Arthur Morgan is the central character and main protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2. Set in 1899, the game revolves around the life of Arthur, a lifelong outlaw and member of the Van der Linde gang. Its set during the decline of the Wild West as Arthur and his fellow criminal must survive against rival gangs, the encroaching government authorities, and other nemeses. The game is considered a prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption, and it features appearances by fellow gang member John Marston.
Unlike many of the characters in the RDR world, Arthur is not referenced or mentioned aside from RDR2. His character was developed especially for the sequel in order to give players more insight into the Van der Linde gang as well as characters they came to love in the original game. As such, there’s still a lotthat fans don’t know about this new outlaw, Arthur Morgan.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top ten things you didn’t know about this Western outlaw. Not only has he had a life full of crime and adventure, but it’s been filled with tons of drama and tragedy. Many of these secrets you’ll discover through playing the game and paying close attention to detail, so consider yourself warned that their might be spoilers ahead of you if you haven’t finished the story.
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10 He’s Pretty Open Minded
For a 19thcentury criminal, fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 have been expressing their surprise over how open-minded Arthur is. The character has no problem associating with other characters from different backgrounds and walks of life and, unlike some other people you’ll run into in the game, gender and skin color don’t seem to influence Arthur’s opinions.
“The text of who Arthur Morgan is, the character outside of the choices you can make, is an amazingly open-minded individual,” US Gamer explains. “Part of that is likely informed by the Van der Linde Gang itself, a gang whose muscle is comprised of freed black man Lenny Summers, the half-Native, half-Black Charles Smith, Mexican bounty hunter Javier Escuella, Irish thief Sean MacGuire, and eventually angry widow Sadie Adler. The Van der Linde camp also has an extensive support staff of several women who handle scams at the various ports of call.”
“All the gang requires is that you follow Dutch's ideals; where you came from is immaterial. It's not hard to see some of that rubbing off on Arthur,” the site adds.
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9 9. HeHad A Son Named Isaac
It’s easy to imagine that Arthur has always lived life as an outlaw, free and without responsibility. And while he’s always been a part of his gang, the outlaw did have a family at one point.
In his youth, Arthur met a waitress named Eliza. After a brief fling, she became pregnant with their son Isaac. Eliza was aware of Arthur’s criminal past but still accepted his support. Arthur would actually come and stay with his family every few months for several days at a time.
However, one day when Arthur returned to his son’s home he found two crosses on the outside. He later learned that Eliza and their then-10-year old son had been killed by robbers over $10. The heartbreak of this tragedy may explain why Arthur can come across as hard and cold at first sight.
8 8. He Supports Women’s Suffrage
In the game, you’ll come across various female characters advocating for women’s right to votes. While many other characters seemed annoyed by their presence, Arthur is actually sympathetic towards their cause in one scene.
While in Rhodes, Arthur ends up helping two lovers from rival families - Beau Gray and Penelope Braithwaite - communicate in a sort of Romeo-and-Juliet love story but in the Wild West. Beau asks Arthur to protect Penelope while she participates in a women’s suffrage rally and is against her involvement. Arthur replies, “If she wants to rally, you got to let her rally.” He later drives the rally wagon, proving he wasn’t against the cause.
Sure, you can later choose to make Arthur beat up a suffragette. But when it comes to the written storyline, he’s made out to be at least tolerant towards their cause.
7 7. He Comes From A Family Of Criminals
According to Wiki Fandom, Arthur comes from a family of outlaws which explains why he’s been so successful in the family business. The cowboy was born to Beatrice and Lyle Morgan in 1863, and his father was eventually arrested for larceny in 1874 when his son was only eleven years old.
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It appears that Arthur was on his own for a few years following his father’s arrest. In 1878, when he was 15-years old, he was eventually picked up by Dutch van der Linde, who he came to view as a father figure. Arthur became one of the first members of Dutch’s famous gang.
6 6. His Relationship With Mary
While it may seem that Arthur's one true love is the Wild Wild West, the character was written to have a lover in his backstory, who you’ll eventually come face-to-face within the game.
The outlaw was actually a teen when he met Mary Gillis, who he fell madly in love with. However, Mary came from an upper-class family who didn’t approve of Arthur’s life of crime and thus their relationship. As such, the two eventually were pressured to end their relationship.
It’s later revealed that Mary gets married to someone else. But she ends up reaching out to Arthur after she becomes widowed and once her brother gets in trouble.
5 5. He Almost Left The Gang For Mary
Given their passionate romance, it’s hard to believe that Arthur and Mary didn’t try running away to start a life together. And it turns out the two actually tried that, only for it to unfortunately fail.
After completing Mary’s second missing in Chapter Four, players learn that Arthur actually agreed to leave the gang to be with his lover after what he thought would be his final bank robbery. When the stint goes wrong, Arthur ends up getting stuck on Guarma.
While we don’t know how long he was there for, we can assume it was pretty long because the next thing we know Mary has moved on. When Arthur finally gets back, he receives a letter from his ex saying she couldn’t wait for him anymore...
4 4. He Lives By His Own Moral Code
Despite Arthur committing unspeakable acts in the game, that doesn’t always mean he thinks violence or murder is acceptable. Rather, it’s made clear that he sees it more of a business transaction. Hurting people shouldn’t be done for no reason or out of pleasure, but only if it is a means to an end.
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“Despite his ability to commit great acts of violence, Arthur has his own moral code and doesn’t believe in what he deems as unnecessary killing, especially if it endangers himself or those he cares about,” Wiki Fandom explains. “Dutch also raised Arthur to believe that revenge is a fruitless endeavor. It seems Arthur strictly believes that violence should be cold, necessary and without feeling, never out of personal enjoyment or without reason.
3 3. The Player Controls How He Ages
It’s not only Arthur’s hairstyle and clothes that you get to control, but his entire appearance. Depending on how you treat him in the game, it will impact whether he ages gracefully or, well, not so gracefully.
The player is responsible for taking care of his basic needs. If you keep Arthur healthy, he’ll maintain the stocky build that he has when you first begin playing. However, if you overfeed him, this could cause him to gain weight, which will subsequently affect his stamina. Likewise, if you don’t feed him properly, he’ll begin to get thinner, though this will give him more stamina.
Even more, you will notice that Arthur’s facial hair grows if left unkempt and his sunburn will also develop the more he is out in the sun.
2 2. Tuberculosis
Warning:Spoilers For The End Of RDR2 Ahead
We always imagined that someone as epic as Arthur who comes to an end in a way that was equally as epic. With all of the shoot-outs, robberies, and heists he pulled, one who expect him to go that way. But one of the ways in which Arthur passes is actually pretty anti-climatic: he develops tuberculosis.
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In the 19thcentury, tuberculosis was one of the main reasons for fatality as no cure had been developed yet. So while it’s realistic for Arthur’s fate to end this way, it’s definitely unexpected.
1 1. Arthur’s Honor Affects His Fate
We get it. It’s fun to be the worst version of yourself in Red Dead Redemption. After all, who cares about honor if it’s not real life?
But it turns out that the choices you make for Arthur affect his eventual fate –in other words, giving him a high or low honor score matters. This is different from the first RDR in which this feature didn’t seem to matter too much. Whether you played honorably or not, it didn’t affect the outcome of the game.
However, now in the sequel, you’ll get a different fate depending on the good or bad choices you make. If you have low honor, Micah will end up doing the deed. But high honor leads to tuberculosis, which doesn’t necessarily sound like the lesser of two evils.
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FAQs
What was Arthur Morgan's last words? ›
| First | "I Found A Place Where We Can Get Some Shelter. Let Davey Rest While He… You Know." |
|---|---|
| Last | "John Made It. He's The Only One. Rest Of Us… No. But I Tried. In The End, I Did." |
Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark) is the protagonist and main playable character of Red Dead Redemption 2. He joined the Van der Linde gang when he was 14 years old, having lost his parents at a young age, and soon became Dutch's first protégé.
What does Arthur Morgan's grave say low honor? ›Red Dead 2: Arthur Morgan's Low Honor Grave
His epitaph here will read: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” His grave, here, is obvious—not that he isn't missed or loved, but that in his death, everyone simply moves on.
5 Arthur Only Uses F-Word Twice
While Arthur does cuss, he reserves the F-word for special occasions. It shows that Arthur is not as crude as some of the other members in the gang.
Arthur's quote “We can't change what's done, we can only move on”, is not only about how he's dying, and nothing can change that, but it's also in the power of his guilt.
How old is Arthur Morgan when he dies? ›Arthur died at age 35 or 36, from tuberculosis. This is when the famous gunslinger Doc Holiday died in real life, who also had tuberculosis. With low honour, Arthur is a villain protagonist who only really cares about himself.
Why does Sean call Arthur English? ›Sean calls him “English” on several occasions, but Arthur confirms he is not of English descent. Sean probably says this due to Wales being controlled and oppressed by England at the time (and still are.) Roger Clark also agrees that Arthur is of Welsh Descent.
Who is Arthur Morgan's love? ›Arthur Morgan's Love Life
Perhaps most notably, he falls in love with Eliza, a waitress he meets. They have a son named Isaac, and while Arthur isn't around to be a father to the child, he does try to support them however he can. Eliza isn't an outlaw, though she knows how Arthur makes his money and accepts his help.
Sir Arthur Morgan (1856-1916), newspaper proprietor and premier, was born on 19 September 1856 at Rosenthal station, Warwick, Queensland, son of James Morgan and his wife Kate, née Barton, both Irish born.
What is Arthur's low honor animal? ›This is actually his spirit animal and the animal is different depending on Arthur's honor. A low honor Arthur will have a black and menacing looking coyote surrounded by the dark screen filter from the Saint-Denis walk.
What is Arthur Morgan's spirit animal? ›
Arthur Morgan - Deer Spirit Totem/Animal Spirit (My Edit) | Spirit animal, Deer art, Red redemption 2.
Can John find Arthur's body? ›Arthur's Grave – Can be visited as John Marston after Arthur Morgan's death, located on top of the mountain to the northeast of Bacchus bridge. Whether players had high or low honor as Arthur Morgan will impact the epitaph, with high honor also spawning an eagle and low honor spawning a coyote.
Has anyone 100% RDR2? ›"My Dad finally did it," kelverone wrote on Reddit. "69 years old and got 100% completion today!" The Redditor included a picture of a brilliant text exchange between himself and his dad, in which his pops said he was "going to do it again" as a little reward for having done it in the first place.
What game has the most F bombs? ›Although it doesn't make the shortlist of IMDB's most popular 18+ video games, 'Scarface: The World is Yours' holds a Guinness World Record for the most swearing in a video game containing 5,688 instances of the word *f**k* out of 31,000 lines in the dialogue.
How many years did RDR2 take? ›The game's development lasted over eight years, beginning soon after Red Dead Redemption's release, and it became one of the most expensive video games ever made. Rockstar co-opted all of its studios into one large team to facilitate development.
Who was Arthur Morgan's real life inspiration? ›...
Arthur Morgan (Red Dead)
| Arthur Morgan | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
Arthur always believed throughout the game that there has to be a better way of life for people, even if he isn't one of the people who can gain it.
What was Arthur Morgan afraid of? ›Arthur Morgan telling Sister Calderon that he fears death due to his tuberculosis. I guess I... I'm afraid.
Is Arthur older than John? ›When Arthur Morgan is introduced to players in Red Dead 2, he is 36 years old. Considering that in this game John is only 26, Arthur will be compared to the 38-year-old John that features in the first Red Dead Redemption for the sake of fairness.
Does Arthur have a little brother? ›Arthur had no blood-related siblings, but in many iterations of King Arthur's childhood he has an older foster brother named Kay, who later becomes a knight.
Who is Arthur Morgan's son? ›
Arthur Morgan had a son, Isaac, with a waitress named Eliza. The tragic story of Arthur's son has important implications for his relationship with Red Dead's other protagonist, John Marston, but it also explores some of the major themes infused into Red Dead Redemption 2 in some unexpected ways.
How did Arthur get sick? ›During Red Dead Redemption 2's Chapter 2 mission "Money Lending and Other Sins" Leopold Strauss asks Arthur to travel to the Downes family ranch and confront Thomas Downes about his debt. During the mission Arthur gets into an altercation with Downes, which results in the latter coughing up blood on Arthur's face.
Did Arthur Morgan have a sister? ›Arthur Morgan was born in 1863 to Beatrice and Lyle Morgan. His mother died when he was very young, and his father was a petty criminal and outlaw, who was arrested for larceny in 1874 when Arthur was 11 years old and along with his younger sister's Nora Morgan, Yevette Morgan and Emily Morgan.
What are Arthur Morgan's ages? ›During the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan is about 36 years old, while Bill Williamson is about 33. John Marston, the protagonist of the original Red Dead Redemption game, is in his mid-20s during the events of RDR2.
What is Arthur Morgan's favorite gun? ›The Colt SAA
Called the Cattleman in the game this classic revolver is the most common gun in the game. It's Arthur Morgan's starting weapon.
Charles was Arthur's best friend : r/reddeadredemption.
What bird is on Arthur's grave? ›On an honorable Arthur's tombstone, it reads, "Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness." In contrast, the words written about the dishonorable version of the protagonist say, "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn For They Will Be Comforted." His honor also impacts what animal is at his grave: an eagle for high ...
Why does Arthur dream of a wolf? ›Perhaps the most obvious form of symbolism in Red Dead Redemption 2 is the morality system. On a surface level, players who do good deeds cause Arthur to see visions of a deer, while players who are morally corrupt see visions of a wolf.
What breed is Arthur's horse? ›More to this, it is heavily implied that Arthur's horse was a Silver Dapple Pinto, just like Jon's horse. Arthur's horse was also a female.
What is Arthur Morgan's canon weapon? ›Arthur Morgan, the game's protagonist, starts out with a six-shooter known as the Cattleman Revolver. He later gains the ability to dual-wield sidearms such as revolvers and sawed-off shotguns. At that point, the player can visit a gunsmith and buy a second Cattleman Revolver to give Arthur twice the stopping power.
Why are Arthur Morgan's eyes red? ›
Red Dead 2: Arthur Morgan's Eyes
Players won't see it often, but they'll know it's there, endearing them even more to the Red Dead Redemption 2 protagonist. Not only do his eyes redden believably as he sickens, but they'll also dilate accordingly to the environment players place him in.
Sadly, Arthur's horses that he may have had stabled at the end of Chapter 6 are no longer there for John to inherit. You begin the post game with the one horse that John has, and can break or buy new ones for yourself.
Why did Arthur tell John not to look back? ›This is Arthur's way of saying that John should worry about what's close to him and forget about being loyal to Dutch and the gang. Arthur felt it had reached a point where blind loyalty would result in John's downfall.
How many total kills in RDR2? ›Over the game's six chapters, our sad cowboy racks up an outrageous 1,149. That is a lot of corpses. To put that into context, that's more than three times the entire population of Fordwhich, the smallest village in England.
How many F bombs are in 15? ›Once you've got to 20 f-words, you know that it's going to be a 15, rather than a 12A, but further uses of the f-word aren't going to take it up to an 18.
How many F bombs are allowed? ›A noun, adjective, verb, filler verb — the F-bomb has evolved and been creatively utilized by screenwriters, actors, and directors like the iconic Quentin Tarantino, for decades. Generally reserved for R-rated projects, PG-13 movies are allowed a single use of the four-letter word.
Who is the oldest in RDR2? ›Hosea is Dutch's right hand and the oldest member in the gang, which is why all the other members look up to him and seek out his advice. Hosea met Dutch when they were both trying to rob each other at a campfire. After that, they quickly became friends, and the rest is history.
What is the longest chapter in RDR2? ›Red Dead Redemption 2 has six full-blown chapters, but there are also two lengthy epilogue chapters, bringing the total to eight. Some of the chapters are shorter than others, but some can take a full day of play, at the very least. One of the later chapters, Chapter 6, is by far the longest of them.
How much longer is RDR2 after Arthur dies? ›But as the story continues, these relationships become frayed until the once peaceful camp has a tense and uneasy atmosphere surrounding it. Many players may have been surprised to find that after the game's 60-hour main story ends, Red Dead Redemption 2 contains another 6 hours of epilogue.
What did Arthur Morgan suffer from? ›Arthur Morgan is a character in the Red Dead series, appearing as the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2. He was part of Dutch Van Der Linde's gang until falling out due to each other's trust deteriorating as a result of a rat among the group. Tuberculosis ended up taking his life in the end.
What is the lowest honor in RDR2? ›
You'll receive certain benefits if you earn honor, but if you start sliding down the scale you'll lose them. The sliding scale begins at the lowest honor ranking of -8, and extends all the way to the highest honor ranking of +8.
How many confirmed kills did Arthur Morgan have? ›So what's the average kill count for the least bloodthirsty Arthur Morgan, you might ask? Over the game's six chapters, our sad cowboy racks up an outrageous 1,149. That is a lot of corpses. To put that into context, that's more than three times the entire population of Fordwhich, the smallest village in England.
Why is Hosea coughing so much? ›Hosea Matthews may have been killed by Agent Milton, but it turns out he was also sick. Throughout the game, players can hear Dutch and other members of the gang discuss the fact that Hosea is suffering from what seems to be a certain type of lung disease.
What disease kills Arthur? ›Here's what you should know about TB. For players of Red Dead Redemption 2, the blockbuster Western action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games, the tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and slow, tragic death of main character Arthur Morgan has come as a shock.
What is the best horse in rdr2? ›The best horse in the game is the rose gray bay Arabian horse, which is rated 7 in health and stamina, and 6 in speed and acceleration.
How do you get honor 6 in rdr2? ›- Donate cash or jewelry to the camp.
- Do chores around the camp.
- During a duel, disarm an opponent instead of killing them.
- Surrender peacefully to the law when Wanted.
- Pay off your bounties at the post office.
Arthur Morgan's grave is located east of Donner Falls and northeast of Bacchus Station in Ambarino. It's in a fittingly wonderful spot overlooking the valley and the mountains. Those who finished the game with high honor will find his grave covered in flowers.
What do you lose when Arthur dies? ›So, once you've reached the epilogue and Arthur Morgan is dead, you might be wondering: what happens to all the stuff you've collected during the main story campaign? Well, the horses are gone forever: one dies during the last mission of the story campaign, and the stabled ones are apparently freed.
Does Arthur Morgan go to heaven? ›In any case, the setup of the video is that Red Dead Redemption 2 protagonist Arthur Morgan has gone to Heaven following his death, where he reunites with some of his friends that died before him.
How bad was Arthur Morgan? ›While having low honor, Arthur can be portrayed as an aggressive, cold, callous, selfish, and even sadistic person who has absolutely no qualm about doing some of the worst things that he is capable of: killing innocent townspeople, abusing animals and verbally abusing his fellow gang-members to name a few.
How powerful is Arthur Morgan? ›
He can knock someone out with one punch, and his punches are so strong. they can even send people flying back a few feet. Also, he can easily throw people out of windows. He can hold bison on a lasso and keep it there.