History Characters / RedDeadRedemption

* AnimalMotifs: If you're honorable, Arthur will be symbolized by a beautiful buck, often seen as a symbol of "spiritual awakening", which reflects Arthur choosing to become the good man [[HiddenHeartOfGold that he is inside]]. If you're dishonorable, he'll be a twisted black furred coyote. [[spoiler:They even hang around his grave in the epilogue.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:There are a lot of hints that show that Micah is secretly undermining the gang and selling them out to the Pinkertons. The first is the botched Blackwater robbery, which was said to have been Micah's idea. The second would be when the gang had to relocate after the shootout in Valentine, in which Micah picked a new camping spot right ''in the middle of the open field''. He's also noticeably absent from the camp most of the time, likely making contact with the Pinkertons.]]
** If the player returns to Micha's camp near Strawberry, they can find a wanted poster of Dutch with a thousand dollar bounty. [[spoiler:This implies that Micah intends to [[TheStarscream betray Dutch]] in some point in time and collect the bounty for himself.]]

* TheSociopath: A textbook example, showing all the signs and then some. Plain and simple, he cannot resist pulling the trigger, possesses abhorrent selfishness, [[LackOfEmpathy zero empathy]], and pathologically violent behavior. Unfortunately for him, [[spoiler: he's also completely unaware of how far people will go to hunt him down in revenge as shown in the epilogue, which perhaps also speaks towards his LackOfEmpathy]].

* FauxAffablyEvil: To John. [[spoiler: Or Jack, in case you've finished the game.]]
* ForTheEvulz: His whole motivation. He's by far one of the most depraved characters in the game.

* SerialKiller: He is responsible for a lot of disappearances.

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Eagle Flies believes that Dutch is sympathetic to his people's plight and is willing to help them against the Army. But in reality, Dutch is only using him and the Wapiti as part of his gang's [[OneLastJob last big score]]. Dutch's manipulation ultimately led to Eagle Flies' death.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: If Arthur had taken Milton's offer to turn in Dutch, many of the tragic events of the game could have been prevented. He says this directly to Arthur shortly before his own death.]]

* MoreDakka: When cornering the gang in the swamps, he proceeds to unleash a gatling gun on them.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He believes that "savages" like Dutch and the Native Americans need to be killed off for civilization to progress, and and he calls Lenny a "boy" during his parley at Van Der Linde's camp.

* ButThouMust: [[spoiler:Even if you did know about the tuberculosis Arthur contracts in the game, you ''have'' to shake down Thomas Downes, whom he's gotten tuberculosis from. Taking a bath after this mission does absolutely nothing either]].

* WouldHurtAChild: Indirectly. He purposefully prevents the Federally mandated vaccines away from the Wapiti, causing their children to die, all so he incite them to war.

* TranquilFury: Charles minds his own business in camp when Micha orders him to fetch him something to eat. He responds to this by throwing him into the ground.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of what it means to be an AxCrazy villain and a PsychoPartyMember. Rather than painting this type of character in a romanticized light (like [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]), he is portrayed as a ''massive'' HateSink, an absolutely despicable man who only causes problems for all those around him, and generally someone who should not be considered a role model by '''anyone'''.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of what it means to be an AxCrazy villain and a PsychoPartyMember. Rather than portraying this type of character from a romanticized light (like [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]), he is portrayed as a ''massive'' HateSink, an absolutely despicable man who only causes problems for all those around him, and generally someone who should not be considered a role model by '''anyone'''.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: On what it means to be an AxCrazy villain and a PsychoPartyMember. Rather than portraying this type of character from a romanticized light (like [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]), he is portrayed as a ''massive'' HateSink, an absolutely despicable man who only causes problems for all those around him, and generally someone who should not be considered a role model by '''anyone'''.

** His AxCrazy tendencies brings to mind Trevor Phillips.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: On what it means to be an AxCrazy villain and a PsychoPartyMember. Rather than portraying this type of character from a romanticized light (like [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]), he is portrayed as a massive HateSink, an absolutely despicable man who only causes problems for all those around him, and generally someone who should not be considered a role model by '''anyone'''.

* HateSink: He is the most unpleasant member of the Dutch van der Linde gang. Boasting a mean streak a mile wide with his smugness, bigotry, and LackOfEmpathy, he is loathed by basically everyone around him. In addition, he's a murderous psychopath who makes Bill and Dutch in the previous game look tame in comparison. [[spoiler:Unsurprisingly, he is the one who betrays the gang and later ends up being the BigBad and FinalBoss.]]

* LikesOlderWomen: As mentioned under AbhorrentAdmirer above, one of the camp's women he occasionally flirts with is Miss Grimshaw. Played with, however, as he also mocks her advancing age to her face, stating she must of been "quite something once" before getting older.

** To a lesser extent, he's one to Bill Williamson, who's [[AxCrazy psychotic]] [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkassery]] in the first game mirrors Micah's in the sequel. In ''2'', however, Bill is generally surly and unpleasant, but also [[UndyingLoyalty very loyal to Dutch]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold occasionally chummy with other members of the gang]]. In contrast, [[spoiler:Micah will occasionally [[FauxAffablyEvil present himself as a civil and dedicated member of the gang]], but in truth is more than willing to sell Dutch out to the Pinkertons and [[ItsAllAboutMe only cares about himself]]]]. Additionally, while Bill [[FromCamouflagetoCriminal served in the US Army prior to joining Dutch]], Micah has been an outlaw for most of his life (at least since he was [[TeensAreMonsters 17]]). While Bill is usually DumbMuscle who's plans are often short-sighted, [[spoiler:Micah is at least cunning enough to both manipulate Dutch and hide his cooperation with the Pinkertons from the rest of the gang]]. Even their preferred firearms add to the contrast, as Bill almost exclusively uses a bolt-action rifle (a two-handed long range weapon) while Micah's signature weapons are a pair of customized double-action revolvers (two one-handed short range weapons).

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: If being a murderous outlaw who’s generally a complete asshole isn’t enough, Micah also takes issue with the ethnicities of his fellow gang members. Not only does he complain about having to share a room with “darkies” (Lenny and Charles) in Chapter 1, but in camp he can be seen ordering Charles to fetch him something to eat while calling him “redskin”, as well as telling Javier to “fuck off back to Mexico”.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Subverted. While his decision to forgo marriage in order to spend more time with his mother may seem like a textbook example of this, his mother notes in the letter that his anti-social behavior has recently been getting worse to the point where he's agitated by her presence even during their dinners together, implying that he's now only spending time with her out of routine.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Subverted. While his decision to forgo marriage in order to spend more time with his mother may seem like a textbook example of this, his mother notes in the letter that anti-social behavior has recently been getting worse to the point where he's agitated by her presence even during their dinners together, implying that he's is now only spending time with her out of routine.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Possible subversion. While his decision to forgo marriage in order to spend more time with his mother may seem like a textbook example of this, his mother notes in the letter that anti-social behavior has recently been getting worse to the point where he's agitated by her presence even during their dinners together, implying that he's is now only spending time with her out of routine.

* OedipusComplex: In keeping with his being a GenerationXerox of Eddie Low, it's implied Edmund has feelings for his mother. A note in his lair reveals he decided not to marry so he could spend more time with her.

* AnimalMotifs: [[DownplayedTrope It’s subtle]], but near the end of the game he becomes associated with rats. [[spoiler: Rats often represent treachery, and it's revealed that he's the one who has been [[TheMole selling the gang out to the Pinkertons. Right before he’s confronted by John in the epilogue, a rat can even be seen scurrying about near the cabin he’s hiding in.]] Rats can also represent a [[TheUnfettered lack of ethics]], something Micah has in spades.

* AnimalMotifs: [[DownplayedTrope It’s subtle]], but near the end of the game he becomes associated with rats. [[spoiler: Rats often represent treachery, and it's revealed that he's the one who has been [[TheMole selling the gang out to the Pinkertons.]] Right before he’s confronted by John in the epilogue, a rat can even be seen scurrying about near the cabin he’s hiding in]]. Rats can also represent a [[TheUnfettered lack of ethics]], something Micah has in spades.

* EvilCounterpart:
** To [[PlayerCharacter Arthur Morgan]], primarily if he has High honor. Both Arthur and Micah are two of the Van der Linde gang’s primary gunmen, [[TheDragon serve as Dutch’s right-hand men]], [[GunsAkimbo are capable of dual wielding sidearms]], and, in Micah’s words, [[TheReliableOne “always get the job done”]]. Additionally, both men have a propensity for violence, even if Micah’s far exceeds Arthur’s. However, Arthur still has plenty of [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]] and will go out of his way to help those he cares about (such as the gang and Mary Linton) or even the many strangers he encounters… unlike Micah who is a [[AxCrazy deranged]] [[TheSociopath sociopath]] that’s more than willing to massacre half a town’s worth of people and [[ItsAllAboutMe puts himself before everyone else (including the gang)]]. Arthur having Low honor will result in the two being NotSoDifferent, but even then he’ll still be at least somewhat more principled than Micah.
** Perhaps intentional on the part of Creator/RockstarGames, while separated by about a century, he also comes across as this to two of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'''s protagonists.
*** To Trevor Phillips. Both are chaotically AxCrazy members of their respective game's main gang/family unit, and are more than likely to kill on a whim. Additionally, [[spoiler: Micah starting his own gang after selling out Dutch mirrors Trevor's small criminal empire, Trevor Phillips Enterprises]]. That's where their similarities begin, and they quickly end with Micah lacking many of Trevor's redeeming and/or comedic traits. Specifically, Micah lacks Trevor's main virtue: [[spoiler:[[UndyingLoyalty Loyalty]]. He sells out his gang, friends and surrogate family to the Pinkertons so he can branch out on his own]]. Both are also opposites in regards to racial views, moral codes, and roles in their respective stories. Trevor is EqualOpportunityEvil and one of his many [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] is racism, while Micah is an [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain unapologetic bigot]]. Finally, Trevor is a playable protagonist in his game, while Micah is an unplayable [[spoiler:antagonist.]]
*** To Michael [=DeSanta=], which is fitting since Micah is just two letters away from Michael. Like Michael, Micah is a man who grew up in a life of crime, and played a major role in the running of a gang. [[spoiler:Both also made deals with federal agents that led to the disbandment of their respective gangs.]] That is where their similarities end, and their differences could not be any starker. Michael will never commit wanton violence for the fun of it, and [[PragmaticVillainy many of his plans usually try to avoid unnecessary violence]], whereas Micah never plans and commits violence [[ForTheEvulz for his own amusement]] left, right, and center. [[spoiler:While Michael made a deal with the FIB to protect his family, and he would do anything for them, Micah made a deal with the Pinkertons that only he would benefit from, and he couldn't care less for the gang he destroyed.]] Their arcs also end differently, at least by player choice. [[spoiler:While Michael can ultimately reconcile with his family and begin to move on from his life of crime, Micah remains an unrepentant, sociopathic criminal, and dies because of it.]]

* {{Foil}}:
** To Arthur, the protagonist of ''2''. Both are self-professed "bad men" who are members of the same gang, both serve as the right-hand man to Dutch Van der Linde at different points in the story, and both try to influence Dutch over to their way of thinking. The difference is that Arthur, while admitting he's a terrible person, has lines he won't cross, is unfailingly loyal to the gang which he views as his family, and tries to persuade Dutch to stop his destructive acts. Micah, meanwhile, has no lines he won't cross, doesn't give a shit about anyone except himself, and acts as the devil on Dutch's shoulder, taking advantage of his eroding sanity to make him worse and worse. [[spoiler:Unsurprisingly, Micah ends up being the BigBad of the entire game and Arthur's nemesis.]]
** To a lesser extent, he's also one to Bill Williamson, who's [[AxCrazy psychotic]] [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkassery]] in the first game mirrors Micah's in the sequel. In ''2'', however, Bill is generally surly and unpleasant, but also [[UndyingLoyalty very loyal to Dutch]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold occasionally chummy with other members of the gang]]. In contrast, [[spoiler:Micah will occasionally [[FauxAffablyEvil present himself as a civil and dedicated member of the gang]], but in truth is more than willing to sell Dutch out to the Pinkertons and [[ItsAllAboutMe only cares about himself]]]]. Additionally, while Bill [[FromCamouflagetoCriminal served in the US Army prior to joining Dutch]], Micah has been an outlaw for most of his life (at least since he was [[TeensAreMonsters 17]]). While Bill is usually DumbMuscle who's plans are often short-sighted, [[spoiler:Micah is at least cunning enough to both manipulate Dutch and hide his cooperation with the Pinkertons from the rest of the gang]]. Even their preferred firearms add to the contrast, as Bill almost exclusively uses a bolt-action rifle (a two-handed long range weapon) while Micah's signature weapons are a pair of customized double-action revolvers (two one-handed short range weapons).

* HateSink: One of the more unpleasant gang members with a mean streak a mile wide whose smugness and LackOfEmpathy makes him loathed by everyone around him, [[spoiler:and later on a backstabbing asshole]]. In addition, he's a murderous psychopath who makes Bill and Dutch in the previous game look tame in comparison. [[spoiler:Unsurprisingly, he ends up being the BigBad and FinalBoss.]]

* AnimalMotifs: [[DownplayedTrope It’s subtle]], but near the end of the game he becomes associated with rats. [[spoiler: Rats often represent treachery, and it's revealed that he's the one who has been [[TheMole selling the gang out to the Pinkertons]]. Right before he’s confronted by John in the epilogue, a rat can even be seen scurrying about near the cabin he’s hiding in]]. Rats can also represent a [[TheUnfettered lack of ethics]], something Micah has in spades.

*** To Trevor Phillips. Both are chaotically AxCrazy members of their respective game's main gang/family unit, and are more than likely to kill on a whim. Additionally, [[spoiler: Micah starting his own gang after selling out Dutch mirrors Trevor's small criminal empire, Trevor Phillips Enterprises]]. That's where their similarities begin, and they quickly end with Micah lacking many of Trevor's redeeming and/or comedic traits. Specifically, Micah lacks Trevor's main virtue: [[spoiler:[[UndyingLoyalty Loyalty]]. He sells out his gang, friends and surrogate family to the Pinkertons so he can branch out on his own]]. Both are also opposites in regards to racial views, moral codes, and roles in their respective stories. Trevor is EqualOpportunityEvil and one of his many [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] is racism, while Micah is an [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain unapologetic bigot]]. Trevor, for all his ''many'' faults, [[WouldntHurtAChild would NEVER hurt a child]], while Micah is [[WouldHurtAChild more than willing to kill children]]. Finally, Trevor is a playable protagonist in his game, while Micah is an unplayable [[spoiler:antagonist.]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Once he returns, he and Karen exchange drunken barbs and flirtations before engaging in a hook-up.

* AmbiguouslyBi: While Dutch has a lover in Molly, and is sometimes seen openly flirting with Mary-Beth, the nature of his relationship with Hosea is ambiguous. Hosea at one point (perhaps jokingly) refers to himself, Dutch, and Arthur collectively as “the curious couple and their unruly son.” During a party the gang holds after Sean returns, Arthur can find Dutch and Hosea having a conversation out of view from the others, where Dutch occasionally rests his hand on Hosea’s or holds it. If Dutch notices Arthur near them during this, he will tell Arthur to go away. In addition, if the player chooses to have Arthur antagonize Dutch, he will occasionally say to him “Everyone sees you and Hosea [[UnusualEuphemism ‘reading’]].”

* AmbiguouslyBi: While Hosea was happily married to his wife Bessie until her death, the exact nature of his relationship with Dutch can be speculated. Hosea literally refers to himself and Dutch as a “curious couple” and as parents to Arthur, which Dutch doesn’t seem to mind. During a party celebrating Sean’s return to the gang, Hosea and Dutch at one point can be found sitting away from most of the gang, occasionally holding hands while talking. If Dutch notices Arthur near them during this, he will tell Arthur to go away. The gang is implied to at least suspect something, as, if the player makes Arthur antagonize Dutch around camp, a line he can say is "Everyone sees you and Hosea [[UnusualEuphemism ‘reading’]].”

* CoDragons: He is this with De Santa, although they are constantly at odds.