How Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Tell Sadie Adler’s Story

Rockstar’s slow and snowy start to the western adventure of Red Dead Redemption 2 set the tone for the tragic game, but it also introduced players to one of the few characters who manage to find some level of redemption. Sadie Adler’s involvement in the first couple of chapters, while important, is largely minuscule. As RDR2 progresses, though, Sadie quickly becomes an integral part of the narrative and one of the fan-favorites.

Her quest for revenge against the O’Driscolls serves as a subplot that reflects the themes of the main story, and the depth of character Sadie brings to both narratives was one of the most impressive parts of RDR2. With Alex McKenna, the voice and motion capture actress behind Sadie Adler, recently saying she would love to reprise the role for RDR3, it’s worth considering what such a campaign would look like. Between Sadie’s transformation into a bounty hunter in the events of the epilogue and her speaking to John about how she would like to live in South America, both provide ample material for a potential sequel.

The original Red Dead Redemption saw John being pulled back into the gunslinging life he had left, only on the side of the law. RDR2 took players back to the time where John and Arthur were still outlaws. RDR3 could strike a creative balance between the two with Sadie’s story as a bounty hunter with brutal tactics and an admitted death wish, and the part of her that still yearns for a calmer life. This would give the eventual Red Dead sequel plenty of room to roam as the story carries through her life in the states of RDR2 and possibly taking players back through Nuevo Paraiso en route to South America, making for an even larger adventure than the previous entries.

RDR3: Mrs. Sadie Adler, Bounty Hunter

The end of RDR2 gives the perfect starting point for the third installment, as Sadie Adler’s fate is left uncertain in the year 1907. Red Dead Redemption doesn’t pick up until 1911, so RDR3 would have a few years with Sadie in the states before progressing south. During that time, players could follow along on Sadie’s mission, and her narrative could also explain some of the unknown elements in the frontier’s history, such as the destruction of crops in New Austin, Ignacio Sanchez’s revolution in Mexico, or the mysterious Mr. Braithwaite mentioned in Undead Nightmare. All of which would further realize Red Dead Redemption’s western frontier.

Sadie’s admission to John that she had developed a bit of a death wish, and her penchant for violence, could be enough to keep her in her role for a time after the events of RDR2, which could allow players to experience another powerful narrative of Red Dead‘s themes around revenge and redemption. Sadie’s character would become more and more hardened, as she is already becoming at the end of RDR2, losing herself in work and struggling to maintain her humanity in the process.

Her work could also have her crossing paths with the newly formed (as of 1907) Bureau of Investigation, which would give developers ample opportunity to sew threads foreshadowing the events of Red Dead Redemption in true Rockstar fashion. Since the actor who plays Marston has also mentioned wanting to return for RDR3, his would also allow Sadie’s tale to continue giving players glimpses into the transition of John Marston’s life between the events of the original and the sequel, thus capitalizing on both incredible characters while still shaping a new story.

Red Dead Redemption 3: Sadie’s Journey South

Eventually, it would only befit both Sadie’s character and Red Dead Redemption 3‘s world for her to journey to South America. In the original Red Dead Redemption, the region of Neuvo Paraiso gave the game some of its best content, and Rockstar could bring it back as a stop along Sadie’s path. If she followed her ever-hardening bounty hunter tale, she could head south in pursuit of a target that was getting away, perhaps an unknown O’Driscoll or member of Micah’s clique who got away, something personal enough that Sadie would forego her jurisdiction as a bounty hunter to pursue the target.

Continuing such a journey would require Sadie to seek new help and operate outside the law once more in the foreign country, making her yet another incredible character faced with moral quandaries, and could bring her in contact with one of Red Dead Redemption‘s best characters, Landon Ricketts. The wily old gunslinger played a major role in John’s expedition through Mexico, and he could play a similar role for Sadie, providing both fan service for players and sage advice for Mrs. Adler. Ricketts’ message for John about jumping from one side of the fence to another would be just as relevant for Sadie, and could foreshadow her eventual decision as it did John’s downfall.

Her time in the region would also allow for potential interactions with former Van Der Linde member Javier Escuella. Javier would be well into his role as a hitman in Sanchez’s ranks, which could further elaborate on that story as well as weaving the web that John Marston eventually finds when he goes hunting down Escuella in Red Dead Redemption. Given Mexico is one of the best potential settings for RDR3, this section of Sadie’s journey would tie into the previous games nicely while also adding nuance to her tale, which mirrors that of John and Arthur.

The final part of her journey could lead her to the Panama Canal, which has been previously alluded to within the Red Dead franchise. Though it would be unclear in what stage of its lifespan the Canal would be by the time Sadie reached it, the location would be a perfect setting to end Sadie’s journey of chasing down her target. Not only would it provide players with a wholly original landscape, but it would also bring Sadie to a final impasse where she must at last pick which side of the fence on which she wishes to be. Sadie is arguably one of the franchise’s best characters, and this end would be one befitting both the Red Dead series and Sadie herself.

She would have to choose between capturing her bounty target who she has pursued so vigorously or finally escaping to South America, both of which would be closer than ever before. Whether Rockstar allows players to make the final choice or takes the reigns to finish the narrative, Red Dead Redemption 3 would already have told a story worthy of the franchise. Similar to the uncertain future that awaited Jack Marston at the end of the original, Sadie’s tragic journey is already a frontier tale regardless of how it ends.

About The Author

Rion Duncan
(79 Articles Published)

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Rion Duncan is a science-fiction author and avid gamer. After spending his youth in marketing he finally returned to his first love of imaginary worlds and fantastical characters. When not working on his book series Idonia or recording episodes for his Eclectic Podcast, he spends time doing his favorite activity; playing with his two-year old daughter.

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