Understanding John Marston

John Marston was a prominent character in both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. In this video I talk about how he evolved as a character and the aftermath of his parenting with Jack Marston.
#gaming #reddeadredemption #rockstargames

[@ant_178]

Johns death is so sad. The reason for me why its sadder than Arthurs death is because Arthur died gracefully and with redemption in front of the sun. John was shot like a dog despite his hard work, no sad music, no music at all. And it was super painful and rather slow.

[@Ao19222]

depends on what ending you chose, he either gets stabbed in his breathing passage and dies of asphyxiation (rather than micah stabbing him in the back, you wont die that fast to a stab in the back). or gets his brains blown off by micah. and he doesnt die in 5 seconds on the cliff either. tuberculosis is no joke (atleast for people back then) so he likely ded from chronic respiratory failure, which is when the lungs cannot get enough oxygen into the blood or eliminate enough carbon dioxide from the body. R* never said which ending was canon for arthur so we will never know all of of arthurs deaths except the one micah shoots him was more painful and lasted longer than johns. you would die in seconds if you got shot 40 times despite what the game shows you

[@1221ghxst]

@@Ao19222Come on bro… We all know which ending is canon

[@Ao19222]

@@1221ghxst No we dont complain to rockstar

[@ant_178]

@@Ao19222 Rockstar doesn’t have to explain which ending is canon, just use your head lmfao. All of Arthur’s good deeds that aren’t a choice clearly shows him having high honor, and Arthur always said he would help John get out. So just use your head lol. That’s why it’s a game by the way, John didn’t die in seconds which shows how tough he is, it’s definitely more painful choking on your own blood while the excruciating burning pain throughout every part of your body settles in. Which is what a gunshot feels like in real life btw. Getting stabbed in the back hurts like hell sure but it can’t compare to John’s that’s for sure. And it’s not even the canon ending either. It’s completely out of character for Arthur to go the money instead of helping John when he gave him a bag full of money which is given to him by Tilly.

[@nobody.7784]

​​​​@@ant_178if you keep making theories I can say that go back for money ending was made badass by rockstar for fans to choose this, but because of silly -honor message fans think it's bad, like cmon, going with John only gonna draw attention, it makes more sense when they split up where john can escape safely and arthur draw attention on himself You can also think he came back for money to give it to john, he literally says what about the money all the time while john says that they gotta escape first There's no canon one, they both work it just depends on what you choose

[@banos3999]

John being dumb honestly might be the reason I relate to him so much 😔

[@lobaandrade7172]

Mood

[@A_Black_hoodie]

Fr

[@Dragono_]

“Wow, I finally finished RDR2… I’m sure sad that Arthur is no longer with us, but at least he saved John and his family, so that they can live out their lives care free!” Kid named RDR1:

[@squidward9747]

I need to name my kid that. He’d emasculate other kids by simply being around

[@McDiesel27]

John Marston is goated

[@abak3d_potato498]

Red dead 1 John I would say is very smart. He is often called dumb or half literate but if you listen to the things he says and how he behaves in a conversation there is class and sophistication in his words. Also I’m pretty sure the reason he showed up at fort Mercer basically unarmed could be because he wanted to die early on so that the bureau would let his family go.

[@channel45853]

I think it is cause he thought he could persaude Bill as John thought Bill was stupid and would easily be persauded.

[@misanthropie.]

as always a comment section full of arthur glazers on a video about john, truly never ends lol.

[@airc0nditi0ner84]

so real, they’re like parasites

[@ant_178]

Won’t be hard to find them

[@channel45853]

They just have a different opinion than you, no reason to get upset

[@Ujjwal_Gamer_007]

John Manston was my favourite character in red dead 1 but Arthur took that place when i played red dead 2.

[@samarvir126]

I always thought John was a better character even before playing rdr2 and rdr1. He always looked more badass and cooler.

[@CheezDoodlezz]

John still has the no. 1 spot for me

[@LowTierMarston]

​@@CheezDoodlezzRespect 🤝🗣️💯💯💯

[@Landon_ricketts_duals]

I've played through both rdr games and John is still my favorite rdr character

[@benjaminhancock2747]

​@@samarvir126in my opinion I think John is cooler than Arthur but I also think Arthur is a better character than John

[@GoogleUser000]

John Marston is probably one of my favorite characters in fiction ever, due to his incredible and so well-put development throughout the story of both Red Dead Redemption games. Its just 10/10, nuff said

[@CrackedJust1n]

Even though Arthur was the better protagonist intellectually and skill-based, John definitely grew the most and I agree he was really well developed as you said

[@jessebailey5962]

​@@CrackedJust1nJohn in rdr1 clears Arthur in everything.

[@nathenr2180]

In my opinion Jack's story was about revenge rather than redemption

[@saulisfunny]

John got his revenge but it took until rdr 1 to redeem himself, Arthur took the whole story to redeem himself so Jack still needs to redeem himself.

[@Al_X-2005]

I think John was colder in Rdr1 because in-between that game and Rdr2's epilogue him and Abigail had a daughter that died at a young age, which was hinted at in the epilogue where Abigail knits some baby cloths. The loss of his daughter probably hardened him and made him feel like a horrible father, even if she just died from sickness(presumably). Having the rest of his family ripped away from him after working so hard to build a nice life was no doubt frustrating for him.

[@CrackedJust1n]

Absolutely valid take, be went through a lot in that time thank you for commenting this

[@Vibrantly_Monochromatic]

I think Abigail's worst fear is losing John and why she gets so angry and upset whenever he picks up a gun and starts shooting. Unfortunately this fear turns into reality and ultimately dies by bullets. The lost was so profound she ended up dying a few years later even if it meant leaving their son alone.

[@samarvir126]

John’s not that stupid. He was the first to know that Dutch is going insane and Arthur was keep on making up excuses to say to John that that is not true. John gets saved 3 times but Arthur gets 4 times by Kieran, eagle flies, Charles, and Abigail. Yeah John got his family taken but he’s just so pathetic in the epilogue. He always stutters and even lets Sadie boss him around.

[@CheezDoodlezz]

Yeah the wolves ate half his brains making him smart i wish they ate all his brains imagine the stuff he could accomplish

[@TheAnarchySaint]

i think you missunderstood a lot about this, yeah sure John sensed something was up to Dutch a bit earlier than other members did but that doesn't make him a genius, the rescuing part it didn't meant slip-ups, John got took away from the gang many times even for days, due to his sloppines and acting first before thinking, that was something he tried to correct in the epilogue by listening to what other characters got to say and learning from them they tried a more human approach with John in 2 it feels like to me, before you call me an Arthur fan-boy because i disagree with some of your views on John Marston, i'm not, i like both of these characters a lot

[@jessebailey5962]

​@@TheAnarchySaintJohn got caught twice because he was the one in the gang they sent to scout out the town when they were about to do hit a bank or something. John was the one in the gang that actually got a long with regular people in town. John got caught because Bronte set them up. I personally think they made him to clumsy in 2. I mean he slipped up in 1 a handful of times to, but it just made him seem like real human. He was a great gunslinger and a great gut but he made mistakes and got played which made him human.

[@channel45853]

I mean, he gets bossed around and humilated a lot in first game as well. I like that they didn't overdo it with his badassery, otherwise it would be cringey and pandering.

[@user-eternalcarnival]

Yeah John Marston is a great character and stuff…..but most importantly….he’s also fine as hell 😩😭🤣

[@CheezDoodlezz]

Only 1899 and 1911 self also his 1914 look is so fine!

[@LowTierMarston]

​@@CheezDoodlezz📸🤨Caught U in 8K 120fps being Sus again 🗣️💯💯💯💯

[@Samsonig]

@@CheezDoodlezz john died in 1911 fym 1914

[@spideylmao]

@@Samsonigpretty sure he might’ve been joking

[@kliphord123X]

I know people say like that they like Arthur more but why not except the fact the both are goated and truly make up the entire rdr story.

[@Cerberus589]

That’s what I’ve been saying but Arthur fans always like to say that John sucks without giving any logical explanation as to why they think that. You could tell that most of them never played the first game.

[@kliphord123X]

@@Cerberus589 Arthur is in fact a great character in the series but the fans are just shit and annoying like okay I get it but no need to remind us ALL the time in every rdr related vid.

[@ant_178]

Tbf this is literally a John video and no one cares if they like Arthur more or not

[@ant_178]

@@Cerberus589 “Uhm!! but Arthur completed the legendary gunslinger quest!” He didn’t btw

[@RedhoodBeyond]

Yeah. I like both John and Arthur. Maybe I like Arthur a little more but both characters are well written

[@seanboyize]

Personally I enjoy playing as John in RDR2. I played Red Dead 1 several times over growing up, and when I played RDR2 for the first time I was the same age as John in the game (26). I really liked seeing how he was the heel of so many jokes. It makes John and Uncles dynamic a lot funnier considering their reputations seeing him have to grow up in that stage of life was really enjoyable.

[@ScorpionWag]

That intro was dope

[@the-rad-mad5603]

john is such a complex character when you want him to be. like, yeah, he’s a badass cowboy in an outlaw gang. BUT he also has soooo many layers that the player can pull back if they want to.

[@Nathator97]

I love video essays like this! You did a great job analyzing the character development and hidden meanings while also keeping the video humorous. When you said the only main character that didn't have a redemption was Jack, that really got me thinking. I hope R* makes a game that continues Jack's story after RDR1 that transitions to a completely new series of games. (if they continues RDR1 and kept it a RDR game it wouldn't even be a cowboy game at that point) Again, amazing video! I can tell you put a lot of work into it!

[@Mitsurifan357]

John Marston is my favorite character. Period. This was an outstanding analysis

[@DarthPeruzi]

Arthur will always be one of my favorites, but john marston takes the first place, no doubt. How could I not give it to the character that first took me into this world

[@fierce1343]

I always forget that the story is meant to be a tragedy, revenge never stopped like arthur wanted it too, he even told John many times to not look bad but John looked back to get revenge on Micah and that led to jack looking back to get revenge on Ross. Who knows what happens to jack after that. Really heartbreaking

[@jessebailey5962]

John didn't get caught because of Micah. He got caught because of his name at the bank that he used to get land for his family. He got caught because he stopped running and bill and dutch kept the heat on the gangs names for 10 years.

[@jessebailey5962]

If anything the fbi agents would have thought Dutch killed Micah or Sadie killed Micah

[@fierce1343]

@jessebailey5962 maybe, but in the end credit scene it was implied that they got on John's trail after they saw what happened on the mountain.

[@jessebailey5962]

@@fierce1343 yes but they're just talking to people that might know John. Not anybody that would know anything about Micah because John never talked about Micah except to Sadie or Charles or Abigail. The people they talked to at the end know nothing of Micah. But they knew John Marston had a ranch and that's all the FBI needed to know because they knew John was once in the gang. The absolute only way they could tie John to Micah was if Sadie or Charles or Dutch talked and ratted John out.

[@jessebailey5962]

@@fierce1343 plus they didn't arrest John for a murder charge. They raided his ranch and kidnapped his family for leverage to make him go after the old gang. Because he was the only one that knew them and could get close.

[@Cyadical]

Nice video Had fun with the quick text that I had to slow down the video for just for it to be stuff like “Scene hard af feel free to screenshot” 😂

[@T3x34]

I loved arthur more than john after many playthroughs of rdr2 but after another run of rdr 1 i love them both equally as characters because john essentially goes on the same arc as arthur from being a cold blooded gunslinger willing to do anything to protect his family to a loving man who sacrifices himself to help others.

[@Marston123]

Thanks for this amazing vid idk how you don’t have more subscribers

[@justajad2809]

I am here before even finishing RDR2 and RDR1. I have not been spoiled at all yet. But oh boy I will enjoy THIS video after this whole odyssey. Wish me guys good luck !

[@asapmercury]

he’s my favorite character in the entire franchise. has been since 2010 🐐🐐

[@ekmaster6631]

John didn't seem very stupid in rdr1 for me. He had some deep moral discussions with the mexican army and rebels.

[@Al_X-2005]

Abigail's reaction to John defending their son from random gunslingers: 😰

[@claudiotedesco2390]

This is probably your best video so far!❤ I love your comedy and the way you talk about all of my favourite games. What is your favourite rdr2 mission?😊

[@PizzaGamer11919]

I love both character

[@austinwita34]

Johns not the smartest guy but he’s definitely not stupid he does and sais some things I’m rdr that show his intelligence

[@johnponn6403]

I feel like you totally miss all of John’s intellectual lines and actions, he’s a hell of a lot more well-read and courteous than most people in the game

[@DragonBallzMoviesHD]

John Marston is the greatest character in Rockstar games. He was my favourite since 2010

[@2SK-EVIL]

I really loved Arther but John on the other hand had a happy ending in red dead redemption 2 and Arther did not. But I still liked John because of his whole character development throughout RDR2.

[@Beau-Bo]

the reason why john always talks about how people “shouldn’t be something your not.” because HE does that. reyes puts it best “a romantic desperately trying to be a cynic”

[@phiwesharestheword]

You’ve yee’d your last haawh John Marston

[@santiagorojaspiaggio]

I don't really think John is stupid. Well, in RDR1 at least. Him going by himself into Fort Mercer... i think it's just a moment of lazy/fast writing or something like that. Throughout the rest of the game he is generally more inteligent than all the people surrounding him, and very wise as well. Even well spoken. In RDR2, i understand that he is young and naive, although gradually growing. Sure, he's not an educated gentleman, but he's brighter than some of the people from the gang, or than a lot of hillbillies from this world.

[@mikeecko]

John was as dumb as a bag of hair but he had heart. Arthur definitely forgave whatever happened and gave him all his stuff before he died. I know it's only a video game but the writing is incredible. It really makes me want to play RDR again even though I'm doing a playthrough of RDR2 for about the sixth time right now 😬🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠

[@out1am977]

upload again !!

[@x_fuzzy_rainbows_x636]

I do love John Marston slander

[@palkappy8581]

Bro made a video where he was yappin’ for 14 minutes

[@prestonimacaroni]

W

[@Amber-se7qq]

Kind of tired of people crapping on Abigail. Idk. I think it would suck being an illiterate woman who has to raise a son on her own because initially the father couldn’t meet the responsibility. John definitely does try his best to do right by her as the story progresses and we enter the epilogue. But I don’t think people appreciate the fact that she has to depend on him for everything. Her reactions to him potentially risking getting into trouble are filled with anxiety so no her reactions and responses to him aren’t as understanding. It’s a hyper sensitive response to worrying about John as well as herself and Jack. Women were just starting to enter the workforce and her options for work would be limited by her lack of education to begin with (but she’s clearly not afraid to find work where she can.) I’m not saying it can’t be frustrating to watch but I get where she’s coming from. She’s over the gang life and doesn’t want to witness that affecting her family anymore.

[@channel45853]

yes, but her getting mad at John for defending innocents from gangs and being heroic can get annoying abigail can be right and has some points but can also overreact especially when she does not understand a situation like in Jim Milton returns

[@Amber-se7qq]

@@channel45853 That's why I said it was "hypersensitive" response, meaning she does overreact based on her fears. Also not necessarily saying it can't be overdone. I just feel like most people don't address or understand why she acts that way or that she's somehow trying to pull something over on John. I think she understands some things, she just doesn't care because it's not her priority. Overreacting isn't a good mindset to be in all the time.That's also why I said that John was actually trying to do his best. There are instances where he's boxed in and can't rightfully just sit there and take it (mainly when some of the Laramie boys come to harass the farm hands and they get into a physical altercation. In that instance, I don't think it was fair of Abigail to act that way.) But considering John still has a bounty out for him, she's scared that anything he does to be seen will result in him being hauled off to jail again or hanged.

[@dwaynejpeterkin]

I never cared for John as he was a dead beat who should of died years ago also he was used by the Pinkerton to kill his old gang thinking everything was safe and got himself killed not to mention Dutch and Abigail bossing him around

[@CrackedJust1n]

I think he started off as a deadbeat like you said but in the epilogue and RDR1 really changed to an absolute badass, I like the detail in Jim Milton rides Again when he's instructing the farmers on where they should be for the ambush, basically showing that he can plan at that point too, which he was too dumb to do beforehand

[@jessebailey5962]

​@@CrackedJust1nif the gang would have listened to John the whole time instead of Dutch, Hosea, or Arthur then the gang would have actually made it. Even toward the end of rdr2 John tells Arthur that Hosea was just as bad as Dutch, they just play 2 different sides to get the gang to do what they wanted. Hosea and Dutch were pure con men. Arthur was confused and indecisive, Micah was dumb and a sellout. John and Charles and uncle were the only ones in the gang with any sense.

[@carsonpacheco222]

Slow down

[@nathanaelnell2024]

Day 47 of asking for daily uploads

[@criminalved4661]

give him a break man, his videos are really high quality. Uploading daily would hit the quality hard

[@nathanaelnell2024]

@@criminalved4661 true his quality is second to none

[@westonbroomfield439]

I never liked John, I found him annoying to play as in rdr1 and it took me a long time and a few attempts to beat the game because I didn’t like his character, I restarted rdr2 so I didn’t have to play as him but after playing rdr2 I learned to appreciate him and understand him… still don’t like him though

[@niteshanthony2324]

hey we dont know each other but i wanna say that GOD still loves u and wants u to be with him all u must do is trust in Jesus and repent of ur sins. GOD loves u more than u can imagine. ☺️☺️☺️🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@out1am977]

i like arthur more than john because arthur is more fun to play as

[@channel45853]

Why do you think so?