John Marston 𐚁

John has a strong dislike of birds and a rather dull imagination, especially when compared to his son Jack. When it comes to how he feels about religion, in-game quotes suggest that he is likely a Christian who is not overtly religious.

He is also a fairly serious individual with very little patience for the eccentricities of both life and the various people he meets during the events of Red Dead Redemption. He frequently threatens Irish into sobering up so as to be of some use to him, and he is clearly disturbed/disgusted by Seth's habitual grave robbing. However, he is not above employing sarcasm in conversation with certain characters, particularly those he sees as exhibiting hypocrisy, which can be seen in his interactions with both Abraham Reyes and Agustin Allende. John is also shown assisting both sides of the revolution in Mexico, suggesting he is willing to be morality apathetic to save his family.

He greatly respects women and refuses to commit adultery yet can be quick to anger and never seems to feel guilty or remorseful about the deaths he's caused both past and present. Despite Dutch leaving him for dead and devolving to a deranged maniac, John still holds respect for him as a former father figure in his life. The familial bond created when Dutch took in an orphaned teenage John is still somewhat evident, as John is noticeably reluctant to kill Dutch when given the chance; even years after his time in the gang, John still has some of Dutch's more progressive, less violent philosophical beliefs, such as viewing modern society to be deeply unfair and having a low opinion of the government. However, John does seem to have matured since his criminal days and is unbending in his desire to live out the rest of his life with his family.

John is also extremely polite to women, often calling Bonnie "Miss MacFarlane" despite her insistence that he call her "Bonnie." He also does anything possible to keep women safe, even pistol-whipping Irish to defend two nuns he was holding up. In contrast to his politeness to women, John is unafraid to take the moral high ground when dealing with less than reputable characters, like Irish with his alcoholism and Nigel West Dickens with his swindling of gullible people. John seems to be one of the only men who is loyal to his wife. He also seems to get irritated when someone mentions his wife's past rather than his own.

Unlike many people of the time, John doesn't hold racist views and even sarcastically mocks those that do. John is also skeptical of new technology, dismissing the automobile as "slow" while preferring a horse. He is cynical of the government as a whole, stating that "most men can't handle power", and explaining to Marshal Leigh Johnson the irony of murder being a crime "unless it's ordered by a court of law". However, John does nothing to solve these supposed problems in government, and instead seems to unintentionally further them. He helps Marshal Johnson murder criminals and aids Abraham Reyes in leading a revolution, the latter of whom ultimately becomes a tyrant after winning power. It seems that John has come to a realization that civilization will always be littered with hypocrisy, violence, unfairness, and corruption. Unlike his former gang members, John stops trying to fight it and instead chooses a path to live a peaceful life as a rancher with a loving family, away from all these problems.