Red Dead Redemption 2’s Five Most Tragic Deaths

Not all video game deaths are created equal, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is no exception to this rule. While some of the game’s deaths are satisfying (good riddance, Micah) others are devastating both to the player and to other characters. The most tragic deaths come about when good people are put in bad situations, something that happens regularly in the Red Dead Redemption franchise.

In Chapter 2 of RDR2 players meet Sean MacGuire, a lovable Irishman who isn’t afraid to give Arthur a hard time. Despite his abrasive personality and penchant for getting into trouble, Arthur clearly trusts MacGuire. His sudden Chapter 3 death serves as a wake-up call to the player, signaling to them that even RDR2’s most likable characters are always in danger. Having been rescued just recently, MacGuire’s death also shows how quickly the gang’s fortunes can turn.

Similar to MacGuire, Lenny Summers is a young and likable gang member who Arthur considers a friend. Players get to know Lenny in the memorable “A Quiet Time” mission, and his innocence and enthusiasm make him one of the easiest characters to root for. Lenny ends up as one of the major casualties of Dutch’s ridiculous plan to rob the Saint Denis bank, and his death represents a loss of morality for the Van der Linde gang. The loss of Lenny also clearly affects Arthur, who begins to have less and less people to rely on in the gang.

Molly’s Death in Red Dead Redemption 2

Molly O’Shea spends much of Red Dead Redemption 2 as the love interest of Dutch van der Linde, but as the story goes on their relationship begins to deteriorate. In Chapter 6 Molly arrives arrives at camp and begins berating Dutch, eventually claiming that she sold the gang out to the Pinkertons. This leads directly to Molly’s death, and it is only later that the player discovers she was actually innocent. Van der Linde’s gross mistreatment of Molly is what led to her death, as she becomes just another casualty of Dutch’s massive ego.

Despite not being a member of the Van der Linde gang, nor dying on screen, Thomas Downes’ death is one of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s saddest. Downes’ death is caused by tuberculosis, and comes shortly after Arthur assaults him due to his debt to Leopold Strauss. A rancher and fundraiser for charity, Downes is a good man living in a bad world, and his death forces Arthur to finally consider all of the horrible things he had done in his life.

Unlike many of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s sudden deaths, Arthur Morgan’s happens slowly. From the moment he is diagnosed with tuberculosis Arthur knows he is living on borrowed time, and he begins to change the way he lives to account for that. Although it is in part up to the player to decide how Arthur acts, much of his final days are spent doing his best to protect the people he cares about, namely John Marston and his family. By the time of his death, Arthur had become a good man, something that is rare in the world of Red Dead Redemption.

• Sean MacGuire
• Lenny Summers
• Molly O’Shea
• Thomas Downes
• Arthur Morgan

Every death in Red Dead Redemption 2 has a purpose, and many of them involve showing off how unfair the world can be. Although no character is perfect, the game’s most tragic deaths revolve around people who have a chance to turn their life around, yet face insurmountable circumstances that prevent them from doing so.

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