John Marston (Red Dead)

Fictional character in the Red Dead video game series

Fictional character

John Marston

Red Dead character

John Marston as he appears in Red Dead Redemption (left) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (right)

First appearance| Red Dead Redemption (2010)
Last appearance| Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Created by| Rockstar San Diego
Portrayed by| Rob Wiethoff
Motion capture|

* Rob Wiethoff
* Marc Menchaca
* Daniel Hall
* Chris Comfort[1]

In-universe information
Alias| Jim Milton
Affiliation| Van der Linde gang
Spouse| Abigail Roberts
Children| Jack Marston
Nationality| American

John Marston is a character in the Red Dead video game series by Rockstar Games. He is the main playable protagonist of the 2010 video game Red Dead Redemption, wherein he must deal with the decline of the Wild West while being forced to hunt down the last surviving members of his old gang in exchange for the safe return of his family by the federal government. John is also the protagonist of Undead Nightmare, a non-canonical, zombie apocalypse-themed expansion pack, and the secondary playable character of the 2018 prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2. The latter game depicts John's life in the gang prior to its demise, and later his attempts to start an honest life with his family.

Rob Wiethoff portrays John Marston in both games through performance capture. The character was developed to be a nuanced, family-focused character in the first game. When returning for the prequel, Wiethoff looked to his younger life for inspiration. The writers felt that John's original role could be limiting in the second game. The character was well received, with many critics citing his maturity, moral complexity and ambiguity, and quest for atonement as focal points of the first game. Wiethoff's portrayal of Marston was also met with acclaim.

## Creation[edit]

Rob Wiethoff auditioned for the role of John Marston by folding laundry while reading his lines. He was not aware of the game's identity, then only referred to as an "untitled video game project".[2] He felt that the audition was a waste of time, but received the role a few days later.[2] The performance capture process involved simultaneous recording of movement and speech, while a small part was done in a voice-over booth.[3][4] Wiethoff worked on the first game for almost two years, with principal production lasting around six weeks.[3] The first scene to be recorded was John meeting Nigel West Dickens.[5] Recording would take place over a few weeks, before taking a break of a month or two.[2] Wiethoff estimated that around 12–15 scenes were recorded each day.[3] The recording crew often referred to scenes from Rockstar's previous game, Grand Theft Auto IV (2008); Wiethoff pretended to understand before eventually admitting that he had not played the game.[2]

John was developed to be a nuanced character in Red Dead Redemption, as opposed to an explicit villain or hero,[6] and a "family man".[7] Carson said that Marston "has a foot in both the old world and the world that was to come", and felt that the character became interesting due to the combination of cynicism and realism.[6] Wiethoff felt that the early decisions in John's life were a direct result of his need for acceptance, and that he may not have been aware of his actions.[8] John's physical appearance took "quite a while" for the team to achieve, but they felt that it allowed them to develop an emotional connection to the character.[5] Wiethoff was asked to return for the downloadable content Undead Nightmare about a month after moving back to Seymour, Indiana from Los Angeles, where the first game was recorded; Undead Nightmare was recorded in New York.[3]

When developing John in Red Dead Redemption 2, the writers felt that his previous appearance could be limiting to them, since players have already resonated with the character.[9] Wiethoff looked to his own life when returning to the character; he always looked up to his older sister's male friends for approval in the same way that John looks up to the rest of the gang for validation.[4] He also took inspiration from the "pretty tough dudes" in his home town for John's personality.[10]

## Character[edit]

While marketing materials for Red Dead Redemption presented John as a traditional cowboy—isolated and violent,[11] a "white, heteronormative, rugged individual"[12]—his behaviour and ambitions in the narrative are generally unconventional.[11][13] His ambiguity and internal conflict lead him to exhibit "weariness more than manliness".[14] Regardless, John continues to perpetuate stereotypes in some instances; he continues to preserve lives in his missions for the government despite his bitter opposition to them, described as an enactment of Theodore Roosevelt's masculine ideals.[15] Benjamin J. Triana recognized that John's challenges reflected those of straight, cisgender men in the modern era.[16] Matt Margini blamed John's downfall on "the false promises of a world built on hypermasculine ideals", emphasized by John's unsuccessful attempts to adopt a new form of masculinity and play an empathetic father to his son Jack.[17] Juho Tuominen described John as an idealist.[18] Dr. Esther Wright identified that, while John is not overtly racist, his participation in an attack on an Indian reservation implicates him in "a micro-scale recreation of racist, genocidal violence".[19] Triana wrote that Native Americans "end up victims to the game's evil social forces" due to John's priority of reuniting with his family.[20]

Several scholars noted that, despite the use of the word "redemption" in the first game's title, such a feat was impossible for John.[21][22] Kotaku's Heather Alexandra felt that John achieved his redemption upon sacrificing himself to save his family.[23] Triana found that, while John's death "implies transcendence", it is not overtly sacrificial, nor does it represent John as a hero.[24] He also felt that the ending allowed the player to properly understand John's rejection of a developing society and institutions due to the misery endured from the government.[20] While John's violent past rendered him unable to achieve redemption, it also impacted his son's own ability to achieve the American Dream as he becomes an outlaw like his father.[22]

## Appearances[edit]

John's mother, a prostitute, died during childbirth and his father, who had been blinded in a bar fight, died when John was eight years old. John spent a few years in an orphanage before running away. When John was threatened to be lynched after being caught stealing at the age of 12, he was saved by Dutch van der Linde, who took him into his gang and raised him.[25] When Abigail Roberts joined the gang, she and John fell in love and had a son named Jack.

### Red Dead Redemption 2[edit]

During the events of the game in 1899, John is sent scouting ahead of the gang while they flee the Pinkertons. After being attacked by wolves and left stranded in the snow, he is saved by fellow gang members Arthur Morgan and Javier Escuella. Once recovered, he joins the gang on some tasks before planning and executing a successful train robbery. During a failed bank robbery, John is captured and incarcerated. Arthur and Sadie rescue him, much to the disdain of Dutch. John, like Arthur, becomes increasingly wary of Dutch's growing paranoia and recklessness; protective of John's family, Arthur warns him to leave the gang when the time is right. John is later left for dead by Dutch during a train robbery but returns to the camp as Arthur is confronting Dutch and Micah. When Pinkertons invade the camp, Arthur and John flee. John returns to his family at Arthur's wishes.

Eight years later, in 1907, John finds honest work with Abigail on a farm, but when John fights back against outlaws threatening him and his employer, Abigail leaves with Jack. John works to get her back by earning enough money to buy a property at Beecher's Hope. He builds a ranch with the help of Uncle and Charles Smith, while Sadie provides him with jobs to pay off his loans. After Abigail returns, John proposes. With Sadie and Charles, John attacks Micah's new gang, where they find Dutch. In a Mexican standoff, Dutch unexpectedly shoots Micah, letting John finish him off, before leaving. John and Abigail later get married at their ranch. The game's final scene shows federal agents Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham observing John's ranch.

### Red Dead Redemption[edit]

In 1911, Ross and Fordham command John to act as a bounty hunter and apprehend his former outlaw friends. To both motivate and ensure that John will comply, the agents kidnap Jack and Abigail, promising their release upon the completion of John's obligations. He works with many individuals throughout the state of New Austin, who help him assault the fort of former gang member Bill Williamson. When Bill flees to Mexico to seek the help of fellow former gang member Javier Escuella, John pursues them. There, John becomes unwillingly entangled in a civil war between rebels and soldiers. He reluctantly works for both sides, only wanting information about Bill and Javier, but disavows the soldiers when they betray him. He eventually locates Javier, and the player can decide whether to kill him or give him to the agents. Bill is also tracked down and killed, either by John or the rebel leader Abraham Reyes.

When John returns to collect his family, Ross tells him that he must track down Dutch. After several unsuccessful attacks on Dutch and his operations, John and the agents mount an assault on his hideout. John chases Dutch to a cliff, where the latter steps off and commits suicide. With his old gang dead, John and his family are returned to their ranch. He spends some time working on the ranch, but it is soon attacked by a detachment of U.S. soldiers, and Uncle is killed. John defends his family, but is shot and killed by the soldiers and Ross. His body is buried on a hillside at the ranch.

### Undead Nightmare[edit]

In Undead Nightmare, a non-canonical, zombie apocalypse-themed alternate reality, John finds that the world is plagued by a virus that brings the dead back to life with a taste for flesh. After tying up the infected Jack and Abigail, John seeks to discover the source of the plague. He rides to Mexico, where he learns from a nun that Reyes might be responsible. John kills the zombified Reyes and finds a girl, who reveals that Reyes had desecrated several catacombs beneath the government building, and had stolen an ancient Aztec mask, unbalancing order and unleashing the undead. John and the girl head down to the tombs and return the mask. John returns home to find that his family has been cured. Months later, after his death, John rises from his grave, as the mask has been stolen again, causing the dead to rise; however, as John had been buried with holy water, he is a revenant who still retains his soul and his capabilities to use weapons.

## Reception[edit]

Rob Wiethoff received praise and awards for his performance as John.

The character of John Marston received critical acclaim. Keith Shaw of Network World described the character as "complicated character".[26] Seth Schiesel, writing for The New York Times, stated that "[John] and his creators conjure such a convincing, cohesive and enthralling re-imagination of the real world that it sets a new standard for sophistication and ambition in electronic gaming."[27] GamesRadar named the character among the best of the generation, particularly praising the vulnerability portrayed in his family life.[28] Game Informer's Javy Gwaltney lauded John as Rockstar's best character, noting that the complexities of his personality make him more realistic than most protagonists.[29] IGN's Brian Albert considered John one of the "most badass video game gunslingers", praising his skill and protective nature.[30] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote that the script for Undead Nightmare understood the spirit of its characters and balanced sardonicism and honest pathos, and felt that its nuanced treatment of John Marston made him "one of gaming's great characters".[31]

Prior to Red Dead Redemption 2's release, Kotaku's Heather Alexandra expressed hesitation towards John's return, as his past remaining vague made the first game compelling.[32] Game Informer staff felt that, by the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, John had developed into "the man we knew him to be in the original game: loving, faithful, honorable, and tragically doomed".[33] Dave Meikleham of GamesRadar wrote that Red Dead Redemption 2's climax was effective in explaining John's behavior in the first game.[34] Polygon's Russ Frushtick considered John's story in the game's epilogue to be more motivating than Arthur's as his quest has a direct purpose.[35] Conversely, Paul Tassi of Forbes found John's story less interesting than Arthur's after spending so much time with the latter, partly due to John's lack of character growth.[36] Jess Joho, writing for Mashable, considered Arthur and John to be "practically interchangeable anti-heroes", noting disappointment at the lack of shifting themes between the two.[37] Game Informer's Gwaltney considered Arthur Morgan to be a better protagonist, citing John's lack of growth throughout the game.[38] Some players criticized the game's patches for changing John's character model, considering it a "downgrade" to more closely resemble Arthur's model.[39]

For his role in Red Dead Redemption, Wiethoff won Outstanding Character Performance at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[40] He was nominated for Best Performance by a Human Male at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, where John was also nominated for Character of the Year.[41] In 2013, Complex named Wiethoff's performance as one of the best in a video gaming, praising the growth of the character.[42]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Rockstar San Diego (2010). Red Dead Redemption Game Manual (PDF). Rockstar Games. p. 18\. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
2. ^ a b c d Stafford, Patrick (October 22, 2018). "What happened to John Marston". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
3. ^ a b c d Vernoff, Kaili (March 26, 2020). "Rob Wiethoff (John Marston in RDR & RDR2)". Let's Play Podcast (Podcast). No. 2\. The*gameHERs. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
4. ^ a b Shanley, Patrick (November 8, 2018). "How 'Red Dead Redemption 2's' Stars Brought a New Western Classic to Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
5. ^ a b Reilly, Luke (May 22, 2020). "Red Dead Redemption 10 Years On: How Rockstar Won the West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
6. ^ a b Staff (February 11, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Exclusive Q&A". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
7. ^ Snider, Mike (May 26, 2010). "'Red Dead Redemption' Q&A with Rockstar's Dan Houser". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
8. ^ Murphy, Denis (March 28, 2011). "John Marston Speaks! An Interview With Rob Wiethoff". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
9. ^ Crecente, Brian (October 24, 2018). "The Story Behind the Story of 'Red Dead Redemption 2'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
10. ^ "Exclusive Interview: Campfire chat with the stars of Red Dead Redemption 2". Shacknews. Gamer Hub. February 1, 2019. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
11. ^ a b Triana 2015, p. 18.
12. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 206.
13. ^ Margini 2020, pp. 49–50.
14. ^ Margini 2020, p. 62.
15. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 203.
16. ^ Triana 2015, pp. 16–17.
17. ^ Margini 2020, p. 55.
18. ^ Tuominen 2020, p. 60.
19. ^ Wright 2021, p. 9.
20. ^ a b Triana 2015, p. 13.
21. ^ Clark, Richard (September 15, 2010). "Opinion: How Faith Is Treated In Red Dead Redemption". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
22. ^ a b McCarter, Reid (August 8, 2016). "Red Dead Redemption Never Escapes the Past". Bullet Points Monthly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
23. ^ Alexandra, Heather (May 18, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption Is All About Failure". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
24. ^ Triana 2015, pp. 15–16.
25. ^ Daujam, Mathieu (October 2018). Price, James (ed.). Red Dead Redemption 2: The Complete Official Guide – Collector's Edition. United States: Piggyback. p. 361\. ISBN 9781911015543.
26. ^ Shaw, Keith (July 2, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review: Saddle Up, Partners!". Network World. International Data Group. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
27. ^ Schiesel, Seth (May 16, 2010). "Way Down Deep in the Wild, Wild West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
28. ^ "Best game characters of the generation". GamesRadar. Future plc. October 11, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
29. ^ Gwaltney, Javy (October 24, 2018). "Remembering The Mundane Greatness Of John Marston". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
30. ^ Albert, Brian (December 20, 2013). "The Most Badass Video Game Gunslingers of All-Time". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
31. ^ Whitehead, Dan (October 28, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. p. 1\. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
32. ^ Alexandra, Heather (May 10, 2018). "I Love Red Dead redemption, But I Don't Want To See John Marston Again". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
33. ^ "Ranking All The Members Of Red Dead Redemption II's Van Der Linde Gang". Game Informer. GameStop. December 27, 2018. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
34. ^ Meikleham, Dave (November 21, 2018). "Heartbreak, horses and the staggering Red Dead Redemption 2 ending explained". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
35. ^ Frushtick, Russ (January 3, 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2's epilogue fixes one of the game's biggest problems". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
36. ^ Tassi, Paul (November 7, 2018). "We Need To Talk About Red Dead Redemption 2's Enormous Epilogue Ending". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
37. ^ Joho, Jess (December 7, 2018). "'Red Dead Redemption 2' fails to justify its own excessive existence". Mashable. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
38. ^ Gwaltney, Javy (November 7, 2018). "Arthur Morgan Is A Better Protagonist Than John Marston". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
39. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (June 4, 2020). "Red Dead Redemption 2 fans' hunt for the real John Marston". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
40. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (February 11, 2011). "Mass Effect 2 wins GOTY, RPG, storytelling awards at DICE 2011". Engadget. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
41. ^ "Nominees for Spike Video Game Awards 2010 revealed". Destructoid. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
42. ^ Hester, Larry (April 14, 2013). "The 25 Greatest Voice Acting Performances In Video Games". Complex. Verizon Hearst Media Partners. Archived from the original on September 19, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2020.

## Bibliography[edit]

* Humphreys, Sara (2012). "Rejuvenating "Eternal Inequality" on the Digital Frontiers". Western American Literature. 47 (2). University of Nebraska Press: 200–215. doi:10.1353/wal.2012.0048. S2CID 162084363.
* Margini, Matt (2020). Red Dead Redemption. Boss Fight Books. ISBN 978-1-94053-524-1.
* Triana, Benjamin J. (2015). "Red Dead Masculinity: Constructing a Conceptual Framework for Analyzing the Narrative and Message Found in Video Games". Journal of Games Criticism. 2 (2). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
* Tuominen, Juho (October 2020). Rockstar's Open World Video Games as Ideological Apparatuses: A Case Study of Red Dead Redemption Series (PDF) (Thesis). Tampere University. urn:nbn:fi:tuni-202010197385. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
* Wright, Esther (2021). "Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption, and Narratives of "Progress"". European Journal of American Studies. 16 (3). European Association for American Studies. doi:10.4000/ejas.17300. S2CID 240579391.

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