In Red Dead Redemptionthe first former member of the Van der Linde gang that John Marston hunts is Bill Williamson, and the interaction leaves Bill dead. Players cannot do anything to change the outcome of the scene, which establishes from the beginning how the game’s story will unfold. With the game forcing Bill Williamson to end up dead, it’s fair to question why he can’t come out of the match alive. There are several layers to why, both from the former gang member’s story and John’s history with him.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Red Dead Redemption.]
Bill Williamson is more of a supporting character in the Van der Linde gang, even though players learn a little more about him through interactions in Red Dead Redemption 2. But in the context of the first game, all players know is that he used to hang out with John and now has his own gang. Since killing him is the only way to progress to reach all the other members John is tasked with taking down, there are valid reasons for the game not to hesitate when it comes to Bill’s death.
RDR forces John to kill Bill Williamson, for good reason
Bill is still a dangerous outlaw heading into Red Dead Redemption
There’s no way to spare Bill Williamson in Red Dead Redemption. If players don’t take advantage of the opportunity to shoot Bill, Abraham Reyes will finish him off. The game that left him dead is appropriate, considering what he’s been up to since the Van der Linde gang split. The effects of Bill’s gang on New Austin and Armadillo are apparentwith bandits invading farms and murdering city residents. Considering that he and his gang commit extreme crimes and are dangerous outlaws, the destiny that Bill meets is a justice that the player and John must serve.
Bill Williamson’s past, as well as some of his actions in Red Dead Redemption 2they also show how dangerous he is. Before the events of the games, Bill was expelled from the army for embezzlement and attempted murder, beginning the life of an outlaw. Documentation explaining his dishonorable discharge can be found at RDR2. What led him to the Van der Linde gang was when he tried to rob Dutch and Hosea. Bill lived in delinquency from an early agestretching out the rest of his life until John takes it away.
Bill Williamson and John Marston were not friends
The two were just gang members, nothing more
Another big reason why John doesn’t hesitate to kill Bill is because the two were never very close. This can be seen in the prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2where the two don’t really interact outside of gang business. Although Bill is loyal to the Van der Linde gang, he is portrayed as a drunk who has a lower reputation among the other gang members. John was also much closer to other people in the ganglike Arthur and Charles, so he had other people he was more loyal to than Bill.
Bill also tries to calm the situation when John is sent to kill him, which John disregards and is still persistent in his mission. If they had a friendship in the past, John would have hesitated at this point. Even if the player himself hesitates, the game doesn’t waver in Bill’s favorletting someone else do the work so the story moves forward without looking back. The game actually acknowledges these details, as there is a gang member that John and the player can dismiss later.
John Marston may release Javier Escuella
The only gang member who can be spared is closest to John
In contrast to John’s relationship with Bill, Javier and John were closer when the gang was together. Javier is seen interacting positively with John in the prequel, making the mission to kill him in RDR even more disturbing. Javier also has a greater reputation among the gang than Billas he is seen getting along with people more often than Bill. Javier is considered one of John’s closest members of the gang, alongside Arthur and Abigail, so it’s more appropriate that John might spare him than spare Bill.
There is also a moment when Red Dead Redemption 2 when the gang takes sides that leads to the climax, where Javier hesitates to choose a side. Ultimately, he sides with Dutch and Micha, but can be seen thinking about his decision. Despite the pressure to betray them both and remain loyal to Dutch, he is the last character to point his gun at Arthur and John before chaos ensues, and this could be related to the option to spare Javier in the first game. With a little honor left, players can dismiss Javier.
Bill doesn’t have the same qualities from John’s perspective as Javier, so the fact that there’s no opportunity to spare him fits both John’s view of Bill and the overall perspective of both games’ stories. The lack of redemption for Bill Williamson is also more tragic in his own storyliving a life of struggle and delinquency that leads to his death. John’s decision to carry out his mission and execute him is a coherent outcome that kicks off the game, leading John to hunt down the rest of the old Van der Linde gang.
Being an event defined in the initial half of Red Dead RedemptionJohn Marston eliminating Bill Williamson without hesitation or remorse fits the game and its prequel. The option of sparing Bill wouldn’t make sense, especially given the fact that John and Bill were never close when the gang was together. With his offensive past and taken to his life after the Van der Linde gang, Bill Williamson is an outlaw who deserves to be executed by John and disregarded as another complete hit on the mission list.