Red Dead Redemption 2 is a long game known for its story and well-written characters, especially the protagonist Arthur Morgan. Like Arthur, Players can choose to sink deeper into selfish villainy or turn over a new leaf as the story progresses, trying to redeem himself as Arthur slowly dies from tuberculosis. Either way, it’s a beautiful and tragic story, continuing the first game’s themes of the human capacity for change and the conflict between freedom and industrialization.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the ending of Red Dead Redemption 2.]As a prequel to the first Red Dead Redemptionthe story leads directly to the beginning of the previous game, which featured protagonist John Marston. RDR2 ends with Arthur’s death and an extended epilogue in John’s role, building on the game’s themes and filling the gap between entries. The ending is quite drawn out, making it easy to miss some details as it progresses. Still, it’s incredibly satisfying to return to the first RDR after completing Arthur’s journey and learning all of which led to John’s deal with the notorious Edgar Ross.
What happens at the end of RDR2?
Death and new beginnings
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows the slow deterioration of the Van der Linde gang, mirrored by Arthur Morgan’s worsening tuberculosis. As the game progresses, Arthur becomes increasingly ill, people in the gang die or desert, and Dutch van der Linde, the gang leader and Arthur’s father figure, becomes paranoid and confused. The gang’s quarrel is accelerated by Micah Bell, the game’s antagonist, who divides Dutch from Arthur and takes him to increasingly violent and risky jobs.
Meanwhile, Arthur battles his own demons, caught between his life with the gang and the woman he loves and, eventually, his looming mortality. It’s up to the player to decide whether Arthur spends his last weeks alive trying to redeem himself and become a better man, or fall completely into depravity. At the end of Arthur’s journey after John was left for dead by the gang and Arthur discovered that Micah betrayed them all to the authorities there is a final confrontation between Arthur and Dutch, where Dutch finally turns against his son.
Arthur is left with a choice: help John escape to his family or try to steal the gang’s stash of money. Depending on the player’s honor level in RDR2Influenced by decisions throughout the game, this can happen in several different ways. Arthur of low honor always ends up killed by Micah in a final battle, both weakened by their previous injuries. The honorable Arthur, however, receives a more dignified farewell. He dies after convincing Dutch of Micah’s betrayal, looking at the sunrise and finally succumbing to his illness. Without considering, John runs away to his family, Micah takes the money, and Arthur dies.
An epilogue begins with John Marston seven years later, trying to live a normal, peaceful life with his wife and son. Unlike the brutality and sadness of Arthur’s final act, this epilogue is mostly peaceful, seeing John build a house, bond with his family, and catch up with old friends. It even ends with John finally hunting down Micahkilling him for Arthur and everyone else the rat killed. It feels triumphant, but veterans of the first game know where this is going.
RDR2’s ending is heartbreaking but important
One hall door closes, another opens
RDR2The ending of is extremely sad no matter how it turns out. After witnessing hours of Arthur’s character growth and his bonds with Dutch and John, seeing it all fall apart is heartbreaking. Especially in versions of the story where Arthur has great honor, it seems unfair that he cannot escape the cruel fate that awaits him. But, of course, this all leads to the goal of the game.
Red Dead Redemption is a series about people trying to change and escaping or repeating a cycle of violence. Characters like Dutch represent forces that claim to want change, but are hypocritically immersed in their own schemes and lose sight of the values ​​they profess. Micah and lawman Edgar Ross are both characters enjoying a world on the brink of changethe chaos of the Old West colliding with industrialization and modernity.
Arthur and John, finally, are both protagonists who feel displaced by the change around them and, although they seek to change themselves, they end up being undone by their past. After all, Arthur only caught tuberculosis because he beat a man with the disease almost to death over a loan. Likewise, the epilogue of RDR2 reveals that John only returned to Edgar Ross’s radar because he sought out and killed Micah, a violent act of revenge that his family actively discourages.
How does RDR2 set up Red Dead Redemption?
Symmetry between John and Arthur
Due to John’s need for revenge, he ends up being tracked down by a corrupt lawman and drawn back into a cycle of violence, putting an end to his former gang members. After that comes the familiar story from the beginning: Ross went back on his word, killing John and dragging his son, Jack, into the same cycle that Arthur and John tried to break out of. Jack killing Edgar Ross could be seen as John being avenged, but it seems more tragic, as John’s son repeating his mistakes.
RDR’The iconic ending showed the audience two stages of this cycle; RDR2 takes another step back to show us how it all began for these characters. All along, returning players know where everything is leading, and the dramatic irony of Arthur’s journey mirroring John’s is almost too sad to bear. But there is also optimism Red Dead Redemption: Even someone like Arthur, who caused so much pain, can still try to get better, and while it’s impossible to fully escape the past, people ultimately don’t need to be defined by their mistakes.
Source: Red Nitrate/YouTube
- Released
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October 26, 2018