The "Complete" Lore of the Van der Linde Gang - Red Dead Redemption 2

I decided to compile as much information on the lore of the Van der Linde gang prior to the events of the main story of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 1899 for everybody to enjoy. From the characters to the key events and so on, everything I could find is in here. Obviously there will be some missing small details but the broad strokes that matter and much of the detail that goes with it is all here.
This is somewhat a remake of an old video I did titled "The Rise of the Van der Linde Gang", however noticing I managed to condense the information to 15 minutes I felt in hindsight I probably hadn't done the topic justice, furthermore a 4 year old video wasn't going to be the best display of my skills now. So I set out to make this video more expansive and I think I did that alright.
I know the word "complete" in the title is perhaps a bit of a strong word to utilise considering how much lore this game has, hence the speech marks to make it clear there's likely a fault in there somewhere.
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#reddeadredemption #rockstargames #rdr2

[@Zzplys]

Time for another RDR2 lore video, Boys

[@backlandjbreaker24]

i love lore videos 😂

[@XXXAchillesDFS]

Only if it’s Fizhy

[@paldennorbu8808]

And probably the last...

[@seanboyize]

@@paldennorbu8808 he will probably make more rdr2 content in the future. I can understand him wanting to move on he has comprehensively examined Red Dead 2

[@paldennorbu8808]

@@seanboyizeMaybe. I was just more on that he has covered so much. Soon there might not be anything left to cover.

[@A_Black_hoodie]

It's funny the amount of gang members tried to rob or con dutch.

[@joekuvorkian]

They saw a Yankee dressed semi nicely using big words and thought they saw a Mark 😂

[@brodycartwright1611]

I saw your pfp and thought that I commented lmao

[@A_Black_hoodie]

@@brodycartwright1611 lol

[@Yes-Bean]

Even the rat's brother knew he was no-good

[@Xehanort10]

The only one who liked Micah was Dutch and even then it was only because he told Dutch what he wanted to hear.

[@Yes-Bean]

@@Xehanort10 and because Micah saved Dutch's life in a bar before the game starts

[@Fizhy]

Bit of a late upload, I don't like sitting on these projects when complete so enjoy!

[@Star_wars_edit5]

Thanks for the years of lore and deep dives on red dead I feel like you’ve covered nearly everything so thanks for all the vids 👍👍

[@backlandjbreaker24]

We need more RDR1 content and lore please 🙏

[@Fizhy]

@@Star_wars_edit5 probably have at this point, going to push the GTA content in anticipation for 6 to fill the gaps and hopefully it'll all go to plan.

[@loganwebb1171]

1000 views in half an hour! Awesome stuff Fizhy!

[@noahtull4382]

much appreciated

[@Hyper_Kong]

The tale of the Van Der Linde Gang in both games is definitely something I’ll teach my future kids about when they are old enough to game. 😊❤

[@ryanlopez1050]

Tell them like it’s a real Wild West myth

[@MrTheDonMagicOne]

@@ryanlopez1050real man. I treat this like it’s a non-fictional Story. Ain’t far fetched to be one after all!

[@LFPman]

It would be one hell of a tale. A gang of less than 25, operated for decades, faced and defeated rival gangs and law forces, 5x their numbers. It would be one hell of an epic tale

[@I.AM.ON.MY.WAY.]

That’s actually a great idea

[@Longshanks1690]

I’d love to see if someone could create a chronological roadmap of the VDL gang’s movements across its existence. We know Dutch and Hosea met in Chicago, and presumably also met Arthur in the “eastern” US, with various references across the game to robberies near Canada and the like. Yet Arthur’s hatred for the mere concept of civilisation due to how long they’d spent out west implies that they journeyed somewhere in the established states to somewhere like Colorado in the West - apparently they wanted to go to California implying they’d never been *that* far west, but that’s unclear. It’s also unclear why they went that far west in the first place given that they all seemed relatively safe and successful doing their gang activities in the east. Probably not given how much vagary still shrouded the early years of the gang’s existence but I’d be interested to see how much specificity we could give to their movements given what we know. 😅

[@Toviyah1305]

I was thinking the same thing

[@backlandjbreaker24]

Well they used real locations so its not possible 😂

[@2KXMKR]

@@backlandjbreaker24 Always bugged me how they did that and didn't just make up their own town names like in-game and just say it was "up North" "down South" "back East" or "out West" At least then we could speculate where those towns relate to instead of just out-right saying "Chicago!"

[@bossofyou7719]

I think the furthest they went was Reno, Nevada. Arthur and Javier talk about robbing some stagecoach there if you go on a fishing trip with him

[@RemyHindle2003]

What if the unnamed traitor from before wasn't actually a traitor, what if he tried to stand up to Dutch's lies but was killed and Dutch claimed he ratted them out

[@backlandjbreaker24]

Maybe it was foreshadowing about Molly fate? 🤔

[@padgeyboy1]

Its 1:15am in the uk and you post this, thank you 🙏

[@Fizhy]

I know I have fellow insomniacs

[@padgeyboy1]

@@Fizhy sat down with a cup of tea and pringles, perfect

[@Fizhy]

@@padgeyboy1 what flavour pringles sir?

[@padgeyboy1]

@@Fizhy salt and vinegar ofcourse

[@crstudios4457]

Something for us finishing the night shift to watch first, for once! 😂😂😂

[@Longshanks1690]

8:30 Does Colm ever say his own name? The gang,* and law, pronounce it as written - much to Roger Clark’s irritation lol - but when Arthur is captured, you can overhear his Irish gang members pronounce it as “Colum” but I don’t think Colm ever says it himself in the couple scenes we have with him? * Except Sean

[@jaymac7203]

28:48 "Crime was a family business to the Bellends" 😭😭 lol 😂

[@Chomza15]

Opened the video soon as I got on KZbin and clicked "Like" before it started! Really like the content of this channel 💯

[@danielsatter1805]

I do the same

[@danielsatter1805]

I like to think that because of the limitless universe theory that these characters were real exactly as they were in the game in another universe

[@The_Rake_Remastered]

"Well, I guess I'm starting to see things a lot more clearly now" Arthur Morgan after watching this

[@Kadamien]

Darn it, Fizhy, I love the choice of music you use, it's melancholic cowboy music! Gosh, Rockstar makes the best soundtracks..

[@ryanjarcy1227]

Fizhy you’re really cutting into my productivity with these incredible videos 😤

[@MarinJanelle]

i can’t wait to watch this every night for the next month i love these videos so much

[@_blakey.boo_]

Hope this man never stops making these top notch RDR content! 🙏

[@stevenbrennan9711]

The detail Fizhy goes in with his Rdr2 vids is nothing but outstanding. Brings all the joy back from when I was playing Rdr2 this particular video was such an absolute fantastic watch. Thanks Fizhy!!!

[@bryanhardie]

This is an amazing work your have done. Thank you. Please have a good holiday and get some well deserved rest.

[@Vincent_N89]

You have some of the best GTA & RDR2 videos on YT Fizhy 👍

[@iZynx_]

Your channel is so underrated. Peak quality videos right here.

[@vermas4654]

I really appreciate the Railway Eyecandy at the end section of the video. The Trains in rdr2 were a very pleasent surprise to me when I first played the game.

[@teyanuputorti7927]

this was a great lore video Fizhy thank you for making it and I hope all is well.

[@egkol849]

Saw that you uploaded the video right up when i started to study. Pure joy

[@I_HAVE_LUMBAGO]

I'm glad to see you're going back to my favorite game franchise.

[@huxleyfreeman4284]

I watch these videos all the time I'm watching it and playing rdr2 right now

[@dadassery8506]

You’re becoming one of my favorite tubers. Thanks.

[@Soket-pm1kv]

This man carry’s me through 2am when I have school in the morning

[@TribianiJR]

Love the channel man, been watching for a while

[@riker01200]

I love when you do these video, I find them very entertaining

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

This was a very nice video, and I thank you for making it. I really appreciate how thorough it was made, with the only think I'd add being that Arthur buying the fish and lying about catching them happened in 1884, around a year before John joined the group. As an aside, I have an idea for at least one more video on the Red Dead Universe if you're interested in hearing it. If you're not interested then just let me know and I'll drop it, but I do think it'd make for a fascinating video.

[@reecesampson4646]

What a video bro❤ i recommend watching this video and starting a new save in rdr2 as this vid is immaculate Fizhy💪

[@_sim0nn637]

Such an amazing timeless Red Dead masterpiece yet again, from my 500+ hours of gametime across all Red Dead games I see about 98% of this vids lore and order is perfect. Theres things you missed, things you could have put in better in order to make the vid less messy, but it really isn't a big deal. Good fkin job on this bro. Your vids are timeless.

[@tsukuyomi8703]

Yeesss love your red dead lore vids Fizhy!

[@tinydancer6095]

Babe wake up! Another fizhy rdr video just dropped !!

[@Dennisgameplayentertainment]

i realy love watching these video's you make man good work

[@truthhurts3524]

As always, top notch!

[@Jasongilliar]

Ah awsome dude. That was a nice video fizhy, also well done. I enioyed that, and i guess have fun on your day or days off i guess. Last couple of videos about gta 5&4 and watch dogs and rdr2 are exactly what i like.

[@RealKeithernet]

Extremely well done! Thank you!

[@No1Comrade]

“Babe! Wake up! Fizhy uploaded!”

[@SomeRandomPersonOnTheNet]

Finally got a minute to watch!

[@mikeecko]

This is an absolute perfect video for somebody new to the game. Anybody who starts playing this game needs to watch this video so they can get the rundown of all the characters of the gang right away. I wish I had this video back in 2018 when I started the game all confused in the snow 😱😱🤯🤣🤣

[@colinmoras2385]

Welp.. this is one of them videos I gotta make time for. Full undivided attention. Thanks Fizhy!

[@Pr0digyZRX]

I'm a bit over 1 minute in and I'm already happy I clicked on it. Love rdr lore

[@oldschoolfrp2326]

“Josiah Trelawny is a strange one.” I see what you did there - His formal attire caused many to think of the Strange Man, though it would have been common formal wear at this time. I don’t consider him a gang member, but a (somewhat) trusted information broker, a link between the gang and people like the fences and the disgruntled men. Rev Swanson is often drunk, but he’s also a heroin addict in “Morpheus’ grip.” You can find his needle in a hollowed bible, an apt metaphor for the man himself. Great overview of the entire lot. There’s no end of potential material to discuss with the RD games.

[@d.r.tweedstweeddale9038]

Excellent story telling with compelling visuals. Thanks as always.

[@dutchvanderlinde8619]

Great video I really enjoyed this

[@daghettoghost5539]

"You know nothing means more to me than this gang I live for it I'd happily die for it " Arthur Morgan 1899

[@mr.longjohn0014]

i didn’t like RDR2 at first but as i got older ive really appreciated the game and i love the lore of it, thanks for the content man.

[@tonik2229]

dude the choice of music was excellent in this vid, really rounded the whole thing out ❤❤ (edit: colm is NOT pronounced column 😂)

[@Footy-zt1kc]

This is best rdr channel hands down not even close

[@RDR.CLIPZ123]

Great vid!

[@TheFloorballer]

”You sir are a fish” - Arthur Morgan, 1899

[@xvxvcaspervxvx]

I still think RDR2 is by far one of the best games I've ever played! It was also the last game I would ever buy day 1 at a midnight launch with others dressed as cowboys and outlaws. The writing and acting by far, sells this game as something genuine, rarely felt and experienced in today's gaming medium. I love the game so much, I went to a Con and met both Roger Clark and Rob Wietoff! I will always remember that day!

[@lorealiiiii]

i love these videos let’s go!! i’m starting now 🍿

[@lucabrazzi7112]

40 mins Fizhy video’s are the best !

[@isaaccruz1944]

I love how you didn't really spoil anything from the game and said everything from events before

[@ziepex7009]

Fizhy you legend!

[@killerelite5252]

I'm replaying the rdr story both one and two. Perfect timing.

[@xperiuscastello8613]

I dread the day when you may be unable to find anything left in RDR2 to make a lore video. Love your work on RDR2 ❤

[@Xehanort10]

10:52 Dutch "Revenge is a fool's game unless it's me taking revenge" Van Der Linde.

[@JasonJebezSam]

Where in the heck did you get all this information?! SOOO many details and I love it

[@theriddler5601]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is without a doubt one of the greatest games to ever be made and it feels like a full circle story! If a third game was ever made then it would need to be its own story because the Van Der Linde one is complete. Thanks for this video Fizhy!

[@Robby_C]

Imagine how drastically different the story would have been if Micah didn’t burn Sadie’s house down.

[@t3hSpAdEs]

Thank you Bernard

[@JerseyRails104]

It’s here boys

[@BRIANNA_00]

This is such a poggers video

[@rubenhinze7695]

Kieran was always such a tragic character to me. He always such an innocent soul and as far as I remember he never caused anyone harm other than that one O'Driscoll he shot to save Arthur as far as I know. What made it worse for me is that I tried to greet him and be nice to him in camp, but Arthur would just antagonize him despite Kieran saving his life. The way the gang treated him was always a reminder that they weren't Robin Hood's Merry Men as they thought but just another ruthless outlaw gang. He always 100% did not deserve to die in the way he did, being tortured and beheaded by his previous captors and displayed to his new ones who were finally warming up to him, and all this at such a young age. Kieran deserves more recognition imo.

[@LWolf94]

Never have I played a game in which I cared so deeply for the story's main characters, whether loving them or hating them. But the story and character arks of RDR2 are just so well done, it's impossible not to get attached, as if they're real people. Even years after playing the game, it still hurts emotionally thinking about what happens to them over the course of the game.

[@fatemahabdi5558]

At this point, I want RDR3 just to listen to your lores!

[@jankusthegreat9233]

Drinking a coffee on break at work. Ty

[@Hellommoc]

23:36 I think the un-named traitor could be colm odriscolls brother

[@deadroses19]

oh wow yeah

[@NovaTheFusky]

It's back!!!!

[@Coleniaonthisbeat]

Sounds good fizhy

[@nerad1994]

There’s so much material it work with for RDRIII

[@harsh111yt]

Fizhy is the best RDR content creator on KZbin

[@Thrill_Hou]

Loved the description of Micah’s family. “🔔🔚” 😂😂😂

[@americansheep4276]

Why the fuck are your videos so under-viewed? Like seriously bro get more views, you deserve them.

[@YokozunaNumber1]

Hearing how perfectly Javier speaks English, Dutch could've made a fortune selling English-learning phonograph records.

[@scotttaylor3977]

Babe wake up, new Fizhy red dead lore video just dropped

[@Jordan-tt8xs]

“Crime was a family business to the bellends” yes yes it was

[@GTAVictor9128]

Additional character lore missed in the video: Sean: Sean's father was an Irish independence fighter - dubbed "Fenian" by the British Crown - who was killed by British government agents in a night raid. You can find a newspaper snippet detailing the whole thing at camp in chapter 2. With that context, it makes perfect sense how a young Sean would have been attracted to Dutch's cause. Lenny: In one of his campfire tales, Lenny mentions that his mother was literally born in a field of a plantation, when slavery still existed in the US.

[@A1Virtuoso2024]

You waffling sooo much,ngl bro you fried my head 🤣😭

[@user-nd6lh8yj4e]

It seems to be a significant lack of imagination from Rockstar when we analyze how each of or most people have met Dutch "we were both trying to rob each other/ we were both trying to rob someone and crossed paths. We looked at each other and laughed"

[@ningguanq5106]

26:00 dutch didnt want to leave the lifestyle

[@biohazard724]

Given Dutch pronounces creek as "crick" I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he grew up west or north of Philadelphia. Crick, even by 1899's standards is a rural way to say the word. Ive lived in Philly my whole life and I don't think I've heard anyone from here say crick.

[@ggnore8501]

Can't wait for RDR3 already

[@phil.moloney2980]

You know I think that Dutch really did care about everyone in the gang in the beginning, but all the failures, pressure of leadership and that rat Micah being in his ear is what caused his down fall.

[@NeptuneBeatz]

Dutch taught John everything ,except for how to swim 🤣

[@Toast4128]

Feels like home

[@Noodle5126]

Arthur just started crazy stranger mission

[@ANNEKE1999]

For the pronunciation of Colm - Roger Clark was unhappy with it, as well. He claimed in an interview that he asked the creators if they could pronounce it correctly but the creators declined because it was supposed to sound "American" when Arthur and the gang say his name.

[@B1_1_9_7_5]

18:20 dutch once seeing him senior por va vor

[@texanarchy666]

rdr2 is so real. all the settings and the way people talk it just feels like real life

[@duckgod6866]

i love you king

[@MonkeDMoozy21]

I always assumed the callenders joined early into the gang

[@noobgamer-dz8mk]

can't believe you forgot cain :(

[@jalenr.6542]

Dutch probably picks people in need to be in his gang intentionally. That way they’ll feel they owe him, and they won’t leave

[@daghettoghost5539]

Kerin deserved better and I wonder if Sadie ever got any catharsis after mopping up the odriscols

[@gamerhead473]

I know it's never gona happen but I would love a red dead revolver 2

[@Fizhy]

Yeah, probably won't happen but Red Harlow is a cool character left fairly open ended and it's a shame.

[@gamerhead473]

​@@Fizhyand they can easily continue the story with the US army tracking down Red and Red joining up with the natives eventually leading into a war

[@backlandjbreaker24]

Yeah i honestly want to play as a new character 😂