Spoilers for Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2
TheRed Dead Redemptionfranchise boasts two compelling, wonderfully-written protagonists with John Marston and Arthur Morgan. These two chapters illustrate the harsh, unforgiving nature of the Wild West era, and John and Arthur experience this change in both different and similar ways. After the fates of these protagonists,Red Dead Redemptionnow has the tough task of choosing its next lead if a third game is ever made.
Unfortunately, it may be a long time beforeRDR3ever sees the light of day, if at all.The wait betweenGTA 5andGTA 6will be a whopping 13 years by the time its successor arrives, so there’s no telling how long a thirdRed Dead Redemptiongame will take to make. There is still hope, though, and ifRDR3happens, John’s son, Jack Marston, is one of the more obvious choices to lead the story. Even better, his age makes him one of Rockstar’s most useful characters.
At the End of RDR1, Jack is Barely an Adult
Throughout theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise, players watch Jack grow over the years. At the beginning ofRDR2he’s 4, but by the timeRDR1starts, he’s 16. After the murder of his father at the hands of Agent Edgar Ross, Jack hunts him down, which is where players see him as a grown man in the epilogue. Although he’s 19, his appearance looks nearly a decade older. Of course, this is due to the years of trauma and the harsh and unstable living environment he experienced throughout his childhood, but it’s still surprising seeing just how much that has affected his appearance by the time he finds Ross.Jack Marston starring inRDR3wouldn’t just mean that the Marston name can live on in the next story; it also means that Rockstar could utilize the character for years.
GTA 5 Implies That Jack Marston May Have Lived a Full Life
There are several blatant references toRed Dead RedemptioninGTA 5, but one of the most notable is a book that can easily be missed. When observing Franklin’s book collection at his home in Vinewood Hills, players can find a blue book titled “Red Dead” that is written by an author named J. Marston.
Of course, this could simply be a meaningful nod to the western franchise, but it could also confirm that Jack grew up to follow his dreams of being a writer. Over the years, fans have come to realize how interestingJack Marston’s lifewould have been if he lived into old age.
Between both World Wars, the Great Depression, Elvis, The Beatles, the assassination of JFK, the moon landing, Vietnam, and a long list of other major historical events, Jack may have lived to see a myriad of fascinating moments. By the timeRDR1’s epilogue happens, the Wild West era is over, and this could open somefascinating avenues for Rockstar to explorewith Jack.
Jack Marston starring inRDR3wouldn’t just mean that the Marston name can live on in the next story; it also means that Rockstar could utilize the character for years.
Such a bold departure would be controversial, but Jack could continue to lead the franchise into the future, allowing Rockstar to showcase a variety of historical periods.Red Dead Redemption’s legacyhas been defined by its western setting, but that has also kept it from growing at the same pace asGTA, because there is only a short time period to work with. Taking this direction with Jack Marston would be a huge risk, but it could be well worth it.
Red Dead Redemption
WHERE TO PLAY
America, 1911. The Wild West is dying. When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston is forced to pick up his guns again and hunt down the gang of criminals he once called friends. Experience an epic fight for survival across the sprawling expanses of the American West and Mexico, as John Marston struggles to bury his blood-stained past, one man at a time.Red Dead Redemption is a Western epic, set at the turn of the 20th century when the lawless and chaotic badlands began to give way to the expanding reach of government and the spread of the Industrial Age.
