Jack Marston |RED DEAD REDEMPTION (1914)

BACKGROUND: Jack Marston was born in 1895 as the first child of the outlaw John Marston and ex-prostitute Abigail Roberts, two members of the Van der Linde gang. As a child born into the gang, they became an extended family to Jack. He saw most of the gang as his surrogate aunts and uncles, who watched over his growth and shielded his innocence from their more nefarious actions. During Jack's infancy, his father had many difficulties connecting with him due to doubts as to whether or not Jack was his biological son, as well as fears about John's own ability to raise him. Around 1896, when Jack was only a year old, John left the gang for a year to get away from the responsibility of raising him before returning, causing a rift between him and Arthur Morgan, and casting doubt on his ability to be a good father to Jack. While growing up in the gang, the members would serve as his only source of social interaction outside of his mother, with Jack often staying up late to listen to Dutch van der Linde and Bill Williamson tell stories about their exploits.

GANG LIFE: By 1899, Jack is living with the gang and is taken care of by its members, although he spends most of his time with his mother, Abigail. Jack can often be found playing around the gang's camp, although he rarely ever leaves, with one notable exception being when Arthur takes him fishing- a trip which is soured by the arrival of Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross. At one point during their stay in Horseshoe Overlook, Jack can be seen approaching John and asking him to play knights, saying he will be Achilles while John can be Hector. However, John refuses, saying it isn’t a good time, causing Jack to leave in dismay. Likely because of this, Jack can also be found crying at camp, but is comforted by Abigail, who tells him not to concern himself with those who don’t care about him. When the gang moves to Clemens Point, Jack spots a stray Catahoula Cur who wandered into camp. Much to Jack's delight, the gang takes the dog in, and Dutch names it "Cain." Later in that same chapter, Jack is kidnapped by the Braithwaite family as an act of revenge, and is given to Angelo Bronte. Jack's kidnapping instills rage and fear among the gang, particularly John and Abigail, the former of whom finally realizes how much of a poor father he has been. However, they manage to safely find Jack in Bronte's mansion, Dutch making a deal to get him back. Jack reveals that he was treated well by Bronte, being given a box of toys, regular baths, fed spaghetti, and that he learned the Italian words for “horse” and “slipper." After arriving back at the gang's new camp in Shady Belle, a party is thrown celebrating Jack's safe rescue. Following his return, Jack and John’s relationship improves and the latter can be seen teaching the former how to make an arrowhead. Later on, the gang settles into their new camp of Beaver Hollow after a string of disasters, and tensions within are at an all-time high. When approached, Jack often comments that he is scared and wants the fighting to stop. He also tries to find Cain, who seems to have gone missing and screams out his name, leading to Micah rudely telling Jack that the dog isn't coming back and shouting at him to get lost, frightening him. At one point, Micah rudely interrupts Jack and John while they are playing knights and tells the former how Dutch thought the latter was “gold” before realising he was only “yellow,” prompting anger from John, who proceeds to defend his son and tells Micah to say whatever insult he has to himself instead. While the gang is out robbing a train, Abigail is kidnapped by Agent Milton, and John is shot and left to die by Dutch and some members. Much to Arthur's dismay, Dutch — persuaded by Micah — refuses to rescue Abigail, so Arthur instructs Tilly Jackson to take Jack to Copperhead Landing, to wait for Sadie to come back with Abigail. Arthur says goodbye to Jack, telling the young boy to "be brave." Tilly then rides away with Jack, who is unaware that it would be the last time he saw Arthur.

POST-GANG LIFE: Throughout the rest of Jack's childhood, the Marston family moved around often, temporarily settling in the Yukon soon after the gang’s dissolution to participate in the on-going gold rush there. They had returned to West Elizabeth in 1907, finding work in Pronghorn Ranch for a time. However, due to Abigail's dissatisfaction with John's inability to leave his past life behind, she and Jack left. Later that year, the Marston family reunited after John bought Beecher's Hope and subsequently built a ranch there, along with Uncle and Charles Smith, who helped John build it. Abigail and Jack also brought a dog with them named Rufus, who Jack took a liking to. Soon after moving to their new home, Jack went fishing with his father and was later present for his parents' wedding, where John later remarks how happy Jack seemed. Afterwards, Jack was present when Charles and Sadie leave the ranch, parting ways with members of his surrogate family. Jack would eventually have a younger sister, who died at some point before October 1911.

LIFE AS AN ADULT (currently 19): In November 1914,[5] three years after John and Uncle's deaths, Abigail dies of unknown causes, and Jack buries her on the hill overlooking Beecher's Hope with the rest of the family. Now a nineteen-year-old gunslinger and the spitting image of his father with similar skill in combat, Jack decides to hunt down his father's killer in revenge. In Blackwater, Jack approaches an agent named Howard Sawicki, who he tells he has something for Edgar Ross, and asks if he knows him. From Sawicki, Jack learns that Ross was rewarded for killing John, and is now living his days out in a cabin on Lake Don Julio with his wife. With this, Jack departs Blackwater. Visiting Don Julio, Jack meets Edgar's wife Emily, who he tells he has a letter to deliver to Edgar. She greets him with a rant about how the government doesn't let Ross retire in peace, before apologizing and directing him towards the camp of Edgar and his brother Philip, close to the San Luis River. Meeting Philip, Jack is further directed to Ross, located down the river hunting ducks, and is warned about Edgar's temper. Arriving at the riverbank, Jack greets the retired agent and introduces himself, saying he has come for him over being responsible for John's death. Ross is dismissive of the accusation, and claims John's death was a result of his own actions. Jack remains firm, and reasserts that Ross killed his father, after he had sent John to do his "dirty work". Ross breaks his composure, and he threatens Jack to leave lest he suffer the same fate. Jack stands his ground, both men readying for a duel. In a single moment, Jack beats Ross in the draw, avenging his family's misfortune once and for all.

PERSONALITY: Born into a gang of criminals, Jack's upbringing was that the gang was family to him and he called most of them his aunts and uncles. A comment from Jack himself in 1907 suggests the gang not only cared about him a lot and tried to keep him out of their illegal activities, but also avoided mentioning them to the boy, yet Jack still managed to deduce something about it by himself. One of Jack's most dominant traits was his fast learning: at 4 years old, Jack already possessed basic literacy skills, and he learned the basics of fishing from Arthur Morgan. Despite being fairly open and comfortable around people at the age of four, he was considerably more shy and reserved by the time he was twelve, and began to feel inferior to his father. As a result of his upbringing, Jack initially lacked his father's courage and superior combat, farming, and survival skills, but possessed intelligence and empathy that far surpassed John's. Jack was a bright young man who spent most of his time reading different books that further expand his knowledge. By his own admission, he greatly enjoyed reading about wild adventures and brave heroes, which gave him a more romanticized view on the Old West, and his remarks in 1914 suggest he looked up to the legendary Landon Ricketts. His love for books and stories prompted him to aspire to become a writer or a scholar, which his parents partly approved, as they also wished for him to be a rancher. At times, he appeared to be somewhat timid and was often mild-mannered when speaking to his family or friends. A major theme of his character is his sense of inferiority when compared to his father John, an experienced gunslinger and hunter. This led Jack to feel insecure and frightful whenever his father approached him and made him all the more desperate to prove his worth to both his father and himself. Despite the mutual struggle to understand each other, Jack shared a very close bond with John. He also cared deeply for his mother Abigail, who worried about Jack's condition after the two were released from the Bureau control. He was also the only member of the Marstons who seemed to be in a constant positive relationship with Uncle, who taught him several inappropriate things much to John's disapproval and was also the only one to openly express grief and agony after he was killed by the U.S. Army.

APPEARANCE: In 1914, Jack's appearance is radically different. He is now a fully grown adult, aged 19, and sports a mustache and a goatee. He is now as tall as his father was, and is of a similar build. His hair now reaches his shoulders, the exact same hairstyle his father wore in 1899. He has also taken to wearing his father's hat. His face has a rugged, intense look. He wears a beige jacket, a white button-up shirt with a red neckerchief, and dark pants.