Arthur Morgan is one of the most prominent video game characters of all time. He’s the beloved, tragic protagonist of one of the most popular games ever, Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite not ever being mentioned by name in the original game, he is perhaps the most influential person in the entire series. Over the years, fans have gotten to know plenty about the outlaw whose journey shook us all to the core in 2018. However, there are still some fun facts you might not have known about Arthur.
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1. He is Rob Wiethoff’s favorite character
Rob Wiethoff is the iconic voice actor for John Marston, so he’s one of the people who got to work on both games. He is arguably the star of the franchise, being the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption and the epilogue in the sequel. Wiethoff’s favorite character, though, is Arthur Morgan. He was asked at a panel in 2019, and he said, “Honestly, my favorite character has got to be Arthur.” He added that it helped that they were both playable characters, but that Arthur Morgan was definitely his favorite.
2. Arthur’s bounty was massive
No matter what happens when you play Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur amasses a bounty on his head. Unless you never do anything bad outside of the required missions, you will get your own unique bounty in different locations, but the game has a bounty on Arthur’s head, like the rest of the gang, that fits the story regardless of how good or bad you’ve been. In his case, Agent Milton said the bounty was $5,000, which translates to over $150,000 in today’s money due to inflation. $5,000 seems like a ton of money, but in 1899, when Arthur was committing crimes, it was almost life-changing money.
3. New Austin wasn’t always impossible for Arthur to get to
Try as you might, Arthur Morgan isn’t allowed into New Austin in Red Dead Redemption 2. Players have figured out ways to glitch the character into the town, but that’s not a legitimate way of entry that the developers intended for anyone to use. However, Arthur has unique voice lines and drawings for his journal whenever you do glitch into New Austin, which means that at some point in development, a visit to New Austin was not only possible but probably part of the story.
4. Arthur could originally gain weight even when sickly
One of the most immersive aspects of Red Dead Redemption 2 is the need to have Arthur eat. If you eat too much, Arthur will be overweight. If you don’t eat enough, he’ll be underweight and frail. This changes after Arthur’s diagnosis, but that wasn’t always the case. Once Arthur is sick, he can’t gain much weight and can’t eat much. But before a patch, players could overfeed Arthur and get him back to an overweight build despite his tuberculosis. That was patched, though, and the familiar message of “You are sick. While sick, you will only gain the benefit from consuming a limited amount of food and drink” appeared.
5. A prominent WWE wrestler influenced Arthur Morgan
Roger Clark took a lot of influences when characterizing Arthur, including the persona of WWE star Stone Cold Steve Austin, whom he is clearly a big fan of, based on the Instagram post above. Clark also used a famous Western actor. “I probably stole a bit more out of John Wayne’s stuff,” he said via Shack News. He also, according to The Hollywood Reporter, modeled some aspects on what he’d seen John Marston do in Red Dead Redemption.
6. Arthur posed for a Charles Chatenay exhibit photo
One of the more interesting side quests (and not one that’s ultimately very useful) is the Charles Chatenay side quest. Arthur meets and befriends a very eccentric artist, protecting him and helping him escape when his provocative art evokes the wrong reaction. However, during this exhibit, before it all goes wrong, there can be seen a picture of Arthur, indicating that he also posed for photos, this one being done in full clothing and by Albert Wilson when Arthur saves him from the wolf.
7. He parallels Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday is one of the most legendary gunslingers of all time. Arthur Morgan may ultimately be a fictional representation of him because they share two striking similarities. Both were age 36 when they died, both having been afflicted by tuberculosis. These two similarities are the main ones, but they’re significant enough that Rockstar clearly chose to make the connection between their fictional gunslinger and a real-life one.
8. Arthur’s deceased child almost made it into the game
One of the most tragic parts of Arthur’s backstory is that he had a wife and a kid who were killed while he was gone, presumably committing crimes. It’s part of his dichotomy as a character, but it might’ve also resulted in his child’s death. In an earlier version of the script, Arthur’s child was supposed to freeze to death in the snow on the way to Colter, but that was scrapped. Isaac, his son, did end up making it into the game, though.
9. Arthur Morgan’s worldview was surprisingly progressive
In 1899, when the game took place, slaves had been freed in the US for less than 40 years. Racism was very much still a part of the fabric of the country, and in some instances, it is shown through other characters. However, Arthur seems to be totally against the prevailing thinking of the time, consistently showing no racism, very little misogyny, and just generally being a very progressive character for the turn of the century. His diverse gang surely helped that, as he was taken in by them at the formative age of 14 and never learned to consider anyone in the gang as less-than, even if society might’ve.
10. Arthur’s father’s hat and role were passed down
Arthur is an outlaw who wears a particular hat. His father was also an outlaw who wore the same hat. A picture of the elder Morgan, who passed away after committing larceny before Arthur joined the gang, can be seen in-game, and he’s sporting the same hat. Ironically, Arthur then serves as a sort of father figure for John Marston, dying while passing on his hat in a very full-circle moment.
What do you think? Did you know about these Arthur Morgan fun facts? Which one stood out to you? Let us know in the comments below.
[H/T Red Dead Redemption Wiki]
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