I Replayed Red Dead Redemption and Now I Have a New Pick for Who Should Be the Main Character of RDR3

by

With a third Red Dead Redemption game almost certainly in the works, Rockstar Games should think about making Landon Ricketts the protagonist. The first game featured John Marston, and the second, a prequel, starred Arthur Morgan. While Rockstar hasn’t officially announced Red Dead Redemption 3, the popularity of the previous two games makes another installment highly likely.

This article contains major SPOILERS for Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2

I was a huge fan of the first Red Dead Redemption – it won so many awards and everyone loved it. But Red Dead Redemption 2 just blew it away, both in terms of sales and critical praise. It’s still flying off the shelves, and a lot of people consider it one of the greatest games ever made. Rockstar is working on Grand Theft Auto 6 right now, but you’ve gotta think they’ve at least talked about starting work on Red Dead Redemption 3 at some point, right?

Who Should Be the Main Character in Red Dead Redemption 3?

Man, the speculation about Red Dead Redemption 3 is wild! I’ve seen theories everywhere. Some people want a direct sequel to the first RDR, continuing the story after the original, while others are hoping for another prequel, showing us even more of the Van der Linde gang’s history. A lot of folks also think it would be awesome to play as Sadie Adler from RDR2 – she’s a total badass. Honestly, I’d be happy with any of those, but I’ve been thinking… what about Landon Ricketts? I think making him the main character could be really interesting and deserves a serious look from Rockstar.

It’s possible that Red Dead Redemption 3 will follow the example of Grand Theft Auto 6 and let players choose between a male and female character. If that happens, the game could feature both Adler and Ricketts as the main characters you play as.

I’ve been revisiting the first Red Dead Redemption now that it’s available on PS5, and I keep thinking about Landon Ricketts. He’s a famous gunslinger John Marston encounters in Mexico, and he’d be a fantastic character for a prequel game. While Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 show the Wild West fading away, a prequel focused on a young Landon Ricketts could take place during its peak.

Pictured above is the legendary gunslinger himself, Landon Ricketts.

As a huge Red Dead fan, I’ve been thinking about what a Red Dead Redemption 3 could be like, and I’m really hoping they tell Jack Marston’s story! If they do, the game could potentially cover a long period of time. Imagine starting as a young, inexperienced gunslinger and playing through his whole life, eventually leading up to the events of the first Red Dead Redemption where we finally meet him! It would be amazing to see how he first connected with characters like Andreas Muller and even The Stranger. It could really flesh out the world and give those encounters more meaning.

Red Dead Redemption 3 with Landon Ricketts Would Be a Good Opportunity to Break From Tradition

Both Red Dead Redemption games conclude with the death of the protagonist and the introduction of a new one. In Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan dies, and players then control John Marston. The first Red Dead Redemption follows a similar pattern: John Marston dies, and his son, Jack, becomes the new main character. If a third Red Dead Redemption game focused on Landon Ricketts and took place entirely in the past, it would break the series’ trend of main characters dying at the end.

A future Red Dead Redemption 3 could be a refreshing change of pace. One possibility is that the game could cover the events leading up to the first Red Dead Redemption, telling the story from Landon Ricketts’ point of view and showing his relationship with John Marston. It could then continue his story after the original game’s ending. Since Ricketts reportedly died peacefully in his sleep, this would avoid the tragic endings of Arthur and John. However, it’s also possible that the details surrounding Ricketts’ death aren’t entirely accurate.

You can technically play as Ricketts in the original Red Dead Redemption, but only if you have the Myths and Mavericks DLC.

Landon Ricketts’ obituary in the Blackwater Ledger says he was involved in the Blackwater Massacre of 1899, but he doesn’t appear at all during the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. A future Red Dead Redemption 3 could address this inconsistency by showing what Ricketts was doing during the massacre.

The obituary also highlights that Ricketts gained notoriety in 1896 by taking down the Butcher Brothers. While details about them are scarce, they could be the primary villains in a future Red Dead Redemption 3 game starring Ricketts.

It’s still unclear who will be the main character in Red Dead Redemption 3 – it could be Landon Ricketts, or someone completely new. While he’d be a compelling choice, even if Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out on November 19th, Red Dead Redemption 3 is likely years away, so don’t expect to hear much about it soon.

Read More

2026-01-31 23:37