Red Dead Redemption is one of the greatest franchises developed by Rockstar Games. The gaming community fell in love with the story of John Marston in the original entry, and the developers expanded the lore with a massive prequel; however, most fans fail to realize how this franchise came to be and where it found its footing.
Tales of outlaws and gunslingers in the Wild West have always been fascinating, and the game developers have the opportunity to craft an original character with the characteristics of an endearing protagonist. Fans found convincing shreds of evidence that can bridge the past and present.
One Iconic Character from Red Dead Redemption Could Have Jumpstarted the Entire Franchise
The prequel was released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and ported to the PC platform; however, no other major game has come close to its level of attention to detail. The game developers did not hold back from expanding the lore and providing more backstories to certain characters, such as John Marston, Dutch Van Der Linde, and even Old Uncle. Players love to connect the dots, and some believe that Uncle and the main protagonist of Red Dead Revolver are the same person.
The Red Dead Redemption franchise stood out because it gave the gaming community a glimpse into the past. The Wild West was an era of savagery and lawlessness, which paved the way for gunslingers, outlaws, and bounty hunters to take advantage and make good money. Veteran voice actor Robert Bogue starred as Steve Haines from GTA V; however, fans didn’t recognize his performance as Red Harlow.
Harlow was the main protagonist in Red Dead Revolver and worked as a bounty hunter to avenge his parents from an untimely and gruesome death at the hands of outlaws. The setting for this project was around the early 1800s, roughly a few years earlier than the prequel set in 1899, which would give Harlow enough time to become worn down from his prime version of an excellent gunslinger to a laid-back comedic relief of the Van Der Linde gang.
While the developers were adamant that the games are set in a different continuity, evidence suggests that Harlow once lived in the Red Dead Redemption universe. In both Red Dead games, the character was mentioned by a few NPCs, and it can be easily dismissed as a fun Easter egg or a version of the folktale character.
The Events of Red Dead Revolver Could Have Happened One Way or Another
While NPCs directly name-drop Harlow, then treat him as a folktale hero and vaguely describe the events of the initial project, there is no telling what Red has been up to after he successfully avenged his parents.
Uncle was introduced in the first Red Dead game as a friend to the Marston family, and before that, he was a member of the Van Der Linde gang. Uncle is not like most gang members armed and ready for a fight and is mostly seen lingering around the camp doing nothing and using lumbago as an excuse to do chores.
Perhaps Harlow has been worn down after years of bounty hunting and lost his edge. Fans pointed out potential links between Red and Uncle as Arthur and the women strolled in the town of Valentine, Uncle immediately pointed to the sheriff’s office and encouraged him to take up bounties while saying it was a young man’s game in the earlier parts of Red Dead Redemption 2. Red was relatively young during the events of the Red Dead Revolver and was renowned for his work.
Both characters lost their parents at a young age; however, Uncle stated he lost both his parents at the age of 9, and Red was orphaned at the age of 14. These tragic backstories are similar, but the age discrepancy is not an easy fix or retcon.
Uncle boasted he was a gunslinger during his youth, which is a common trait for most men during the era and may not help his case of being the legendary bounty hunter.
Red Harlow and Uncle Could Be the Same Person Guiding Arthur Morgan and John Marston
No matter how useless Uncle appears to be and often contributes by reaching out to Arthur about a potential lead, the gang members love him and keep him around because of his wit and humor. He is one of the more forward characters and does not mind dropping the cold-hearted truth, which could be shades of his youth as Harlow and years of experience being on the run.
While it would be nice to believe that Uncle and Harlow are the same person, some discrepancies are circling back to their ages. Uncle claimed he was born sometime between the fall of ’49 and the fall of Rome while Red was born in 1851. Perhaps the events of Red Dead Revolver have been reduced to a folktale in the Red Dead universe similar to the tales of Otis Miller, whose revolver can be found in the desert, and Jim Boy Calloway.
Uncle tends to avoid getting into a gunfight in Red Dead Redemption 2 and takes cover behind other gang members like John and Arthur. Perhaps after years of fighting and bloodshed, Uncle loses his drive to defend himself and refuses to take a life unless he is left with no choice if the theory that he is Red Harlow is to be believed.
It would have made Uncle’s death in the first game a fitting end to Red since his parents were murdered in cold blood and Red was too young to help. After hunting down the remainder of the Van der Linde gang, John was betrayed by the government and launched an assault on his farm, where he and Uncle made their last stand.
Do you think Uncle from Red Dead Redemption is Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver? Let us know in the comments section below!
