One of the many, many highlights of Red Dead Redemption 2 is the vast catalog of characters, both those who play crucial parts in the story and are prominent throughout the game, and those who pop up as recurring characters, even just once or twice. There are so many brilliantly written NPCs for the player to have and enjoy interactions with, many of whom impact Arthur and the journey of the game.
One of the best aspects of the cast of characters is the range of morality among them. There are so many grey characters who are not wholly good, but not evil. At the same time though, fans cannot help but both love and hate specific characters.
Updated September 6, 2021 by Amanda Hurych: The story of Arthur Morgan and the decline of the outlaw way of life in the West is just as good today as it was when Red Dead Redemption 2 was first released. Players are getting to know the best characters in the game and falling in love with them all over again. However, in addition to that, the most hated characters of the game are continually getting despised too. Read on if you want to go over the best and worst characters in Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that is full to bursting with memorable faces and unforgettable narrative moments.
13 Likable - Susan Grimshaw
Susan Grimshaw possesses a very strong presence in every camp that the Van Der Linde Gang settles in. She reprimands slackers, ensures chores are done on time, and is in charge of running the daily tasks necessary for keeping everyone clean and fed.
Even though she comes across as strict, you can’t help liking Grimshaw. She feels like a central figure of the gang, a much-needed enforcer of order. Plus, her loyalty to the gang and those under her charge is unquestionable.
12 Can’t Stand - Angelo Bronte
If you needed a reminder that the glory days of the outlaw were over, you need look no further than Angelo Bronte. This insufferable rich business man is the new criminal of the age, and there is no sense of honor about him whatsoever.
When Bronte ridicules Dutch in such a condescending manner at his party, it fills you with rage, regardless of how you feel about Dutch at the time. Though Bronte’s murder at the hands of Dutch is another indication of Dutch’s decline, you can’t help feeling satisfied with seeing the last of this corrupt crime lord.
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10 Likable - John Marston
John Marston was the original Red Dead Redemption hero and is a huge part of why the first game was such a colossal hit among its fans. He has a rough start in this game but definitely improves over time.
As his and Arthur’s relationship grows, John gets better and better, and by the epilogue, he is just the same old John fans came to adore in the first game. John is held back purely by what we know about him at the very start of the game.
9 Can’t Stand - Agent Andrew Milton
Just like Edgar Ross in the first game, Agent Andrew Milton picks up the role of Pinkerton antagonist in this game extremely well, and just like Ross, he makes the player hate him.
In a way, Milton is the good guy; he is enforcing the law against a gang of robbers and murderers after all. However, for someone who is supposed to be a lawman, he has no issue using his gun in cold blood, and the icing on the cake is his being in cahoots with Micah.
8 Likable - Sadie Adler
Sadie Adler is one of the many new characters introduced in the game as a part of the Van Der Linde gang and is a total standout as a complete badass and a great friend to the true good guys.
After losing her husband and home, Sadie immediately draws sympathy from players. However, she does not remain a mournful widow forever. Instead, she goes from sympathetic and sad, to vengeful and fearless, with a crucial role in Arthur and John’s stories.
7 Can’t Stand - Thomas Downes
Thomas Downes is a character who inspires both hate and debate, with his status as an unlikable character relying on his role in Arthur’s fate, but there is more to it than him being the guy to pass on tuberculosis to the protagonist.
There are many theories from fans that Thomas was a scammer with his asking money for the orphanage, considering there could only be a viable orphanage in Saint Denis and he knew he was dying. Also, he could have easily avoided passing on TB to Arthur by not coughing all over him. Overall, fans dislike the man who killed Arthur Morgan.
6 Likable - Charles Smith
Like Sadie, Charles Smith is a completely new character who is a member of the Van Der Linde gang, who sticks with Arthur and is one of the true good guys of the game, surviving long enough to be a good friend to Arthur and John.
Charles is not a ruthless killer of any sort. He respects life, and is a unique member of the gang, with immense intelligence and skill. It is truly hard not to like Charles, with him getting a fitting survival and end in the epilogue of the game.
5 Can’t Stand - Dutch Van Der Linde
The patriarch and namesake of the Van Der Linde gang is seriously one of Red Dead’s best characters. His charismatic nature attracts not only the members of his own gang but anyone who plays the game as well. That said, he is still one of the most hated characters due to how he develops as the story progresses.
Dutch’s slow descent into madness is excellently written, with so many small moments hinting at what is to come, all snowballing until he is just a big bag of plans, Tahiti, last scores, paranoia, and a loss of any criminal honor.
4 Likable - Hosea Matthews
Dutch’s longtime right hand man is Hosea Matthews, an intellectual, cool-headed, wise man who acts as another father figure to Arthur and others in the gang, and is Dutch’s most trusted advisor, often keeping him in check.
Hosea was clued in to Dutch’s slow descent, but before things could get really bad in the gang, Hosea is killed in one of the game’s most heartbreaking moments. Had Hosea survived, Dutch’s issues would have at least gotten delayed, and if not, there is little doubt Hosea would have sided with Arthur.
3 Can’t Stand - Leopold Strauss
One of the crucial characters in Arthur’s story in terms of him being and becoming a good man is Leopold Strauss, whose jobs for Arthur, and the way in which Arthur reacts to them, highlights where he is on his journey.
There is absolutely nothing to like about Strauss as he preys on the weak for money. He is a character everyone knows is shady, yet he gets kept around in the gang because of the money he makes for them through usury.
2 Likable - Arthur Morgan
There is no way Arthur Morgan could not be called one of the most likable characters in the game, especially since his journey truly shows he is a good man, with a decent heart. He is the likable everyman that every player can respect.
While he is an outlaw, he is not a bad guy. He performs questionable actions, but when he faces his own mortality and tries to make up for all the harm he did throughout his life, he shows a true side of himself that makes fans adore him.
1 Can’t Stand - Micah Bell
Just as how Arthur is inevitable when talking about the best and most likable characters, Micah Bell is the quintessential hated character in Red Dead Redemption 2, with many hating him more than Dutch.
Throughout the entire game, the player prays for the moment that never comes, with Arthur putting a bullet in between Micah’s eyes. It is bad enough he is just the worst person who seems to have Dutch in his back pocket, but it somehow gets worse as he is working with Milton to rat on the gang. His death may be the singular most satisfying moment in the game.
NEXT: Red Dead Redemption 2: Worst Things Arthur Morgan Has The Chance To Do
