leaves outlaws like the Van der Linde gang scrambling to find their place in society. Red Dead Redemption takes place years after Red Dead Redemption 2 and explores John Marston’s conscription as a government agent to hunt down his former gang. In many ways, the first game foreshadows character arcs, plot twists, and the fate of several beloved gunslingers and outlaws.

Unlike its predecessor, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s prequel status ensured players knew the Van der Linde gang would eventually fall apart. John Marston’s presence in the gang and Jack Marston’s young age cemented the timeline of events with utter surety. When Red Dead Redemption 2 begins, the gang is already declining after a botched boat robbery, which was referenced in the first game as the Blackwater Massacre. Even if players hadn’t experienced Red Dead Redemption, many warning signs foreshadow RDR2’s unhappy ending.

Red Dead Redemption Foreshadows Dutch’s Manipulation

In Red Dead Redemption, John Marston is sent after the remnants of the Van der Linde gang, most notably Bill Williamson, Javier Escuela, and Dutch Van der Linde. Though the gang’s former leader dies last, his appearances throughout the game emphasize Dutch’s ability to manipulate desperate individuals. Red Dead Redemption’s Van der Linde gang has been used and abused by society (and the government), allowing Dutch’s charm and guile to win them over. While it’s possible Dutch could have cared about his gang members previously, his spiraling madness prevents (or destroys) any genuine connection he might have shared with his people. In Blackwater, Dutch kills a young woman taken hostage while facing off against John, mirroring a similar murder he committed in the Blackwater raid mentioned in RDR2. Dutch’s erratic behaviors foreshadow the circumstances that dissolved the gang in Red Dead Redemption 2.

When the prequel starts, players control Arthur Morgan, a dedicated gunman and loyal gang member for many years. Though characters like Hosea Matthews and John Marston frequently question Dutch’s headspace, Arthur remains steadfastly loyal to his father figure. Unfortunately, years of hard-earned loyalty and faith run their course as RDR2‘s Dutch prioritizes glory and profit over the gang’s ideals and wellbeing. Questions against Dutch’s plots earn gang members degrading rants and humiliation, but it isn’t until a heist on Saint Denis that Dutch’s madness boils over. A head injury during a trolley crash leaves Dutch spiraling into rash paranoia. With Hosea Matthew’s death in Saint Denis, the Van der Linde gang lost its only control over Dutch, resulting in a swift breakdown of trust and sanity.

Red Dead Redemption’s Bloody Ending Hints At Arthur’s Fate

Though the Red Dead Redemption series only has two games, Rockstar has already set a precedent for any future protagonists: the first player-controlled character meets their end at the hands of the law. Few video game endings are as tragic as Red Dead Redemption, with players forced to walk to their death and fight a doomed battle. Both Arthur Morgan and John Marston perish from betrayal, succumbing to a cycle of crime and unfitting punishment that prevents either character from fully achieving peace (or new beginnings). John Marston and Arthur Morgan struggle to make amends with their actions in life, and the former manages to break free from the outlaw lifestyle, but Red Dead Redemption and RDR2 confirm the unforgiving nature of the world and the doomed fates of its protagonists.

Red Dead Redemption Starts The Gang’s Story At Its End

Since Red Dead Redemption requires John Marston to hunt down Bill Williamson and Javier Escuela, players understand from the beginning which characters they should be wary of. When John Marston encounters Bill Williamson, his cruelty and brutality almost kill the beloved protagonist. Alternatively, Jaskier Escuela shows a more cautious approach to his criminal activities and speaks more calmly with Marston after encountering him. Each outlaw’s relationship with John Marston is soured by his allegiance with the Law and hints at their deeper inclination towards criminal activity. Javier and Bill’s crimes in Red Dead Redemption confirms Dutch’s effect on their personalities and the inability of some gang members to break free.

When the Van der Linde gang begins to fall apart in Red Dead Redemption 2, certain members begin quietly departing camp or taking sides. Characters close to each other started to pick fights, especially Bill Williamson and Javier Escuela. Their presence as enemy bosses in Red Dead Redemption ensures players understand their role in the story and their inability to free themselves from Dutch’s influence. When Arthur Morgan begins encouraging different gang members to leave and think for themselves, Javier and William’s loyalty to Dutch is already unwaveringly secure. John Marston’s adventure through Red Dead Redemption ensures players understand the impending death of the Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Jack Marston’s Obsession With Gunslingers Began In RDR2

Jack Marston is the youngest protagonist in the Red Dead Redemption games that players can control and has always been on the wrong side of the law, being born into the Van der Linde gang prior to Red Dead Redemption 2. Having expressed interest in gunslingers and outlaws from a young age, Jack Marston’s fate as an outlaw in RDR is practically unavoidable. While most would mourn their dead family and likely not act against the perpetrators, Jack Marston pursues a bloody vendetta against the man who ordered his father’s execution. Despite Abigail Marston, John Marston, Uncle, and other family members urging him away from crime, his experiences in both games make Jack Marston’s fall to outlaw life in RDR inevitable.

Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 share an intrinsic connection and shared storyline through the Van der Linde gang, allowing fans of the franchise and first game to discover countless similarities between the two. Though the timeline and relationships with certain characters shift, Red Dead Redemption foreshadows the progression of events and characters in Red Dead Redemption 2. Thankfully, players who wish to play the games in chronological order may do so and experience the story as accurately as possible.

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