Uncle is one of few characters to live through all four periods of Red Dead Redemption 2. He’s a member of the Dutch Van Der Linde gang who eventually lives with John Marston, really appearing at the beginning of the story and going all the way through to the end. The thing is, the game depicts him as a lovable oaf, and that’s true enough. However, he also serves as a rock of sorts for the gang, keeping the original light-and-good-hearted tone the gang for…and the one by which John Marston wanted his family to live in the end.
As an older member of the gang, Uncle has strong bonds with most Dutch Van Der Linde gang members, even if he is about as picked on as Red Dead’s Bill Williamson. These bonds, though, include Arthur Morgan, and one joke between the two seems lighthearted enough at first but turns out eerily true.
Red Dead Redemption 2: Uncle’s Joke About His Age
First things first, anything and everything that is remotely dark or accurate in Red Dead 2 can’t really be “prophetic” because the original happens after it. Yet, that doesn’t mean all the connections are obvious from the get-go, and that’s where Uncle’s seemingly innocent-turned-dark joke comes in. Arthur Morgan will joke with Uncle from time to time, and one of those includes a joke about Uncle’s age. Uncle laughs and replies “I’ll outlive you all.”
It’s entirely possible to hear this joke, know what happens in the first game, and not connect the dots. After all, Uncle is an older man even in Red Dead Redemption 2, and it’s a common joke often echoed by older folks. The catcher, though, is just how legit this statement is. Many Red Dead 2 gang members die in the game, and many will do so as well in the original game.
Some Red Dead 2 characters manage to escape and get out of this overall outlaw life alive, but they are few. Uncle outlives Arthur, Bill, Javier, Dutch, Hosea, and so many members of the gang. In fact, when looking at who is known to die, Uncle outlives everyone who dies because of their connection to the Dutch Van Der Linde gang except John. Marston dies just minutes after Uncle, anyway.
Red Dead Uncle’s Redemption
In Uncle’s death, it’s the same sort of redemption that Arthur Morgan and John Marston sought with their life. Arthur Morgan realizes how south his life and the gang has gone, thus trying to convince Dutch to stop it before it’s too late while ensuring that John Marston and his family get a shot at the life he lost. Meanwhile, when John Marston dies, he is the “last enemy to be destroyed,” and the government does not go after Abigail or Jack—a woman and a child. Marston knew he wouldn’t survive and, based on Dutch’s last words in RDR1, knew this day would come. He gave his life so his family might have one.
Now, as everyone knows, it seems Jack repeats the cycle, as he is the product of every gang member who came before. The oddball child, yes, but an avenger for Marston, Morgan, the whole gang, and even Uncle. Uncle’s death mimics Marston’s and Morgan’s, as he gives his life hoping John could carry on for his family too.
It’s a dark joke that gives some inkling of Uncle’s redemption arc, and it’s the small details like this that make Red Dead Redemption 2’s long-form storytelling style a true treasure in gaming.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.