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It puts Germanic peoples in control of most areas of what was then the Western Roman Empire. The Tervingi entered Roman territory (after a clash with the Huns) in 376. Some time thereafter in Marcianopolis, the escort to Fritigern (their leader) was killed while meeting with Lupicinus. The Tervingi rebelled, and the Visigoths, a group derived either from the Tervingi or from a fusion of mainly Gothic groups, eventually invaded Italy and sacked Rome in 410, before settling in Gaul, and then, 50 years later, in Iberia, founding a kingdom that lasted for 250 years. They were followed into Roman territory first by a confederation of Herulian, Rugian, and Scirian warriors, under Odoacer, that deposed Romulus Augustulus on 4 September 476, and later by the Ostrogoths, led by Theodoric the Great, who settled in Italy.
In Gaul, the Franks (a fusion of western Germanic tribes whose leaders had been aligned with Rome since the third century AD) entered Roman lands gradually during the fifth century, and after consolidating power under Childeric and his son Clovis’s decisive victory over Syagrius in 486, established themselves as rulers of northern Roman Gaul. Fending off challenges from the Allemanni, Burgundians, and Visigoths, the Frankish kingdom became the nucleus of what would later become France and Germany. The initial Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain occurred during the fifth century, when Roman control of Britain had come to an end. The Burgundians settled in northwestern Italy, Switzerland and Eastern France in the fifth century.
Second phase The second phase took place between 500 and 700 and saw Slavic tribes settling more areas of central Europe and pushing farther into southern and eastern Europe, gradually making the eastern half of the continent predominantly Slavic. Additionally, Turkic tribes such as the Avars became involved in this phase. In 567, the Avars and the Lombards destroyed much of the Gepid Kingdom. The Lombards, a Germanic people, settled in Italy with their Herulian, Suebian, Gepid, Thuringian, Bulgar, Sarmatian and Saxon allies in the 6th century. They were later followed by the Bavarians and the Franks, who conquered and ruled most of Italy.
The Bulgars, originally a nomadic group from Central Asia, had occupied the Pontic steppe north of Caucasus since the second century, but after, pushed by the Khazars, the majority of them migrated west and dominated Byzantine territories along the lower Danube in the seventh century. From this time and onward the demographic picture of the Balkans changed permanently becoming predominantly Slavic, while pockets of native people survived in the mountains of southwest Balkans, Albania and Greece. During the early Byzantine–Arab Wars, Arab armies attempted to invade southeast Europe via Asia Minor during the late seventh and early eighth centuries, but were defeated at the siege of Constantinople (717–718) by the joint forces of Byzantium and the Bulgars.
During the Khazar–Arab Wars, the Khazars stopped the Arab expansion into Europe across the Caucasus (7th and 8th centuries). At the same time, the Moors (consisting of Arabs and Berbers) invaded Europe via Gibraltar (conquering Hispania—the Iberian Peninsula—from the Visigothic Kingdom in 711), before being halted. These battles broadly demarcated the frontiers between Christendom and Islam for the next millennium. The following centuries saw the Muslims successful in conquering most of Sicily from the Christians by 902. The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin from around 895 and the following Hungarian invasions of Europe, and the Viking expansion from the late 8th century conventionally mark the last large movements of the period.
Christianity gradually converted the non-Islamic newcomers and integrated them into the medieval Christian order. After that, the German eastward expansion started in the 11th century in Eastern Europe. Climatic factors A number of contemporary historical references worldwide refer to an extended period of extreme weather during 535–536. Evidence of this cold period is also found in dendrochronology and ice cores. The consequences of this cold period are debated. Discussions Barbarian identity Analysis of barbarian identity and how it was created and expressed during the Barbarian Invasions has elicited discussion among scholars. Herwig Wolfram, a historian of the Goths, in discussing the equation of migratio gentium with , observes that Michael Schmidt introduced the equation in his 1778 history of the Germans.
Wolfram observed that the significance of gens as a biological community was shifting, even during the early Middle Ages and that "to complicate matters, we have no way of devising a terminology that is not derived from the concept of nationhood created during the French Revolution". The "primordialistic" paradigm prevailed during the 19th century. Scholars, such as German linguist Johann Gottfried Herder, viewed tribes as coherent biological (racial) entities, using the term to refer to discrete ethnic groups. He also believed that the Volk were an organic whole, with a core identity and spirit evident in art, literature and language.
These characteristics were seen as intrinsic, unaffected by external influences, even conquest. Language, in particular, was seen as the most important expression of ethnicity. They argued that groups sharing the same (or similar) language possessed a common identity and ancestry. This was the Romantic ideal that there once had been a single German, Celtic or Slavic people who originated from a common homeland and spoke a common tongue, helping to provide a conceptual framework for political movements of the 18th and 19th centuries such as Pan-Germanism and Pan-Slavism. From the 1960s, a reinterpretation of archaeological and historic evidence prompted scholars, such as Goffart and Todd, to propose new models for explaining the construction of barbarian identity.
They maintained that no sense of shared identity was perceived by the Germani; a similar theory having been proposed for Celtic and Slavic groups. A theory states that the primordialist mode of thinking was encouraged by a prima facie interpretation of Graeco-Roman sources, which grouped together many tribes under such labels as Germanoi, Keltoi or Sclavenoi, thus encouraging their perception as distinct peoples. Modernists argue that the uniqueness perceived by specific groups was based on common political and economic interests rather than biological or racial distinctions. The role of language in constructing and maintaining group identity can be ephemeral since large-scale language shifts occur commonly in history.
Modernists propose the idea of "imagined communities"; the barbarian polities in late antiquity were social constructs rather than unchanging lines of blood kinship. The process of forming tribal units was called "ethnogenesis", a term coined by Soviet scholar Yulian Bromley. The Austrian school (led by Reinhard Wenskus) popularized this idea, which influenced medievalists such as Herwig Wolfram, Walter Pohl and Patrick Geary. It argues that the stimulus for forming tribal polities was perpetuated by a small nucleus of people, known as the ("kernel of tradition"), who were a military or aristocratic elite. This core group formed a standard for larger units, gathering adherents by employing amalgamative metaphors such as kinship and aboriginal commonality and claiming that they perpetuated an ancient, divinely-sanctioned lineage.
The common, track-filled map of the may illustrate such [a] course of events, but it misleads. Unfolded over long periods of time, the changes of position that took place were necessarily irregular ... (with) periods of emphatic discontinuity. For decades and possibly centuries, the tradition bearers idled, and the tradition itself hibernated. There was ample time for forgetfulness to do its work. Viewpoints Historians have postulated several explanations for the appearance of "barbarians" on the Roman frontier: climate change, weather and crops, population pressure, a "primeval urge" to push into the Mediterranean, the construction of the Great Wall of China causing a "domino effect" of tribes being forced westward, leading to the Huns falling upon the Goths who, in turn, pushed other Germanic tribes before them.
Entire barbarian tribes (or nations) flooded into Roman provinces, ending classical urbanism and beginning new types of rural settlements. In general, French and Italian scholars have tended to view this as a catastrophic event, the destruction of a civilization and the beginning of a "Dark Age" that set Europe back a millennium. In contrast, German and English historians have tended to see Roman–Barbarian interaction as the replacement of a "tired, effete and decadent Mediterranean civilization" with a "more virile, martial, Nordic one". Rather than "invasion", German and Slavic scholars speak of "migration" (, , and ), aspiring to the idea of a dynamic and "wandering Indo-Germanic people".
The scholar Guy Halsall has seen the barbarian movement as the result of the fall of the Roman Empire, not its cause. Archaeological finds have confirmed that Germanic and Slavic tribes were settled agriculturalists who were probably merely "drawn into the politics of an empire already falling apart for quite a few other causes". The Crisis of the Third Century caused significant changes within the Roman Empire in both its western and its eastern portions. In particular, economic fragmentation removed many of the political, cultural and economic forces that had held the empire together. The rural population in Roman provinces became distanced from the metropolis, and there was little to differentiate them from other peasants across the Roman frontier.
In addition, Rome increasingly used foreign mercenaries to defend itself. That "barbarisation" parallelled changes within barbaricum. For example, the Roman Empire played a vital role in building up barbarian groups along its frontier. Propped up with imperial support and gifts, the armies of allied barbarian chieftains served as buffers against other, hostile, barbarian groups. The disintegration of Roman economic power weakened groups that had come to depend on Roman gifts for the maintenance of their own power. The arrival of the Huns helped prompt many groups to invade the provinces for economic reasons. The nature of the barbarian takeover of former Roman provinces varied from region to region.
For example, in Aquitaine, the provincial administration was largely self-reliant. Halsall has argued that local rulers simply "handed over" military rule to the Ostrogoths, acquiring the identity of the newcomers. In Gaul, the collapse of imperial rule resulted in anarchy: the Franks and Alemanni were pulled into the ensuing "power vacuum", resulting in conflict. In Spain, local aristocrats maintained independent rule for some time, raising their own armies against the Vandals. Meanwhile, the Roman withdrawal from lowland England resulted in conflict between Saxons and the Brittonic chieftains (whose centres of power retreated westward as a result). The Eastern Roman Empire attempted to maintain control of the Balkan provinces despite a thinly-spread imperial army relying mainly on local militias and an extensive effort to refortify the Danubian limes.
The ambitious fortification efforts collapsed, worsening the impoverished conditions of the local populace and resulting in colonization by Slavic warriors and their families. Halsall and Noble have argued that such changes stemmed from the breakdown in Roman political control, which exposed the weakness of local Roman rule. Instead of large-scale migrations, there were military takeovers by small groups of warriors and their families, who usually numbered only in the tens of thousands. The process involved active, conscious decision-making by Roman provincial populations. The collapse of centralized control severely weakened the sense of Roman identity in the provinces, which may explain why the provinces then underwent dramatic cultural changes even though few barbarians settled in them.
Ultimately, the Germanic groups in the Western Roman Empire were accommodated without "dispossessing or overturning indigenous society", and they maintained a structured and hierarchical (but attenuated) form of Roman administration. Ironically, they lost their unique identity as a result of such an accommodation and were absorbed into Latinhood. In contrast, in the east, Slavic tribes maintained a more "spartan and egalitarian" existence bound to the land "even in times when they took their part in plundering Roman provinces". Their organizational models were not Roman, and their leaders were not normally dependent on Roman gold for success. Thus they arguably had a greater effect on their region than the Goths, the Franks or the Saxons had on theirs.
Ethnicity Based on the belief that particular types of artifacts, elements of personal adornment generally found in a funerary context, are thought to indicate the race and/or ethnicity of the person buried, the "Culture-History" school of archaeology assumed that archaeological cultures represent the (homeland) of tribal polities named in historical sources. As a consequence, the shifting extensions of material cultures were interpreted as the expansion of peoples. Influenced by constructionism, process-driven archaeologists rejected the Culture-Historical doctrine and marginalized the discussion of ethnicity altogether and focused on the intragroup dynamics that generated such material remains. Moreover, they argued that adoption of new cultures could occur through trade or internal political developments rather than only military takeovers.
Depiction in media Terry Jones' Barbarians, a 4-part TV documentary series first broadcast on BBC 2 in 2006 Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion and Total War: Attila, strategy games by The Creative Assembly Barbarians (miniseries), a documentary miniseries on The History Channel See also Bond event Dark Ages (historiography) Environmental migrant Genetic history of the British Isles Late Antiquity Medieval demography Migration Period art Slavic migration Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms Hephthalite Empire Immigration Notes References Sources Börm, Henning (2013), Westrom. Von Honorius bis Justinian, Kohlhammer Verlag, Kleineberg, A.; Marx, Chr. ; Knobloch, E.; Lelgemann, D.: Germania und die Insel Thule.
Die Entschlüsselung von Ptolemaios' "Atlas der Oikumene". WBG 2010. . External links Category:Historiography Category:Germanic history Category:Indo-European history Category:Germanic archaeology Category:1st millennium in Europe Category:1st millennium in Asia Category:1st millennium in Africa Category:Historical eras Category:Dark ages
In the United States, an independent practice association (IPA) is an association of independent physicians, or other organizations that contracts with independent care delivery organizations, and provides services to managed care organizations on a negotiated per capita rate, flat retainer fee, or negotiated fee-for-service basis. Operation An HMO or other managed care plan can contract with an IPA, which in turn contracts with independent care providers or physicians to treat members at discounted fees or on a capitation basis. The typical IPA encompasses all specialties, but an IPA can be solely for primary care, could be single specialty, or could be a set of other care providers such as psychologists or even providers of social services such as food pantries, homeless shelters, or substance use disorder treatment facilities.
IPAs are typically formed as an LLC, S Corp, C Corp, or other stock entity. Their purpose is not to generate a profit for the shareholders although this can be done. The IPA assembles care providers in self-directed groups within a geographic region to invent and implement health improvement solutions, form collaborative efforts among care providers to implement these programs, and exert political influence upward within the community to effect positive change. Despite a perception that IPAs have been formed to negotiate as a group with insurance companies in an attempt to improve rates of compensation, under the Federal Trade Commission Act, they cannot negotiate as a group with insurance companies for the providers' other insurance reimbursement.
The IPA can only negotiate for the IPA members those services which are contracted on capitated members. "Messengers," specialists who are selected to represent individual practices, can be used by IPA members to review and discuss coding and compensation with health insurance companies. These professionals do not collectively bargain and can only do so if the providers have reorganized under a single tax ID number which is not an IPA model. Benefits and drawbacks Benefits Joining an IPA allows a care provider to focus on providing care. Many IPAs offer management services organization (MSO) amenities including payroll, bookkeeping, benefits management, group purchasing, compliance, marketing, and online reputation management.
IPAs may also offer care providers an information technology platform offering automation and/ or a connection to an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Additionally, IPAs structured as risk-bearing entities can give interested care providers the ability to participate in risk contracts even if they don't have the administrative staff to coordinate them. Most importantly, an IPA offers a care provider strength in numbers, having dozens to thousands of providers represented together gives a single care provider the ability to participate in programs that would otherwise not be available. Drawbacks There are significant potential drawbacks that may be associated with IPAs as well.
Joining an IPA will not relieve a care provider from all of the administrative duties of running a medical practice or other care delivery organization. Also, some IPAs may not be run effectively; this can be due to rapid growth, lack of a sufficiently experience management team, or rapidly changing technology in the field. It is also possible for IPAs to face antitrust issues because they may represent competing healthcare providers. References Bibliography American Public Policy: An Introduction 7th Edition Essentials of Managed Care, 4th Ed, Peter Kongstvedt De Wolf W, and A Stanten. 1995. "The Independent Practice Association". JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association.
274, no. 22: 1761. Roth M. 1979. "Is an Independent Practice Association for You?" Physician's Management. 19, no. 1: 42–6. 2002. "LATE - REGULATORY PRECEDENT - The FTC OKs a Deal That Would Allow a Physician Independent Practice Association to Contract with Health Plans on Behalf of Its Competing Physicians". Modern Healthcare. 32, no. 8: 6. External links Category:Medical and health organizations based in the United States Category:Managed care http://aihinc.com/
Ackerman may refer to: Surname Ackerman (surname), people with the surname Ackerman Places Ackerman, California, former settlement in Placer County, California, US Ackerman, Mississippi, town in Choctaw County, Mississippi, US Ackerman, West Virginia, former unincorporated community in Mineral County, West Virginia Ackerman Island, sandbar in the Arkansas River near Wichita, Kansas, US Ackerman Nunatak, ridge of the Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica Ackerman Ridge, ridge of the Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica Other uses Ackerman House (disambiguation) Ackerman syndrome, medical disease Ackermann steering geometry See also Ackerman McQueen Ackermans (disambiguation) Ackermann (disambiguation) Akkerman (disambiguation) Åkerman, a Swedish surname
Potassium channel subfamily K member 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KCNK6 gene. This gene encodes K2P6.1, one of the members of the superfamily of potassium channel proteins containing two pore-forming P domains. K2P6.1, considered an open rectifier, is widely expressed. It is stimulated by arachidonic acid, and inhibited by internal acidification and volatile anaesthetics. See also Tandem pore domain potassium channel References Further reading External links Category:Ion channels
A photoinitiator is a molecule that creates reactive species (free radicals, cations or anions) when exposed to radiation (UV or visible). Synthetic photoinitiators are key components in photopolymers (i.e., photo-curable coatings, adhesives and dental restoratives). Some small molecules in the atmosphere can also act as photoinitiators by decomposing to give free radicals (in photochemical smog). For instance, nitrogen dioxide is produced in large quantities by gasoline-burning internal combustion engines. NO2 in the troposphere gives smog its brown coloration and catalyzes production of toxic ground-level ozone. Molecular oxygen (O2) also serves as a photoinitiator in the stratosphere, breaking down into atomic oxygen and combining with O2 in order to form the ozone in the ozone layer.
Reactions Photoinitators can create reactive species by different pathways including photodissociation and electron transfer. As an example of dissociation, hydrogen peroxide can undergo homolytic cleavage, with the O-O bond cleaving to form two hydroxyl radicals. H2O2 → 2 ·OH Certain azo compounds (such as azobisisobutyronitrile), can also photolytically cleave, forming two alkyl radicals and nitrogen gas: RCH2-N=N-H2CR → 2 RCH2 + N2 These free radicals can now promote other reactions. Atmospheric photoinitiators Peroxides Since molecular oxygen can abstract H atoms from certain radicals, the HOO· radical is easily created. This particular radical can further abstract H atoms, creating H2O2, or hydrogen peroxide; peroxides can further cleave photolytically into two hydroxyl radicals.
More commonly, HOO can react with free oxygen atoms to yield a hydroxy radical (·OH) and oxygen gas. In both cases, the ·OH radicals formed can serve to oxidize organic compounds in the atmosphere. H2O2 → 2 ·OH HOO· + O → O2 + ·OH ·OH + CH4 → ·CH3 + H2O Nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide can also be photolytically cleaved by photons of wavelength less than 400 nm producing atomic oxygen and nitric oxide. NO2 → NO + O Atomic oxygen is a highly reactive species, and can abstract a H atom from anything, including water. O + H2O → 2 ·OH Nitrogen dioxide can be regenerated through a reaction between certain peroxy-containing radicals and NO.
ROO· + NO → NO2 + RO· Molecular oxygen In the stratosphere, molecular oxygen (O2) is an important photoinitiator that begins the ozone-production process in the ozone layer. Oxygen can be photolyzed into atomic oxygen by light with wavelength less than 240 nm. O2 → 2O Atomic oxygen can then combine with more molecular oxygen to form ozone. O + O2 → O3 However, ozone can also be photolyzed back into O and O2. O3 → O + O2 Furthermore, atomic oxygen and ozone can combine into O2. O + O3 → 2 O2 This set of reactions govern the production of ozone and can be combined to calculate its equilibrium concentration.
Commercial photoinitiators and uses AIBN Azobisisobutyronitrile is a white powder often used as a photoinitiator for vinyl-based polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC. Because this particular photoinitiator produces nitrogen gas (N2) upon decomposition, it is often used as a blowing agent to change the shape and/or texture of plastics. Benzoyl peroxide Benzoyl peroxide, much like azobisisobutyronitrile, is a white powder used as a photoinitiator in various commercial and industrial processes, including plastics production. Unlike AIBN, however, benzoyl peroxide produces oxygen gas upon decomposing, giving this compound a host of medical uses as well. Upon contact with the skin, benzoyl peroxide breaks down, producing oxygen gas, among other things.
The oxygen gas is absorbed into the pores of the skin, where it kills off the acne-causing bacterium Cutibacterium acnes. In addition, the free radicals produced can break down dead skin cells. Clearing out these dead cells prevents pore blockage and, by extension, acne breakouts. Camphorquinone Camphorquinone (CQ) is a photosensitiser used with an amine system, that generates primary radicals with light irradiation. These free electron then attack the double bonds of resin monomers resulting in polymerization. The physical properties of the cured resins are affected by the generation of primary radicals during the initial stage of polymerization. See also Radical initiator References Bibliography Category:Air pollution Category:Atmospheric chemistry
D11A Other dermatological preparations D11AA Antihidrotics D11AA01 Glycopyrronium D11AC Medicated shampoos D11AC01 Cetrimide D11AC02 Cadmium compounds D11AC03 Selenium compounds D11AC06 Povidone-iodine D11AC08 Sulfur compounds D11AC09 Xenysalate D11AC30 Others D11AE Androgens for topical use D11AE01 Metandienone D11AF Wart and anti-corn preparations Empty group D11AH Agents for dermatitis, excluding corticosteroids D11AH01 Tacrolimus D11AH02 Pimecrolimus D11AH03 Cromoglicic acid D11AH04 Alitretinoin D11AH05 Dupilumab D11AH06 Crisaborole QD11AH90 Oclacitinib QD11AH91 Lokivetmab D11AX Other dermatologicals D11AX01 Minoxidil D11AX02 Gamolenic acid D11AX03 Calcium gluconate D11AX04 Lithium succinate D11AX05 Magnesium sulfate D11AX06 Mequinol D11AX08 Tiratricol D11AX09 Oxaceprol D11AX10 Finasteride D11AX11 Hydroquinone D11AX12 Pyrithione zinc D11AX13 Monobenzone D11AX16 Eflornithine D11AX18 Diclofenac D11AX21 Brimonidine D11AX22 Ivermectin D11AX23 Aminobenzoate potassium D11AX24 Deoxycholic acid D11AX25 Hydrogen peroxide D11AX52 Gamolenic acid, combinations D11AX57 Collagen, combinations QD11AX90 Benzoylperoxide References D11
Red Dead Redemption 2, a Western-themed action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games, follows the story of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and member of the Van der Linde gang. Led by Dutch van der Linde, the gang attempts to survive against government forces and rival gangs while dealing with the decline of the Wild West. Several characters reprise their roles from the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption, to which Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel. The game focuses on Arthur's relationship with several of the gang members, including Dutch's best friend Hosea Matthews, Native American hunter Charles Smith, gunslinger Sadie Adler, experienced outlaw Micah Bell, and Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston.
Outside of the gang, Arthur also encounters his former partner Mary Linton, as well as Native American tribe members Rains Fall and Eagle Flies. Throughout their adventures, the gang come into direct conflict with several opposing forces, including wealthy oil magnate Leviticus Cornwall, crime lord Angelo Bronte, Dutch's nemesis Colm O'Driscoll, and Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross. The game's epilogue focuses on John's relationship with his family—wife Abigail and son Jack—as well as the elderly Uncle, leading into the events of the first game. Rockstar used motion capture to record the performances of the cast, as well as cameras to capture their facial reactions for later animation.
The secretive nature of Rockstar's development processes meant that the actors and the director were unsure of the future of the characters during production; the writers continued to work on the script while the actors shot their scenes in segments. Rockstar wanted a diverse cast of characters within the Van der Linde gang and put particular focus on the individual stories behind each character. The relationships between the characters received praise from several gaming publications, and the acting has resulted in multiple awards and nominations, including a win at The Game Awards. Creation and conception Red Dead Redemption 2s recording sessions began in 2013 and lasted a total of 2,200 days, led primarily by motion capture director Rod Edge.
The game features 1,200 actors, 700 of whom share the game's 500,000 lines of dialogue. In addition to using motion capture to record the performances, Rockstar Games also used cameras to record their facial reactions for later animation; a total of around 60 or 70 cameras were used. The motion capture sets were typically accurate to the dimensions of the in-game setting, which could be demonstrated in a previsualization format. The secretive nature of Rockstar's development meant that Edge and the actors were unsure about the future of the characters during production; the writers continued to work on the script while the actors shot their scenes in segments.
Rockstar wanted a diverse cast of characters within the Van der Linde gang. Senior creative writer Michael Unsworth noted that the ensemble was advantageous when writing the narrative, as it helped to craft the story and added complexity to the game. The writers put particular focus on the individual stories behind each character, exploring their life before the gang and their reasons for remaining with the group. Unsworth felt that the gang is a "family" that offers "a sense of belonging and purpose", and analyzing each story—and each character's relationship with the protagonist—was important for the narrative. Several characters were cut from the game during development as their personalities failed to add to the narrative.
Some lines of dialogue from the first game, Red Dead Redemption, in which gang leader Dutch van der Linde is described as an equitable leader, allowed the team to create a diverse group of characters in the gang. The developers often allowed the actors to take scenes in their own direction to develop the characters in new ways. The actors improvised some additional lines but mostly remained faithful to the script. The team decided that the player would control one character at a time in Red Dead Redemption 2, as opposed to the three protagonists simultaneously in Rockstar's previous title Grand Theft Auto V (2013), in order to follow the character more personally and understand how the events impact him.
They felt that a single character felt more appropriate for the narrative structure of a Western. Nelson felt that the decision to limit to one protagonist shaped the other creative decisions of development. The conversations and sense of life within the gang environment were inspired by Grand Theft Auto Vs exploration of the lives of two of the game's playable characters while the player was controlling the other one. Rockstar wanted to grant agency to the player when experiencing the story of Arthur Morgan; Unsworth noted that Arthur is neither controlled by the storytellers or by the player, but by "a delicate push and pull between the two".
The team attempted to give the player more freedom with Arthur's relationship with other characters; when the narrative begins, Arthur has already formed relationships with the other gang members, so the team aimed to develop them in a way for the player to respond appropriately. Van der Linde gang Dutch van der Linde Dutch van der Linde (Benjamin Byron Davis) is the leader of the Van der Linde gang. Dutch's goal is to fight back against a corrupt system of power, and he believes that enough violence will eventually change society's outlook. Early in the gang's history, Dutch took in street kids and orphans, teaching them how to read and establishing the importance of independent thinking and self-worth as they completed tasks for him.
Shortly before the events of the game, Dutch kills an innocent woman during a botched ferry robbery in Blackwater organized by Micah Bell, forcing the gang into the heart of a blizzard. With the gang, Dutch orchestrates a robbery of a train owned by oil tycoon Leviticus Cornwall. Once the blizzard clears and the gang moves camp to Horseshoe Overlook, Dutch is confronted by Cornwall, whose hired guns attack the gang and force them to move to Clemens Point. Dutch befriends Leigh Gray, the sheriff of Rhodes, and is named one of his deputies. Meanwhile, the gang befriends the Braithwaite family, who are rivals to the Gray family.
The two families soon discover the betrayal, and the Braithwaites kidnap Jack Marston. Dutch orders an assault on Braithwaite Manor, torching the building and slaughtering the family. The gang moves to Shady Belle and retrieves Jack from businessman Angelo Bronte, who gives Dutch a tip that leads to an ambush. Dutch kills Bronte for his betrayal. After a failed bank heist forces them out of town, Dutch and several gang members become shipwrecked on Guarma, an island near Cuba. Dutch befriends revolutionary leader Hercule Fontaine, helping fight with his revolution in exchange for a ship back to the mainland. Reunited with the gang, Dutch begins to grow paranoid, refusing to rescue John from prison; when Arthur Morgan and Sadie Adler rescue him, Dutch becomes furious.
He later confronts and kills Cornwall, attends the hanging of his rival Colm O'Driscoll, and helps a group of Native Americans fight against the Army to distract the government from the gang. After most of the gang leaves, Dutch orchestrates the robbery of a train carrying army payroll but leaves John for dead and Abigail captured at Micah's recommendation. Dutch is later confronted by Arthur, who accuses Micah of betrayal. Dutch turns on Arthur and the newly returned John. Dutch intervenes in a fight between Arthur and Micah, and Arthur convinces him to abandon Micah and leave. In 1907, Dutch meets with Micah before John and Sadie attack Micah's new gang.
In a Mexican standoff, Dutch shoots Micah, letting John finish him off, before leaving. During the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, John tracks down Dutch, who commits suicide by backing off a cliff. When Davis was asked to reprise his role as Dutch, he was unsure of the nature and importance of the role until production began; he first heard about his reprisal in mid-2013, and received about the first 100 pages of the script at the end of the year. As Davis is much taller than Dutch, the animators had to adjust the height from the motion capture performances to fit the character, including eye lines of other characters.
Brent Werzner stepped in as a body double for some takes. Davis portrayed Dutch "in his prime"—as a charming, confident man—for about a year before playing the decline of the character. Unsworth felt that Dutch views himself not as a criminal, but somebody fighting against a "corrupt system of power that's been set up to divide and suppress". He noted that Dutch's "anarchic, anti-establishment rhetoric" was compelling for the gang to remain with him. Davis felt that Dutch was motivated by a "noble drive", believing in the greater good; he described the character as a "principled man", but felt that he began to evolve into a villain particularly when faced against characters who were powerful figures in their areas, such as Catherine Braithwaite and Angelo Bronte.
Davis felt that Dutch's downfall takes place when he witnesses the corruption of other people achieving the "utopia" that he wants for his gang and realizes that he does not want the same to happen to him. When Dutch does not have his best friend Hosea Matthews by his side, he is unable to hear criticism, according to Davis; when Arthur tries to help Dutch "see the light", Dutch begins to distrust him, instead turning to the "unwavering [...] support" of Micah". Davis felt that Dutch's dream paradise would be at Horseshoe Overlook, in the game's second chapter, where he was constantly looking to the future.
Davis says that Dutch "was a dreamer. The journey was more important than any arrival". Davis felt that, by the end of the game, Dutch was also seeking redemption for his mistakes, which is why he does not harm John or his family. IGNs Jared Petty compared the strength and downfall of the Van der Linde gang to that of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Arthur Morgan Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark) is the protagonist and main playable character of Red Dead Redemption 2. He joined the Van der Linde gang when he was 14-years-old, having lost his parents at a young age, and soon became Dutch's first protégé.
Over time, Arthur transformed from a lost cause into Dutch's most dedicated enforcer. During the events of the game, Arthur helps the gang to survive during a blizzard, moving to Horseshoe Overlook before relocating to Clemens Point. There, Arthur becomes involved in a conflict between two warring families, which leads to the death of a gang member. Further exploits lead the gang to Saint Denis where a failed bank heist forces some members of the gang out of town; they soon shipwreck on Guarma, but fight alongside a revolutionary in exchange for a ship back to the mainland. Reuniting with the rest of the gang, Arthur and Sadie save the captured John, much to the disdain of Dutch.
Arthur reveals his growing doubts about Dutch. Arthur is soon diagnosed with tuberculosis. Shocked by the grim reality of his imminent death, he contemplates his decisions and reflects on his morals, driving his desire to protect the remnants of the gang. When Dutch ignores Arthur's plea to rescue Abigail, Arthur disavows the gang. He discovers that Micah Bell has been betraying the gang. He inform Dutch, but the latter turns on Arthur and the newly returned John. Arthur and John flee, and Arthur begs John to return to his family. Arthur is soon ambushed by the vengeful Micah, and Dutch intervenes in their fight.
Arthur convinces Dutch to abandon Micah and leave. If the player has high honor, Arthur succumbs to his injuries and disease and dies peacefully; if the player has low honor, Micah executes him. For his portrayal as Arthur, Clark took main inspiration from Toshiro Mifune. He found that Mifune's characters were very stoic while also having a "crazy" sense of humor, a complexity he wanted to portray within Arthur. Clark also took inspiration from The Proposition (2005) as it involved a similar situation to Arthur's, wherein he is forced to betray some of his loyalties. Clark wanted to portray a character that was complex enough for the player to choose his path and still make sense.
He aimed to portray vulnerability with Arthur's ego. Clark looked to Rob Wiethoff's portrayal as John in the first game for inspiration with his performance. A second love interest for Arthur was cut from the game during development. Vice President of Creativity Dan Houser was interested in subverting the trope of the protagonist starting as weak and becoming stronger as the story progresses; instead, Arthur is already tough at the beginning of the game, and is "taken on a more intellectual roller coaster when his world view gets taken apart". Houser felt that the decline of the American frontier has a deep impact on Arthur, noting that the character is "caught between the nastiness of nature and the brutality of encroaching industrialization in civilization".
Houser avoided meeting Clark on set to avoid hearing his real voice. John Marston John Marston (Rob Wiethoff) is the secondary protagonist and playable character of Red Dead Redemption 2. When John was threatened to be lynched after being caught stealing at the age of 12, he was saved by Dutch van der Linde, who took him into his gang and raised him. When Abigail Roberts joined the gang, she and John fell in love and had a son, Jack. During the events of the game, John is saved by Arthur Morgan and Javier Escuella. Once he has recovered, he joins the gang on some tasks before planning and executing a successful train robbery.
During a failed bank robbery, John is captured and incarcerated. Arthur and Sadie rescue him, much to the disdain of Dutch; protective of John's family, Arthur warns John to leave the gang when the time is right. John is later left for dead by Dutch during a train robbery but returns to the camp as Arthur is confronting Dutch and Micah. When Pinkertons invade the camp, Arthur and John flee. John returns to his family at Arthur's wishes. Eight years later, in 1907, John finds honest work with Abigail, but when John fights back against outlaws threatening his employer, Abigail leaves with Jack.
John works to get her back by earning enough money to buy a property at Beecher's Hope. He builds a ranch with the help of Uncle and Charles Smith, while Sadie provides him with jobs to pay off his loans. After Abigail returns, John proposes. With Sadie and Charles, John attacks Micah's new gang, where they find Dutch. In a Mexican standoff, Dutch shoots Micah, letting John finish him off, before leaving. John and Abigail later get married at their ranch. During the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, John tracks down Bill, Javier, and Dutch, before being killed.
When developing John, who is also the protagonist of the original game, the writers felt that his previous appearance could be limiting to them, since players have already resonated with the character. Wiethoff, who reprises his role as John, looked to his own life when returning to the character; he always looked up to his older sister's male friends for approval in the same way that John looks up to the rest of the gang for validation. He also took inspiration from the "pretty tough dudes" in his home town for John's personality. Game Informer staff felt that, by the end of the game, John had developed into "the man we knew him to be in the original game: loving, faithful, honorable, and tragically doomed".
Abigail Roberts Abigail Roberts (Cali Elizabeth Moore) is the wife of John Marston and the mother of Jack. Abigail was an orphan as a child and later earned her money as a prostitute. She was introduced to the gang around 1894 by Uncle and fell pregnant with John's son, Jack, soon afterward. Abigail cares deeply for John and Jack: when John is missing early in the game, she asks Arthur to search for him; and when Jack is abducted by the Braithwaites, she is visibly distraught until his return. She often commits crimes alongside the gang, including distracting the guards during the gang's robbery of the bank in Lemoyne and stealing Hosea's body from police after his death.
She also attempts to join Arthur and Sadie as they rescue John from prison, but they refuse. Abigail is later kidnapped from the camp by Agent Milton. Arthur and Sadie attempt to rescue her, but the latter is captured and the former is held at gunpoint by Milton; Abigail breaks free and kills Milton. After they escape, Abigail gives Arthur the key to the gang's money, which she had found at camp, before departing to meet up with Jack. Eight years later, in 1907, Abigail finds honest work with John, but when John fights back against outlaws threatening his employer, Abigail believes he is unwilling to give up his old ways and leaves with Jack.
She returns after John takes out a bank loan and purchases a ranch, but berates him for continuing to work as a bounty hunter with Sadie. John proposes to Abigail and, after John kills Micah and finds the gang's money, the two marry and start their new life on the ranch with Jack and Uncle. Four years later, during the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, Abigail and Jack are abducted so John will search for his former comrades; they are returned when he completes his task, and Abigail dies in 1914. Moore found ease in recording the couple's proposal scene, as both she and Wiethoff remembered their own proposals; she recalled only recording the scene twice, due to the emotion.
She noted that both she and Wiethoff started crying during rehearsals for the scene. Moore also became emotional during the scenes in which Jack is returned to the camp, considering if the scenario was applied to her own children. Bill Williamson Bill Williamson (Steve J. Palmer) is an enforcer of the Van der Linde gang. Born as Marion Williamson, Bill changed his name due to embarrassment. He was dishonorably discharged from military service in 1892 for attempted murder and deviancy, leading to a life of violence and alcoholism. He joined the gang after being saved by Dutch about six years before the events of the game, having been at a low point in his life.
Bill is frequently bullied by the rest of the gang due to his short temper, but remains loyal to the group. He assists the gang on several outings, later coordinating a successful bank heist with Karen Jones in Valentine. Bill accompanies high-ranking members of the gang on several occasions, including a party at the mayor's mansion, the attack on Angelo Bronte's mansion, and the failed Saint Denis bank robbery, after which he becomes shipwrecked on Guarma with some other members of the gang. Upon their return, Bill continues to assist with robberies and, when Arthur confronts Dutch, Bill sides with the latter, eventually escaping.
Twelve years later, during the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, Bill is hunted down by John Marston and later killed. Palmer was inspired by a comment made by Abigail in the original game, where she claims that Bill was harmless when she knew him; he found her viewpoint to be interesting and decided to approach his performance in the second game with this in mind. Palmer often referenced his portrayal of Bill in the original game during the production of Red Dead Redemption 2. He considered Bill to be internally insecure, having a lot to say but unable to express himself properly; he found that the most emotionally draining moment of his portrayal was during a campfire scene where Bill manages to express his emotion when explaining how Dutch saved him.
Palmer also expanded on a line of John's from the original game stating that Bill knows how to survive at all costs. He felt that Bill was always seeking approval from his fellow gang members and thought that Bill may have chosen a different side in the story if he was told that he was accepted and appreciated within the gang. Charles Smith Charles Smith (Noshir Dalal) is a recent addition to the Van der Linde gang. Born to an African American father and Native American mother, Charles often struggled to find a place to belong. A quiet and reserved man, Charles is highly skilled at hunting and tracking.
He joined the gang about six months before the events of the game as he agreed with their overall ideologies. Charles accompanies the gang on several outings, including the robbery of Cornwall's train, the rescue of Sean MacGuire, and the train robbery orchestrated by John. Charles partakes in the failed bank robbery in Saint Denis, later distracting Pinkerton guards to allow some of the gang members to escape the country. During their absence, Charles and Sadie unite and relocate the gang. Upon their return, Charles and Arthur help the Native Americans in their fight against the army; Charles eventually chooses to stay at the reservation to help protect the Native Americans.
Eight years later, in 1907, Charles is participating in fighting tournaments to earn money in Saint Denis. He leaves the city to help John build his house at his new ranch and later accompanies him and Sadie as they track down and kill Micah. Charles attends John and Abigail's wedding before departing the ranch. Dalal resonated with Charles as he is half-Japanese and half-Parsi. He drew experiences from his personal life when portraying the character. The original actor for Charles was recast as the team felt he did not fit. Hosea Matthews Hosea Matthews (Curzon Dobell) is the co-founder and second-in-command of the Van der Linde gang.
Hosea first met Dutch about 20 years before the events of the game when they tried to rob each other on the road to Chicago. They quickly became friends, committing crimes and building a gang together. When the gang's focus changed from helping others to being focused on its survival in violent ways, Hosea began to feel disillusioned with the group but remained a loyal member. By the events of the game in 1899, Hosea is Dutch's most senior lieutenant, often voicing his disapproval of Dutch's methods and preferring to rob peacefully. Hosea barters with Catherine Braithwaite in an attempt to double-cross her and is later present when the gang attacks her manor to save Jack.
At a party at the mayor's residence, Hosea discovers two lucrative leads; one is a bank robbery in Saint Denis, which he convinces Dutch to do. Hosea successfully distracts law enforcement but is captured and killed by Agent Milton in front of the bank. Dobell worked on the game generally around twice a month for four years. He familiarized himself with the original game about six months into production. Dobell did not take specific information from other media or characters for Hosea, though he used his own acting experience as basis for portraying Hosea's conman theatrics. He found that Hosea was more "reflective" than characters such as Arthur.
Dobell felt that Hosea's death left Dutch "exposed", and ultimately led to the gang's demise. Game Informer staff considered Hosea "most interesting when the cracks in his sweet facade show", such as when he mocks Catherine Braithwaite or pulls a pistol on Bill. They felt that Hosea's death signaled the gang's demise. Jack Marston Jack Marston (Marissa Buccianti and Ted Sutherland) is the son of John Marston and Abigail Roberts. Buccianti portrayed the character as a young child, while Sutherland portrayed Jack as a pre-teen. Jack was born into the gang, who go to great lengths to protect him. He wishes to spend more time with his father, and wants more children to spend time with at camp.
During the events of the game, Jack is kidnapped by the Braithwaite family and given to Angelo Bronte, who treats him well and returns him to the gang when confronted. In the years that follow after the gang's dissolution, Jack and his family regularly move around the country. In 1907, they return to West Elizabeth, being briefly based at Pronghorn Ranch before Jack and his mother leave John. They return to John after he has bought a ranch at Beecher's Hope, bringing a dog named Rufus with them. Four years later, during the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, Abigail and Jack are abducted so John will search for his former comrades; they are returned when he completes his task.
After John is killed by the Bureau of Investigation in 1911 and Abigail dies in 1914, Jack tracks down and kills bureau director Edgar Ross. Mashables Jess Joho described Jack as "a representation of innocence contrasting the cruelty of his surroundings", noting that he becomes more fleshed-out in the game's epilogue. Javier Escuella Javier Escuella (Gabriel Sloyer) is a gunman in the Van der Linde gang. Born in Nuevo Paraíso, Mexico, Javier was forced to flee after killing a high-ranking army official. He joined Dutch's gang about four years before the events of the game, discovering a strong connection to Dutch's ideologies; as a result, he is incredibly loyal to Dutch.
During the events of the game in 1899, Javier joins Arthur on several occasions, including searching for John, robbing Leviticus Cornwall's train, and rescuing Sean. Javier partakes in the Saint Denis bank robbery, after which he becomes shipwrecked on Guarma with some other members of the gang. There, he is shot in the leg and captured by soldiers, but later rescued by Dutch and Arthur. Upon the group's return to America, Javier continues to assist with robberies and, when Arthur confronts Dutch, Javier sides with the latter, eventually escaping. Twelve years later, during the events of Red Dead Redemption in 1911, Javier is hunted down by John Marston and captured or killed.
Sloyer wanted players to fight against any preconceived notions about Javier from the first game, so his eventual fight against John was "even more painful". Sloyer felt that Javier is "looking for home, somewhere to belong", feeling torn between grasping at the American Dream and longing for his home in Mexico. Sloyer considered Javier to be a romantic, calling him the "Brad Pitt of the gang". When portraying the character, Sloyer considered the life of his own father, also named Javier, and his experience with immigrating to the United States. Sloyer attempted to emulate bandit Joaquin Murrieta through the character of Javier, particularly in his quiet, brooding moments wherein he attempts to escape his dark past.
Josiah Trelawny Josiah Trelawny (Stephen Gevedon) is a conman and an associate of the Van der Linde gang. A flamboyant conman, Trelawny is allowed to move in and out of Dutch's gang as he likes. He helps Arthur, Javier, and Charles track down Sean, acting as a distraction to some of the guards. Sometime later, he is arrested for involvement in an illegal operation; while being transported to jail, he is freed when Arthur assists the sheriff in capturing runaway fugitives. Trelawny orchestrates and participates in several heists with the gang, including a stagecoach robbery with Arthur and a heist on a lavish riverboat with Javier, Arthur, and Strauss.
As the gang begins to fall apart, Trelawny quietly leaves the gang permanently with Arthur's blessing. When Gevedon was cast in the role, he initially did not know that the project was a game, and suspected that recording would take around a week. He was told that Trelawny was much different to the other gang members, wearing better clothes and acting more professionally, but was still "rough around the edges". Gevedon described Trelawny's accent as a "bad Katharine Hepburn, partly because he was too uncomfortable to perform a true English accent around the British crew, as well as to keep the character mysterious.
Rockstar told Gevedon that they enjoyed his performance enough to expand Trelawny's role within the game. The secret revelation of the character's wife and children was added in the final years of development. Karen Jones Karen Jones (Jo Armeniox) is a thief and gunwoman in the Van der Linde gang. She is a keen scam artist who is not afraid to speak her mind. Karen orchestrates and participates in the robbery of the Valentine bank with Arthur, Bill, and Lenny, either pretending to be a harlot or a lost girl. She has a brief love affair with Sean MacGuire; after his death, Karen's alcoholism worsens and she is usually found drunk at camp.
Karen eventually leaves the gang during its downfall, and her fate is unknown; Tilly surmises that she drank herself to death. Armeniox particularly appreciated scenes where Karen and Arthur drink and share stories. Kieran Duffy Kieran Duffy (Pico Alexander) is a stable boy. Originally a lowly member of the O'Driscoll gang, Kieran is captured by Arthur and later coerced by Dutch to turn on his former gang members and give up the location of one of their safehouses. He soon becomes a full member of Dutch's gang, but several of its members never truly support him. After some time with Dutch's gang, Kieran is captured by the O'Driscolls and tortured until they discovered the gang's location.
Kieran is decapitated and his eyes gouged out, and his corpse is sent back to Dutch's gang on horseback. Lenny Summers Lenny Summers (Harron Atkins) is a young gunman in the Van der Linde gang. He is well educated, having received good schooling as a child. At the age of 15, Lenny's father was killed while walking home at night; in retaliation, Lenny stole a gun and shot his father's killers. After spending three years on the run, Lenny joined the Van der Linde gang. He is dedicated to working hard and doing his part for the gang, as proven early during the events of the game when he participates in the robbery of Leviticus Cornwall's train.
He forms a strong bond with Arthur, particularly when the two get drunk together in Valentine. In Rhodes, Lenny tracks down a group of ex-confederates known as the Lemoyne Raiders; he and Arthur ambush their camp and kill them. Lenny later participates in the robberies of the Valentine bank and the Saint Denis trolley station, and the ambush on Angelo Bronte's mansion. During the Saint Denis bank robbery, Lenny is gunned down and killed by Pinkertons while leading the gang's escape. Game Informers Jason Guisao praised Lenny's role in Red Dead Redemption 2, describing him as "a vocal reminder of the heightened racial tensions that plagued the wild frontier".
Slates Jonathan S. Jones appreciated Lenny's "overt commentary about the brutality of life under slavery and Jim Crow". Leopold Strauss Leopold Strauss (Howard Pinhasik) is the bookkeeper and accountant of the Van der Linde gang. He grew up poor in Vienna during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, suffering from health problems during childhood. At the age of 17, Strauss was sent on a boat to America, where he spent several years as a scam artist. He soon joined the Van der Linde gang for protection and is responsible for the gang's money-lending operation. He is typically emotionless and known for being shifty.
As the gang moves locations, Strauss continues to operate his loansharking business, tasking Arthur with collecting the money from several debtors each time. He partakes in the robbery of a lavish riverboat in Saint Denis. After being tasked with more loansharking tasks, Arthur decides to banish Strauss from camp for ruining lives with his business. He is later captured by the Pinkertons and interrogated, but is said to have died in custody without revealing any information about the gang. Mary-Beth Gaskill Mary-Beth Gaskill (Samantha Strelitz) is a young thief in the Van der Linde gang. After her mother died of typhoid, Mary-Beth lived in an orphanage at a young age but ran away to take care of herself.
She soon became known as a highly-skilled pickpocket, despite her kind heart and good nature. She enjoys reading and writing, and had dreams of becoming a novelist when she was young. During the events of the game, she assists Arthur on some occasions, including finding a lead on a train robbery and distracting a driver during a stagecoach heist. She often talks with Arthur about his life and gives him encouraging words when he tells her about his tuberculosis. As the gang begins to fall apart, Mary-Beth eventually leaves. Eight years later, in 1907, she encounters John Marston in Valentine, revealing that she has become a novelist.
She keeps in close contact with Tilly Jackson. Strelitz worked on the game for around 3–4 years. Strelitz felt that Mary-Beth is a sweet girl who "gets lost in the world of her books". She referred to the character as "the Danielle Steel of 1899" because of her obsession with romance novels. Strelitz felt that the scene in which Arthur discusses his sickness with Mary-Beth has a "gravitas" for those who play the game, but also "such an innocence ... because if someone tells you that how do you even take that all in?". Micah Bell Micah Bell (Peter Blomquist) is a gunman and hitman in the Van der Linde gang, and the game's primary antagonist.
Both Micah's father and grandfather, also named Micah Bell, were criminals; his father was once wanted for murder in five counties. Micah joined the Van der Linde gang about five months before the game's events after he saved Dutch's life during a botched deal. Micah convinced Dutch to rob a ferry in Blackwater, which ultimately failed and forced the gang to flee to a mining town in the mountains. Micah partakes in the Saint Denis bank robbery, after which he becomes shipwrecked on Guarma with some other members of the gang. Upon their return, Micah begins to have a stronger influence on Dutch, convincing him to confront Cornwall and later to blow up Bacchus Bridge to distract the government.
Micah convinces Dutch to ignore Arthur's plea to rescue Abigail after she is kidnapped. Arthur rescues her and returns to the camp to inform Dutch that Micah has been betraying the gang; Dutch joins Micah and turns on Arthur. When Pinkertons invade the camp, the group disbands. Micah ambushes Arthur, and Dutch intervenes in their fight. Arthur convinces Dutch to abandon Micah and leave. If the player has low honor, Micah executes Arthur. Eight years later, in 1907, Micah has formed a gang of his own. John, Sadie, and Charles later track him down at his camp. In a Mexican standoff, Dutch shoots Micah, letting John finish him off.
For his audition, Blomquist was required to perform a monologue, which was not related to the game's era but reflected Micah's violent tendencies. About four or five months passed until Blomquist was accepted for the role. He was not aware that Micah was one of the game's main antagonists until late in production. He opted to develop the character from scratch, instead of taking specific inspiration from others. Blomquist felt that his chemistry with other actors, particularly Davis as Dutch and Clark as Arthur, was crucial to the development of the characters' relationships. Blomquist described the character of Micah Bell as a "slimy opportunist", and found the character's villainous nature to be "liberating".
He did not anticipate the hatred that the character would receive from players on social media. The recording of the final encounter between Micah and Arthur took place late in production, which Blomquist felt added to the emotions of the actors. Molly O'Shea Molly O'Shea (Penny O'Brien) is Dutch's lover and a member of the gang. Born in Dublin, Ireland to a wealthy family, Molly moved to America in search of excitement. She eventually joined the Van der Linde gang and fell in love with Dutch, but wants more in their relationship than he is prepared to give. She considers herself to be better than other members of the gang, which often leads to her exclusion.
She eventually becomes fed up with Dutch ignoring her, and, while drunk, returns to camp and tells the gang that she informed the Pinkertons about their botched bank heist. She is killed by Susan Grimshaw for disobeying the gang's rules. Arthur later discovers that Molly did not reveal any information to the Pinkertons while interrogated. O'Brien's audition took place on Saint Patrick's Day in 2015. She was told to audition with a "really Irish" accent and personality. She had not played the original game, but watched videos after receiving the part. O'Brien began to understand the character of Molly around a year into production; she worked on the game for about three years.
She described Molly as "a very desperate character set in very extreme circumstances". She found that Molly's relationship with Dutch is echoed in her relationship with the latter's actor, Benjamin Byron Davis. "Some jokes that were made while we were in our tent ... we'll still make together when we're sitting at dinner", she said. When recording one of the arguments between Molly and Dutch, the director spoke with the actors separately about their motivations but did not reveal them to the other; O'Brien found that Davis' in-character ignorance to Molly frustrated her more, adding to the scene. O'Brien felt that Molly did not achieve redemption by the game's end; she stated that Molly left Ireland to move away from its working conditions and barren nature, but by affiliating herself with Dutch, denied herself the opportunity to reach redemption.
O'Brien's inspiration for Molly's final moments was a cry for help and a need for Dutch's attention. Mr. Pearson Simon Pearson (Jim Santangeli) is the cook and butcher of the Van der Linde gang. His father and grandfather were both sperm whale hunters; Pearson wished to follow in their footsteps, but the occupation was obsolete by the time he finished school. For a brief period, he was part of the United States Navy. When he moved out west, he encountered financial trouble; Dutch discovered him and invited him into the gang. He sends Arthur to retrieve food and supplies several times and is responsible for setting up the camp with Susan Grimshaw upon each relocation.
When the gang begins to collapse, Pearson becomes unhappy and decides to leave. Eight years later, in 1907, he owns and runs the general store in Rhodes, and is married. Reverend Swanson Reverend Orville Swanson (Sean Haberle) is a priest and a member of the Van der Linde gang. Once a clergyman, Swanson began to use morphine to ease his pain a few years before the events of the game, eventually leading to his addiction to alcohol. Over time, he has lost his sense of direction, religion, and self-esteem. He once saved Dutch's life, and thus is allowed to remain in the gang.
Early during the events of the game, Arthur finds the drunk Swanson and saves him from a fight and an oncoming train. By the time some of the gang return from Guarma, Swanson has become sober and is functioning better. As the gang begins to fall apart, Swanson decides to leave; depending on the player's honor, Swanson may encounter Arthur a final time, bestowing wise words about the latter's path to redemption. Sometime over the next eight years, by 1907, Swanson had moved to New York and become a preacher. GamesRadars Paul Walker-Emig noted the egalitarianism of the gang to offer Swanson a home and supplies while recovering from his addiction.
Polygons Campbell criticized the trope of Swanson as the gang's "drunken, self-loathing padre". Sadie Adler Sadie Adler (Alex McKenna) is a gunwoman and bounty hunter. She grew up in the mountains, where she learned to ride, shoot, and hunt. On their farm, she and her husband Jake shared the workload until he was killed by O'Driscolls in their home, where Sadie hid. During the events of the game, Arthur, Dutch, and Micah kill the O'Driscolls, rescuing Sadie and inadvertently setting her house ablaze. She decides to stay with the gang, vowing revenge on the O'Driscolls. Sometime later, when the gang is based at Clemens Point, Sadie becomes dissatisfied with her job of preparing food; Arthur takes her to town to run some errands, but they are attacked on their return, prompting the two to fight them off.
Afterward, she seeks to be involved in the gang's heists. When the O'Driscolls assault the camp, Sadie refuses Arthur's orders to get to safety and helps the gang kill and drive away from the O'Driscolls. When the senior members of the gang are in Guarma, Sadie and Charles unite and relocate the remainder of the group, protecting them in the meantime. After their return, Sadie and Arthur resolve to save the captured John, much to the disdain of Dutch. Sadie is present at Colm O'Driscoll's hanging, eventually leading to a firefight with the O'Driscolls. Sometime later, she and Arthur may end the O'Driscoll gang by attacking their ranch, where Sadie finally exacts revenge on the man who killed her husband.
She is present during the battle against the Army at Cornwall's refinery and participates in the gang's final robbery of a train. When Abigail is captured by the Pinkertons, Sadie joins Arthur in rescuing her. As Arthur leaves to confront Dutch and Micah, Sadie takes Abigail to meet with Jack and Tilly. Seven years later, in 1907, Sadie has become a successful bounty hunter, employing John for some tasks. She tracks down Micah's new gang and attacks them with Charles and John, but is shot in the stomach. She helps John by distracting Micah, but the latter holds her at gunpoint.
After Dutch reveals himself and shoots Micah, John finishes off the latter. Sadie attends John and Abigail's wedding before departing. McKenna knew very little about the character and project early in development. McKenna felt that she began to truly understand the character of Sadie about three years into the five-year process, only receiving small portions of the script at a time. McKenna said that the scene in which Sadie gets her revenge "haunted [her] a little", as she experienced a lot of Sadie's backstory up to that point. Motion capture director Rod Edge described Sadie as "so feminine but so tough".
McKenna appreciated the lack of stereotyping with the characters, and enjoyed her equality to Arthur instead of a love story. The actors formed a close bond during production, which helped with individual performances. McKenna felt that Sadie continued to travel without settling after the events of the game. Sean MacGuire Sean MacGuire (Michael Mellamphy) is a gunman of the Van der Linde gang. A young Irish thief, he is a descendant of several criminals; his father, who was wanted by the government, fled to America with Sean but was caught and killed. After unsuccessfully attempting to rob Dutch's pocket watch in an alleyway, Sean joined the Van der Linde gang.
After the gang's botched ferry robbery in Blackwater, Sean is separated and captured by bounty hunters. He is rescued by Arthur, Charles, and Javier, and the gang throws a party to celebrate his return; during the party, he and Karen have sex. Sean later joins the gang on some outings, including a train robbery and an assault on the Gray family home. He joins Arthur, Bill, and Micah on a potential job in Rhodes, but is shot by a sniper while walking the street. Mellamphy was the second actor to be cast as Sean, replacing the previous actor later in the production.
Mellamphy worked on the game for three years, over which the character of Sean developed significantly. He eventually discovered more about the character over time; he initially did not know that Sean was a member of the Van der Linde gang. During the original audition, Mellamphy thought that the developers wanted him to portray an Irish Republican Army member. Mellamphy discovered Sean's fate about halfway through production while recording audio work. He described the character as the player's "little brother". Eurogamers Cian Maher described Sean as the "best Irish character in a video game yet", praising the character over previous Irish characters in Rockstar games, such as Red Dead Redemptions Irish and Grand Theft Auto IVs McReary family.