Red Dead Redemption 2: What Happened To Arthur Morgan’s Parents

Arthur Morgan is the main protagonist in Red Dead Redemption 2, and just like the first game’s anti-hero John Marston, much of his backstory remains a mystery. The game only shares minor details about the outlaw’s life before he joined the Van der Linde gang, but for the most part, it was filled with loss and tragedy.

Arthur was born in 1863. Pictures beside his bed at the gang’s campsite reveal the names of his parents – Lyle and Beatrice Morgan. It’s unknown how she died, but Arthur mentions several times throughout Red Dead Redemption 2’s story that his mother passed when he was very young, likely from an illness or a freak accident.

His father, too, died before Arthur was grown. Lyle Morgan was a criminal, who was arrested for theft when Arthur was only 11. Arthur doesn’t divulge how or when his father died; he could have been hung for his crimes or died in an accident or from an illness. However, Arthur admits he didn’t grieve very hard. When speaking to Sister Calderon, the outlaw says, “I had a son, he passed away. I had a girl who loved me, and I threw that away. My mama died when I was a kid, and my daddy, well I watched him die. And it wasn’t soon enough.” Arthur also calls him a “no good bastard” in a journal entry in RDR2, further highlighting their strained relationship.

What Arthur Morgan Did After His Parents’ Death

In the mid-1970s, Arthur found himself homeless after his father’s death. After seeing the potential in the boy, Dutch extended him an invitation to join the Van der Lindes, which at that point only consisted of him, Hosea Matthews, and their female companions. Soon after, they also picked up John Marston under similar circumstances. The boys were raised listening to Dutch’s socialist ramblings, leading them to idolize the gang leader.

As a young outlaw with the Van der Lindes, Arthur Morgan didn’t only get up to mischief and mayhem. He infamously started a relationship with Mary Linton, who players encounter several times over the course of RDR2. He even proposed to her at one point, though she later returns the ring to him in a scathing letter – it ends up being the ring John Marston uses to propose to Abigail. At one point in his youth, Arthur also got a young waitress, Eliza, pregnant, and together they had a son. Arthur would periodically stop by and stay with them, but one time he came to find them both dead in a robbery-gone-wrong.

Arthur may not have been close to his parents or had much of an opportunity to get to know them, but he still kept mementos of them in his possession. In addition to the pictures of his mother and father that players can find at the camp, Arthur’s famous hat also belonged to his father. Despite their strained relationship, Arthur must’ve had some fond memories of his parents. If one thing is clear, however, it’s that Red Dead Redemption’sArthur Morgan’s origin story is truly heartbreaking.

About The Author