Red Dead Redemption 2: 17 Things Arthur Morgan Can Do That John Marston Can't (2024)

Even though Red Dead Redemption 2 was released quite a while ago, the debate is still raging among fans about who makes the better protagonist, Arthur Morgan or John Marston. John Marston was the original cowboy from the first game, but Arthur Morgan is an equal contender for best Red Dead protagonist thanks to the nuanced take on his character.

There are many different things that both Morgan and Marston can do in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Redemption. Some are well-known, and others can come as a surprise to those who are unaware. It's these little details that can make playthroughs all the more meaningful.

Updated on June 2, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that needs no introduction, with this title doing a great job of letting gamers enjoy one of the most emotional video game stories of all time. For the most part, it follows Arthur Morgan and examines how he gets disillusioned by Dutch's descent into madness following a string of personal losses. Of course, the game's epilogue lets players control the protagonist of the first Red Dead Redemption game, John Marston. Both characters are pretty great in their own right, but there are many things Arthur is capable of that John can't accomplish. These aren't necessarily points that make one protagonist better than the other, but they are certainly fascinating differences that will interest fans of this generational title.

17 Adapt To The Honor Displayed By His Actions

Arthur's Reactivity Based On The Honor System Is More Fleshed Out

The honor system makes a return in Red Dead Redemption 2 and is more fleshed out than ever before. While the binary nature of this system leads to some problems here and there, most people would agree that the way Arthur reacts to being a good or bad person is pretty poignant and leads to some memorable, exclusive content that can only be accessed if players have either high or low honor.

While Marston also has his honor mapped out by the game, the clever implementations of the same aren't all that apparent. It's understandable given how much of a major role Arthur plays in the story, but it is something that most fans will notice after seeing how different Arthur could behave depending on his honor level.

16 Complete Certain Side Missions

Some Side Content Can Only Be Accessed By Arthur

Arthur will encounter several strangers throughout his journey who will need his help in some form or another. These side missions are pretty engaging to carry out, and players will be delighted to know that the bulk of this content can be accessed by John once the game's epilogue has been reached.

However, not all side missions can be accessed by John, with some of these being inaccessible if players don't complete them as Arthur. While players aren't locked out from accessing too many side missions, they should still make it a point to help out as many strangers as Arthur before moving on to the game's epilogue if they want to experience everything the game has to offer.

15 Swim

Marston Not Being Able To Swim Is A Running Joke

In Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan can swim as long as his stamina holds out, which is a fairly long time. If John tries to take a dip in a lake, however, his stamina depletes almost instantly, and he quickly drowns. If anything makes players miss Arthur Morgan more, it's watching John Marston die during a routine fishing expedition.

This is one reason it's important to explore with Arthur first. Both characters excel at landing some brutal headshots, but swimming to an island with treasure on it is going to be a tall order for poor John.

14 Maintain The Same Eye Color

Marston's Eye Color Isn't Consistent In Both Games

Arthur Morgan gets one up on John Marston simply for remaining consistent in his appearance. Many players have noticed that Marston's eye color changed between Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. In the first game, Marston's eyes are dark brown.

In the second title, they are markedly lighter, appearing to be light blue or gray. Arthur Morgan's eyes, on the other hand, remain nice and blue for the entirety of the story. It's not fair that Arthur gets to keep his eye color while also getting some of the best quotes in the game.

13 Get Sick

Arthur Contracts Tuberculosis The Game

Both Arthur and John will suffer various weapons-related injuries. It's bound to happen when using as many real-life-based guns as they do. John, miraculously, avoids getting sick while trapped and bleeding out in the snow for days.

While John doesn't even get so much as the sniffles, Arthur isn't so lucky. Regrettably, Arthur contracts tuberculosis and has good days and bad days up until the bitter end. At least he gets some wisdom from Dutch before it's all over.

12 Pull Off A Long Beard

Arthur Looks Much Better With Thick Facial Hair

Part of the freedom of Red Dead Redemption 2 comes from customizing Arthur Morgan. In that manner, no two Arthur Morgans will always look the same. Gamers can have a bald Arthur, a groomed Arthur, or a bearded Arthur if they wish.

Eventually, John Marston gets the same freedom when players play as him in the epilogue. However, if there's one thing gamers noticed when they reached the epilogue, it's that John Marston just can't pull off a beard the same way Arthur Morgan can. If he tries, he ends up with an unintentionally hilarious fishing trophy photo.

11 Hum While Riding A Horse

John Doesn't Make A Sound While Riding

One of the biggest delights of Red Dead Redemption 2 comes from riding a horse across the scenic wilderness without shuttling from one objective to the next. The beautiful open world is a wonder simply to look upon and explore, giving the game near-infinite replayability.

Arthur Morgan makes the experience a tad more enjoyable by contributing to the immersion. While galloping across an expanse, Morgan will, on occasion, start humming. He's tone-deaf, but at least he tries. John, on the other hand, prefers to ride in silence.

10 Show Growth As A Character

Arthur's Character Development Is Unparalleled

With respect to John Marston, part of the story is about how he tries to change but can't do it. Time after time, he attempts to bond with Jack, but he simply can't. He tries to listen to his wife, and he can't do that either. In the end, he tries to leave the violent life behind, but even that turns out to be more difficult than one would typically expect.

Arthur went from being an outlaw gang's bully to being a person who wanted to do right by people. Ultimately, Arthur decides to do something different for motivations that have completely transformed him. John Marston's character development comes nowhere near to the excellence that is Arthur Morgan's.

9 Herd Sheep

It's Easier For Arthur To Herd Sheep

No one can lay the blame for poor sheep-herding skills entirely on John Marston. The mechanics for herding in the first Red Dead Redemption were difficult, to say the least. Thankfully, Red Dead Redemption 2 smoothed out the "herding" process.

Those who remember herding in the first game probably still have nightmares about it. Arthur, thankfully, has a much easier time of it due to Red Dead Redemption 2's improved game mechanics.

8 Decorate And Improve The Camp

Arthur Can Help Dutch's Gang Out In Many Ways

Throughout the campaign, players will notice that (if they have been contributing to the gang's camp fund regularly) Arthur is the main provider for his fellows. Looking over the camp ledger shows how much each member contributes to bettering the camp as a whole.

John does provide a little, financially speaking, but it's nowhere near as much as Arthur does. Additionally, Arthur provides camp improvements and intricate decorations that help the gang. John, on the other hand, can't be bothered to provide so much as a thread of decor.

7 Be A Decent Father Figure To Jack

Arthur Is Arguably More Of A Father To Jack Than Marston

Even though John Marston purportedly wants to be a better father to Jack, he finds himself unable to do so. Including a few meager and half-hearted attempts, John Marston does not seem to know how to be a dad.

Without a doubt, he loves his family. But it's Arthur who is able to give Jack the kind of love a child needs, expressing a jovial kindness toward him and teaching him about what's important while shielding the child from the cold realities of their current situation.

6 Avoid Scarring

An Attack At The Start Of The Game Scars Marston

In Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur can get mauled by a bear, chewed by a wolf, or bitten by a snake. He will bleed and need a few days or take a quick bath to get rid of the wounds, but eventually, he will look flawless. None of his injuries result in permanent damage, but the same can't be said for the previous game's protagonist.

After John's incident with a wolf at the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2, he gets scars that seem to become more pronounced and worse as time goes by.

5 Collect Debts

This Act Causes Arthur To Contract Tuberculosis

Leopold Strauss mentioned that the other gang members tried, but Arthur is the only one capable of getting debtors to pay. Players are never permitted to see John's miserable attempts to collect money, but given his softer nature, it's understandable.

Arthur, on the other hand, is fantastic at collecting debts. Unfortunately, it's this activity that results in him contracting Tuberculosis. As an honorable character, he eventually decides to stop collecting debts, but if he wanted to keep doing the work, nothing would have been able to stop him.

4 Keep A Great Journal

Marston's Writing And Art Is Pedestrian Compared To Arthur's

Red Dead Redemption 2 found little ways to make players miss Arthur Morgan just when they were recovering. One of those ways was by being able to tell the difference between Arthur's and John's journal-keeping.

Arthur sketched scenes out wonderfully, and he actually had fantastic handwriting for an outlaw. John sketched things rather shoddily, and his handwriting was messier, too. Looking back on old observations in the journal is a fun, if tear-jerking, experience.

3 See Out Of Both Eyes

It's Alluded To That John Is Partially Blind In His Left Eye

Once thought to be simply a rumor, there is now a good amount of evidence that John is at least partially blind in his left eye. During the events of Undead Nightmare, John is standing next to a zombie, Moses, and has to turn his entire head to see him.

Unlike Arthur, John fires rifles with his right eye entirely closed. He also says he needs to rest his "eye" instead of rest his "eyes" when speaking about sleep. Judging by the damaged condition of his left eye at the onset of Red Dead Redemption 2, this is likely when John lost his sight.

2 Put The Gang Before His Lifestyle

Arthur Is More Selfless In This Regard

In fairness to John, it's not just his life that is at stake; it's the threat to the life of his wife and child that causes him to hunt down his former gang members. John can't be blamed for the coercion, and it's not like the gang members he hunted down were really loyal to him anyway.

However, Arthur is willing to die and possibly even get the people he loves killed if it means saving the gang. He mouths off to Pinkertons with Jack by his side and goes on near-suicide missions with friends to try and save the gang, even when the gang has sold him out. Even if it costs him the life of the Missouri Trotter horse he acquires, he'll never betray the gang, no matter the cost.

1 Avoid A Toothbrush

Arthur Doesn't Really Use A Brush All That Often

John is a big fan of the closed-mouth smile so it's not always easy to tell what state his teeth are in. Even so, when he does crack a smile, he's got a few crooked teeth, but they are fairly white, at least for the time period. Arthur, on the other hand, could use a trip to the dentist.

Seeing Arthur's yellow smile as rain drips off the brim of his hat makes for a cool villain shot, and it makes sense since he doesn't have access to a nice restroom like the one at Beecher's Hope. Luckily for Abigail and Jack, John keeps his teeth fairly clean.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Platform(s)

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Stadia

Released

October 26, 2018

Developer(s)

Rockstar Games

Genre(s)

Action , Adventure