There’s been plenty of discussion amongstRed Deadfans about which character seen in the series so far would make the best protagonist forRed Dead Redemption 3. Many want to follow Sadie Adler in her bounty-hunting years, while others want to know what happened to Jack Marston after he avenged his father at the end of the first game. There’s one rarely-discussed candidate, however, who might fit the themes ofRed Dead Redemptionbetter than the competition.
Hosea Matthews is not a typical western gunslinger. A conman used to using his wits over violence whenever possible, he strikes a sharp contrast with the series' player characters so far, providing a more level-headed counterpart to Dutch’s ambitious scheming throughout the second game. Hosea certainly stands out against the other choices forRed Dead Redemption 3’s protagonists, but in ways many fans would consider detrimental to his candidacy. However, Hosea Matthews' story has the chance to hone in the universality of some ofRed Dead’s themes in a way few other characters can. Here’s how a thirdRed Deadgame starring Hosea could take the series to the next level.
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There are goodreasons forRed Dead 3to be a prequel. The first two games are already set during the death rattles of the “Old West.” The decline of the Van der Linde gang’s lifestyle is such a prominent theme that setting a game after John Marston’s death would essentially contradict a main theme ofRed Dead Redemptionso far. It would imply the opposite of Dutch’s famous final realization - “We can’t fight change. We can’t fight gravity. We can’t fight nothing.” AlthoughRed Dead Redemptionisn’t exactly realistic, the idea of Sadie or Jack Marston living the gunslinger lifestyle well into the 20th century would seem to suggest that change is entirely optional.
The knowledge that most ofRed Dead’s characters are doomed in one way or another is one of the most interesting ways the games' stories operate. Arthur’s suspicious absence fromRed Dead 1already had many fans anticipating his death, but his terminal TB diagnosis deepened the theme by having Arthur anticipate it as well. John Marston’s escape inRed Dead 2is also deeply ironic for the majority of fans who know that his happy ending will be short-lived.
Red Dead Redemption 2shows whatRed Dead 1implied - that even before the final collapse of the Van der Linde gang many of theVan der Linde gang memberswere unhappy, hounded by the authorities and rival gangs alike. By going even deeper into the gang’s past,Red Dead 3has the opportunity to explore the true “golden age” of the American outlaw, exposing it to be just as tenuous and subject to change as the characters' lives are in the first two games.
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Like John Marston orArthur MorganinRed Dead 2, players would go into a version ofRed Dead 3starring Hosea with knowledge of his death, which takes place during the second game’s botched Saint Denis bank robbery. Unlike John and Arthur, however, Hosea doesn’t die a young man. In fact, considering his lifestyle, Hosea lives to an impressively old age. The main player character surviving to the end of their game would be aRed Deadfirst, but Hosea’s younger years have the potential to deepenRed Dead’s main themes, not undermine them.
TheRed Deadgames are about people struggling with a constantly changing world. What appears to be decline from one perspective is really just a constant process of change. AlthoughRed Deadhones in on change as a theme by setting its stories at the turn of the century, it isn’t implied that the idyllic Old WestDutch Van der Lindelongs for ever really existed. The outlaws who lived in the 1860s and ’70s may not have had the Pinkertons to contend with, but their lives were still brutal, and usually short.Red Dead Revolver’s more light-hearted, less pessimistic western story didn’t take place in theRed Dead Redemptionuniverse. InRed Dead Redemption,Red Harlowe’s adventure is just a legend.
There would be plenty of fun to get out of a younger Hosea living life as a conman and gunslinger. There’s his story about the time he was nearly hanged for stealing chickens, only for a mob to show up and hang the Sheriff instead. When Dutch and Hosea first met, they bonded over the fact that they both tried to rob one another. Throughout the second game Hosea tells stories of daring bank robberies and jailbreaks. The real reason Hosea could be a greatRed Dead 3protagonist, however, is that his story would truly putRed Dead Redemption’s philosophy to the test.
IfRed Dead Redemption 3starred Hosea, it could explore howRed Dead Redemption’s main theme of accepting inevitable change - even death - still holds true, even when the protagonist doesn’t die young, and even when the game is set during the golden age of the western gunslinger. It could tell a story where the characters are still frightened by their constantly changing world and driven to destruction by that fear, even though in retrospect the outlaw lifestyle would remain viable for decades.
Hosea’s fond memory of meeting Dutch - which could be included in the third game - would be deeply ironic for players who know that their friendship will ultimately lead to the deaths of many people, including Hosea himself. Although he lived through the Old West that the Van der Linde gang longs for throughout the series, he still lived a life full of regrets. It’s summed up by one of his early, character-establishing lines inRed Dead 2: “I wish I had acquired wisdom at less of a price.” By 1899 the golden age is over, and the hopes that the gang can eventually have a happy ending are fading. WhatHosea Matthews' story could show is that the golden age never really existed, and that if people judge their success by their ability to buck against change and live happily ever after, they’re doomed from the start.
