Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 353 (click to see context) from:
* WrongGenreSavvy: He thinks himself and his gang as [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood and his Merry Men]]; law-breaking heroes who will always stay one step ahead of the law thanks to RefugeInAudacity and PlotArmor, and who are beloved as champions of the oppressed at the same time they're hated by the oppressors. In reality, he's just another gang leader whose wild plans tend to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome trip on reality]] (his plan to tar and feather an army unit nearly gets his gang all killed when the rear guard shows up, for example) and who is feared by everyone not part of his gang because he's still robbing them. [[spoiler:By the end of the original game, he's figured out that he was never a hero and his crusade against civilization was hypocritical and pointless; the subsequent DespairEventHorizon causes him to kill himself.]]
to:
* WrongGenreSavvy: He thinks himself and his gang as [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood and his Merry Men]]; law-breaking heroes who will always stay one step ahead of the law thanks to RefugeInAudacity and PlotArmor, and who are beloved as champions of the oppressed at the same time they're hated by the oppressors. In reality, he's just another gang leader whose wild plans tend to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome trip on reality]] reality (his plan to tar and feather an army unit nearly gets his gang all killed when the rear guard shows up, for example) and who is feared by everyone not part of his gang because he's still robbing them. [[spoiler:By the end of the original game, he's figured out that he was never a hero and his crusade against civilization was hypocritical and pointless; the subsequent DespairEventHorizon causes him to kill himself.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 620 (click to see context) from:
* {{Hypocrite}}: Retroactively becomes this in the second game. While the Van der Linde gang is camped out in Beaver Hollow during the sixth chapter, Javier insults and antagonizes Arthur, John and a few other gang members for not trusting in or standing with Dutch, expressing disgust at them being selfish and disloyal to the man when they should be sticking together. By the time John meets Javier again in 1911, Javier has long abandoned Dutch himself, and is quick to suggest they work together to capture him in order to save his own skin.
to:
* {{Hypocrite}}: {{Hypocrite}}:
** Retroactively becomes this in the second game. While the Van der Linde gang is camped out in Beaver Hollow during the sixth chapter, Javier insults and antagonizes Arthur, John and a few other gang members for not trusting in or standing with Dutch, expressing disgust at them being selfish and disloyal to the man when they should be sticking together. By the time John meets Javier again in 1911, Javier has long abandoned Dutch himself, and is quick to suggest they work together to capture him in order to save his ownskin.skin.
** When John arrives to capture him and the following chase that ensues, Javier repeatedly calls his former compatriot a bitch in his native tongue (puto), despite the insult more accurately describing [[DirtyCoward him]].
** Retroactively becomes this in the second game. While the Van der Linde gang is camped out in Beaver Hollow during the sixth chapter, Javier insults and antagonizes Arthur, John and a few other gang members for not trusting in or standing with Dutch, expressing disgust at them being selfish and disloyal to the man when they should be sticking together. By the time John meets Javier again in 1911, Javier has long abandoned Dutch himself, and is quick to suggest they work together to capture him in order to save his own
** When John arrives to capture him and the following chase that ensues, Javier repeatedly calls his former compatriot a bitch in his native tongue (puto), despite the insult more accurately describing [[DirtyCoward him]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Merged back Dutch's page according to this thread
.
.Changed line(s) 10,22 (click to see context) from:
Has his own page [[Characters/RedDeadRedemptionDutchVanDerLinde here]].
[[/folder]]
!!!Membership
[[folder:Abigail Marston (née Roberts)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abigail_roberts___red_dead_redemption_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The life we led, that doesn't go away. It's never over."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see her in ''Red Dead Redemption'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/830ed8e1185794fe061b259bc451c62d.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Sophia Marzocchi (''RDR I'', motion capture in ''RDR II''), Cali Elizabeth Moore (''RDR II'')
An ex-prostitute that rode with the gang in its heyday, Abigail's life changed with the birth of her and John Marston's son, Jack. While John was initially unwilling to admit the child was his and struggled with his feelings for her, the collapse of the gang saw the two reconcile and decide to settle down together. Now Abigail ''Marston'', she lived a quiet life on the ranch... until some agents of the law showed up on their doorstep with a message.
[[/folder]]
!!!Membership
[[folder:Abigail Marston (née Roberts)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abigail_roberts___red_dead_redemption_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The life we led, that doesn't go away. It's never over."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see her in ''Red Dead Redemption'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/830ed8e1185794fe061b259bc451c62d.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Sophia Marzocchi (''RDR I'', motion capture in ''RDR II''), Cali Elizabeth Moore (''RDR II'')
An ex-prostitute that rode with the gang in its heyday, Abigail's life changed with the birth of her and John Marston's son, Jack. While John was initially unwilling to admit the child was his and struggled with his feelings for her, the collapse of the gang saw the two reconcile and decide to settle down together. Now Abigail ''Marston'', she lived a quiet life on the ranch... until some agents of the law showed up on their doorstep with a message.
to:
[[/folder]]
!!!Membership
[[folder:Abigail Marston (née Roberts)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see
->'''Voiced by:'''
->''"This place, ain't no such thing as civilized. It's man so in
The leader and founder of the Van der Linde gang. An anarchist WarriorPoet with a love of the nature and the frontier, Dutch saw himself not as a criminal, but a man fighting back against a corrupt system to liberate the Old West. His charisma and charm made him a father figure to much of the gang, especially John Marston and Arthur Morgan. Unfortunately, the pressures of leadership and the law's increasing scrutiny eventually broke him, and by 1911 his campaign of violence in West Elizabeth
An ex-prostitute that rode with the gang in its heyday, Abigail's life changed with the birth of her and John Marston's son, Jack. While John was initially unwilling to admit the child was his and struggled with his feelings for her, the collapse
Added DiffLines:
* AbusiveParents: While he never had any children, he serves as a father figure to Arthur and John, having taken them in when they were boys. While he is affectionate and fatherly to them in early chapters, he steadily becomes more agitated and harsh towards them, [[spoiler:culminating with abandoning them to die and ultimately shooting at them.]]
* TheAce: Is an intelligent, charismatic leader who's also a remarkably skilled shot. He's likely the one who taught John and Arthur how to shoot as well as they do (including possibly the dead eye skill), and in ''1'', he's able to ''shoot the binoculars out of John's hands'' despite John being on top of a mountain several hundred feet away.
* AceCustom: In ''II'' has a badass pair of customized Schofield revolvers with roses engraved on them.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Uncle of all people manages to make him laugh by insulting him a couple times and ''scoffing'' at him.
* AffablyEvil: In the beginning of ''II'', he's genuinely kind to the majority of his gang, having accepted many lost, desperate people into his group and even acted as a surrogate father to several of them (such as Arthur, John, and Tilly). He also allows Reverend Swanson to remain in the gang despite the trouble he causes them with his alcoholism and opium addiction due to him saving Dutch's life at one point. [[spoiler:However, with his eventual SanitySlippage and his increasing paranoia of several members of the gang, he begins to resort to regularly yelling at several people and abandons Arthur and John several times when they were about to be murdered]]. By the events of ''I'', [[spoiler:he's notably FauxAffablyEvil to John, being fairly polite and friendly to him as he attempts to murder him several times, before proceeding to needle him about the status of his wife and son when John refuses to return the hospitality.]] However, by the their last confrontation, he's back to AffablyEvil. He throws his gun off to the side rather than continue fighting him, and speaks amicably and casually with John before [[spoiler:he commits suicide]].
* AgonizingStomachWound: [[spoiler: By the time John catches up to him in their final confrontation in ''I'', Dutch has sustained a possibly fatal gunshot wound to the stomach area of his abdomen that seems to have occurred from a bullet ricocheting and hitting him.]]
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:His death is one of the saddest moments in the first game. Since he knows he is living in a false hope and a TragicDream, he simply accepts that his era is over and commits suicide. It's arguably made even sadder with the context of ''II'', as we truly see just how far he's fallen since the days of the gang]].
* TheAlcoholic: Implied to have become one by ''I''. [[spoiler:If the player searches his living quarters after he dies, there's a large amount of liquor present in crates and jugs]].
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:By the end of his life, he realizes everything he ever fought for was meaningless, and that civilization and government taming the American West was inevitable.]]
--> '''Dutch''': We can't always fight nature, John. We can't fight change. We can't fight gravity. We can't fight ''nothing''. My whole life, all I ever did was fight.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He starts taking an interest in Mary-Beth by chapter three, and can be seen very openly flirting with her. She doesn't return his advances, and is taken aback by them somewhat.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse everyone finds themselves divided on whether Dutch was a good man driven mad by the situation and several bad decisions, or a bad man who due to the stress placed on him got tired of pretending. Sadie is of the former opinion while John is of the latter, though by the time of the first game he seems to have changed his mind. Even before the gang broke apart characters would have different opinions of him, with Uncle being the most skeptical of Dutch.
* AllTakeAndNoGive: A mostly consistent trait of his character, although one that is not immediately obvious. Dutch is SecretlySelfish, and feels entitled to the total loyalty and obedience of his gang, but what he himself does for the gang is not entirely clear. He is not seen doing chores around camp and does not donate money to the gang, while constantly reminding everyone else how they 'need money'. He also constantly demands that others have total faith in him, which could be read as a manipulation tactic. Whether Dutch himself is aware of that or not is up for debate, however.
* 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.” Many of their interactions with one another are intimate in a way not seen with any other male characters in the gang. 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 [[https://i.redd.it/jjcxengw99621.jpg 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']]."
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While it’s clear that Dutch becomes more unhinged as ''II'' progresses, it’s debatable what the motivations behind many of his actions are, and what his true character is. [[spoiler:It’s possible that he was initially a good person who cracked under the pressure of situations his poor decision making caused, but it’s also possible he was already an unhinged narcissist whose true nature started to show as the game progressed and who fashioned himself and his gang as Robin Hood-types as an excuse to rob and kill. There’s also the question of how he viewed the members of his gang, either as people he genuinely cared for (who he rescued from various terrible situations and then protected) or as expendable pawns he could use and cast aside based on his plans, such as abandoning John and Arthur when their lives were in peril several times towards the end, and then proceeding to lie about doing so.]]
** These two contrasting interpretations of his actions appear in-universe. [[spoiler:Agent Milton simply calls him a "silver-tongued maniac", and John by the end believes that his true nature was slowly surfacing after being BeneathTheMask for so long, while Charles and Sadie believe he genuinely changed throughout the course of ''II''. Arthur with High Honor however, states he doesn't know what to believe regarding this. A Low Honor Arthur states he was taken as a fool his entire life by Dutch. What's interesting is that John has the opposite opinion of him by the events of ''I'', coming to the conclusion that he in fact was, in a way, a good person before his SanitySlippage. This is probably due to Dutch shooting Micah, in addition to a possible NostalgiaFilter on John's part.]]
** It's not clear if he [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes actually is capable of loving anyone]]. He talks about Annabelle (his partner that O'Driscoll killed) with fondness but it very could well be that it's an excuse to keep his feud with O'Driscoll ongoing. Abigail straight up tells Molly to her face that Dutch doesn't love her. If one views him as EvilAllAlong, he simply took all the people in to manipulate them into being his pawns and by extension doesn't love them. Hosea seems to be the closest thing to it, he respects him way more than anyone else. This is compared to John and Arthur who do truly love people. Even at low honor, John loves Abigail and Jack and Arthur loves Mary. The BlindSeer can tell [[spoiler: John]] this, “Embrace those who love you, not the memory of those who pretended to."
** For all of his talk about how the gang are all one big family, he is not happy with John from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG950dG0jrE Chapter 4]] of the second game onwards, after John's CharacterDevelopment starts to kick in. Dutch reminds him that the gang must always come first, hinting he thinks John might have {{Conflicting Loyalt|y}}ies now that he's taking his role as a father and husband more seriously. Arthur and Hosea don't share these concerns so it’s likely Dutch sees John embracing his role as a family man as a threat to his power over him. Worth noting that Dutch and John's relationship grows more bitter and hostile as John becomes a better husband and father.
** One important thing to consider is [[spoiler: why Dutch abandons both John and Arthur for dead in Chapter Six. It's completely possible he was only using them and either never loved them or loved them very conditionally, casting them aside when they bruise his ego enough. However, there's also indication that Micah was manipulating his poor mental state so well that he ''may have actually convinced him that Arthur and John were rats and, thus, the biggest dangers to the survival of the gang''.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: More like several ambiguous situations involving Dutch.
** [[spoiler:Dutch being in Micah's cabin in the final mission of ''II''. Micah's dialog reveals that Dutch only recently teamed up with Micah again, but when John asks Dutch why he's there he simply responds "Same as you, I suppose." This suggests that he too was there to kill Micah, but it's possible he could be referring to the fact that the recovered money from the Blackwater robbery is in the cabin, and that he assumed that John was there to take it. He ends up shooting Micah, and it's unknown whether it was his intention beforehand or whether John successfully convinced him to. He will actually shoot John if John shoots Micah before he has a chance to beg Dutch to "say something", so he's at least convinced to spare his life by the end. He ends up silently walking away from the cabin, leaving the questions for his actions in the scene unanswered.]]
** His situation with regards to Micah. [[spoiler:How much of a corrupting influence does Micah have on Dutch, and is he taking advantage of Dutch's mental state as early as Blackwater, or does Micah's influence simply contribute to his SanitySlippage? Also, how much of Dutch's plans by chapter six are influenced by Micah? Is Dutch's decisions in manipulating the Wapiti tribe to engage in a disastrous war the mark of Dutch finally revealing himself to be a sociopathic monster after all these years, or is it the mark of Micah exploiting his worsening paranoia and delusions?]]
** His reaction to [[spoiler:Arthur's final words to him and Arthur's death moments later in chapter 6. He leaves Arthur as he is dying and ignores Micah's insistence that they escape together, after Dutch apparently accepts Arthur's assertion that Micah's the rat. It's possible that Dutch left because he feared capture by the Pinkertons, that he was angered after realizing he was being manipulated, that he was ashamed of how he ruined everything for himself and the gang, or that he simply couldn't bare to watch his surrogate son die. His reasons for doing so are never addressed]].
** Adding to the confusion of what caused his SanitySlippage in ''2'' is that he suffered a head injury during the trolley heist, which is known to cause sudden behavioral changes. So, how much of it was Micah's bad influence/cracking under the stress of the gang's deteriorating situation, and how much was it was down to the head trauma messing with his ability to think rationally?
** What exactly happened to Dutch during the Blackwater job is never revealed. Arthur and Hosea were wary of it, but others say that it was going fine until Dutch suddenly shot Heidi [=McCourt=]. Only John and Javier saw anything, with the latter admitting that she died "in a bad way, but it was a bad situation", suggesting that he doesn't want to implicate Dutch or appear disloyal. John later says in Shady Belle that he saw Micah "encouraged it", meaning either that he wanted the situation to go violent from the beginning, or that he egged a nervous Dutch on to kill the girl in that moment. [[spoiler:Near the camp in Horseshoe Overlook, you can find Dutch's notes containing snippets from both the RousingSpeech he makes at the beginning of the game, and a later one made after they settle in New Hanover. They imply he had them prepared a lot earlier, likely in anticipation that the ferry robbery was going to end in a bloodbath and gang morale would suffer for a time, but it's also possible that he had them just to be CrazyPrepared; i.e. something like Richard Nixon's 'contingency speech' that he had written in case the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon but fortunately never had to use]].
** [[spoiler:His lack of intervention in John's arrest during the Saint Denis bank robbery. It's fully possible that this is an early BetrayalByInaction on Dutch's part, but we're never shown the actual scene. John himself isn't quite sure of what to make of Dutch's behavior, saying that he feels he could have done more in the situation than he had.]]
*** There's also camp dialogue where [[spoiler:Dutch will angrily say this is why he told them to let Marston rot in prison, if you're far enough away. It's possible that he just said it out of anger, but his bitter reaction to seeing Marston after they spring him suggests he was never planning to rescue him and wanted him gone.]]
** The bones one can find in his cave in Cochinay [[spoiler:after his death]]. [[spoiler:There are several human skulls on a desk and some bookshelves, in addition to a various femur bones around the fire pit that appear long enough to be human. This content has some potentially [[ImAHumanitarian disturbing implications concerning Dutch's mental state by 1911]], although the reason for these bones and skulls being present is never explained.]]
* AmbiguousStartOfDarkness: Throughout ''II'', the true nature of his SanitySlippage is left open to interpretation and is one of the conflicting opinions of the members of his gang InUniverse. While Charles and Sadie believe he genuinely changed, Arthur and John believe he was EvilAllAlong. Notably, by the time the first game takes place twelve years later, John believes the former theory (though it's unclear if that's actually a NostalgiaFilter or just comes from them having built the narrative of his downfall backward).
* AmicableExes: With Susan Grimshaw. They were in a romantic relationship in the early days of the gang, and remained friends and partners in crime afterwards.
* AndThenWhat: A major problem with his leadership is his inconsistency on what the gang should ''do'' once they've amassed enough money to retire; he talks to everyone else of retiring to Tahiti, but it slowly becomes clear that he's addicted to the outlaw life, has no real desire to quit, and is postponing and sabotaging their retirement because then he'd either have to tell his gang that he never intended to fulfil his promise, or submit to giving up total control over his gang (no need for complicated plans to relax on a nice Tahitian beach) and his causeless rebellion. Sure enough, between the gang's dissolution and 1907, Dutch doesn't retire from a life of crime at all even after amassing a large sum of money, and by 1911 he forms another gang to commit random acts of violence.
* AnimalMotifs: In a surprisingly subtle way. One of Dutch's rings throughout the main story of II features a design of a golden lion's head with [[RedEyesTakeWarning ruby eyes]]. Lions are, of course, traditional symbols of [[KingOfBeasts power, leadership, and straight up royalty]], befitting Dutch's status as the leader of the gang. It is fittingly missing, along with the rest of Dutch's finery, after the gang's collapse.
* AntiHero: Before [[SanitySlippage going]] AxCrazy, he was known to be AFatherToHisMen. Sure, he was an outlaw, but still decent enough to worry about poor people. At one point, he even goes in search of provisions for people with Arthur.
* ArcVillain: Of the ''West Elizabeth'' arc in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''.
* ArchEnemy: Colm O'Driscoll. Dutch murdered Colm's brother and Colm murdered Dutch's mistress (Annabelle), so their feud [[ItsPersonal is personal]].
* ArchnemesisDad: Sort of. He adopted John and Arthur when they were teens, and raised them as a part of his gang. [=MacDougal=] even states that the current relationship between John and Dutch is Oedipal in nature.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He is clearly under no delusion that he is anything other than an anarchist who hates civilisation and technology, and fully embraces it.
* AxCrazy: By 1911, he's become little more than a murderous bandit whose crime spree is little more than just a desire to be a menace to the society he hates. He doesn't deny it anymore, either, outright telling John during their third encounter that he plans to murder him and Professor [=MacDougal=] ForTheEvulz.
* BadBoss: Dutch started out as a BenevolentBoss in ''II'' but after several setbacks, the loss of several members, and a concussion, he becomes increasingly paranoid and authoritarian, accusing everyone but Micah of plotting against him [[spoiler:This ranges from abandoning both Arthur and John, his two most trusted members, to their deaths, berating everyone for doubting him, and even abandoning Abigail, essentially orphaning Jack. As a result, many members begin to leave the gang for their own safety.]]
* BadassBookworm: Dutch has a collection of books in his tent, and you more often than not see him reading something when you encounter him at camp.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Back in 1899, he was a SharpDressedMan, a badass, and the leader of a famous gang. As of 1911, he's dropped this in favor of a more ragged attire.
* BadassLongcoat: The first we see of Dutch in ''II'' is him in a ''very'' nice thick, black coat that reaches about his knees and one of his main outfits onwards is a sharp, black, mid-thigh length coat with a red pocket square. During the Saint Denis heist he wears a much longer coat with ''red lining.'' [[spoiler: When he reappears in the epilogue, he’s wearing a different coat with fur lining that goes down to mid-calf.]]
* BeardOfSorrow: [[spoiler:When he reappears when John, Sadie and Charles go after Micah, Dutch is now sporting a thick beard. He's also much quieter and less forceful in personality than he was before, and he doesn't even seem to care when Micah dies or when John thanks him for saving his life.]]
-->'''Dutch:''' I ain't...got too much to say no more...
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: Early in ''II'', Dutch speaks out against other outlaw leaders such as Colm O'Driscoll, claiming that he's a sociopathic savage who cares little for his men, and only cares about wreaking havoc and doing horrible things for the sake of it. Yet, by Chapter 6, Dutch himself takes significant pleasure in causing "smoke and noise" for the sake of petty revenge schemes and misaimed justice for the sake of his own ego and curses the members of the gang who are understandably leaving Dutch behind. By 1911, Dutch has long embraced his antithesis-like ways, gleefully murdering and pillaging for little reason than for sport, glory and his hatred of society.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Guarma is practically what Dutch assumes Tahiti is supposed to be, a tropical island untouched by the corruption of civilization. Much to his surprise, it is not.
** In fact, even if he and the gang did reach Tahiti (of course, assuming Dutch wasn't stringing the gang along for any opportunity to gain more money), he wouldn't find a civilization-free tropical paradise; Tahiti had become a French colony by 1880.
* BelievingTheirOwnLies:
** There is no actual plan at all to get them "Out West", Tahiti, or Australia. Also, there no plan to recover the Blackwater Money. He's making it up as he goes along but insists he has everything figured out.
** It is painfully obvious to Arthur that Dutch never really has a plan to save John from prison after the botch bank heist in St. Denis despite him saying otherwise.
* BeneathTheMask: Played with. [[spoiler:As the events of ''II'' transpire, and the gang get into deeper and deeper trouble, the darker side of Dutch's personality becomes apparent. However, it's ambiguous if he was just showing more of who he was as he lost control of the situation, or if these aspects of himself just became exacerbated by the dire situations he and the gang got in. There's also the question of when his SanitySlippage began. Did his sanity start to decline with the events of ''II'', or did it start to decline long beforehand, only becoming apparent when he could no longer keep it in check? Several characters in-universe interpret this issue differently, with some like Sadie believing he was changed over of the course of ''II'', versus John who (up until ''I'') believes he was revealing his true nature]].
-->'''John:''' [[spoiler:You see a man whose character changed. I see a man who got found out... for who he truly was.]]
* BerserkButton:
** Do not even ''think'' about calling Dutch and/or his ideals worthless, or anything along those lines to his face. [[spoiler:Catherine Braithwaite and Angelo Bronte learned this the hard way]]. Being disrespected causes him to flip out and inflict DisproportionateRetribution when he's actually planning on negotiating.
** Don't question him. Even months before his SanitySlippage kicks in, he acts like a petulant child when Arthur criticizes him lightly (e.g. when he suggests that him and Hosea relaxing when everyone else works is demoralizing) and storms off in a huff. [[spoiler:He's furious when Morgan stands up to him and insists twice that he lets John go with his family before the final robbery. It's implied this spiteful anger motivates him to not intervene when Marston gets shot]].
** Don't invade his personal space. He gets irritated if Arthur follows him around camp closely, and will ''push Arthur out of his tent if he stays there for too long.''
* BetrayalByInaction: Does this [[spoiler:at least three times in the prequel. He willingly leaves John to rot in prison, believing he is okay while in actuality he's about to be hanged, leaves Arthur to die during the assault on the oil refinery, and leaves John to die after he is shot during their final heist. There's also the ambiguous situation of John's arrest in the Saint Denis bank heist that gets him imprisoned, and whether or not he actively chose to not intervene in his arrest.]]
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler: He kills himself to evade capture by John Marston and the federal government, in addition to his refusal to continue living in a world increasingly being civilized.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: With Edgar Ross in the first game. While Ross is the active threat to the Marstons, Dutch is the main target and the one who raised John as a part of his gang. Although unknown to him, he is the [[BigBadWannabe lesser]] of the two.
* BigBadSlippage: His entire character arc in ''II'' is this in spades.
* BigBadWannabe: In the first game. While he is a real threat for West Elizabeth, he will never be one for the modern society and civilization he so hates. He's less a freedom fighting rebel and much more a murderous thug, venting his hatred towards a world that will never accept him. He himself cannot resist the wonders of the modern world, as his choice of weapon is a semi-automatic pistol, and he is seen using an automobile to escape from John.
* BigGood: Serves as this role in ''II'', back when he was still a charismatic leader that still had his sanity. [[spoiler:By the endgame, both those traits have gone out the window and neither Arthur nor John want anything to do with him.]]
* BlankStare: Dutch is prone to doing this when standing around camp, and this behavior can be [[LampshadeHanging mentioned]] by Arthur while antagonizing him. It apparently [[SanitySlippage gets worse]] following the concussion he receives from a trolley crash in chapter four, as in one camp encounter following it Abigail asks Dutch if he's alright when she catches him staring into deep space.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler: When Arthur and John confronted him for abandoning them, he claimed that he either "did no such thing" or had no choice but to do so.]]
* BloodKnight: By his own admission in 1911. He barely believes in the causes he fights for anymore, but keeps killing only because it's all he knows how to do and he has a deep-seeded hatred for civilization and the modernization of the American West.
* BombThrowingAnarchist: He is completely opposed to industrialization and the modernization of the frontier, [[spoiler:though his sanity only drops to the "bomb-throwing" level in the final chapter of ''II'', and onwards.]] By the time of the first game, he's abandoned the facade of any ideology and is just raising hell for the sake of it. His philosophy is highly reminiscent of Illegalism, where crime itself is seen as an integral of anarchist practice and not simply a means to an end like it was for certain anarchist revolutionaries.
* BreakoutVillain: Despite having less than ten minutes of screen time, Dutch was far and away the most popular villain from ''Red Dead Redemption I'', owing to his surprising depth and tragic death scene. The prequel is all about Dutch and his descent into madness.
* BrilliantButLazy: He's a charismatic individual who's successfully led a gang of outlaws for two decades after originally being a successful con-man, yet he never contributes to the camp funds and is frequently seen hanging around camp reading, apparently only being engaged with heists that have particularly large takes. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded more than once by Arthur if he antagonizes Dutch]].
-->'''Arthur''': Ya know, ''you'' could get out there too, Dutch.
* BrokenAce: While he has shown himself to be a charismatic leader, a skilled gunsman ''and'' a WarriorPoet to boot, it's offset by his own fragile mental stability once his SanitySlippage becomes apparent.
* BrokenPedestal: As his SanitySlippage becomes worse and worse, and the flaws in his leadership become more apparent, he becomes this to his whole gang [[spoiler:to the point that they leave him]].
* BullyingADragon: He eventually gets cocky enough to take on the U.S. Army, thinking it'll be just like the other gang wars he gets into. '''It's not'''. The Army has things like discipline, tactics, and, most importantly, ''reinforcements'', that gangs lack and which put his own gang in serious hot water when he picks a fight with an army patrol that turns out to have backup on the way.
* ByronicHero: Dutch is intelligent relative to the setting, highly charismatic, is extremely passionate about the gang, and has an intense drive and determination to live out his philosophy. He is, however, extremely self-centered and, while he claims the contrary and even acts on it when it benefits him, won't hesitate to sacrifice anyone or anything [[spoiler:(gang members included)]] to get what he wants. His SanitySlippage over the course of the main story puts these more negative traits into the spotlight.
* CallForward: [[spoiler:His manipulation of Eagle Flies is eerily reminiscent of his M.O. in the first game; convincing young Indians angry about genuine injustice that he can get them revenge, even though he doesn't really believe what he's saying and just wants people who will throw their lives away for him.]]
* CantTakeCriticism: ''And how.'' This did nothing but largely contribute to his descent to insanity. Many people, from Arthur to John to even ''Uncle'', manage to raise good points about flaws in both Dutch's character and his plans out of concern for his wellbeing and the future of the Gang, but he ''never'' listens and instead frequently accuses Arthur, [[DeterminedDefeatist one of the most committed members as well as the most ready to question him]], of disloyalty and doubt; the older, reasonable Hosea is the only man whose opinion he sometimes takes into account, if not acts on. The end result? [[spoiler: It allows people like [[TheCorrupter Micah]] to easily encourage these flaws and pervert Dutch's morality and personality, just by manipulating him with compliance and flattery]].
* CatchPhrase: "I have a plan." and "Have faith." [[spoiler:Most of the time he says this he's full of shit, but it takes Arthur until near the end of ''II'' to realize it.]] Even John lampshades it in ''I'', "You always have a plan, Dutch."
** He also tends to say "We need (more) money" in his long term plans.
** Later in the game, [[spoiler:when everything starts falling apart due to his terrible ideas, he repeats "I had no choice" or, more damningly, "''We'' had no choice" to justify his actions to the people who questioned his decisions right from the start]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding: This is what ultimately causes his SanitySlippage in the prequel. The poor decisions he had made, a possible brain injury, the increasing pressures of resisting the encroaching influence of civilization and [[spoiler:the many losses of his gang]], all took a toll on his sanity.
* CharacterDerailment: An interesting case in that it's debatable just ''how'' Dutch's character devolves. He starts off in ''II'' as a BadassInANiceSuit with a booming, emotional voice and as a WideEyedIdealist who is (seemingly) sane. He progressively becomes more unhinged, erratic, and paranoid throughout the course of ''II'', becoming more reckless and violent in the process. He then demonstrates himself to be quite manipulative and egotistical. [[spoiler:This culminates into him betraying John and Arthur while siding with Micah, something he never would have done beforehand.]] However, the explanation for this development is intentionally ambiguous; characters are split into either believing Dutch was EvilAllAlong and that he became less careful about hiding it, or believing him to have become this way after the traumatic events of ''II''. Regardless, by ''I'' he’s significantly more soft-spoken and composed, while being more obviously insane. His idealism is also long gone at this point, and he now understands and accepts that everything he’s done in his life is ultimately futile.
* CardCarryingVillain: By 1911, Dutch has dropped all pretense of fighting for a "cause", simply rallying angry Native Americans for muscle, while robbing and killing seemingly for the hell of it.
* TheCharmer: ''Very'' much so. If he already hasn't won the UndyingLoyalty of the majority of his gang for rescuing them from desperate life circumstances, he's won their loyalty through his charisma and warm demeanor as he espouses his anarchistic philosophy that so many of them feel drawn to. Having also been a con-man with Hosea for several years, he also uses his charisma to great effect when dealing with people he intends to rob.
* ChewingTheScenery: He moves his arms around when he's making hammy rants and speeches and [[InopportuneVoiceCracking cracks his voice a lot]] while doing so.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: As his SanitySlippage becomes more severe in ''II'', though slightly downplayed in that he doesn't regularly have these traits over time. [[spoiler:As Arthur notes after Guarma, Dutch "seems half-crazed" after everything that's befallen them since Chapter 4. Shortly after they return to the United States, Arthur in one scene finds Dutch playing chess with himself and rambling incoherently, much to Arthur's annoyance.]] This behavior is unlike anything seen of Dutch in ''II'', and highlights his frightening state of mind as various sources of pressure and trauma take their toll.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: In ''I'', he apparently collects human skulls, having at least four in his living quarters in Cochinay.
* ComplexityAddiction: Deconstructed. Dutch loves to plan overly elaborate heists that will not only get the gang extravagant amounts of money, but will also make it impossible for the Pinkertons to keep track of them. Unfortunately, Dutch's plans often attract a lot more attention than is overly necessary, which only makes it easier for the Pinkertons to track down the gang.
* ConMan: Started his criminal career as one. In his early twenties, he and Hosea primarily grifted for several years before others joined them to create a gang.
* ControlFreak: ''Especially'' by chapter six. [[spoiler: His controlling tendencies are a large part of what strains his relationship with Arthur late into the story, with him growing more suspicious of Arthur as the latter goes behind his back several times to mitigate the worst effects of his and Micah's increasingly insane plans]].
* ConvenientEnemyBase: Although it has no effect on the plot and is likely the result of SpaceCompression, his [[spoiler:Cochinay hideout happens to be just a few miles north of Beecher's Hope, John's ranch]].
* TheCorruptible: [[spoiler:Micah worms his way into Dutch's confidence, slowly turning him against Arthur and John in particular, but also causing him to make increasingly poor decisions while making Dutch think Micah is the only one really still loyal to him. It's implied Micah is doing this to make the gang easier pickings for the Pinkertons who he is secretly working with. It doesn't help that Dutch's mental state is on a downward spiral, especially starting around chapter 4.]]
* CrazyPrepared: A somewhat disturbing example. One letter found in Horseshoe Overlook includes a draft of a speech Dutch performed in Colter, which gives an eulogy to those who didn't survive the robbery. However, since the gang has been on the run since the robbery, it's unlikely he wrote it between Blackwater & Colter... suggesting he wrote it ''before'' the robbery. Make of that what you will.
** Tragically, his belief that he is this is also one of the main contributors to the gang's decline. Dutch appears to sincerely believe that he has a foolproof plan for ''everything'', which as it turns out, he doesn't.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Many of the second game's antagonists only come into conflict with the gang because Dutch provoked them:
** While Dutch and Colm already have an uneasy relationship before, they become full blown enemies after Dutch killed Colm's brother for unknown reasons and Colm retaliates by killing Dutch's lover.
** Cornwall wouldn't fund much of his resources to the Pinkerton Agency to go after the Van der Linde gang had Dutch not attacked his train and robbed him.
** In Chapter 3, Dutch decides to play on the Grays and Braithwaites feud in order to find their treasure. Both families eventually found out and retaliate back.
** In Chapter 4, Dutch should had know that trying to play the bigger man against someone like Angelo Bronte would not make the crime lord happy.
** In Chapter 6, the US Army has no qualm against the gang until Dutch decides to help the Wapiti in their feud against them.
* CulturedBadass: He is extremely well-read and educated for an outlaw.
* DarkIsNotEvil: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. He starts off in ''II'' as an AntiHero and a trusted ally who always wears black clothing. [[SanitySlippage Things change as the story progresses, however.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Able to compete with Arthur or John in snarkiness.
-->'''Colm O'Driscoll''': How's that score you stole off us?
-->'''Dutch''': ''[[{{BadassBoast}} Which one?]]''
* DeathSeeker: Many of his actions in ''I'' certainly suggest he's become this after the DespairEventHorizon he experiences from the events of ''II''.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood]] character archetype. While Dutch has the charm and charisma needed to lead and inspire loyalty his gang, he suffers from a lot of poor decision-making that forces the gang to move from one blunder to the next. His idealism of being a Robin Hood archetype also means that he's unable to accept the reality that his gang cannot resist the encroaching influence of civilization, clinging on to the delusion that they could evade the law for as long as they can. Eventually, his SanitySlippage and erratic decisions is what cost him his gang, [[spoiler:whether they be killed or choose to abandon him.]] It's also implied that unlike Robin Hood, Dutch's motives aren't completely altruistic in helping those looked down upon by society, instead being driven by a desire to get back at society by any means necessary, no matter who gets hurt in the process.
** He's also portrayed with realistic psychology: the sort of person who willingly chooses and even idealizes a life of banditry over living as part of a peaceful and functional society is the sort who's either a) a complete [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who's using his ideals as an excuse to hurt people, and/or b) [[{{Narcissist}} someone with a dangerously overinflated ego, complete with an entitlement complex and overestimation of his own capabilities]].
** As such, the people that he leads are often either less intelligent than him, have low self-esteem, or were rescued by him and have nowhere else to turn to. His intentions and their loyalty to him are sincere, but he has no tolerance for dissension, no matter how magnanimous he might proclaim, and he frequently gaslights people to prevent them from questioning his decisions.
* DespairEventHorizon: Went past this a long time ago in the original game. ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' shows how he got to that point.
* DespairSpeech: Gives one [[spoiler:right before throwing himself off of a cliff]].
-->'''Dutch:''' When I'm gone, they'll just find another monster. They have to, because they have to justify their wages. Our time has passed, John.
* DetrimentalDetermination: Despite all the failures and handicaps he goes through, Dutch is still insistent on believing in his cause and that everything will eventually work out. Instead, his determination leads to even more failure and troubles and all this furthers his [[SanitySlippage descent into insanity]]. [[spoiler:Ultimately, his refusal to reconsider or listen in regards to backing out ultimately [[BrokenPedestal destroys his relationship with Arthur and John as well as his reputation with everyone within his gang]].]]
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: '''All.''' '''The.''' '''Time.''' Dutch always has a plan and is [[IndyPloy quick on his feet]], but his impulsiveness means that almost none of them are worth a damn, and he always, ''always'' underestimates the powerful enemies that he makes, which end up putting the gang in even more danger. Best illustrated by an ambush he leads against the US Army -- he captures a patrol in an elaborate, clever trap using dynamite, but even after learning the party was larger than any of them realized, he chooses to trigger the charges anyway, fails to account that there might be ''another'' patrol on the route, and doesn't even consider the fact that the men he trapped, [[BullyingADragon army men]], ''might choose to fight rather than surrender''. If he had just laid low, let them pass without alerting them and revised the plan with these new factors in mind, it could've gone off so much better.
* DirtyOldMan: He has shades of this in some his interactions with Mary-Beth. He's in his mid-forties and openly flirts with the 21 or 22 year old Mary-Beth, who is taken aback by these gestures. However, there aren't many of these interactions, and most of the time he admires her from a distance.
* DisappearedDad: Dutch's father died when he was a small child in what's implied to be the Battle of Gettysburg as a Union soldier.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After you finally deal with him, the game does not end.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:He jumps to his death after giving John a final DespairSpeech.]]
* DueToTheDead: [[spoiler:An unmarked grave can be found near where he died in Cochinay, implying that it's his grave and that a surviving member of his gang buried him.]]
* TheDyingWalk: [[spoiler:If John elects to shoot him during the Mexican standoff at the end of the game, Dutch will slowly attempt to walk towards him before falling on his back and dying. This is a full animation that can be seen on the PC if the player uses a cheat to render John invincible.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Demonstrated time and time again by his reaction to several members of his gang dying.
** While he started his outlaw life because he never got along with his mother and decided to leave at a young age, he still loved his father despite knowing him at a lesser time than his mother due to him dying in battle when Dutch was just a little boy. He even outright tells Arthur that one of the reasons why he wants to rob the Grays and Braithwaites is because he wants to avenge his father's death.
** He seems to have never gotten over his lover Annabelle's death at the hands of the O'Driscoll gang.
** [[spoiler:He does not take the deaths of the secondary members of the gang well: He tells everyone that he would gladly lay down in their stead if it would bring them back to life, he tells Arthur that he didn't want to think about Sean's death because he was focused on Jack's rescue, he cites Kieran's death as one of the main reasons why Colm had to be hanged, and he lets out a BigNo when Lenny is gunned down.]]
** [[spoiler:He grieves for Hosea's death, albeit only openly mourns him in one conversation he has with Arthur after the events of Guarma.]]
** [[spoiler:As he sees Arthur moments before the latter's death, it's implied he comes to a devastating realization that his actions and blind trust in Micah ultimately destroyed his family and caused several deaths in the gang.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Despite being a hardened outlaw, he absolutely disapproves of Colm's actions to the point of calling Colm and his gang "animals".
** Even though he tolerates Leopold Strauss's money lending to support the gang, Dutch admits that he finds the business unseemly. That said, [[{{Hypocrite}} the fact that he supported it even back when the gang was fairly well off is a good indicator that his honorable thief act is likely a load of crap long before he shows clear signs of his sociopathy]].
** He also doesn't seem to share the prejudiced views towards other races or women that were common for that time period. He's shown several times throughout ''I'' and ''II'' to be sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans (to the point of getting offended when Bill calls them "savages"), and he's shown to not treat any member of his gang differently by race. He's also perfectly fine with Sadie Adler being involved with gunfighting like most of the men in the group.
** In Chapter 2 of ''II'' he can be heard telling John that he's a deadbeat dad who needs to do right by Jack. Telling him that being a parent is one of life's great blessing and he needs to be appreciative of what he's got.
* EvilAllAlong: Played with. [[spoiler:It’s made clear by the end of ''II'' that those closest to Dutch really have no idea what happened to him, whether he was hiding his true character or whether he genuinely changed. Arthur explicitly states he doesn’t know the answer even after Dutch leaves him to die, and John appears to change his view after the epilogue of ''II'' to believing he indeed changed. Interestingly, Dutch by the end of ''I'' implies he thinks of himself as being this trope, though the question posed by ''II'' is never answered]].
* EvilFormerFriend: To the majority of the gang (including the Marstons) by end of chapter 6 in ''II'', and to Escuella and Williamson by the epilogue in ''II''.
* EvilIsHammy: By the time of the first game, he's become a cackling maniac who murders people more out of whim than of necessity. While this is shown as tragic and rather disturbing, one can tell that Benjamin Byron Davis had a blast playing the role.
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:It's strongly implied that he abandons John purely to spite Arthur for insisting that the Marstons be allowed to leave peacefully after the gang's last heist.]]
* EvilOldFolks: Is 55 or 56 by the events of ''I''.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Doesn't appear to hold any prejudice towards his black and native comrades, a remarkable stance at the time. [[ManipulativeBastard This doesn't stop him from using them for his own gain, however, as he often uses their struggles to make them fight and kill in his favor.]]
* ExhaustedEyeBags: Is implied to regularly be sleep deprived, and in first-person view one can see dark bags under his eyes.
* {{Expy}}: Dutch takes his appearance and baritone from Curly Bill in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'', while his personality, trouble dealing with the end of Wild West, and unrealistic plan to flee to a different country makes him very akin to Butch Cassidy.
* TheFagin: Much of the gang was adopted by him at a young age, often while trying to rob him or because of criminal circumstances. This is portrayed sympathetically [[spoiler:until Chapter 6, when he encourages Eagle Flies' destructive instincts, preying on his youthful anger. [[AmbiguouslyEvil This leads Arthur and John to wonder how benevolent Dutch actually was when he took them in]]]].
* FallenHero: John by ''I'' believes that he was a good man - "was" being the key word.
* FakingTheDead: Dutch is presumed dead both in 1907 ''and'' 1911, with John expressing genuine shock that Dutch is alive, and his next target.
* FameThroughInfamy: Several details in ''I'' and ''II'' allude to just how notorious Dutch is. He's established as the most well-known member of the gang, which is a gang famous enough to have been the subject of several pulp novels according to a newspaper in ''II''. John in ''I'' notes that Landon Ricketts has most likely heard of Dutch. He's also stated to have acquired one of the largest bounties in the entire United States after having already had one on his head since c. 1886. [[spoiler: He's well-known enough even by 1907 for someone to have reported seeing him in rural Tall Trees after being presumed dead in living in relative obscurity]].
* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} is arguably Dutch's biggest flaw. A lot of the disasters that befell the gang, especially later on in the story, is due to Dutch's self-destructive ego. He refuses to acknowledge the mistakes he makes, doesn't listen to the advice of others and would rather follow the plan that ''he'' himself comes up with or supports, and mistrusts others who don't share his opinion. [[spoiler:This is what allowed Micah to manipulate him into destroying his own gang by encouraging Dutch's DestructiveHero tendencies.]] Most of the ambiguity surrounding his character is which part of his pride is more prominent- his selfishness and aimless desire to spite anyone who tells him what to do, or his [[IRejectYourReality refusal to believe]] that he isn't [[JustLikeRobinHood the hero]] and that no plot contrivance will save him from his own mistakes.
** His other core flaw is that he's unable to admit to himself that the time of being an outlaw has passed, and the world that he wants will never come to fruition. When he finally does, it's far too late. He destroyed his family, and [[spoiler: dies a broken AxCrazy shell of who he used to be.]]
* TheFatalist: Most likely due to his DespairEventHorizon. [[spoiler:He expresses fatalistic views in the DespairSpeech moments before he commits suicide.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Edgar Ross. Both are fighting for what they believe to be best for society, Ross for civilization and Dutch for anarchy, and both display a complete willingness to ShootTheDog if that's what it takes to get there. But the game shows that both of them are {{hypocrite}}s and neither of their plans are without flaws anyway. The only real difference is that in the end, [[spoiler:Ross is remembered as the hero and Dutch as the vicious outlaw, but then the game points out that had more to do with civilization ultimately triumphing and history being WrittenByTheWinners then any real moral superiority of one over the other]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** [[spoiler:Dutch foreshadows John's death with his last words, subtly saying that Ross will double-cross John.]]
** [[spoiler:In Chapter 2, Dutch asks Arthur why he didn't give Agent Milton a chance to capture Dutch in exchange for his freedom. This is an early sign of Dutch's growing distrust of Arthur]].
** [[spoiler:Hosea notes as early as chapter 1 that Dutch's behavior has changed somehow, implying the start of Dutch's SanitySlippage]].
** When Arthur and Charles are scouting for a new hideout in Chapter 2, Arthur scoffs at the notion of Dutch hiding away in a cave, as it "goes everything he stands for". [[spoiler:By the time Dutch's SanitySlippage comes about in Chapter 6, the gang is forced to hide away in a cave at Beaver Hollow]].
** Him yelling at Bill Williamson for his racism against Native Americans [[spoiler:foreshadows his actions concerning the the Wapiti in chapter 6 and his actions in ''I'' as the leader of a band of mostly Native American rebels]].
* ForTheEvulz:
** [[spoiler: Murders a bank teller he was holding hostage during a confrontation with John, despite having ample opportunity to make his escape non-violently. Really, by 1911, Dutch has really embraced the art of senseless killing.]]
** His senseless killing of that woman during the Blackwater Massacre ''might'' have been this, though the exact details remain unclear, not to mention Micah is said to have egged him on.
* FreudianExcuse: Possibly. His father died in the Civil War fighting for the Union when he was a kid, and this is implied to be behind his strong disdain for the South and Southerners. He also is implied to have had a troubled relationship with his mother, and left home at around fifteen, which may partly explain his selfishness and narcissism as being required to survive in such a situation.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: From a random teenage runaway to one of -- if not '' the'' -- most wanted and dangerous man in the west. By 1911, he's responsible for so much death and misery that both the proto-FBI and the U.S army participate in the assault that finally does him in.
* {{Gayngster}} / GayCowboy: Well, AmbiguouslyBi, but still.
* {{Gaslighting}}: [[spoiler:He does this to Arthur after leaving him to die at the oil refinery. When called out on it, Dutch, insists he did no such thing.]]
** He actually does this ''very'' frequently to several gang members. Arthur is a notable example but he also does it with John and Javier in ambient conversations, enforcing a black-and-white mentality of 'weak or strong, doubt or faith', [[DoubleThink telling Javier that they're not criminals, they're outlaws]], and becoming sharp and aggressive when they don't immediately agree or agree with sufficient enthusiasm.
* GeneralFailure: As he's quick to tell everyone, he always has a plan. Unfortunately, his plans usually tend to work out poorly since they all just tend to be heists after heists when it becomes increasingly unfeasible and his inept leadership is a major factor to the downfall of the gang. Basically, Dutch's plans can all be summed up as "Find a town to settle by, screw over everyone we can, and hope nobody finds out."
* GentlemanThief: Subverted. He prides himself on being one, and by all indications he adhered to this trope before gradually becoming self-centered and AxCrazy during ''II''. [[spoiler:By chapter six, he tries to justify his manipulation of the Wapiti tribe to Arthur with this train of thought. Arthur, of course, suspects his true motives for it immediately.]]
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Played with. As Dutch's actions becomes more erratic, one scene has Arthur and Micah trying to convince Dutch about his next plan of action and the camera conveniently positions Arthur and Micah at both ends of Dutch's shoulders, making them his shoulder angel and devil.
* HairTriggerTemper: Even before his SanitySlippage, he’s very irritable. The slightest doubt from any of his underlings will easily boil his blood and he’ll very quickly scold them and tell them to keep faith.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hosea, [[AmbiguouslyBi if you read their relationship as platonic]].
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Eventually, he becomes as bad as the enemies he’s fighting. He proves to be as unstable and apathetic as Colm O'Driscoll, as war-hungry and chaotic as Colonel Favours, as unscrupulous as Cornwall, and is as money-hungry and possessive of his own gang as the government are to their people.
* HollywoodAtheist: Notably played with and averted. He favors practices and conventions in his gang that are reminiscent of an organized religion (constantly deriding "doubters" and encouraging the gang to "show faith"), and in at least one speech explicitly uses Christian rhetoric (stating that he wishes to be "an angel of God" and not a "monkey"). However, in one camp encounter he tells Arthur that he doesn't believe in souls or an afterlife. In another encounter he tells Reverend Swanson that he doesn't share the latter's religious convictions.
* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Dutch goes looking far and wide for enemies to rebel against, but ultimately the only enemy he ever had to worry about was Dutch van der Linde. Dutch is the one who ruined the Blackwater heist by shooting a bystander, Dutch is the one who makes all the plans that go wrong because [[DidntThinkThisThrough he forgot people don't just stand there and let you rob them]], Dutch listens to Micah over his more loyal lieutenants because Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser kisses his ass]], Dutch is the one who never makes any real plans for the future as he's addicted to the outlaw life, Dutch's increasing instability drives his gang away, [[spoiler:and ultimately, it's Dutch who ends his own life when he realizes how futile his romantic ideals always were]]. Really, the U.S. Government and the Pinkertons [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing won by doing absolutely nothing]]; the events of the games are everyone else dealing with the collateral damage of Dutch's war against himself.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: A good measure of how much his [[SanitySlippage sanity has frayed]] is how bad he judges character. In the beginning of the game, he's quite willing to take criticism from Hosea and Arthur because he knows they're the gang's sanest members, but as the game goes on he starts mistrusting them ''because'' they criticize him, while he trusts [[JerkAss Micah]] because Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser agrees with everything he says]]. By the end of the game, he's driven Arthur away and made Micah his right hand man. [[spoiler: Hosea and Arthur were genuinely loyal until Dutch started mistreating them, while [[TheMole Micah sold the gang out to the Pinkertons]].]]
** Averted with Angelo Bronte. The scene where he gets under their skin while negotiating [[spoiler:Jack's release]] is directed as if Dutch is failing to follow his own advice... [[RefugeInAudacity But it works perfectly]].
** Also averted with Josiah Trelawny. Trelawny is the only member of the gang Dutch allows back in after often being gone for months on end, as Dutch considers him a useful person to associate with. Arthur is suspicious of Trelawny due to these long absences. [[spoiler:It turns out that Trelawny is in fact loyal to the gang, only leaving when things get far too dangerous by the end of chapter six.]]
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Out of all the members of the Van der Linde Gang, he's hit with this the hardest. He goes from a well-dressed, intelligent composed gentleman with a borderline-BanditClan [[TheDreaded large enough to draw]] [[GodzillaThreshold U.S Army attention]] reduced to an unkempt and aging outlaw with barely a fraction of his former power, who's slowly suffering from SanitySlippage.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Oh ''boy'', take a seat for this one:
** Despite fighting civilization in favor of the old, more simple, and egalitarian way of life that the Old West allowed men to live, you can tell from looking through caves in Cochinay that he's very well-read and likely extremely intelligent. Ultimately, he's probably not that different from the people he's trying to fight: bankers, industrialists, and government agents that civilization put in power, and under different circumstances probably would've had the smarts to be one himself. There's other evidence of this as well, he uses a Semi-Automatic pistol in cutscenes and escapes from the bank robbery in an automobile. Not only that, he exploits the Native Americans for his own ends, making him no different from those he claims to fight against. [[spoiler:It goes to show how not even he could resist the influence of encroaching civilization, and it seems likely that this fact might have been what ultimately drove him over the DespairEventHorizon.]]
** In the prequel, how he runs his gang isn't that different from the societal hierarchy and runnings of the government. Dutch seems to have a slightly authoritarian stance when it comes to the runnings of his gang, emphasizing "loyalty" and "faith" as the gang's main tenets while refusing to take input or criticism from his subordinates. For a man who preaches freedom and anarchy, he doesn't really tolerate individualism if it clashes with his opinions, and sees the act of doing so as traitorous. Not only does his camp have a rule where every member has to contribute half of their earnings from a completed job for the camp's retirement fund, which mirrors how the government taxes its people, but he also demands that the others donate additional money to fund supply runs and daily expenses -- and, in spite all his urging the gang to donate, there is not one instance in the ledger where he himself puts in money or anything of value.
** Similarly, if Arthur spends a full day or so at camp (even if he's doing chores, donating to the box, and being friendly with everyone), Dutch will sometimes march up and chastise him for "hang[ing] around [here] like a bad smell", tut-tutting that he "used to be a man of action". While Dutch, the most wanted member of the gang, can hardly risk being seen roaming around the area, 95% of the time he spends in camp is done sitting on his ass -- reading, smoking cigars, listening to opera records -- while his men pull reconnaissance for future jobs, and he never offers help with any chores himself. If it weren't for his planning and heading out with the gang on bigger robberies, he'd be about as useful as Uncle.
** While Dutch recruits a fairly diverse gang and seems to treat them equally in a manner unheard of for the period, he has an open disdain of Catholics, Southerners, and Italians. It's unclear exactly how much of this is a personal dislike of Angelo Bronte, the Italian, Catholic Mafia leader of Saint Denis, and how much is genuine bigotry; his first description of the city is as a town of "Papists and rapists", though he seems to be commiserating with Arthur how different a place it is from what they're used to. His dislike of Southerners has no qualifiers, though, as his father died fighting them in the Civil War (presumably at the Battle of Gettysburg), and he sees simultaneously conning the Braithwaites and Grays as "payback" -- [[RevengeBeforeReason a concept Arthur has misgivings over from the very beginning]].
*** Dutch doesn't tolerate Bill, a member of his own gang, expressing racist views, and will sometimes chide his ignorance or give him a very stern lecture to stop bullying Lenny and call him by his proper name. Micah, meanwhile, is even more venomous and passive-aggressive in his bigotry, and takes great pleasure in singling out the minorities in the gang for verbal abuse; notably, while Lenny may laugh Bill off as a harmless fool, he ''hates'' Micah. If Dutch ever happened to get any complaints or counsel from Hosea about Micah's behavior, he did nothing meaningful to stop it.
** At one point in ''II'', he chastises Arthur for [[spoiler:helping break John out of prison]] for very likely giving the gang unwanted attention from the Pinkertons, only to [[spoiler:assassinate Leviticus Cornwall on a whim]] in ''broad daylight and surrounded by Pinkertons.''
** He at one point lectures John about being a deadbeat dad, but when John starts taking his parenthood seriously, Dutch gets upset about John being less focused on the gang, even though John was following Dutch's own advice.
** At the end of "II", he chastises John for "betraying" him and said that John only cared about himself. This is coming from the guy who actually did the betraying and became a full-blown {{Narcissist}} except John didn't betray Dutch and cared about him till he stabbed him and Arthur in the back in favor of Micah who was outright using him.
** When John confronts him on leaving him to die in their first meeting again ''I'', Dutch assures him that nobody is perfect and that he never claims himself a saint and equally doesn't take John as an errand boy. This is rich given how in ''II'', he fashions himself as a "Robin Hood"-like figure fighting against the evils of civilization for the good of the Old West, leading his gang like a CultOfPersonality and preaching to them to "have faith" (i.e. {{Gaslighting}}), and leaving them to (mostly) do the heavy lifting while sitting around all day in camp and equally disregard their wellbeing if they were to go against ''his'' wishes later on as his SanitySlippage gets worse.
** He open show his distaste for the methods and actions committed by the antagonists (Colm's sadism and LackOfEmpathy, Cornwall destroying everything in his path to feed his greed, and General Favours' manipulations of the Native Americans, etc.) who he and his gang encounter throughout ''II''. But as his [[SanitySlippage sanity becomes worse]] later on, he becomes not so different from them, assuming if everything he preached to his gang is all a facade to begin with.
** In ''I'', he's disgusted by John [[spoiler:working with the U.S. government]], and further states that "there's ''always'' a choice" when John tells him he was forced to help them. Compare this to when Dutch constantly tells [[spoiler:Arthur and John]] that he didn't have any choice but to [[spoiler:abandon them at points where their lives were in danger]].
** In general, Dutch's constant complaints about the evils of civilization and overly wealthy elite that he passes down to his gang ring pretty damn hollow given how the man just ''loves'' to indulge in luxuries in ''II'', which includes dressing in impeccable clothing, reading fine literature and listening to opera music, all the while the rest of the gang gets relatively plain and/or simplistic furbishing with little to entertain themselves with.
** All his talk about "revenge isn't a luxury" to his gang rings hollow as Dutch lives on getting back at anyone who wronged him.
** Dutch might speak up about Strauss's LoanShark business being unseemly, but the fact that he allows it anyway directly contradicts the gang's Robin Hood-like ideology.
** In short, it often looks like Dutch's beef with civilization isn't the oppression and inequality, it's that preexisting social structures mean that he specifically doesn't get to be top dog.
* HypocriticalHumor: In ''II'', after [[spoiler:Jack]] is kidnapped, [[PapaWolf a furious John]] is seething in anger and Dutch tells him to calm down. Not even 10 seconds later...
-->"'''GET DOWN HERE NOW! YOU INBRED TRASH!'''"
* IAmAMonster: He calls himself one [[spoiler: during his final confrontation with John Marston]], though at the same time he says this mocking the federal government and its hunt for boogymen to justify their salary.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Dutch's appearance slowly but surely degrades, starting off as a healthy, well-dressed man in 1899, but had degraded into an unkempt mountain man with a huge, bushy beard by 1907. By 1911, he's a modestly dressed, sickly man that appears borderline elderly.
* IdiotBall: All of Dutch's plans in ''II'' involve committing crimes in plain sight and assuming nobody will notice or react. After the second failure, you'd think he'll rethink his plans... but nope.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Even by the franchise's standards. While John is scouting him from a mountain pretty high up, Dutch manages to shoot the binoculars he was using off of his hands with a pistol held with only one hand.
* ImproperlyParanoid: After his SanitySlippage, he starts accusing everyone ''except'' TheMole of being a traitor.
* IndyPloy: Dutch is very over-reliant on this trope being in effect. Whenever one of his plans turns sour (unfortunately common), he immediately comes up with another one on the spot. Unfortunately, said off-the-cuff plans are usually full of major holes, but he refuses to acknowledge that he might be better off making better ''first'' plans that account for consequences and don't [[MissingStepsPlan skip steps]], instead of making up similarly-shoddy second, third, fourth, and so on plans until one works by dumb luck or the gang's enemies catch up to him.
* InkSuitActor: A dead ringer for VA Benjamin Byron Davis, especially in the second game after graying and growing a BeardOfSorrow.
* TheInsomniac: Despite not participating in any camp work in ''II'' and having plenty of opportunities for rest, the man never seems to get a sound eight hours of sleep, which can't be helping his mental state. Peering into his tent will reveal that he sits awake at night, staring into space, and even when he gains a bed of his own in Shady Belle, his sleeping animations show him to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DrQosj0JdI restless, irritable, and easy to wake up]].
* InUniverseFactoidFailure: Dutch doesn't really research enough about Tahiti before getting there. To him, the island is an untouched paradise free from civilization but at the time of the game, it was already a French colony. There's also his idea of getting to either New York or Chicago before escaping the country in Chapter 6 by boat, even though Chicago is not near any ocean. Aside from lacking proper reading materials, it is also likely Dutch is simply making up as he is goes.
* InopportuneVoiceCracking: When he's making incredibly hammy speeches and ChewingTheScenery, also occasionally in regular conversation.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: His best friend is Hosea, who is at least 11 years his senior.
* IRejectYourReality: [[spoiler: One possible intrepretation when it is discovered that Micah is the traitor. As Micah has been [[ProfessionalButtKisser nothing but "supportive"]] to him since Hosea died, Dutch has a hard time believing that his sole supporter is a traitor because doing so would make him a failure, leading him to side with Micah over Arthur and John. It takes nearly seven years for him to come in term with this]].
* ItGetsEasier: At first, he's hesitant in more shady criminal acts and never thinks of leaving anyone behind, then as the story progresses, [[spoiler:he kills and abandons people and causes chaos like it’s a hobby. This reaches its peak by the time he first appears in ''I'', where he by this point displays traits that make him reminiscent of Colm O'Driscoll or Micah Bell.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: ''II'' traces Dutch's descent into malignant narcissism. While he's willing to take advice and criticism from {{Only Sane M|an}}en Hosea and Arthur in the earlier chapters of the game, following [[spoiler:the former's death, the botched bank heist and subsequent detour to Guarma]] he begins demanding complete, unwavering loyalty and [[CatchPhrase faith]] from all of his followers. In the end, the only gang member he's willing to take advice from is ProfessionalButtKisser [[spoiler:and, ironically, TheMole]] Micah.
* JadeColoredGlasses: John believed that when Dutch realized that no matter how hard he fought, he could never make a real difference in the world, he snapped.
* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: When Arthur and Sadie rescue John from Sisika Penitentiary, Dutch chews out Arthur twice for doing so. He has a valid point, as this gave the gang even more unwanted scrutiny from the law and the Pinkerton Agency and very well could have given their camp location away. However, given that he then murders an oil baron in broad daylight and in the middle of a town, [[AmbiguouslyEvil maybe he specifically didn't want to rescue John]]. Regardless, this further strains Dutch and Arthur's relationship and causes the former to be more suspicious of the latter.]]
* JerkassRealization: Implied and subsequently downplayed. [[spoiler:Dutch's reaction to a dying Arthur reiterating that Micah is the rat, and that John and his family successfully escaped the Pinkertons suggests that he finally realizes how his actions led to the fall of his gang and the deaths of several of his friends. However, he inexplicably walks away from Micah and Arthur shortly afterwards, and this event likely only contributed to his DespairEventHorizon and SanitySlippage.]]
* JustLikeRobinHood: A long time ago. The prequel shows that he's actually a deconstruction of the archetype. While he ''is'' genuine in helping the oppressed, his obsession with being like Robin Hood only ends up causing more harm than good. [[AmbiguousSituation How well he fit this trope before the events of]] ''[[AmbiguousSituation II]]'' [[AmbiguousSituation is anyone's guess.]] [[spoiler:John in ''II'' openly questions whether the gang ever really did any good like they remember, while by ''I'' he believes that they did in fact steal from the rich to give to the poor.]]
* KickTheDog:
** In the first game, the second time we see him, he holds a bank hostage and shoots some poor innocent woman in the head in front of John just to spite him.
** The second game has him [[spoiler:abandoning both Arthur and John on different occasions to save himself. This was what broke their faith in him.]]
** [[spoiler:As Arthur's health begin to decline, Dutch doesn't empathize with him one bit and, like Micah, often makes fun of his condition.]]
** In order to spite John, Dutch tells him straight to his face that Jack might not be John's son at all since Abigail used to sleep with every member of the gang, reminding John how he used to think the same thing as well.
* LargeAndInCharge: Dutch is noticeably tall, towering over almost everyone. According to his actor, Dutch is approximately 6'0", ''well'' above the average for the time (though this also makes him substantially shorter than Ben Davis).
* LargeHam: In ''II'', Dutch has a booming (if prone to breaking) voice and is prone to melodramatic, fiery speeches, which he weaponizes when negotiating with Angelo Bronte. By the time 1911 rolls in, he is noticeably soft spoken and eerily composed, even when he's hunting [=MacDougal=] outside of his window.
* LightIsNotGood: He wears lighter colored clothes in ''I'' in contrast to his appearance in ''II'', and is without question a villain by this point in time.
* LongingLook: Gives one of these towards Mary-Beth in at least one encounter by Chapter Three. The fact that Arthur can antagonize Molly by mentioning how often he does so indicates he does this regularly.
* LoonyFan: He is a fan of the works of Evelyn Miller, whose works inspired much of his anarchistic and primitivist views, and has many moments in camp where he will reverently cite the words of "Mr. Miller" as if they're scripture. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-DzZBdMRYA In two others]], the similarly well-read Lenny will criticize Miller for [[DelusionsOfEloquence speaking "very prettily" but not saying anything new]], and accuse him of being a dilettante "on vacation" with the lower classes; Dutch takes these statements personally, but can only laugh them off or offer weak rebuttals over any real defense, much like when others question his own actions. [[spoiler:Ironically, Evelyn -- who is eventually driven mad by his obsession with nature and privileged self-loathing, and dies alone in the wilderness -- would probably 100% agree with Lenny, and be horrified that he played a part in Dutch's crimes.]]
* TheLostLenore: Annabelle, an old member of the gang that was murdered by Colm O'Driscoll, which started the bitter feud between the two gangs.
* LuddWasRight: A firm believer of this. He believes that society should revert back to its old ways and that the modernization of civilization is poisonous.
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Manipulates Eagle Flies and other members of the Wapiti to engage in a hopeless conflict against the US Army in an attempt just to ward off attention from the gang.]] This tropes goes further if one believes Dutch was EvilAllAlong and that he was manipulating John and Arthur the entire time they were in the gang.
** He clearly is this when he manipulates [[spoiler:Arthur and John into committing more robberies, convincing them he has a plan, while clearly wanting and relishing the power that comes with his gang members blindly obeying his orders. It works to quite a good extent, until the point where the gang eventually sees him for what he is and leave him.]]
** By 1911, he forms a new gang out of Native Americans, pretending to pity their plight when he is just stringing them along doing random acts of anarchy.
* MaskOfSanity: Played with. While Dutch was obviously never as sane as he appeared in the beginning, exactly how much the mask covered is up for debate. Arthur and John eventually come to believe that Dutch was ''[[EvilAllAlong always]]'' a sociopathic narcissist, and his SanitySlippage throughout ''II'' is Dutch being unable to hold the mask up under pressure. On the other hand, it could just be regular SanitySlippage caused by Dutch realizing exactly how much trouble he caused both his gang and his cause, combined with [[TheCorrupter Micah's manipulation]]. Sadie Adler in particular believes that the Dutch van der Linde that rescued her from the O'Driscolls wasn't the same man who left John to rot in prison and betray Arthur when he needed him most. Whatever is the case, Dutch in ''I'' mostly doesn't bother trying to wear the mask, openly threatening and attacking John whenever they meet one another.
* MeaningfulAppearance: Throughout most of ''II'', Dutch is an impeccably groomed, well-dressed man, especially by outlaw standards; however, by the time we see him in 1911, he wears very plain, inexpensive clothes. The change, in hindsight, reflects Dutch's conflicted views on civilization as well as his circumstances: initially a proud man with an air of nobility who follows society's rules of decorum while preaching against it, by a decade later he no longer can fool himself or anyone else into believing there's any sort of reason or justice in committing horrible crimes against the U.S government, and makes no pretense of being a gentleman bandit.
* MightyWhitey: Averted. [[spoiler:In 'II', he exploits the Wapiti's justified anger towards the U.S. government to encourage them to engage in conflict to lure attention off the gang, and in doing so effectively puts the tribe in enormous danger and effectively dooms them]]. By ''I'', he leads the local Native Americans in a guerrilla war against civilization he fully knows is pointless.
* MoralMyopia: As the man understands it, you're either with him or you're ideologically opposed to him, and he excuses his own actions in a way that he would never his enemies'. By 1911, his war against civilization has ceased to be any effective form of political or philosophical anarchy, and instead a way of taking revenge on society through indiscriminate and purposeless violence for how it has brought him low.
* MoreThanMindControl: By helping people who are either orphans, no where to go, or at their lowest point in lives, Dutch is able to gather full respect and loyalty from his gang. This seems to be a method of indoctrination as these people will not question him and not leave the gang because they will be nothing without him. Arthur, for instance, is a nice man who hates the life of crime and the only reason he continues living the way he does is because of his loyalty to Dutch. Dutch eventually uses this loyalty to make the gang commit "OneLastJob" after another while slowly being influenced by Micah in turn, making several of his members wary of him [[spoiler:as they leave the gang.]]
* TheMostWanted: In 1899, Dutch was essentially in the subject of a tug of war between Cornwall, the Pinkertons, the O'Driscolls, the Grays, the Braithwraites, TheMafia, the Lemoyne Raiders, and the local law enforcement, especially Saint Denis's and Blackwater's. They don't even want the rest of the gang, they just want Dutch. Then later on he has the whole Bureau of Investigation on his ass once it's formed in 1907. It's almost like the BOI was formed ''just for Dutch''. He's also stated to have one of the biggest dead or alive bounties ''in the entire country''. The entire plot of ''I'' was also necessitated to weaken Dutch's power by killing or capturing his former lieutenants, even using his former lieutenant as an instrument, to the point the entire ''army'' is bent on capturing him by the time [[spoiler:he dies]].
* MotiveDecay: In ''II'', Dutch had legitimately noble goals for him and his outlaw gang, but as he continues to experience setbacks and lose members through death or by leaving of their own volition, they began to increasingly unravel into blatant insanity. By the time of ''I'', Dutch doesn't even have a reason for his senseless acts of violence anymore, and even admits that "sport" is the only reason he wants to kill John.
* MountainMan: [[spoiler:By the epilogue of 'II', he's reported as having been seen in the Tall Trees area of West Elizabeth, and wears plainer clothing and has a thick beard when he appears in the final mission of the game. He resides in the mountains of Tall Trees still by 'I', and wears clothing appropriate for living in such an environment despite no longer looking unkempt.]]
* MovingTheGoalposts: In ''II'', his endgoal for evading the government changes from moving further west to getting enough money to go to Tahiti; [[MissingStepsPlan the steps required to get to said goal, as well as how to finally recover the stash from the Blackwater job, also change depending on the situation]]. As with many things with Dutch, it's not clear whether he only wants to justify large-scale robberies and keep the Gang continuously doing bigger and bigger jobs, or if he genuinely doesn't understand that [[DiggingYourselfDeeper his ceaseless ambition is what's screwing them all by drawing undue attention and eliminating the number of places they can hide out]].[[spoiler:Either way, the gang ends up leaving him when they realize that he'll never settle on any victory that allows them to ''actually'' quit being criminals; no matter what they do, he'll just keep increasing the scope of his goals until they've all died outlaws trying to accomplish them.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Pretty much the only moment that disqualifies Dutch from being a sociopath is at the very end of ''II'' where [[spoiler:, assuming Arthur has High Honor and helped John escape, he has a VillainousBreakdown upon seeing Arthur, his own son, broken, bloody, and minutes from death, rasping to him "I gave you all I had... I did." It's at this moment he realizes he's selfishly and stupidly ruined his own family after being corrupted by petty vengeance and Micah. Unfortunately, the moment of clarity only enforces his insanity and nihilism, rather than leading to his redemption. He does at the very least kill Micah 8 years later]].
* {{Narcissist}}: [[spoiler:As his sanity slips away, Dutch's opinion of himself begins to seem greater and greater, and structures his gang solely around [[CultOfPersonality personal fealty]], rather than a shared philosophy with himself as a unifying figure. His word becomes law, and anyone who even gives the ''appearance'' of dissent is a "doubter" and thus a pawn of their enemies, all the while failing to see that the gang is falling apart because of his own actions. Even Arthur, the most loyal and devoted member the gang ever had, turns into a "snake" for trying to save the rest from what's inevitably coming, and Dutch doesn't understand the truth until it's too late.]]
* NatureVsNurture: An adult version, but as Dutch becomes more and more unhinged, those around him can only wonder if his experiences have changed him into his current state, or if this was who he truly was and what they thought they knew as Dutch was just a mask.
* NeverMyFault:
** It is very much his fault that [[spoiler:that most of his gang ends up dead or having to leave in order to avoid being killed, but he blames everyone else for not standing by him blindly, while not taking into consideration that he has made it difficult for them to do so]].
** Similarly, if Dutch has (or claims to have) a plan for whatever situation they're in, he usually neglects to include a contingency, consider important or complicating factors, or share key details with the rest; instead, he expects everyone to execute it perfectly on "faith", and berates them for ruining it when it doesn't work.
** Dutch is rather pissed at Cornwall for constantly targeting him for months, ignoring the fact that, as much as a CorruptCorporateExecutive Cornwall is, he robbed Cornwall ''first''.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: As part of his philosophy, Dutch prefers not using any kind of new technology, seeing them as a symbol of the corruption of civilization. Despite this, he is unable to resist its wonders as shown when he uses a semi-auto pistol instead of a revolver and an automobile instead of a car.
* TheNicknamer: At one point in ''II'' he often calls Agent Milton "Agent Moron".
* NobleDemon: He starts out as one, instilling in his gang an anarchistic philosophy that involves robbing the rich and the government to give to the poor and disenfranchised while trying to not kill anyone unless necessary. This changes by beginning of ''II'', when Dutch inexplicably kills a young woman in the ferry heist. Over the course of ''II'', he abandons this philosophy more and more as he willingly causes wanton chaos and death, [[AmbiguouslyEvil to the point where Arthur, John and others start to question whether he really ever adhered to these principles at all]].
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Bears more than a passing resemblance to the late Creator/LeeVanCleef. Their names are even quite similar.
** Also bears some resemblance in looks and voice to Powers Boothe, especially his appearance as "Curly" Bill Brocius in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}''.
* NotHimself: Due to his SanitySlippage in ''II''. [[spoiler:Several members of the gang are taken aback by Dutch’s murder of a girl in the failed Blackwater job, considering it very much out of character for him. His personality then gradually shifts as the story progresses, to the point where several characters in the gang are noticeably alarmed and concerned, such as Arthur, John, Miss Grimshaw, Swanson, Charles, and Sadie.]] This grows to such an extent John suspects that [[spoiler:Dutch hasn't changed, instead is showing more of his true colors as time passes as Dutch begins tapping into his more reckless nature and manipulating the gang into doing his bidding.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: It's ambiguous how much of Dutch's reckless actions during ''II'' count for this trope (he certainly ignores relatively safe and easy ways of getting money in favor of flashy heists that attract everyone's attention), but by the time of the original game, he's ''absolutely'' slid out of the SecretlySelfish and WellIntentionedExtremist zones into this territory. His final scenes make it clear that by this point he knows full well that his war on civilization is utterly futile and is just going to get a lot of innocents killed and lead the Wapitis to their destruction, but he keeps doing it because he wants to hurt society for telling him what to do and he doesn't really know what to do with himself when he isn't rebelling against somebody.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''II'', Dutch is usually known for his [[LargeHam hamminess]]. So whenever he starts speaking quietly, you'll know something is wrong.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Van der Linde is a very Dutch name, so it's likely Dutch is a nickname based on his ethnicity. Then again, it may be a case of [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude his name actually being Dutch]] since his name is mentioned on his mother's gravestone located just outside of Blackwater in ''II''.
* OpportunisticBastard: [[spoiler: Interferes with the conflict between Wapiti Lakota tribe and the U.S. Army in an attempt to cause enough conflict in the hopes that they'll be able to evade the law and get enough money to do so. How much of this is his plan, and not [[TheCorrupter Micah's]], is up for debate.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: Is noted to show favoritism towards John over Arthur and several other members [[spoiler: until he grows more suspicious of John by chapter four]]. Arthur outright states that this is the reason Dutch allowed John back into the gang after a year's absence, stating that no one else would be let back in as easily. Downplayed in that he's a parental substitute to several members of the gang.
** He also is this to [[spoiler:Micah Bell, to the extent Micah easily used this to corrupt Dutch into turning against John and Arthur very easily. Dutch only snapped out of it after his betrayal and indeed kills him for it.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Was this to the rest of the original gang.
* ThePessimist: He's an aversion of this in ''II'', to such a degree that it could be considered a FatalFlaw. No matter how clearly dire the situation, Dutch remains largely optimistic that he and the gang can get out of the situation, even if his ideas for doing so are bordering on absurd. [[spoiler: This works in Micah's benefit after the more pessimistic and realistic Hosea dies, as he largely validates Dutch's poor decision making and outlook.]]
* PetTheDog:
** He scolds Bill at least twice for making racist remarks in ''II''.
** In the beginning when he, Micah and Arthur find Sadie Adler, he stops Micah from attempting to harm her. He then has her husband's body found and buried, and lets Sadie live with the gang.
** Early in ''II'', he confronts John for not being a proper father to Jack and disowning him.
** For what it's worth, he doesn't follow through on his threat to [[spoiler:execute the bank hostages even after Milton executes Hosea.]]
** When he discovers that Sadie had been the gang in his absence, rather than be upset that a woman and a newcomer usurped his role, he praises and thanks her for saving the gang.
** Assuming Arthur [[spoiler:remained honourable to the very end to the point of giving up the gang's money to help John escape, Dutch will be visibly heartbroken and remorseful when confronting Arthur, nearly shedding tears.]]
** [[spoiler:In the finale of ''II'', he not only decides to shoot Micah but walks away, leaving his stash of money to John.]]
** Most of the gang members have fond memories of how Dutch saved them and inducted them in the gang. He gave Bill's life the purpose it was lacking, took Tilly in after she fled from her kidnappers, saved John from a hanging. Not to mention raising both Arthur and John like they were his sons.
** He has a very strong bond with his horse, The Count, who's otherwise quite skittish.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: He has very progressive views for his time and is accepting of all races and genders within his gang, with Charles stating that the fact that he's willing to treat a man of mixed heritage like himself fairly being the reason he respects him. Of course, this doesn't stop him from seemingly ignoring Micah's racism or [[spoiler:manipulating Native tribes to fight a pointless war against the government on at least two occasions]].
* PsychologicalProjection: [[spoiler:He calls the gang members who left traitors, ignoring how he willingly abandoned John and Arthur in the story in their times of need.]]
** At the finale of ''II'', [[spoiler:He accuses John of shooting at him, betraying him, and only looking out for himself, ignoring how John ''didn’t'' do ''any'' of those and looked out for his family whilst Dutch did ''exactly'' what he accused John.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: Shows shades of this. Despite being very intelligent and charismatic, he grows increasingly vindictive and refuses to reconsider his positions even when he's clearly wrong, continuing to cling to the juvenile fantasy of being an outlaw even as it becomes clear that the lifestyle he craves is no longer tenable. By Chapter 6, he's prone to randomly lashing at his fellow gang members and has become very trigger-happy.
* ProperlyParanoid: Downplayed.
** [[spoiler:Dutch is eventually right about Arthur plotting against him, since Morgan aims to steal the gang's money as the gang falls apart as he resents Dutch’s increasing mistreatment of him.]]
** Dutch is absolutely right about there being an informant in the gang, [[spoiler:he just suspects someone like John or Abigail and not Micah due to being a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.]]
** [[spoiler:That being said, his growing mistrust of John and Abigail is rational, to a degree. John ''did'' abandon the gang for a full year before he returned, and he also is the first to point out in Guarma that Abigail inexplicably managed to escape the Pinkertons while John was arrested and not killed, unlike Hosea or Lenny.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: Eventually reaches this in Chapter Six, where he began to constantly shout at his men for absolutely no reason to the point many of his men began to abandon him.
* RebelWithoutACause: A variant where he ''has'' an expressed cause... it's just that said cause either is or becomes completely bogus. It's ambiguous how much he originally believed his anti-civilization rhetoric, but at ''some'' point in his criminal career, whether that be before or after the second game, it became less about being JustLikeRobinHood and more about spiting anyone who dared tell him what to do. It becomes clear in the later stages of ''II'' (and throughout the original game) that Dutch simply doesn't know what to do with himself when he isn't rebelling against somebody, whether that be the vague concept of civilization, the Pinkertons, traitors in his gang, or the U.S.A. itself.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: [[spoiler: According to a newspaper in the epilogue, he was presumed dead after a failed robbery in 1906, only to be sighted in Tall Trees a year later and was confirmed in 1911 to still be alive.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Exclusively wears red and black clothing in ''II'', though this trope is downplayed in that it's debatable how evil, or if he in fact even ''is'' evil at that point in time.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Hosea's blue.
* RevengeBeforeReason: A lot of Dutch's screw-ups happen because he pursues revenge against his enemies when simply walking away would be the wiser option, as perfectly lampshaded by Arthur. It's worth noting that this happens gradually - he's willing to bury the hatchet with Colm O'Driscoll and the score the gang steals from him at the beginning of the game is dangerous, but somewhat pragmatic.
-->'''Arthur:''' This better not be no stupid revenge mission, Dutch. It ain't worth it.
* RichesToRags: In 1899, Dutch is living the closest thing to a dream an outlaw can have as a gang leader, with elegant clothes, opera music, sophisticated literature and other riches being found in his tent. Many years later, Dutch has lost all those things, wearing only very plain and practical clothes, and has no other trinkets or luxuries to speak of.
* RiddleForTheAges: Did Dutch go mad or was he always that way and just lost his ability to hide it?
* RousingSpeech: Is prone to making these toward his gang in ''II'', and uses his charisma to full effect when delivering them.
* TheRunaway: Implied to have had a poor relationship with his mother and ran away from home at fifteen for this reason.
* SanitySlippage: As the prequel has established, he was not always an [[AxCrazy erratic maniac prone to random violence]] though there's implications that it's simply being tempered. He also hits his head in a mission about halfway through the story of ''II'' and is noticeably more erratic and unstable afterwards.
* SecretlySelfish: Even from the beginning, at least some of his hatred for civilization seems to be founded on the fact that as part of a larger society, Dutch himself doesn't get to be Ultimate Supreme Leader, while roughing it with a small gang that doesn't follow any laws but the ones he sets means that he can rule as a tyrant.
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler: His (mostly) unfounded doubts about Arthur's and John's loyalty early in the game make him take actions that ultimately end their loyalty and support of him by Chapter Six and plot to steal his money (though it’s up to Arthur whether he wants to follow through), confirming his preconceived biases against them while allowing AxCrazy [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] Micah to become his right-hand man]].
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: A charismatic CulturedBadass, Dutch's elegant manner of speaking is one of his more notable traits.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: His shift from caring about his appearance and wearing fairly elegant clothing in ''II'' to wearing much more plain and practical clothing for living in a mountainous area by ''I'' coincides with his DespairEventHorizon and SanitySlippage.
* ShadowArchetype: Dutch is what John and Arthur would have become if they continue to live the life of crime, whether it is because [[BecauseImGoodAtIt it is the only life they knew]], their inability to move on or for the thrill. In ''II'', one can easily see how John and Arthur becoming better men than they were at the start of the game while Dutch slowly becomes more paranoid and becoming more blood thirsty. This is also likely the reason he betrays them as he sees them, John especially, capable of having a future beyond the gang, something he can never have.
* SocialDarwinist: One who is willing to die to make sure that his ideals become reality.
* SociopathicHero: In his own mind he is.
* SoftspokenSadist: In [[spoiler:the epilogue of ''II'' and]] ''I'', he talks in a calm and restrained tone even as he's committing horrific crimes, a sharp contrast to his forceful demeanor in ''II''.
* SophisticatedAsHell: He's half-SouthernGentleman half-AxCrazy outlaw, and he talks just like one too.
** A particularly amusing example can happen if Arthur wanders off in the middle of one of his often long-winded camp conversations.
-->'''Dutch:''' Yeah? Well fuck you, then!
* StartOfDarkness: We see how Dutch became how he was in ''I'' in ''II'', though it becomes clear he was already starting to slip before the story even begins, with what happened [[NoodleIncident in Blackwater]]. Even in chapter 2 (the first real chapter since ch.1 is mainly a prologue), Arthur is already beginning to doubt Dutch's choices.
* StillFightingTheCivilWar: By the events of the first game where the Wild West era has long since past its twilight years, Dutch is still trying to fight a hopeless battle, even resorting to rallying support from the local Native Americans to his lost cause. More literally, during the events of II that center around the Braithewaites-Grays feud, Dutch mocks the families and other inhabitants of Rhodes for still holding a grudge against the Northern states over the events of the American Civil War -- however, he casually mentions to Arthur that part of his motivation for operating in the American South is a desire to get revenge for his father's death in that same war.
* StrawNihilist: He could be described this way in the first game. Realizing that his philosophy was just a dream, he realized that he was incapable of fighting anything; nature, change and gravity. His whole life was fighting for him, and although he knew how incapable he was, he couldn't fight his own nature because of how useless he would be. In the end, Dutch commits suicide, knowing that nothing he did will be remembered and having lost all meaning to life.
* SunkCostFallacy: A living example of this. At the beginning of the game, the gang steals 150k from a Blackwater bank ferry - calculated with inflation, this total is a whopping ''4.5 million dollars'' in 2018 money. This is more than enough for him and his group of 20 to retire on and live the rest of their lives in peace, but unfortunately the group had to ditch the money in West Elizabeth to cover their tracks upon escaping. The group ''could'' have laid low for a few years, did odd jobs and such to keep up funds, and then gone back for the money when the trail went cold to finally obtain their one-way ticket out of their criminal life, but Dutch simply ''cannot let go'' of his fixation on being a Robin Hood-type. As Dutch pours more and more money into keeping the group afloat, the gang struggles more and more, getting into far more dangerous situations and bloody gunfights than they previously have. As a result, Dutch has to pour more and more money into finding newer jobs for the crew, which leads to more and more fighting, and the cycle continues. By the end of the game, [[spoiler:just about the whole crew has abandoned him upon realizing that Dutch really doesn't ''want'' to stop being a criminal despite his pretensions about a higher purpose. He really was an outlaw to the end.]]
* TalkingToThemself: Dutch can be heard doing this starting in late Chapter 4 following his head injury during the trolley crash. Unlike the usual "muttering to yourself" version that Arthur (and most people in real life) does at times, Dutch talks in pieces of full conversations, at one point even playing a verbal game of chess despite being alone.
* TapOnTheHead: DeconstructedTrope, since a head injury has heavy consequences for Dutch's main character arc. After the botched trolley station heist in Saint Denis, Dutch suffered a possible concussion when the trolley the gang hijacked derailed. After the incident, he notably becomes more violent and erratic, implying that the knock to his head contributed to the SanitySlippage that led to his mental state in the first game.
* ThrillSeeker: His pattern of behavior heavily suggests he's one. Many of the actions he takes can be explained by a genuine love for risk taking, as noted by both Hosea and Arthur early in the game. His plans are almost always way more dangerous than they need to be, and he appears to wildly enjoy gunfights, occasionally taunting enemies and ''daring them to kill him''. [[spoiler: This explains why he clearly doesn't want to leave his life as an outlaw, and most likely contributes to the fatalistic attitude he comes to hold about his nature when he accepts that his way of life is dead due to the increasing presence of law and order in the American West]].
* TookALevelInJerkass:
** At the start of Chapter 4, he dismisses Molly and belittles her to Arthur as they ride away. He is a lot more curt from then on, but still pleasant enough to Arthur.
** After [[spoiler:the trolley robbery, Dutch goes on a rant about John, berates Arthur for being disloyal and claims only Micah is still loyal.]]
** After the gang gets back from Guarma, he can frequently be seen berating his men for mild slights.
** By the end of ''II'', [[spoiler:he leaves Arthur and John, who are essentially his adopted sons, for dead several times after he considers them to have betrayed him]].
** [[spoiler: He at one point in the Chapter 6 mission "A Rage Unleashed" ''mocks'' Arthur for his tuberculosis-induced coughing fits. He also only expresses minimal concern for Arthur's health occasionally if the player has Arthur greet him in Chapter 6]].
* ToxicFriendInfluence: Both coming ''and'' going.
** Micah is this to him, as Micah is said to have egged him on to shoot Heidi [=McCourt=] and in general encourages and enables Dutch's worst impulses. Listening to Micah makes Dutch more ''like'' Micah- an unrepentant criminal and bully (or at least, more willing to ''[[MaskOfSanity openly]]'' be that way). Unfortunately for everyone else, Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser says what Dutch wants to hear]] while Dutch isn't in a state to process criticism, so Dutch keeps him close despite his general untrustworthiness.[[spoiler: Micah is also exploiting Dutch's mental state to push him into self-destruction so the Pinkertons have an easier time rounding the gang up.]]
** Dutch is also this to his gang, good intentions or no. Most of them don't actually ''want'' to live as criminals (and in the epilogue, are able to find honest work), but Dutch keeps them as part of his gang, putting them in extreme and often unnecessary danger, because he himself doesn't want to be anything but an outlaw and likes having people to command.[[spoiler: Most either die or wise up and ditch the gang before the final mission. When the gang dissolves for good, the only members left (aside from Micah's buddies Joe and Cleet) are the three from the first game (Dutch, Bill, and Javier), Micah himself, and Susan (who dies during the mission).]]
* TragicDream: He has one in his mind - to be an outlaw to the very end, and to force civilization back from the "purity" of the West. By 1911, he is a man clinging to false hope and belief as the West has been settled. When John finally confronts him, [[spoiler:he simply accepts that the Wild West era is over and he commits suicide]].
* TragicVillain: Undoubtedly the most tragic villain of the entire series. His {{Fatal Flaw}}s, bad decisions, tragic dreams, MoralMyopia and [[spoiler:having a [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] monster as a comrade (Micah Bell)]] made him the man he was, practically incapable of fighting against his own nature and finally [[spoiler:committing suicide]].
* TranquilFury: Slips into this when [[spoiler:Arthur ''insists'' on John and his family being let go.]]
* TriggerHappy: Progressively so. For most of the game, he advocates talking his way out of trouble and even holds parley with the O'Driscolls. [[spoiler:By chapter 6, he's picking fights with the US Army, shooting oil barons in plain sight and all his plans rely on violence]]. This recklessness is noted to be OutOfCharacter - everyone expresses shock at his shooting of Heidi [=McCourt=] at the Blackwater ferry. No one really saw what happened there, but it's suggested the robbery was going off without a hitch until then. By ''I'', his propensity to kill and cause conflict out of nowhere has become one of his most prominent traits.
* UngratefulBastard: Dutch has elements of this toward Arthur, especially as the main story progresses. Despite being his most reliable and competent gang member dating back two decades, Arthur is the target of Dutch's infamous "have faith" speeches and [[spoiler:begins siding with dangerous newcomer Micah simply because Micah sucks up to Dutch and tells him what he wants to hear. The deaths of prominent senior gang members like Hosea only make Dutch ''worse'' in this regard]].
** Averted with Reverend Swanson. The ''only'' reason he's still tolerated in the gang despite his alcoholism and drug addiction is because Dutch allows him to remain due to saving his life. When Swanson says the incident occurred years prior, and asks Dutch why he doesn't kick him out, the latter states he hasn't forgotten about it.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: When [[PlayingBothSides working both the Braithwaites and the Grays]], Dutch sends John to the Grays to see about stealing the Braithwaites' horses. John was about to go with Hosea to try and get in the Braithwaite's good graces but they ask Arthur, who is already acting as a deputy to Sheriff Gray, to go in his stead. Because of this, Arthur ends up personally dealing with the heads of both families while attacking both families. [[spoiler:Both families figure out they are being played and retaliate with the Grays killing Sean and the Braithwaites kidnapping Jack. Jack's kidnapping sets off a chain of events that eventually destroys the gang.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:At the very end of Arthur's story ''II'', he has a huge MyGodWhatHaveIDone-centric moment of clarity when he realizes how wrong he's been. For the first time ever, Dutch Van der Linde, a man who always knows what to say and when to say it, all he can do is pitifully stutter "I...I..." as he gradually perceives all the lives he's permanently ruined, including his own.]]
* VillainousCheekbones: Interestingly, not until 1911 and by the time he's well past his MoralEventHorizon. His face appears sunken in compared to in 1899, presumably having lived a rougher life since that time, and this emphasizes the arches of his cheekbones.
* VillainousFriendship: His best friend is Hosea, his partner in crime and second-in-command for over 20 years.
* VillainHasAPoint: He's an AxCrazy outlaw and ManipulativeBastard, but he has many valid reasons for why he opposes modern civilization and the industrialization of the American Frontier; it's implied that these ideals are partially responsible for why his gang is [[UndyingLoyalty extremely loyal]] to him [[spoiler:until he becomes too dangerous and insane to be around]].
** [[spoiler:He's absolutely correct in telling John that he won't be absolved of his crimes by the government for killing him during their final confrontation in ''1'', despite what Ross keeps telling John.]]
** [[spoiler:He tells John that the Bureau will just find another criminal to justify their existence after his death. Guess who that "other criminal" is.]]
** By the time of I, John is a cynic who often spouts polemics about the hypocrisies inherent in modern life and society, as well as the self-destructive nature of man. That game portrays him as correct in these criticisms, but it's implied in ''I'' -- and confirmed in ''II'' -- that Dutch was the person who informed John's views in this regard. In essence, John comes to believe the things Dutch taught him. However, while John is ultimately a good man who consistently acts in defiance to his cynical statements, to the point that he's called a romantic pretending to be a cynic in ''I'', Dutch has truly become an amoral monster who is a vicious outlaw for the sake of it by the time of the first game. Whatever former idealism he had, it's all been stamped out, and he's an empty shell of a man.
* VisionaryVillain: Of sorts. By 1911, his war against civilization and dream of a world where a man is 100% free to do what they want is fueled entirely by his hatred of the modern world, and fights against the law to return the world to the times of old. Too bad his way of executing this plan consists of hiding in caves, convincing young natives to die for him and an occasional robbery and murder. Judging by his hideout and last words, it's entirely possible -- if not likely -- that deep down he doesn't believe in this goal either and just wants to spite the government for trying to tell him what to do.
* VocalEvolution: His manner of speaking goes from being boisterous and emotive (with frequent voice cracks) in ''II'' to being more soft-spoken and cool-headed by ''I'', coinciding with his DespairEventHorizon. His voice is also slightly deeper in ''I'', likely due to his old age and/or the stresses of continuing to live his dying lifestyle.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: In ''II'' he either switches between wearing an all-black or all-red waistcoat, both equally dapper and contributing to his status as a BadassInANiceSuit.
* WarriorPoet: A badass outlaw infamous for numerous bank and train robberies, but also a well-spoken CulturedBadass who justifies his actions with his anarchistic philosophy. [[https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/A_Day%27s_Walk_Poem A couple of]] [[https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/Dear_Annabella_Poem old poems]] addressed to "Annabella" can be found along with the pipe he left in an old cabin in Vetter's Echo, though the difference in handwriting makes it unclear if they were his or not.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: His philosophy in ''II'' is a tendency to "shoot fellas as need shooting, save fellas as need saving, and feed 'em as need feeding."
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He certainly thinks of himself as this. Whether he is indeed one, or just a manipulative psychopath is [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation largely up to the player's interpretation]], though there's enough reason to believe either is valid.
* WhiteStallion: Rides a white Arabian stallion named The Count in ''II''.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: At first, Dutch was a charismatic leader and a mentor willing to fight for the good of the people he has in his gang, but he is also quite prone to being delusional and making bad decisions. In fact, all his fatal flaws are the main reason why his SanitySlippage will come into play years later. In the end, it's revealed that he's just a sad man and a pitiful shell of a man clinging to false hope, only posing a threat due to his ties with Native American rebels -- a cause one can hardly call unjust.
* WouldHarmASenior: [[spoiler:In Guarma, he strangles an elderly guide to death because she demanded more money after he had paid her his only remaining gold stolen from Saint Denis. Granted, she was brandishing a large knife close to his face. Arthur's reaction makes it clear that he was more than capable of simply subduing her rather than killing her, however.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He would brutally murder one if he needed, or ''[[AxCrazy wanted]]'' to.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He thinks himself and his gang as [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood and his Merry Men]]; law-breaking heroes who will always stay one step ahead of the law thanks to RefugeInAudacity and PlotArmor, and who are beloved as champions of the oppressed at the same time they're hated by the oppressors. In reality, he's just another gang leader whose wild plans tend to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome trip on reality]] (his plan to tar and feather an army unit nearly gets his gang all killed when the rear guard shows up, for example) and who is feared by everyone not part of his gang because he's still robbing them. [[spoiler:By the end of the original game, he's figured out that he was never a hero and his crusade against civilization was hypocritical and pointless; the subsequent DespairEventHorizon causes him to kill himself.]]
* YouAreWhatYouHate: For all his preaching of his ideals to challenge the rise of modernity, he has a paradoxical relationship with it as he subtly follows similar practices and lifestyles, and his most vindictive grudges in ''II'' are of ambitious men that serve as dark mirrors of his own flaws. The realization of this contributed to his SanitySlippage.
** For all that Dutch understandably describes the O'Driscoll Boys as "brutes" and "animals" for their violent ways, what little of Colm is seen or described shows that he's very similar to his old enemy; the two men share a volatile temper, they're both schemers (though Colm seems to prefer simpler, more direct schemes), and Colm even reveals himself to be a flashy dresser when he [[https://www.gtabase.com/igallery/2401-2500/RDR2_GameplayVideoPart2_20-2428-1080.png arrives in person in "Blessed are the Peacemakers"]]. The main difference is that, while Dutch tries to be a noble father figure, Colm is unapologetic about being a cruel thug and doesn't hide the fact that he sees no value in his men. Although he frequently brings up Colm killing Annabelle as proof that he's an irredeemable mad dog, Dutch always brushes off any mention that Colm did it in retaliation for the murder of his brother. [[spoiler:The Van der Linde Gang actually had a shaky truce with the O'Driscoll Boys at the time, meaning that Dutch originally incited the feud.]]
** Similarly, Leviticus Cornwall shares Dutch's burning ambition, distaste for the law, and drive to succeed, but imposes his will in the name of modernization and industry, getting obscenely rich while his company despoils the land and his workers suffer. [[spoiler:Dutch's accusation that the difference between them is that Cornwall "destroy[s] everything in [his] path" gets more grimly ironic the longer the game goes on and the gang begins to fall apart with a trail of dead and ruin in their wake.]]
** WordOfGod says that this is partially the reason for his [[spoiler: brutal murder of Angelo Bronte]], being disgusted with himself for admiring his wealth and power.
* YouMakeMeSick: He is not happy about John collaborating with the federal government to hunt him down. [[spoiler:In his own twisted point of view, it basically confirmed that John was really the rat of the gang and not Micah; Dutch shot Micah for nothing in 1907, when he should’ve shot John.]]
--> '''Dutch''': We all make mistakes, John. I never claimed to be a saint. But equally, I never took you for an errand boy.
[[/folder]]
!!!Membership
[[folder:Abigail Marston (née Roberts)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abigail_roberts___red_dead_redemption_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The life we led, that doesn't go away. It's never over."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see her in ''Red Dead Redemption'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/830ed8e1185794fe061b259bc451c62d.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Sophia Marzocchi (''RDR I'', motion capture in ''RDR II''), Cali Elizabeth Moore (''RDR II'')
An ex-prostitute that rode with the gang in its heyday, Abigail's life changed with the birth of her and John Marston's son, Jack. While John was initially unwilling to admit the child was his and struggled with his feelings for her, the collapse of the gang saw the two reconcile and decide to settle down together. Now Abigail ''Marston'', she lived a quiet life on the ranch... until some agents of the law showed up on their doorstep with a message.
----
* TheAce: Is an intelligent, charismatic leader who's also a remarkably skilled shot. He's likely the one who taught John and Arthur how to shoot as well as they do (including possibly the dead eye skill), and in ''1'', he's able to ''shoot the binoculars out of John's hands'' despite John being on top of a mountain several hundred feet away.
* AceCustom: In ''II'' has a badass pair of customized Schofield revolvers with roses engraved on them.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Uncle of all people manages to make him laugh by insulting him a couple times and ''scoffing'' at him.
* AffablyEvil: In the beginning of ''II'', he's genuinely kind to the majority of his gang, having accepted many lost, desperate people into his group and even acted as a surrogate father to several of them (such as Arthur, John, and Tilly). He also allows Reverend Swanson to remain in the gang despite the trouble he causes them with his alcoholism and opium addiction due to him saving Dutch's life at one point. [[spoiler:However, with his eventual SanitySlippage and his increasing paranoia of several members of the gang, he begins to resort to regularly yelling at several people and abandons Arthur and John several times when they were about to be murdered]]. By the events of ''I'', [[spoiler:he's notably FauxAffablyEvil to John, being fairly polite and friendly to him as he attempts to murder him several times, before proceeding to needle him about the status of his wife and son when John refuses to return the hospitality.]] However, by the their last confrontation, he's back to AffablyEvil. He throws his gun off to the side rather than continue fighting him, and speaks amicably and casually with John before [[spoiler:he commits suicide]].
* AgonizingStomachWound: [[spoiler: By the time John catches up to him in their final confrontation in ''I'', Dutch has sustained a possibly fatal gunshot wound to the stomach area of his abdomen that seems to have occurred from a bullet ricocheting and hitting him.]]
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:His death is one of the saddest moments in the first game. Since he knows he is living in a false hope and a TragicDream, he simply accepts that his era is over and commits suicide. It's arguably made even sadder with the context of ''II'', as we truly see just how far he's fallen since the days of the gang]].
* TheAlcoholic: Implied to have become one by ''I''. [[spoiler:If the player searches his living quarters after he dies, there's a large amount of liquor present in crates and jugs]].
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:By the end of his life, he realizes everything he ever fought for was meaningless, and that civilization and government taming the American West was inevitable.]]
--> '''Dutch''': We can't always fight nature, John. We can't fight change. We can't fight gravity. We can't fight ''nothing''. My whole life, all I ever did was fight.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He starts taking an interest in Mary-Beth by chapter three, and can be seen very openly flirting with her. She doesn't return his advances, and is taken aback by them somewhat.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse everyone finds themselves divided on whether Dutch was a good man driven mad by the situation and several bad decisions, or a bad man who due to the stress placed on him got tired of pretending. Sadie is of the former opinion while John is of the latter, though by the time of the first game he seems to have changed his mind. Even before the gang broke apart characters would have different opinions of him, with Uncle being the most skeptical of Dutch.
* AllTakeAndNoGive: A mostly consistent trait of his character, although one that is not immediately obvious. Dutch is SecretlySelfish, and feels entitled to the total loyalty and obedience of his gang, but what he himself does for the gang is not entirely clear. He is not seen doing chores around camp and does not donate money to the gang, while constantly reminding everyone else how they 'need money'. He also constantly demands that others have total faith in him, which could be read as a manipulation tactic. Whether Dutch himself is aware of that or not is up for debate, however.
* 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.” Many of their interactions with one another are intimate in a way not seen with any other male characters in the gang. 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 [[https://i.redd.it/jjcxengw99621.jpg 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']]."
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While it’s clear that Dutch becomes more unhinged as ''II'' progresses, it’s debatable what the motivations behind many of his actions are, and what his true character is. [[spoiler:It’s possible that he was initially a good person who cracked under the pressure of situations his poor decision making caused, but it’s also possible he was already an unhinged narcissist whose true nature started to show as the game progressed and who fashioned himself and his gang as Robin Hood-types as an excuse to rob and kill. There’s also the question of how he viewed the members of his gang, either as people he genuinely cared for (who he rescued from various terrible situations and then protected) or as expendable pawns he could use and cast aside based on his plans, such as abandoning John and Arthur when their lives were in peril several times towards the end, and then proceeding to lie about doing so.]]
** These two contrasting interpretations of his actions appear in-universe. [[spoiler:Agent Milton simply calls him a "silver-tongued maniac", and John by the end believes that his true nature was slowly surfacing after being BeneathTheMask for so long, while Charles and Sadie believe he genuinely changed throughout the course of ''II''. Arthur with High Honor however, states he doesn't know what to believe regarding this. A Low Honor Arthur states he was taken as a fool his entire life by Dutch. What's interesting is that John has the opposite opinion of him by the events of ''I'', coming to the conclusion that he in fact was, in a way, a good person before his SanitySlippage. This is probably due to Dutch shooting Micah, in addition to a possible NostalgiaFilter on John's part.]]
** It's not clear if he [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes actually is capable of loving anyone]]. He talks about Annabelle (his partner that O'Driscoll killed) with fondness but it very could well be that it's an excuse to keep his feud with O'Driscoll ongoing. Abigail straight up tells Molly to her face that Dutch doesn't love her. If one views him as EvilAllAlong, he simply took all the people in to manipulate them into being his pawns and by extension doesn't love them. Hosea seems to be the closest thing to it, he respects him way more than anyone else. This is compared to John and Arthur who do truly love people. Even at low honor, John loves Abigail and Jack and Arthur loves Mary. The BlindSeer can tell [[spoiler: John]] this, “Embrace those who love you, not the memory of those who pretended to."
** For all of his talk about how the gang are all one big family, he is not happy with John from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG950dG0jrE Chapter 4]] of the second game onwards, after John's CharacterDevelopment starts to kick in. Dutch reminds him that the gang must always come first, hinting he thinks John might have {{Conflicting Loyalt|y}}ies now that he's taking his role as a father and husband more seriously. Arthur and Hosea don't share these concerns so it’s likely Dutch sees John embracing his role as a family man as a threat to his power over him. Worth noting that Dutch and John's relationship grows more bitter and hostile as John becomes a better husband and father.
** One important thing to consider is [[spoiler: why Dutch abandons both John and Arthur for dead in Chapter Six. It's completely possible he was only using them and either never loved them or loved them very conditionally, casting them aside when they bruise his ego enough. However, there's also indication that Micah was manipulating his poor mental state so well that he ''may have actually convinced him that Arthur and John were rats and, thus, the biggest dangers to the survival of the gang''.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: More like several ambiguous situations involving Dutch.
** [[spoiler:Dutch being in Micah's cabin in the final mission of ''II''. Micah's dialog reveals that Dutch only recently teamed up with Micah again, but when John asks Dutch why he's there he simply responds "Same as you, I suppose." This suggests that he too was there to kill Micah, but it's possible he could be referring to the fact that the recovered money from the Blackwater robbery is in the cabin, and that he assumed that John was there to take it. He ends up shooting Micah, and it's unknown whether it was his intention beforehand or whether John successfully convinced him to. He will actually shoot John if John shoots Micah before he has a chance to beg Dutch to "say something", so he's at least convinced to spare his life by the end. He ends up silently walking away from the cabin, leaving the questions for his actions in the scene unanswered.]]
** His situation with regards to Micah. [[spoiler:How much of a corrupting influence does Micah have on Dutch, and is he taking advantage of Dutch's mental state as early as Blackwater, or does Micah's influence simply contribute to his SanitySlippage? Also, how much of Dutch's plans by chapter six are influenced by Micah? Is Dutch's decisions in manipulating the Wapiti tribe to engage in a disastrous war the mark of Dutch finally revealing himself to be a sociopathic monster after all these years, or is it the mark of Micah exploiting his worsening paranoia and delusions?]]
** His reaction to [[spoiler:Arthur's final words to him and Arthur's death moments later in chapter 6. He leaves Arthur as he is dying and ignores Micah's insistence that they escape together, after Dutch apparently accepts Arthur's assertion that Micah's the rat. It's possible that Dutch left because he feared capture by the Pinkertons, that he was angered after realizing he was being manipulated, that he was ashamed of how he ruined everything for himself and the gang, or that he simply couldn't bare to watch his surrogate son die. His reasons for doing so are never addressed]].
** Adding to the confusion of what caused his SanitySlippage in ''2'' is that he suffered a head injury during the trolley heist, which is known to cause sudden behavioral changes. So, how much of it was Micah's bad influence/cracking under the stress of the gang's deteriorating situation, and how much was it was down to the head trauma messing with his ability to think rationally?
** What exactly happened to Dutch during the Blackwater job is never revealed. Arthur and Hosea were wary of it, but others say that it was going fine until Dutch suddenly shot Heidi [=McCourt=]. Only John and Javier saw anything, with the latter admitting that she died "in a bad way, but it was a bad situation", suggesting that he doesn't want to implicate Dutch or appear disloyal. John later says in Shady Belle that he saw Micah "encouraged it", meaning either that he wanted the situation to go violent from the beginning, or that he egged a nervous Dutch on to kill the girl in that moment. [[spoiler:Near the camp in Horseshoe Overlook, you can find Dutch's notes containing snippets from both the RousingSpeech he makes at the beginning of the game, and a later one made after they settle in New Hanover. They imply he had them prepared a lot earlier, likely in anticipation that the ferry robbery was going to end in a bloodbath and gang morale would suffer for a time, but it's also possible that he had them just to be CrazyPrepared; i.e. something like Richard Nixon's 'contingency speech' that he had written in case the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon but fortunately never had to use]].
** [[spoiler:His lack of intervention in John's arrest during the Saint Denis bank robbery. It's fully possible that this is an early BetrayalByInaction on Dutch's part, but we're never shown the actual scene. John himself isn't quite sure of what to make of Dutch's behavior, saying that he feels he could have done more in the situation than he had.]]
*** There's also camp dialogue where [[spoiler:Dutch will angrily say this is why he told them to let Marston rot in prison, if you're far enough away. It's possible that he just said it out of anger, but his bitter reaction to seeing Marston after they spring him suggests he was never planning to rescue him and wanted him gone.]]
** The bones one can find in his cave in Cochinay [[spoiler:after his death]]. [[spoiler:There are several human skulls on a desk and some bookshelves, in addition to a various femur bones around the fire pit that appear long enough to be human. This content has some potentially [[ImAHumanitarian disturbing implications concerning Dutch's mental state by 1911]], although the reason for these bones and skulls being present is never explained.]]
* AmbiguousStartOfDarkness: Throughout ''II'', the true nature of his SanitySlippage is left open to interpretation and is one of the conflicting opinions of the members of his gang InUniverse. While Charles and Sadie believe he genuinely changed, Arthur and John believe he was EvilAllAlong. Notably, by the time the first game takes place twelve years later, John believes the former theory (though it's unclear if that's actually a NostalgiaFilter or just comes from them having built the narrative of his downfall backward).
* AmicableExes: With Susan Grimshaw. They were in a romantic relationship in the early days of the gang, and remained friends and partners in crime afterwards.
* AndThenWhat: A major problem with his leadership is his inconsistency on what the gang should ''do'' once they've amassed enough money to retire; he talks to everyone else of retiring to Tahiti, but it slowly becomes clear that he's addicted to the outlaw life, has no real desire to quit, and is postponing and sabotaging their retirement because then he'd either have to tell his gang that he never intended to fulfil his promise, or submit to giving up total control over his gang (no need for complicated plans to relax on a nice Tahitian beach) and his causeless rebellion. Sure enough, between the gang's dissolution and 1907, Dutch doesn't retire from a life of crime at all even after amassing a large sum of money, and by 1911 he forms another gang to commit random acts of violence.
* AnimalMotifs: In a surprisingly subtle way. One of Dutch's rings throughout the main story of II features a design of a golden lion's head with [[RedEyesTakeWarning ruby eyes]]. Lions are, of course, traditional symbols of [[KingOfBeasts power, leadership, and straight up royalty]], befitting Dutch's status as the leader of the gang. It is fittingly missing, along with the rest of Dutch's finery, after the gang's collapse.
* AntiHero: Before [[SanitySlippage going]] AxCrazy, he was known to be AFatherToHisMen. Sure, he was an outlaw, but still decent enough to worry about poor people. At one point, he even goes in search of provisions for people with Arthur.
* ArcVillain: Of the ''West Elizabeth'' arc in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''.
* ArchEnemy: Colm O'Driscoll. Dutch murdered Colm's brother and Colm murdered Dutch's mistress (Annabelle), so their feud [[ItsPersonal is personal]].
* ArchnemesisDad: Sort of. He adopted John and Arthur when they were teens, and raised them as a part of his gang. [=MacDougal=] even states that the current relationship between John and Dutch is Oedipal in nature.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He is clearly under no delusion that he is anything other than an anarchist who hates civilisation and technology, and fully embraces it.
* AxCrazy: By 1911, he's become little more than a murderous bandit whose crime spree is little more than just a desire to be a menace to the society he hates. He doesn't deny it anymore, either, outright telling John during their third encounter that he plans to murder him and Professor [=MacDougal=] ForTheEvulz.
* BadBoss: Dutch started out as a BenevolentBoss in ''II'' but after several setbacks, the loss of several members, and a concussion, he becomes increasingly paranoid and authoritarian, accusing everyone but Micah of plotting against him [[spoiler:This ranges from abandoning both Arthur and John, his two most trusted members, to their deaths, berating everyone for doubting him, and even abandoning Abigail, essentially orphaning Jack. As a result, many members begin to leave the gang for their own safety.]]
* BadassBookworm: Dutch has a collection of books in his tent, and you more often than not see him reading something when you encounter him at camp.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Back in 1899, he was a SharpDressedMan, a badass, and the leader of a famous gang. As of 1911, he's dropped this in favor of a more ragged attire.
* BadassLongcoat: The first we see of Dutch in ''II'' is him in a ''very'' nice thick, black coat that reaches about his knees and one of his main outfits onwards is a sharp, black, mid-thigh length coat with a red pocket square. During the Saint Denis heist he wears a much longer coat with ''red lining.'' [[spoiler: When he reappears in the epilogue, he’s wearing a different coat with fur lining that goes down to mid-calf.]]
* BeardOfSorrow: [[spoiler:When he reappears when John, Sadie and Charles go after Micah, Dutch is now sporting a thick beard. He's also much quieter and less forceful in personality than he was before, and he doesn't even seem to care when Micah dies or when John thanks him for saving his life.]]
-->'''Dutch:''' I ain't...got too much to say no more...
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: Early in ''II'', Dutch speaks out against other outlaw leaders such as Colm O'Driscoll, claiming that he's a sociopathic savage who cares little for his men, and only cares about wreaking havoc and doing horrible things for the sake of it. Yet, by Chapter 6, Dutch himself takes significant pleasure in causing "smoke and noise" for the sake of petty revenge schemes and misaimed justice for the sake of his own ego and curses the members of the gang who are understandably leaving Dutch behind. By 1911, Dutch has long embraced his antithesis-like ways, gleefully murdering and pillaging for little reason than for sport, glory and his hatred of society.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Guarma is practically what Dutch assumes Tahiti is supposed to be, a tropical island untouched by the corruption of civilization. Much to his surprise, it is not.
** In fact, even if he and the gang did reach Tahiti (of course, assuming Dutch wasn't stringing the gang along for any opportunity to gain more money), he wouldn't find a civilization-free tropical paradise; Tahiti had become a French colony by 1880.
* BelievingTheirOwnLies:
** There is no actual plan at all to get them "Out West", Tahiti, or Australia. Also, there no plan to recover the Blackwater Money. He's making it up as he goes along but insists he has everything figured out.
** It is painfully obvious to Arthur that Dutch never really has a plan to save John from prison after the botch bank heist in St. Denis despite him saying otherwise.
* BeneathTheMask: Played with. [[spoiler:As the events of ''II'' transpire, and the gang get into deeper and deeper trouble, the darker side of Dutch's personality becomes apparent. However, it's ambiguous if he was just showing more of who he was as he lost control of the situation, or if these aspects of himself just became exacerbated by the dire situations he and the gang got in. There's also the question of when his SanitySlippage began. Did his sanity start to decline with the events of ''II'', or did it start to decline long beforehand, only becoming apparent when he could no longer keep it in check? Several characters in-universe interpret this issue differently, with some like Sadie believing he was changed over of the course of ''II'', versus John who (up until ''I'') believes he was revealing his true nature]].
-->'''John:''' [[spoiler:You see a man whose character changed. I see a man who got found out... for who he truly was.]]
* BerserkButton:
** Do not even ''think'' about calling Dutch and/or his ideals worthless, or anything along those lines to his face. [[spoiler:Catherine Braithwaite and Angelo Bronte learned this the hard way]]. Being disrespected causes him to flip out and inflict DisproportionateRetribution when he's actually planning on negotiating.
** Don't question him. Even months before his SanitySlippage kicks in, he acts like a petulant child when Arthur criticizes him lightly (e.g. when he suggests that him and Hosea relaxing when everyone else works is demoralizing) and storms off in a huff. [[spoiler:He's furious when Morgan stands up to him and insists twice that he lets John go with his family before the final robbery. It's implied this spiteful anger motivates him to not intervene when Marston gets shot]].
** Don't invade his personal space. He gets irritated if Arthur follows him around camp closely, and will ''push Arthur out of his tent if he stays there for too long.''
* BetrayalByInaction: Does this [[spoiler:at least three times in the prequel. He willingly leaves John to rot in prison, believing he is okay while in actuality he's about to be hanged, leaves Arthur to die during the assault on the oil refinery, and leaves John to die after he is shot during their final heist. There's also the ambiguous situation of John's arrest in the Saint Denis bank heist that gets him imprisoned, and whether or not he actively chose to not intervene in his arrest.]]
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler: He kills himself to evade capture by John Marston and the federal government, in addition to his refusal to continue living in a world increasingly being civilized.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: With Edgar Ross in the first game. While Ross is the active threat to the Marstons, Dutch is the main target and the one who raised John as a part of his gang. Although unknown to him, he is the [[BigBadWannabe lesser]] of the two.
* BigBadSlippage: His entire character arc in ''II'' is this in spades.
* BigBadWannabe: In the first game. While he is a real threat for West Elizabeth, he will never be one for the modern society and civilization he so hates. He's less a freedom fighting rebel and much more a murderous thug, venting his hatred towards a world that will never accept him. He himself cannot resist the wonders of the modern world, as his choice of weapon is a semi-automatic pistol, and he is seen using an automobile to escape from John.
* BigGood: Serves as this role in ''II'', back when he was still a charismatic leader that still had his sanity. [[spoiler:By the endgame, both those traits have gone out the window and neither Arthur nor John want anything to do with him.]]
* BlankStare: Dutch is prone to doing this when standing around camp, and this behavior can be [[LampshadeHanging mentioned]] by Arthur while antagonizing him. It apparently [[SanitySlippage gets worse]] following the concussion he receives from a trolley crash in chapter four, as in one camp encounter following it Abigail asks Dutch if he's alright when she catches him staring into deep space.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler: When Arthur and John confronted him for abandoning them, he claimed that he either "did no such thing" or had no choice but to do so.]]
* BloodKnight: By his own admission in 1911. He barely believes in the causes he fights for anymore, but keeps killing only because it's all he knows how to do and he has a deep-seeded hatred for civilization and the modernization of the American West.
* BombThrowingAnarchist: He is completely opposed to industrialization and the modernization of the frontier, [[spoiler:though his sanity only drops to the "bomb-throwing" level in the final chapter of ''II'', and onwards.]] By the time of the first game, he's abandoned the facade of any ideology and is just raising hell for the sake of it. His philosophy is highly reminiscent of Illegalism, where crime itself is seen as an integral of anarchist practice and not simply a means to an end like it was for certain anarchist revolutionaries.
* BreakoutVillain: Despite having less than ten minutes of screen time, Dutch was far and away the most popular villain from ''Red Dead Redemption I'', owing to his surprising depth and tragic death scene. The prequel is all about Dutch and his descent into madness.
* BrilliantButLazy: He's a charismatic individual who's successfully led a gang of outlaws for two decades after originally being a successful con-man, yet he never contributes to the camp funds and is frequently seen hanging around camp reading, apparently only being engaged with heists that have particularly large takes. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded more than once by Arthur if he antagonizes Dutch]].
-->'''Arthur''': Ya know, ''you'' could get out there too, Dutch.
* BrokenAce: While he has shown himself to be a charismatic leader, a skilled gunsman ''and'' a WarriorPoet to boot, it's offset by his own fragile mental stability once his SanitySlippage becomes apparent.
* BrokenPedestal: As his SanitySlippage becomes worse and worse, and the flaws in his leadership become more apparent, he becomes this to his whole gang [[spoiler:to the point that they leave him]].
* BullyingADragon: He eventually gets cocky enough to take on the U.S. Army, thinking it'll be just like the other gang wars he gets into. '''It's not'''. The Army has things like discipline, tactics, and, most importantly, ''reinforcements'', that gangs lack and which put his own gang in serious hot water when he picks a fight with an army patrol that turns out to have backup on the way.
* ByronicHero: Dutch is intelligent relative to the setting, highly charismatic, is extremely passionate about the gang, and has an intense drive and determination to live out his philosophy. He is, however, extremely self-centered and, while he claims the contrary and even acts on it when it benefits him, won't hesitate to sacrifice anyone or anything [[spoiler:(gang members included)]] to get what he wants. His SanitySlippage over the course of the main story puts these more negative traits into the spotlight.
* CallForward: [[spoiler:His manipulation of Eagle Flies is eerily reminiscent of his M.O. in the first game; convincing young Indians angry about genuine injustice that he can get them revenge, even though he doesn't really believe what he's saying and just wants people who will throw their lives away for him.]]
* CantTakeCriticism: ''And how.'' This did nothing but largely contribute to his descent to insanity. Many people, from Arthur to John to even ''Uncle'', manage to raise good points about flaws in both Dutch's character and his plans out of concern for his wellbeing and the future of the Gang, but he ''never'' listens and instead frequently accuses Arthur, [[DeterminedDefeatist one of the most committed members as well as the most ready to question him]], of disloyalty and doubt; the older, reasonable Hosea is the only man whose opinion he sometimes takes into account, if not acts on. The end result? [[spoiler: It allows people like [[TheCorrupter Micah]] to easily encourage these flaws and pervert Dutch's morality and personality, just by manipulating him with compliance and flattery]].
* CatchPhrase: "I have a plan." and "Have faith." [[spoiler:Most of the time he says this he's full of shit, but it takes Arthur until near the end of ''II'' to realize it.]] Even John lampshades it in ''I'', "You always have a plan, Dutch."
** He also tends to say "We need (more) money" in his long term plans.
** Later in the game, [[spoiler:when everything starts falling apart due to his terrible ideas, he repeats "I had no choice" or, more damningly, "''We'' had no choice" to justify his actions to the people who questioned his decisions right from the start]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding: This is what ultimately causes his SanitySlippage in the prequel. The poor decisions he had made, a possible brain injury, the increasing pressures of resisting the encroaching influence of civilization and [[spoiler:the many losses of his gang]], all took a toll on his sanity.
* CharacterDerailment: An interesting case in that it's debatable just ''how'' Dutch's character devolves. He starts off in ''II'' as a BadassInANiceSuit with a booming, emotional voice and as a WideEyedIdealist who is (seemingly) sane. He progressively becomes more unhinged, erratic, and paranoid throughout the course of ''II'', becoming more reckless and violent in the process. He then demonstrates himself to be quite manipulative and egotistical. [[spoiler:This culminates into him betraying John and Arthur while siding with Micah, something he never would have done beforehand.]] However, the explanation for this development is intentionally ambiguous; characters are split into either believing Dutch was EvilAllAlong and that he became less careful about hiding it, or believing him to have become this way after the traumatic events of ''II''. Regardless, by ''I'' he’s significantly more soft-spoken and composed, while being more obviously insane. His idealism is also long gone at this point, and he now understands and accepts that everything he’s done in his life is ultimately futile.
* CardCarryingVillain: By 1911, Dutch has dropped all pretense of fighting for a "cause", simply rallying angry Native Americans for muscle, while robbing and killing seemingly for the hell of it.
* TheCharmer: ''Very'' much so. If he already hasn't won the UndyingLoyalty of the majority of his gang for rescuing them from desperate life circumstances, he's won their loyalty through his charisma and warm demeanor as he espouses his anarchistic philosophy that so many of them feel drawn to. Having also been a con-man with Hosea for several years, he also uses his charisma to great effect when dealing with people he intends to rob.
* ChewingTheScenery: He moves his arms around when he's making hammy rants and speeches and [[InopportuneVoiceCracking cracks his voice a lot]] while doing so.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: As his SanitySlippage becomes more severe in ''II'', though slightly downplayed in that he doesn't regularly have these traits over time. [[spoiler:As Arthur notes after Guarma, Dutch "seems half-crazed" after everything that's befallen them since Chapter 4. Shortly after they return to the United States, Arthur in one scene finds Dutch playing chess with himself and rambling incoherently, much to Arthur's annoyance.]] This behavior is unlike anything seen of Dutch in ''II'', and highlights his frightening state of mind as various sources of pressure and trauma take their toll.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: In ''I'', he apparently collects human skulls, having at least four in his living quarters in Cochinay.
* ComplexityAddiction: Deconstructed. Dutch loves to plan overly elaborate heists that will not only get the gang extravagant amounts of money, but will also make it impossible for the Pinkertons to keep track of them. Unfortunately, Dutch's plans often attract a lot more attention than is overly necessary, which only makes it easier for the Pinkertons to track down the gang.
* ConMan: Started his criminal career as one. In his early twenties, he and Hosea primarily grifted for several years before others joined them to create a gang.
* ControlFreak: ''Especially'' by chapter six. [[spoiler: His controlling tendencies are a large part of what strains his relationship with Arthur late into the story, with him growing more suspicious of Arthur as the latter goes behind his back several times to mitigate the worst effects of his and Micah's increasingly insane plans]].
* ConvenientEnemyBase: Although it has no effect on the plot and is likely the result of SpaceCompression, his [[spoiler:Cochinay hideout happens to be just a few miles north of Beecher's Hope, John's ranch]].
* TheCorruptible: [[spoiler:Micah worms his way into Dutch's confidence, slowly turning him against Arthur and John in particular, but also causing him to make increasingly poor decisions while making Dutch think Micah is the only one really still loyal to him. It's implied Micah is doing this to make the gang easier pickings for the Pinkertons who he is secretly working with. It doesn't help that Dutch's mental state is on a downward spiral, especially starting around chapter 4.]]
* CrazyPrepared: A somewhat disturbing example. One letter found in Horseshoe Overlook includes a draft of a speech Dutch performed in Colter, which gives an eulogy to those who didn't survive the robbery. However, since the gang has been on the run since the robbery, it's unlikely he wrote it between Blackwater & Colter... suggesting he wrote it ''before'' the robbery. Make of that what you will.
** Tragically, his belief that he is this is also one of the main contributors to the gang's decline. Dutch appears to sincerely believe that he has a foolproof plan for ''everything'', which as it turns out, he doesn't.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Many of the second game's antagonists only come into conflict with the gang because Dutch provoked them:
** While Dutch and Colm already have an uneasy relationship before, they become full blown enemies after Dutch killed Colm's brother for unknown reasons and Colm retaliates by killing Dutch's lover.
** Cornwall wouldn't fund much of his resources to the Pinkerton Agency to go after the Van der Linde gang had Dutch not attacked his train and robbed him.
** In Chapter 3, Dutch decides to play on the Grays and Braithwaites feud in order to find their treasure. Both families eventually found out and retaliate back.
** In Chapter 4, Dutch should had know that trying to play the bigger man against someone like Angelo Bronte would not make the crime lord happy.
** In Chapter 6, the US Army has no qualm against the gang until Dutch decides to help the Wapiti in their feud against them.
* CulturedBadass: He is extremely well-read and educated for an outlaw.
* DarkIsNotEvil: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. He starts off in ''II'' as an AntiHero and a trusted ally who always wears black clothing. [[SanitySlippage Things change as the story progresses, however.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Able to compete with Arthur or John in snarkiness.
-->'''Colm O'Driscoll''': How's that score you stole off us?
-->'''Dutch''': ''[[{{BadassBoast}} Which one?]]''
* DeathSeeker: Many of his actions in ''I'' certainly suggest he's become this after the DespairEventHorizon he experiences from the events of ''II''.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood]] character archetype. While Dutch has the charm and charisma needed to lead and inspire loyalty his gang, he suffers from a lot of poor decision-making that forces the gang to move from one blunder to the next. His idealism of being a Robin Hood archetype also means that he's unable to accept the reality that his gang cannot resist the encroaching influence of civilization, clinging on to the delusion that they could evade the law for as long as they can. Eventually, his SanitySlippage and erratic decisions is what cost him his gang, [[spoiler:whether they be killed or choose to abandon him.]] It's also implied that unlike Robin Hood, Dutch's motives aren't completely altruistic in helping those looked down upon by society, instead being driven by a desire to get back at society by any means necessary, no matter who gets hurt in the process.
** He's also portrayed with realistic psychology: the sort of person who willingly chooses and even idealizes a life of banditry over living as part of a peaceful and functional society is the sort who's either a) a complete [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who's using his ideals as an excuse to hurt people, and/or b) [[{{Narcissist}} someone with a dangerously overinflated ego, complete with an entitlement complex and overestimation of his own capabilities]].
** As such, the people that he leads are often either less intelligent than him, have low self-esteem, or were rescued by him and have nowhere else to turn to. His intentions and their loyalty to him are sincere, but he has no tolerance for dissension, no matter how magnanimous he might proclaim, and he frequently gaslights people to prevent them from questioning his decisions.
* DespairEventHorizon: Went past this a long time ago in the original game. ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' shows how he got to that point.
* DespairSpeech: Gives one [[spoiler:right before throwing himself off of a cliff]].
-->'''Dutch:''' When I'm gone, they'll just find another monster. They have to, because they have to justify their wages. Our time has passed, John.
* DetrimentalDetermination: Despite all the failures and handicaps he goes through, Dutch is still insistent on believing in his cause and that everything will eventually work out. Instead, his determination leads to even more failure and troubles and all this furthers his [[SanitySlippage descent into insanity]]. [[spoiler:Ultimately, his refusal to reconsider or listen in regards to backing out ultimately [[BrokenPedestal destroys his relationship with Arthur and John as well as his reputation with everyone within his gang]].]]
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: '''All.''' '''The.''' '''Time.''' Dutch always has a plan and is [[IndyPloy quick on his feet]], but his impulsiveness means that almost none of them are worth a damn, and he always, ''always'' underestimates the powerful enemies that he makes, which end up putting the gang in even more danger. Best illustrated by an ambush he leads against the US Army -- he captures a patrol in an elaborate, clever trap using dynamite, but even after learning the party was larger than any of them realized, he chooses to trigger the charges anyway, fails to account that there might be ''another'' patrol on the route, and doesn't even consider the fact that the men he trapped, [[BullyingADragon army men]], ''might choose to fight rather than surrender''. If he had just laid low, let them pass without alerting them and revised the plan with these new factors in mind, it could've gone off so much better.
* DirtyOldMan: He has shades of this in some his interactions with Mary-Beth. He's in his mid-forties and openly flirts with the 21 or 22 year old Mary-Beth, who is taken aback by these gestures. However, there aren't many of these interactions, and most of the time he admires her from a distance.
* DisappearedDad: Dutch's father died when he was a small child in what's implied to be the Battle of Gettysburg as a Union soldier.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After you finally deal with him, the game does not end.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:He jumps to his death after giving John a final DespairSpeech.]]
* DueToTheDead: [[spoiler:An unmarked grave can be found near where he died in Cochinay, implying that it's his grave and that a surviving member of his gang buried him.]]
* TheDyingWalk: [[spoiler:If John elects to shoot him during the Mexican standoff at the end of the game, Dutch will slowly attempt to walk towards him before falling on his back and dying. This is a full animation that can be seen on the PC if the player uses a cheat to render John invincible.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Demonstrated time and time again by his reaction to several members of his gang dying.
** While he started his outlaw life because he never got along with his mother and decided to leave at a young age, he still loved his father despite knowing him at a lesser time than his mother due to him dying in battle when Dutch was just a little boy. He even outright tells Arthur that one of the reasons why he wants to rob the Grays and Braithwaites is because he wants to avenge his father's death.
** He seems to have never gotten over his lover Annabelle's death at the hands of the O'Driscoll gang.
** [[spoiler:He does not take the deaths of the secondary members of the gang well: He tells everyone that he would gladly lay down in their stead if it would bring them back to life, he tells Arthur that he didn't want to think about Sean's death because he was focused on Jack's rescue, he cites Kieran's death as one of the main reasons why Colm had to be hanged, and he lets out a BigNo when Lenny is gunned down.]]
** [[spoiler:He grieves for Hosea's death, albeit only openly mourns him in one conversation he has with Arthur after the events of Guarma.]]
** [[spoiler:As he sees Arthur moments before the latter's death, it's implied he comes to a devastating realization that his actions and blind trust in Micah ultimately destroyed his family and caused several deaths in the gang.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Despite being a hardened outlaw, he absolutely disapproves of Colm's actions to the point of calling Colm and his gang "animals".
** Even though he tolerates Leopold Strauss's money lending to support the gang, Dutch admits that he finds the business unseemly. That said, [[{{Hypocrite}} the fact that he supported it even back when the gang was fairly well off is a good indicator that his honorable thief act is likely a load of crap long before he shows clear signs of his sociopathy]].
** He also doesn't seem to share the prejudiced views towards other races or women that were common for that time period. He's shown several times throughout ''I'' and ''II'' to be sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans (to the point of getting offended when Bill calls them "savages"), and he's shown to not treat any member of his gang differently by race. He's also perfectly fine with Sadie Adler being involved with gunfighting like most of the men in the group.
** In Chapter 2 of ''II'' he can be heard telling John that he's a deadbeat dad who needs to do right by Jack. Telling him that being a parent is one of life's great blessing and he needs to be appreciative of what he's got.
* EvilAllAlong: Played with. [[spoiler:It’s made clear by the end of ''II'' that those closest to Dutch really have no idea what happened to him, whether he was hiding his true character or whether he genuinely changed. Arthur explicitly states he doesn’t know the answer even after Dutch leaves him to die, and John appears to change his view after the epilogue of ''II'' to believing he indeed changed. Interestingly, Dutch by the end of ''I'' implies he thinks of himself as being this trope, though the question posed by ''II'' is never answered]].
* EvilFormerFriend: To the majority of the gang (including the Marstons) by end of chapter 6 in ''II'', and to Escuella and Williamson by the epilogue in ''II''.
* EvilIsHammy: By the time of the first game, he's become a cackling maniac who murders people more out of whim than of necessity. While this is shown as tragic and rather disturbing, one can tell that Benjamin Byron Davis had a blast playing the role.
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:It's strongly implied that he abandons John purely to spite Arthur for insisting that the Marstons be allowed to leave peacefully after the gang's last heist.]]
* EvilOldFolks: Is 55 or 56 by the events of ''I''.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Doesn't appear to hold any prejudice towards his black and native comrades, a remarkable stance at the time. [[ManipulativeBastard This doesn't stop him from using them for his own gain, however, as he often uses their struggles to make them fight and kill in his favor.]]
* ExhaustedEyeBags: Is implied to regularly be sleep deprived, and in first-person view one can see dark bags under his eyes.
* {{Expy}}: Dutch takes his appearance and baritone from Curly Bill in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'', while his personality, trouble dealing with the end of Wild West, and unrealistic plan to flee to a different country makes him very akin to Butch Cassidy.
* TheFagin: Much of the gang was adopted by him at a young age, often while trying to rob him or because of criminal circumstances. This is portrayed sympathetically [[spoiler:until Chapter 6, when he encourages Eagle Flies' destructive instincts, preying on his youthful anger. [[AmbiguouslyEvil This leads Arthur and John to wonder how benevolent Dutch actually was when he took them in]]]].
* FallenHero: John by ''I'' believes that he was a good man - "was" being the key word.
* FakingTheDead: Dutch is presumed dead both in 1907 ''and'' 1911, with John expressing genuine shock that Dutch is alive, and his next target.
* FameThroughInfamy: Several details in ''I'' and ''II'' allude to just how notorious Dutch is. He's established as the most well-known member of the gang, which is a gang famous enough to have been the subject of several pulp novels according to a newspaper in ''II''. John in ''I'' notes that Landon Ricketts has most likely heard of Dutch. He's also stated to have acquired one of the largest bounties in the entire United States after having already had one on his head since c. 1886. [[spoiler: He's well-known enough even by 1907 for someone to have reported seeing him in rural Tall Trees after being presumed dead in living in relative obscurity]].
* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} is arguably Dutch's biggest flaw. A lot of the disasters that befell the gang, especially later on in the story, is due to Dutch's self-destructive ego. He refuses to acknowledge the mistakes he makes, doesn't listen to the advice of others and would rather follow the plan that ''he'' himself comes up with or supports, and mistrusts others who don't share his opinion. [[spoiler:This is what allowed Micah to manipulate him into destroying his own gang by encouraging Dutch's DestructiveHero tendencies.]] Most of the ambiguity surrounding his character is which part of his pride is more prominent- his selfishness and aimless desire to spite anyone who tells him what to do, or his [[IRejectYourReality refusal to believe]] that he isn't [[JustLikeRobinHood the hero]] and that no plot contrivance will save him from his own mistakes.
** His other core flaw is that he's unable to admit to himself that the time of being an outlaw has passed, and the world that he wants will never come to fruition. When he finally does, it's far too late. He destroyed his family, and [[spoiler: dies a broken AxCrazy shell of who he used to be.]]
* TheFatalist: Most likely due to his DespairEventHorizon. [[spoiler:He expresses fatalistic views in the DespairSpeech moments before he commits suicide.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Edgar Ross. Both are fighting for what they believe to be best for society, Ross for civilization and Dutch for anarchy, and both display a complete willingness to ShootTheDog if that's what it takes to get there. But the game shows that both of them are {{hypocrite}}s and neither of their plans are without flaws anyway. The only real difference is that in the end, [[spoiler:Ross is remembered as the hero and Dutch as the vicious outlaw, but then the game points out that had more to do with civilization ultimately triumphing and history being WrittenByTheWinners then any real moral superiority of one over the other]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** [[spoiler:Dutch foreshadows John's death with his last words, subtly saying that Ross will double-cross John.]]
** [[spoiler:In Chapter 2, Dutch asks Arthur why he didn't give Agent Milton a chance to capture Dutch in exchange for his freedom. This is an early sign of Dutch's growing distrust of Arthur]].
** [[spoiler:Hosea notes as early as chapter 1 that Dutch's behavior has changed somehow, implying the start of Dutch's SanitySlippage]].
** When Arthur and Charles are scouting for a new hideout in Chapter 2, Arthur scoffs at the notion of Dutch hiding away in a cave, as it "goes everything he stands for". [[spoiler:By the time Dutch's SanitySlippage comes about in Chapter 6, the gang is forced to hide away in a cave at Beaver Hollow]].
** Him yelling at Bill Williamson for his racism against Native Americans [[spoiler:foreshadows his actions concerning the the Wapiti in chapter 6 and his actions in ''I'' as the leader of a band of mostly Native American rebels]].
* ForTheEvulz:
** [[spoiler: Murders a bank teller he was holding hostage during a confrontation with John, despite having ample opportunity to make his escape non-violently. Really, by 1911, Dutch has really embraced the art of senseless killing.]]
** His senseless killing of that woman during the Blackwater Massacre ''might'' have been this, though the exact details remain unclear, not to mention Micah is said to have egged him on.
* FreudianExcuse: Possibly. His father died in the Civil War fighting for the Union when he was a kid, and this is implied to be behind his strong disdain for the South and Southerners. He also is implied to have had a troubled relationship with his mother, and left home at around fifteen, which may partly explain his selfishness and narcissism as being required to survive in such a situation.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: From a random teenage runaway to one of -- if not '' the'' -- most wanted and dangerous man in the west. By 1911, he's responsible for so much death and misery that both the proto-FBI and the U.S army participate in the assault that finally does him in.
* {{Gayngster}} / GayCowboy: Well, AmbiguouslyBi, but still.
* {{Gaslighting}}: [[spoiler:He does this to Arthur after leaving him to die at the oil refinery. When called out on it, Dutch, insists he did no such thing.]]
** He actually does this ''very'' frequently to several gang members. Arthur is a notable example but he also does it with John and Javier in ambient conversations, enforcing a black-and-white mentality of 'weak or strong, doubt or faith', [[DoubleThink telling Javier that they're not criminals, they're outlaws]], and becoming sharp and aggressive when they don't immediately agree or agree with sufficient enthusiasm.
* GeneralFailure: As he's quick to tell everyone, he always has a plan. Unfortunately, his plans usually tend to work out poorly since they all just tend to be heists after heists when it becomes increasingly unfeasible and his inept leadership is a major factor to the downfall of the gang. Basically, Dutch's plans can all be summed up as "Find a town to settle by, screw over everyone we can, and hope nobody finds out."
* GentlemanThief: Subverted. He prides himself on being one, and by all indications he adhered to this trope before gradually becoming self-centered and AxCrazy during ''II''. [[spoiler:By chapter six, he tries to justify his manipulation of the Wapiti tribe to Arthur with this train of thought. Arthur, of course, suspects his true motives for it immediately.]]
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Played with. As Dutch's actions becomes more erratic, one scene has Arthur and Micah trying to convince Dutch about his next plan of action and the camera conveniently positions Arthur and Micah at both ends of Dutch's shoulders, making them his shoulder angel and devil.
* HairTriggerTemper: Even before his SanitySlippage, he’s very irritable. The slightest doubt from any of his underlings will easily boil his blood and he’ll very quickly scold them and tell them to keep faith.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hosea, [[AmbiguouslyBi if you read their relationship as platonic]].
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Eventually, he becomes as bad as the enemies he’s fighting. He proves to be as unstable and apathetic as Colm O'Driscoll, as war-hungry and chaotic as Colonel Favours, as unscrupulous as Cornwall, and is as money-hungry and possessive of his own gang as the government are to their people.
* HollywoodAtheist: Notably played with and averted. He favors practices and conventions in his gang that are reminiscent of an organized religion (constantly deriding "doubters" and encouraging the gang to "show faith"), and in at least one speech explicitly uses Christian rhetoric (stating that he wishes to be "an angel of God" and not a "monkey"). However, in one camp encounter he tells Arthur that he doesn't believe in souls or an afterlife. In another encounter he tells Reverend Swanson that he doesn't share the latter's religious convictions.
* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Dutch goes looking far and wide for enemies to rebel against, but ultimately the only enemy he ever had to worry about was Dutch van der Linde. Dutch is the one who ruined the Blackwater heist by shooting a bystander, Dutch is the one who makes all the plans that go wrong because [[DidntThinkThisThrough he forgot people don't just stand there and let you rob them]], Dutch listens to Micah over his more loyal lieutenants because Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser kisses his ass]], Dutch is the one who never makes any real plans for the future as he's addicted to the outlaw life, Dutch's increasing instability drives his gang away, [[spoiler:and ultimately, it's Dutch who ends his own life when he realizes how futile his romantic ideals always were]]. Really, the U.S. Government and the Pinkertons [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing won by doing absolutely nothing]]; the events of the games are everyone else dealing with the collateral damage of Dutch's war against himself.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: A good measure of how much his [[SanitySlippage sanity has frayed]] is how bad he judges character. In the beginning of the game, he's quite willing to take criticism from Hosea and Arthur because he knows they're the gang's sanest members, but as the game goes on he starts mistrusting them ''because'' they criticize him, while he trusts [[JerkAss Micah]] because Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser agrees with everything he says]]. By the end of the game, he's driven Arthur away and made Micah his right hand man. [[spoiler: Hosea and Arthur were genuinely loyal until Dutch started mistreating them, while [[TheMole Micah sold the gang out to the Pinkertons]].]]
** Averted with Angelo Bronte. The scene where he gets under their skin while negotiating [[spoiler:Jack's release]] is directed as if Dutch is failing to follow his own advice... [[RefugeInAudacity But it works perfectly]].
** Also averted with Josiah Trelawny. Trelawny is the only member of the gang Dutch allows back in after often being gone for months on end, as Dutch considers him a useful person to associate with. Arthur is suspicious of Trelawny due to these long absences. [[spoiler:It turns out that Trelawny is in fact loyal to the gang, only leaving when things get far too dangerous by the end of chapter six.]]
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Out of all the members of the Van der Linde Gang, he's hit with this the hardest. He goes from a well-dressed, intelligent composed gentleman with a borderline-BanditClan [[TheDreaded large enough to draw]] [[GodzillaThreshold U.S Army attention]] reduced to an unkempt and aging outlaw with barely a fraction of his former power, who's slowly suffering from SanitySlippage.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Oh ''boy'', take a seat for this one:
** Despite fighting civilization in favor of the old, more simple, and egalitarian way of life that the Old West allowed men to live, you can tell from looking through caves in Cochinay that he's very well-read and likely extremely intelligent. Ultimately, he's probably not that different from the people he's trying to fight: bankers, industrialists, and government agents that civilization put in power, and under different circumstances probably would've had the smarts to be one himself. There's other evidence of this as well, he uses a Semi-Automatic pistol in cutscenes and escapes from the bank robbery in an automobile. Not only that, he exploits the Native Americans for his own ends, making him no different from those he claims to fight against. [[spoiler:It goes to show how not even he could resist the influence of encroaching civilization, and it seems likely that this fact might have been what ultimately drove him over the DespairEventHorizon.]]
** In the prequel, how he runs his gang isn't that different from the societal hierarchy and runnings of the government. Dutch seems to have a slightly authoritarian stance when it comes to the runnings of his gang, emphasizing "loyalty" and "faith" as the gang's main tenets while refusing to take input or criticism from his subordinates. For a man who preaches freedom and anarchy, he doesn't really tolerate individualism if it clashes with his opinions, and sees the act of doing so as traitorous. Not only does his camp have a rule where every member has to contribute half of their earnings from a completed job for the camp's retirement fund, which mirrors how the government taxes its people, but he also demands that the others donate additional money to fund supply runs and daily expenses -- and, in spite all his urging the gang to donate, there is not one instance in the ledger where he himself puts in money or anything of value.
** Similarly, if Arthur spends a full day or so at camp (even if he's doing chores, donating to the box, and being friendly with everyone), Dutch will sometimes march up and chastise him for "hang[ing] around [here] like a bad smell", tut-tutting that he "used to be a man of action". While Dutch, the most wanted member of the gang, can hardly risk being seen roaming around the area, 95% of the time he spends in camp is done sitting on his ass -- reading, smoking cigars, listening to opera records -- while his men pull reconnaissance for future jobs, and he never offers help with any chores himself. If it weren't for his planning and heading out with the gang on bigger robberies, he'd be about as useful as Uncle.
** While Dutch recruits a fairly diverse gang and seems to treat them equally in a manner unheard of for the period, he has an open disdain of Catholics, Southerners, and Italians. It's unclear exactly how much of this is a personal dislike of Angelo Bronte, the Italian, Catholic Mafia leader of Saint Denis, and how much is genuine bigotry; his first description of the city is as a town of "Papists and rapists", though he seems to be commiserating with Arthur how different a place it is from what they're used to. His dislike of Southerners has no qualifiers, though, as his father died fighting them in the Civil War (presumably at the Battle of Gettysburg), and he sees simultaneously conning the Braithwaites and Grays as "payback" -- [[RevengeBeforeReason a concept Arthur has misgivings over from the very beginning]].
*** Dutch doesn't tolerate Bill, a member of his own gang, expressing racist views, and will sometimes chide his ignorance or give him a very stern lecture to stop bullying Lenny and call him by his proper name. Micah, meanwhile, is even more venomous and passive-aggressive in his bigotry, and takes great pleasure in singling out the minorities in the gang for verbal abuse; notably, while Lenny may laugh Bill off as a harmless fool, he ''hates'' Micah. If Dutch ever happened to get any complaints or counsel from Hosea about Micah's behavior, he did nothing meaningful to stop it.
** At one point in ''II'', he chastises Arthur for [[spoiler:helping break John out of prison]] for very likely giving the gang unwanted attention from the Pinkertons, only to [[spoiler:assassinate Leviticus Cornwall on a whim]] in ''broad daylight and surrounded by Pinkertons.''
** He at one point lectures John about being a deadbeat dad, but when John starts taking his parenthood seriously, Dutch gets upset about John being less focused on the gang, even though John was following Dutch's own advice.
** At the end of "II", he chastises John for "betraying" him and said that John only cared about himself. This is coming from the guy who actually did the betraying and became a full-blown {{Narcissist}} except John didn't betray Dutch and cared about him till he stabbed him and Arthur in the back in favor of Micah who was outright using him.
** When John confronts him on leaving him to die in their first meeting again ''I'', Dutch assures him that nobody is perfect and that he never claims himself a saint and equally doesn't take John as an errand boy. This is rich given how in ''II'', he fashions himself as a "Robin Hood"-like figure fighting against the evils of civilization for the good of the Old West, leading his gang like a CultOfPersonality and preaching to them to "have faith" (i.e. {{Gaslighting}}), and leaving them to (mostly) do the heavy lifting while sitting around all day in camp and equally disregard their wellbeing if they were to go against ''his'' wishes later on as his SanitySlippage gets worse.
** He open show his distaste for the methods and actions committed by the antagonists (Colm's sadism and LackOfEmpathy, Cornwall destroying everything in his path to feed his greed, and General Favours' manipulations of the Native Americans, etc.) who he and his gang encounter throughout ''II''. But as his [[SanitySlippage sanity becomes worse]] later on, he becomes not so different from them, assuming if everything he preached to his gang is all a facade to begin with.
** In ''I'', he's disgusted by John [[spoiler:working with the U.S. government]], and further states that "there's ''always'' a choice" when John tells him he was forced to help them. Compare this to when Dutch constantly tells [[spoiler:Arthur and John]] that he didn't have any choice but to [[spoiler:abandon them at points where their lives were in danger]].
** In general, Dutch's constant complaints about the evils of civilization and overly wealthy elite that he passes down to his gang ring pretty damn hollow given how the man just ''loves'' to indulge in luxuries in ''II'', which includes dressing in impeccable clothing, reading fine literature and listening to opera music, all the while the rest of the gang gets relatively plain and/or simplistic furbishing with little to entertain themselves with.
** All his talk about "revenge isn't a luxury" to his gang rings hollow as Dutch lives on getting back at anyone who wronged him.
** Dutch might speak up about Strauss's LoanShark business being unseemly, but the fact that he allows it anyway directly contradicts the gang's Robin Hood-like ideology.
** In short, it often looks like Dutch's beef with civilization isn't the oppression and inequality, it's that preexisting social structures mean that he specifically doesn't get to be top dog.
* HypocriticalHumor: In ''II'', after [[spoiler:Jack]] is kidnapped, [[PapaWolf a furious John]] is seething in anger and Dutch tells him to calm down. Not even 10 seconds later...
-->"'''GET DOWN HERE NOW! YOU INBRED TRASH!'''"
* IAmAMonster: He calls himself one [[spoiler: during his final confrontation with John Marston]], though at the same time he says this mocking the federal government and its hunt for boogymen to justify their salary.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Dutch's appearance slowly but surely degrades, starting off as a healthy, well-dressed man in 1899, but had degraded into an unkempt mountain man with a huge, bushy beard by 1907. By 1911, he's a modestly dressed, sickly man that appears borderline elderly.
* IdiotBall: All of Dutch's plans in ''II'' involve committing crimes in plain sight and assuming nobody will notice or react. After the second failure, you'd think he'll rethink his plans... but nope.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Even by the franchise's standards. While John is scouting him from a mountain pretty high up, Dutch manages to shoot the binoculars he was using off of his hands with a pistol held with only one hand.
* ImproperlyParanoid: After his SanitySlippage, he starts accusing everyone ''except'' TheMole of being a traitor.
* IndyPloy: Dutch is very over-reliant on this trope being in effect. Whenever one of his plans turns sour (unfortunately common), he immediately comes up with another one on the spot. Unfortunately, said off-the-cuff plans are usually full of major holes, but he refuses to acknowledge that he might be better off making better ''first'' plans that account for consequences and don't [[MissingStepsPlan skip steps]], instead of making up similarly-shoddy second, third, fourth, and so on plans until one works by dumb luck or the gang's enemies catch up to him.
* InkSuitActor: A dead ringer for VA Benjamin Byron Davis, especially in the second game after graying and growing a BeardOfSorrow.
* TheInsomniac: Despite not participating in any camp work in ''II'' and having plenty of opportunities for rest, the man never seems to get a sound eight hours of sleep, which can't be helping his mental state. Peering into his tent will reveal that he sits awake at night, staring into space, and even when he gains a bed of his own in Shady Belle, his sleeping animations show him to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DrQosj0JdI restless, irritable, and easy to wake up]].
* InUniverseFactoidFailure: Dutch doesn't really research enough about Tahiti before getting there. To him, the island is an untouched paradise free from civilization but at the time of the game, it was already a French colony. There's also his idea of getting to either New York or Chicago before escaping the country in Chapter 6 by boat, even though Chicago is not near any ocean. Aside from lacking proper reading materials, it is also likely Dutch is simply making up as he is goes.
* InopportuneVoiceCracking: When he's making incredibly hammy speeches and ChewingTheScenery, also occasionally in regular conversation.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: His best friend is Hosea, who is at least 11 years his senior.
* IRejectYourReality: [[spoiler: One possible intrepretation when it is discovered that Micah is the traitor. As Micah has been [[ProfessionalButtKisser nothing but "supportive"]] to him since Hosea died, Dutch has a hard time believing that his sole supporter is a traitor because doing so would make him a failure, leading him to side with Micah over Arthur and John. It takes nearly seven years for him to come in term with this]].
* ItGetsEasier: At first, he's hesitant in more shady criminal acts and never thinks of leaving anyone behind, then as the story progresses, [[spoiler:he kills and abandons people and causes chaos like it’s a hobby. This reaches its peak by the time he first appears in ''I'', where he by this point displays traits that make him reminiscent of Colm O'Driscoll or Micah Bell.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: ''II'' traces Dutch's descent into malignant narcissism. While he's willing to take advice and criticism from {{Only Sane M|an}}en Hosea and Arthur in the earlier chapters of the game, following [[spoiler:the former's death, the botched bank heist and subsequent detour to Guarma]] he begins demanding complete, unwavering loyalty and [[CatchPhrase faith]] from all of his followers. In the end, the only gang member he's willing to take advice from is ProfessionalButtKisser [[spoiler:and, ironically, TheMole]] Micah.
* JadeColoredGlasses: John believed that when Dutch realized that no matter how hard he fought, he could never make a real difference in the world, he snapped.
* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: When Arthur and Sadie rescue John from Sisika Penitentiary, Dutch chews out Arthur twice for doing so. He has a valid point, as this gave the gang even more unwanted scrutiny from the law and the Pinkerton Agency and very well could have given their camp location away. However, given that he then murders an oil baron in broad daylight and in the middle of a town, [[AmbiguouslyEvil maybe he specifically didn't want to rescue John]]. Regardless, this further strains Dutch and Arthur's relationship and causes the former to be more suspicious of the latter.]]
* JerkassRealization: Implied and subsequently downplayed. [[spoiler:Dutch's reaction to a dying Arthur reiterating that Micah is the rat, and that John and his family successfully escaped the Pinkertons suggests that he finally realizes how his actions led to the fall of his gang and the deaths of several of his friends. However, he inexplicably walks away from Micah and Arthur shortly afterwards, and this event likely only contributed to his DespairEventHorizon and SanitySlippage.]]
* JustLikeRobinHood: A long time ago. The prequel shows that he's actually a deconstruction of the archetype. While he ''is'' genuine in helping the oppressed, his obsession with being like Robin Hood only ends up causing more harm than good. [[AmbiguousSituation How well he fit this trope before the events of]] ''[[AmbiguousSituation II]]'' [[AmbiguousSituation is anyone's guess.]] [[spoiler:John in ''II'' openly questions whether the gang ever really did any good like they remember, while by ''I'' he believes that they did in fact steal from the rich to give to the poor.]]
* KickTheDog:
** In the first game, the second time we see him, he holds a bank hostage and shoots some poor innocent woman in the head in front of John just to spite him.
** The second game has him [[spoiler:abandoning both Arthur and John on different occasions to save himself. This was what broke their faith in him.]]
** [[spoiler:As Arthur's health begin to decline, Dutch doesn't empathize with him one bit and, like Micah, often makes fun of his condition.]]
** In order to spite John, Dutch tells him straight to his face that Jack might not be John's son at all since Abigail used to sleep with every member of the gang, reminding John how he used to think the same thing as well.
* LargeAndInCharge: Dutch is noticeably tall, towering over almost everyone. According to his actor, Dutch is approximately 6'0", ''well'' above the average for the time (though this also makes him substantially shorter than Ben Davis).
* LargeHam: In ''II'', Dutch has a booming (if prone to breaking) voice and is prone to melodramatic, fiery speeches, which he weaponizes when negotiating with Angelo Bronte. By the time 1911 rolls in, he is noticeably soft spoken and eerily composed, even when he's hunting [=MacDougal=] outside of his window.
* LightIsNotGood: He wears lighter colored clothes in ''I'' in contrast to his appearance in ''II'', and is without question a villain by this point in time.
* LongingLook: Gives one of these towards Mary-Beth in at least one encounter by Chapter Three. The fact that Arthur can antagonize Molly by mentioning how often he does so indicates he does this regularly.
* LoonyFan: He is a fan of the works of Evelyn Miller, whose works inspired much of his anarchistic and primitivist views, and has many moments in camp where he will reverently cite the words of "Mr. Miller" as if they're scripture. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-DzZBdMRYA In two others]], the similarly well-read Lenny will criticize Miller for [[DelusionsOfEloquence speaking "very prettily" but not saying anything new]], and accuse him of being a dilettante "on vacation" with the lower classes; Dutch takes these statements personally, but can only laugh them off or offer weak rebuttals over any real defense, much like when others question his own actions. [[spoiler:Ironically, Evelyn -- who is eventually driven mad by his obsession with nature and privileged self-loathing, and dies alone in the wilderness -- would probably 100% agree with Lenny, and be horrified that he played a part in Dutch's crimes.]]
* TheLostLenore: Annabelle, an old member of the gang that was murdered by Colm O'Driscoll, which started the bitter feud between the two gangs.
* LuddWasRight: A firm believer of this. He believes that society should revert back to its old ways and that the modernization of civilization is poisonous.
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Manipulates Eagle Flies and other members of the Wapiti to engage in a hopeless conflict against the US Army in an attempt just to ward off attention from the gang.]] This tropes goes further if one believes Dutch was EvilAllAlong and that he was manipulating John and Arthur the entire time they were in the gang.
** He clearly is this when he manipulates [[spoiler:Arthur and John into committing more robberies, convincing them he has a plan, while clearly wanting and relishing the power that comes with his gang members blindly obeying his orders. It works to quite a good extent, until the point where the gang eventually sees him for what he is and leave him.]]
** By 1911, he forms a new gang out of Native Americans, pretending to pity their plight when he is just stringing them along doing random acts of anarchy.
* MaskOfSanity: Played with. While Dutch was obviously never as sane as he appeared in the beginning, exactly how much the mask covered is up for debate. Arthur and John eventually come to believe that Dutch was ''[[EvilAllAlong always]]'' a sociopathic narcissist, and his SanitySlippage throughout ''II'' is Dutch being unable to hold the mask up under pressure. On the other hand, it could just be regular SanitySlippage caused by Dutch realizing exactly how much trouble he caused both his gang and his cause, combined with [[TheCorrupter Micah's manipulation]]. Sadie Adler in particular believes that the Dutch van der Linde that rescued her from the O'Driscolls wasn't the same man who left John to rot in prison and betray Arthur when he needed him most. Whatever is the case, Dutch in ''I'' mostly doesn't bother trying to wear the mask, openly threatening and attacking John whenever they meet one another.
* MeaningfulAppearance: Throughout most of ''II'', Dutch is an impeccably groomed, well-dressed man, especially by outlaw standards; however, by the time we see him in 1911, he wears very plain, inexpensive clothes. The change, in hindsight, reflects Dutch's conflicted views on civilization as well as his circumstances: initially a proud man with an air of nobility who follows society's rules of decorum while preaching against it, by a decade later he no longer can fool himself or anyone else into believing there's any sort of reason or justice in committing horrible crimes against the U.S government, and makes no pretense of being a gentleman bandit.
* MightyWhitey: Averted. [[spoiler:In 'II', he exploits the Wapiti's justified anger towards the U.S. government to encourage them to engage in conflict to lure attention off the gang, and in doing so effectively puts the tribe in enormous danger and effectively dooms them]]. By ''I'', he leads the local Native Americans in a guerrilla war against civilization he fully knows is pointless.
* MoralMyopia: As the man understands it, you're either with him or you're ideologically opposed to him, and he excuses his own actions in a way that he would never his enemies'. By 1911, his war against civilization has ceased to be any effective form of political or philosophical anarchy, and instead a way of taking revenge on society through indiscriminate and purposeless violence for how it has brought him low.
* MoreThanMindControl: By helping people who are either orphans, no where to go, or at their lowest point in lives, Dutch is able to gather full respect and loyalty from his gang. This seems to be a method of indoctrination as these people will not question him and not leave the gang because they will be nothing without him. Arthur, for instance, is a nice man who hates the life of crime and the only reason he continues living the way he does is because of his loyalty to Dutch. Dutch eventually uses this loyalty to make the gang commit "OneLastJob" after another while slowly being influenced by Micah in turn, making several of his members wary of him [[spoiler:as they leave the gang.]]
* TheMostWanted: In 1899, Dutch was essentially in the subject of a tug of war between Cornwall, the Pinkertons, the O'Driscolls, the Grays, the Braithwraites, TheMafia, the Lemoyne Raiders, and the local law enforcement, especially Saint Denis's and Blackwater's. They don't even want the rest of the gang, they just want Dutch. Then later on he has the whole Bureau of Investigation on his ass once it's formed in 1907. It's almost like the BOI was formed ''just for Dutch''. He's also stated to have one of the biggest dead or alive bounties ''in the entire country''. The entire plot of ''I'' was also necessitated to weaken Dutch's power by killing or capturing his former lieutenants, even using his former lieutenant as an instrument, to the point the entire ''army'' is bent on capturing him by the time [[spoiler:he dies]].
* MotiveDecay: In ''II'', Dutch had legitimately noble goals for him and his outlaw gang, but as he continues to experience setbacks and lose members through death or by leaving of their own volition, they began to increasingly unravel into blatant insanity. By the time of ''I'', Dutch doesn't even have a reason for his senseless acts of violence anymore, and even admits that "sport" is the only reason he wants to kill John.
* MountainMan: [[spoiler:By the epilogue of 'II', he's reported as having been seen in the Tall Trees area of West Elizabeth, and wears plainer clothing and has a thick beard when he appears in the final mission of the game. He resides in the mountains of Tall Trees still by 'I', and wears clothing appropriate for living in such an environment despite no longer looking unkempt.]]
* MovingTheGoalposts: In ''II'', his endgoal for evading the government changes from moving further west to getting enough money to go to Tahiti; [[MissingStepsPlan the steps required to get to said goal, as well as how to finally recover the stash from the Blackwater job, also change depending on the situation]]. As with many things with Dutch, it's not clear whether he only wants to justify large-scale robberies and keep the Gang continuously doing bigger and bigger jobs, or if he genuinely doesn't understand that [[DiggingYourselfDeeper his ceaseless ambition is what's screwing them all by drawing undue attention and eliminating the number of places they can hide out]].[[spoiler:Either way, the gang ends up leaving him when they realize that he'll never settle on any victory that allows them to ''actually'' quit being criminals; no matter what they do, he'll just keep increasing the scope of his goals until they've all died outlaws trying to accomplish them.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Pretty much the only moment that disqualifies Dutch from being a sociopath is at the very end of ''II'' where [[spoiler:, assuming Arthur has High Honor and helped John escape, he has a VillainousBreakdown upon seeing Arthur, his own son, broken, bloody, and minutes from death, rasping to him "I gave you all I had... I did." It's at this moment he realizes he's selfishly and stupidly ruined his own family after being corrupted by petty vengeance and Micah. Unfortunately, the moment of clarity only enforces his insanity and nihilism, rather than leading to his redemption. He does at the very least kill Micah 8 years later]].
* {{Narcissist}}: [[spoiler:As his sanity slips away, Dutch's opinion of himself begins to seem greater and greater, and structures his gang solely around [[CultOfPersonality personal fealty]], rather than a shared philosophy with himself as a unifying figure. His word becomes law, and anyone who even gives the ''appearance'' of dissent is a "doubter" and thus a pawn of their enemies, all the while failing to see that the gang is falling apart because of his own actions. Even Arthur, the most loyal and devoted member the gang ever had, turns into a "snake" for trying to save the rest from what's inevitably coming, and Dutch doesn't understand the truth until it's too late.]]
* NatureVsNurture: An adult version, but as Dutch becomes more and more unhinged, those around him can only wonder if his experiences have changed him into his current state, or if this was who he truly was and what they thought they knew as Dutch was just a mask.
* NeverMyFault:
** It is very much his fault that [[spoiler:that most of his gang ends up dead or having to leave in order to avoid being killed, but he blames everyone else for not standing by him blindly, while not taking into consideration that he has made it difficult for them to do so]].
** Similarly, if Dutch has (or claims to have) a plan for whatever situation they're in, he usually neglects to include a contingency, consider important or complicating factors, or share key details with the rest; instead, he expects everyone to execute it perfectly on "faith", and berates them for ruining it when it doesn't work.
** Dutch is rather pissed at Cornwall for constantly targeting him for months, ignoring the fact that, as much as a CorruptCorporateExecutive Cornwall is, he robbed Cornwall ''first''.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: As part of his philosophy, Dutch prefers not using any kind of new technology, seeing them as a symbol of the corruption of civilization. Despite this, he is unable to resist its wonders as shown when he uses a semi-auto pistol instead of a revolver and an automobile instead of a car.
* TheNicknamer: At one point in ''II'' he often calls Agent Milton "Agent Moron".
* NobleDemon: He starts out as one, instilling in his gang an anarchistic philosophy that involves robbing the rich and the government to give to the poor and disenfranchised while trying to not kill anyone unless necessary. This changes by beginning of ''II'', when Dutch inexplicably kills a young woman in the ferry heist. Over the course of ''II'', he abandons this philosophy more and more as he willingly causes wanton chaos and death, [[AmbiguouslyEvil to the point where Arthur, John and others start to question whether he really ever adhered to these principles at all]].
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Bears more than a passing resemblance to the late Creator/LeeVanCleef. Their names are even quite similar.
** Also bears some resemblance in looks and voice to Powers Boothe, especially his appearance as "Curly" Bill Brocius in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}''.
* NotHimself: Due to his SanitySlippage in ''II''. [[spoiler:Several members of the gang are taken aback by Dutch’s murder of a girl in the failed Blackwater job, considering it very much out of character for him. His personality then gradually shifts as the story progresses, to the point where several characters in the gang are noticeably alarmed and concerned, such as Arthur, John, Miss Grimshaw, Swanson, Charles, and Sadie.]] This grows to such an extent John suspects that [[spoiler:Dutch hasn't changed, instead is showing more of his true colors as time passes as Dutch begins tapping into his more reckless nature and manipulating the gang into doing his bidding.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: It's ambiguous how much of Dutch's reckless actions during ''II'' count for this trope (he certainly ignores relatively safe and easy ways of getting money in favor of flashy heists that attract everyone's attention), but by the time of the original game, he's ''absolutely'' slid out of the SecretlySelfish and WellIntentionedExtremist zones into this territory. His final scenes make it clear that by this point he knows full well that his war on civilization is utterly futile and is just going to get a lot of innocents killed and lead the Wapitis to their destruction, but he keeps doing it because he wants to hurt society for telling him what to do and he doesn't really know what to do with himself when he isn't rebelling against somebody.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''II'', Dutch is usually known for his [[LargeHam hamminess]]. So whenever he starts speaking quietly, you'll know something is wrong.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Van der Linde is a very Dutch name, so it's likely Dutch is a nickname based on his ethnicity. Then again, it may be a case of [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude his name actually being Dutch]] since his name is mentioned on his mother's gravestone located just outside of Blackwater in ''II''.
* OpportunisticBastard: [[spoiler: Interferes with the conflict between Wapiti Lakota tribe and the U.S. Army in an attempt to cause enough conflict in the hopes that they'll be able to evade the law and get enough money to do so. How much of this is his plan, and not [[TheCorrupter Micah's]], is up for debate.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: Is noted to show favoritism towards John over Arthur and several other members [[spoiler: until he grows more suspicious of John by chapter four]]. Arthur outright states that this is the reason Dutch allowed John back into the gang after a year's absence, stating that no one else would be let back in as easily. Downplayed in that he's a parental substitute to several members of the gang.
** He also is this to [[spoiler:Micah Bell, to the extent Micah easily used this to corrupt Dutch into turning against John and Arthur very easily. Dutch only snapped out of it after his betrayal and indeed kills him for it.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Was this to the rest of the original gang.
* ThePessimist: He's an aversion of this in ''II'', to such a degree that it could be considered a FatalFlaw. No matter how clearly dire the situation, Dutch remains largely optimistic that he and the gang can get out of the situation, even if his ideas for doing so are bordering on absurd. [[spoiler: This works in Micah's benefit after the more pessimistic and realistic Hosea dies, as he largely validates Dutch's poor decision making and outlook.]]
* PetTheDog:
** He scolds Bill at least twice for making racist remarks in ''II''.
** In the beginning when he, Micah and Arthur find Sadie Adler, he stops Micah from attempting to harm her. He then has her husband's body found and buried, and lets Sadie live with the gang.
** Early in ''II'', he confronts John for not being a proper father to Jack and disowning him.
** For what it's worth, he doesn't follow through on his threat to [[spoiler:execute the bank hostages even after Milton executes Hosea.]]
** When he discovers that Sadie had been the gang in his absence, rather than be upset that a woman and a newcomer usurped his role, he praises and thanks her for saving the gang.
** Assuming Arthur [[spoiler:remained honourable to the very end to the point of giving up the gang's money to help John escape, Dutch will be visibly heartbroken and remorseful when confronting Arthur, nearly shedding tears.]]
** [[spoiler:In the finale of ''II'', he not only decides to shoot Micah but walks away, leaving his stash of money to John.]]
** Most of the gang members have fond memories of how Dutch saved them and inducted them in the gang. He gave Bill's life the purpose it was lacking, took Tilly in after she fled from her kidnappers, saved John from a hanging. Not to mention raising both Arthur and John like they were his sons.
** He has a very strong bond with his horse, The Count, who's otherwise quite skittish.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: He has very progressive views for his time and is accepting of all races and genders within his gang, with Charles stating that the fact that he's willing to treat a man of mixed heritage like himself fairly being the reason he respects him. Of course, this doesn't stop him from seemingly ignoring Micah's racism or [[spoiler:manipulating Native tribes to fight a pointless war against the government on at least two occasions]].
* PsychologicalProjection: [[spoiler:He calls the gang members who left traitors, ignoring how he willingly abandoned John and Arthur in the story in their times of need.]]
** At the finale of ''II'', [[spoiler:He accuses John of shooting at him, betraying him, and only looking out for himself, ignoring how John ''didn’t'' do ''any'' of those and looked out for his family whilst Dutch did ''exactly'' what he accused John.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: Shows shades of this. Despite being very intelligent and charismatic, he grows increasingly vindictive and refuses to reconsider his positions even when he's clearly wrong, continuing to cling to the juvenile fantasy of being an outlaw even as it becomes clear that the lifestyle he craves is no longer tenable. By Chapter 6, he's prone to randomly lashing at his fellow gang members and has become very trigger-happy.
* ProperlyParanoid: Downplayed.
** [[spoiler:Dutch is eventually right about Arthur plotting against him, since Morgan aims to steal the gang's money as the gang falls apart as he resents Dutch’s increasing mistreatment of him.]]
** Dutch is absolutely right about there being an informant in the gang, [[spoiler:he just suspects someone like John or Abigail and not Micah due to being a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.]]
** [[spoiler:That being said, his growing mistrust of John and Abigail is rational, to a degree. John ''did'' abandon the gang for a full year before he returned, and he also is the first to point out in Guarma that Abigail inexplicably managed to escape the Pinkertons while John was arrested and not killed, unlike Hosea or Lenny.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: Eventually reaches this in Chapter Six, where he began to constantly shout at his men for absolutely no reason to the point many of his men began to abandon him.
* RebelWithoutACause: A variant where he ''has'' an expressed cause... it's just that said cause either is or becomes completely bogus. It's ambiguous how much he originally believed his anti-civilization rhetoric, but at ''some'' point in his criminal career, whether that be before or after the second game, it became less about being JustLikeRobinHood and more about spiting anyone who dared tell him what to do. It becomes clear in the later stages of ''II'' (and throughout the original game) that Dutch simply doesn't know what to do with himself when he isn't rebelling against somebody, whether that be the vague concept of civilization, the Pinkertons, traitors in his gang, or the U.S.A. itself.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: [[spoiler: According to a newspaper in the epilogue, he was presumed dead after a failed robbery in 1906, only to be sighted in Tall Trees a year later and was confirmed in 1911 to still be alive.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Exclusively wears red and black clothing in ''II'', though this trope is downplayed in that it's debatable how evil, or if he in fact even ''is'' evil at that point in time.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Hosea's blue.
* RevengeBeforeReason: A lot of Dutch's screw-ups happen because he pursues revenge against his enemies when simply walking away would be the wiser option, as perfectly lampshaded by Arthur. It's worth noting that this happens gradually - he's willing to bury the hatchet with Colm O'Driscoll and the score the gang steals from him at the beginning of the game is dangerous, but somewhat pragmatic.
-->'''Arthur:''' This better not be no stupid revenge mission, Dutch. It ain't worth it.
* RichesToRags: In 1899, Dutch is living the closest thing to a dream an outlaw can have as a gang leader, with elegant clothes, opera music, sophisticated literature and other riches being found in his tent. Many years later, Dutch has lost all those things, wearing only very plain and practical clothes, and has no other trinkets or luxuries to speak of.
* RiddleForTheAges: Did Dutch go mad or was he always that way and just lost his ability to hide it?
* RousingSpeech: Is prone to making these toward his gang in ''II'', and uses his charisma to full effect when delivering them.
* TheRunaway: Implied to have had a poor relationship with his mother and ran away from home at fifteen for this reason.
* SanitySlippage: As the prequel has established, he was not always an [[AxCrazy erratic maniac prone to random violence]] though there's implications that it's simply being tempered. He also hits his head in a mission about halfway through the story of ''II'' and is noticeably more erratic and unstable afterwards.
* SecretlySelfish: Even from the beginning, at least some of his hatred for civilization seems to be founded on the fact that as part of a larger society, Dutch himself doesn't get to be Ultimate Supreme Leader, while roughing it with a small gang that doesn't follow any laws but the ones he sets means that he can rule as a tyrant.
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler: His (mostly) unfounded doubts about Arthur's and John's loyalty early in the game make him take actions that ultimately end their loyalty and support of him by Chapter Six and plot to steal his money (though it’s up to Arthur whether he wants to follow through), confirming his preconceived biases against them while allowing AxCrazy [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] Micah to become his right-hand man]].
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: A charismatic CulturedBadass, Dutch's elegant manner of speaking is one of his more notable traits.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: His shift from caring about his appearance and wearing fairly elegant clothing in ''II'' to wearing much more plain and practical clothing for living in a mountainous area by ''I'' coincides with his DespairEventHorizon and SanitySlippage.
* ShadowArchetype: Dutch is what John and Arthur would have become if they continue to live the life of crime, whether it is because [[BecauseImGoodAtIt it is the only life they knew]], their inability to move on or for the thrill. In ''II'', one can easily see how John and Arthur becoming better men than they were at the start of the game while Dutch slowly becomes more paranoid and becoming more blood thirsty. This is also likely the reason he betrays them as he sees them, John especially, capable of having a future beyond the gang, something he can never have.
* SocialDarwinist: One who is willing to die to make sure that his ideals become reality.
* SociopathicHero: In his own mind he is.
* SoftspokenSadist: In [[spoiler:the epilogue of ''II'' and]] ''I'', he talks in a calm and restrained tone even as he's committing horrific crimes, a sharp contrast to his forceful demeanor in ''II''.
* SophisticatedAsHell: He's half-SouthernGentleman half-AxCrazy outlaw, and he talks just like one too.
** A particularly amusing example can happen if Arthur wanders off in the middle of one of his often long-winded camp conversations.
-->'''Dutch:''' Yeah? Well fuck you, then!
* StartOfDarkness: We see how Dutch became how he was in ''I'' in ''II'', though it becomes clear he was already starting to slip before the story even begins, with what happened [[NoodleIncident in Blackwater]]. Even in chapter 2 (the first real chapter since ch.1 is mainly a prologue), Arthur is already beginning to doubt Dutch's choices.
* StillFightingTheCivilWar: By the events of the first game where the Wild West era has long since past its twilight years, Dutch is still trying to fight a hopeless battle, even resorting to rallying support from the local Native Americans to his lost cause. More literally, during the events of II that center around the Braithewaites-Grays feud, Dutch mocks the families and other inhabitants of Rhodes for still holding a grudge against the Northern states over the events of the American Civil War -- however, he casually mentions to Arthur that part of his motivation for operating in the American South is a desire to get revenge for his father's death in that same war.
* StrawNihilist: He could be described this way in the first game. Realizing that his philosophy was just a dream, he realized that he was incapable of fighting anything; nature, change and gravity. His whole life was fighting for him, and although he knew how incapable he was, he couldn't fight his own nature because of how useless he would be. In the end, Dutch commits suicide, knowing that nothing he did will be remembered and having lost all meaning to life.
* SunkCostFallacy: A living example of this. At the beginning of the game, the gang steals 150k from a Blackwater bank ferry - calculated with inflation, this total is a whopping ''4.5 million dollars'' in 2018 money. This is more than enough for him and his group of 20 to retire on and live the rest of their lives in peace, but unfortunately the group had to ditch the money in West Elizabeth to cover their tracks upon escaping. The group ''could'' have laid low for a few years, did odd jobs and such to keep up funds, and then gone back for the money when the trail went cold to finally obtain their one-way ticket out of their criminal life, but Dutch simply ''cannot let go'' of his fixation on being a Robin Hood-type. As Dutch pours more and more money into keeping the group afloat, the gang struggles more and more, getting into far more dangerous situations and bloody gunfights than they previously have. As a result, Dutch has to pour more and more money into finding newer jobs for the crew, which leads to more and more fighting, and the cycle continues. By the end of the game, [[spoiler:just about the whole crew has abandoned him upon realizing that Dutch really doesn't ''want'' to stop being a criminal despite his pretensions about a higher purpose. He really was an outlaw to the end.]]
* TalkingToThemself: Dutch can be heard doing this starting in late Chapter 4 following his head injury during the trolley crash. Unlike the usual "muttering to yourself" version that Arthur (and most people in real life) does at times, Dutch talks in pieces of full conversations, at one point even playing a verbal game of chess despite being alone.
* TapOnTheHead: DeconstructedTrope, since a head injury has heavy consequences for Dutch's main character arc. After the botched trolley station heist in Saint Denis, Dutch suffered a possible concussion when the trolley the gang hijacked derailed. After the incident, he notably becomes more violent and erratic, implying that the knock to his head contributed to the SanitySlippage that led to his mental state in the first game.
* ThrillSeeker: His pattern of behavior heavily suggests he's one. Many of the actions he takes can be explained by a genuine love for risk taking, as noted by both Hosea and Arthur early in the game. His plans are almost always way more dangerous than they need to be, and he appears to wildly enjoy gunfights, occasionally taunting enemies and ''daring them to kill him''. [[spoiler: This explains why he clearly doesn't want to leave his life as an outlaw, and most likely contributes to the fatalistic attitude he comes to hold about his nature when he accepts that his way of life is dead due to the increasing presence of law and order in the American West]].
* TookALevelInJerkass:
** At the start of Chapter 4, he dismisses Molly and belittles her to Arthur as they ride away. He is a lot more curt from then on, but still pleasant enough to Arthur.
** After [[spoiler:the trolley robbery, Dutch goes on a rant about John, berates Arthur for being disloyal and claims only Micah is still loyal.]]
** After the gang gets back from Guarma, he can frequently be seen berating his men for mild slights.
** By the end of ''II'', [[spoiler:he leaves Arthur and John, who are essentially his adopted sons, for dead several times after he considers them to have betrayed him]].
** [[spoiler: He at one point in the Chapter 6 mission "A Rage Unleashed" ''mocks'' Arthur for his tuberculosis-induced coughing fits. He also only expresses minimal concern for Arthur's health occasionally if the player has Arthur greet him in Chapter 6]].
* ToxicFriendInfluence: Both coming ''and'' going.
** Micah is this to him, as Micah is said to have egged him on to shoot Heidi [=McCourt=] and in general encourages and enables Dutch's worst impulses. Listening to Micah makes Dutch more ''like'' Micah- an unrepentant criminal and bully (or at least, more willing to ''[[MaskOfSanity openly]]'' be that way). Unfortunately for everyone else, Micah [[ProfessionalButtKisser says what Dutch wants to hear]] while Dutch isn't in a state to process criticism, so Dutch keeps him close despite his general untrustworthiness.[[spoiler: Micah is also exploiting Dutch's mental state to push him into self-destruction so the Pinkertons have an easier time rounding the gang up.]]
** Dutch is also this to his gang, good intentions or no. Most of them don't actually ''want'' to live as criminals (and in the epilogue, are able to find honest work), but Dutch keeps them as part of his gang, putting them in extreme and often unnecessary danger, because he himself doesn't want to be anything but an outlaw and likes having people to command.[[spoiler: Most either die or wise up and ditch the gang before the final mission. When the gang dissolves for good, the only members left (aside from Micah's buddies Joe and Cleet) are the three from the first game (Dutch, Bill, and Javier), Micah himself, and Susan (who dies during the mission).]]
* TragicDream: He has one in his mind - to be an outlaw to the very end, and to force civilization back from the "purity" of the West. By 1911, he is a man clinging to false hope and belief as the West has been settled. When John finally confronts him, [[spoiler:he simply accepts that the Wild West era is over and he commits suicide]].
* TragicVillain: Undoubtedly the most tragic villain of the entire series. His {{Fatal Flaw}}s, bad decisions, tragic dreams, MoralMyopia and [[spoiler:having a [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] monster as a comrade (Micah Bell)]] made him the man he was, practically incapable of fighting against his own nature and finally [[spoiler:committing suicide]].
* TranquilFury: Slips into this when [[spoiler:Arthur ''insists'' on John and his family being let go.]]
* TriggerHappy: Progressively so. For most of the game, he advocates talking his way out of trouble and even holds parley with the O'Driscolls. [[spoiler:By chapter 6, he's picking fights with the US Army, shooting oil barons in plain sight and all his plans rely on violence]]. This recklessness is noted to be OutOfCharacter - everyone expresses shock at his shooting of Heidi [=McCourt=] at the Blackwater ferry. No one really saw what happened there, but it's suggested the robbery was going off without a hitch until then. By ''I'', his propensity to kill and cause conflict out of nowhere has become one of his most prominent traits.
* UngratefulBastard: Dutch has elements of this toward Arthur, especially as the main story progresses. Despite being his most reliable and competent gang member dating back two decades, Arthur is the target of Dutch's infamous "have faith" speeches and [[spoiler:begins siding with dangerous newcomer Micah simply because Micah sucks up to Dutch and tells him what he wants to hear. The deaths of prominent senior gang members like Hosea only make Dutch ''worse'' in this regard]].
** Averted with Reverend Swanson. The ''only'' reason he's still tolerated in the gang despite his alcoholism and drug addiction is because Dutch allows him to remain due to saving his life. When Swanson says the incident occurred years prior, and asks Dutch why he doesn't kick him out, the latter states he hasn't forgotten about it.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: When [[PlayingBothSides working both the Braithwaites and the Grays]], Dutch sends John to the Grays to see about stealing the Braithwaites' horses. John was about to go with Hosea to try and get in the Braithwaite's good graces but they ask Arthur, who is already acting as a deputy to Sheriff Gray, to go in his stead. Because of this, Arthur ends up personally dealing with the heads of both families while attacking both families. [[spoiler:Both families figure out they are being played and retaliate with the Grays killing Sean and the Braithwaites kidnapping Jack. Jack's kidnapping sets off a chain of events that eventually destroys the gang.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:At the very end of Arthur's story ''II'', he has a huge MyGodWhatHaveIDone-centric moment of clarity when he realizes how wrong he's been. For the first time ever, Dutch Van der Linde, a man who always knows what to say and when to say it, all he can do is pitifully stutter "I...I..." as he gradually perceives all the lives he's permanently ruined, including his own.]]
* VillainousCheekbones: Interestingly, not until 1911 and by the time he's well past his MoralEventHorizon. His face appears sunken in compared to in 1899, presumably having lived a rougher life since that time, and this emphasizes the arches of his cheekbones.
* VillainousFriendship: His best friend is Hosea, his partner in crime and second-in-command for over 20 years.
* VillainHasAPoint: He's an AxCrazy outlaw and ManipulativeBastard, but he has many valid reasons for why he opposes modern civilization and the industrialization of the American Frontier; it's implied that these ideals are partially responsible for why his gang is [[UndyingLoyalty extremely loyal]] to him [[spoiler:until he becomes too dangerous and insane to be around]].
** [[spoiler:He's absolutely correct in telling John that he won't be absolved of his crimes by the government for killing him during their final confrontation in ''1'', despite what Ross keeps telling John.]]
** [[spoiler:He tells John that the Bureau will just find another criminal to justify their existence after his death. Guess who that "other criminal" is.]]
** By the time of I, John is a cynic who often spouts polemics about the hypocrisies inherent in modern life and society, as well as the self-destructive nature of man. That game portrays him as correct in these criticisms, but it's implied in ''I'' -- and confirmed in ''II'' -- that Dutch was the person who informed John's views in this regard. In essence, John comes to believe the things Dutch taught him. However, while John is ultimately a good man who consistently acts in defiance to his cynical statements, to the point that he's called a romantic pretending to be a cynic in ''I'', Dutch has truly become an amoral monster who is a vicious outlaw for the sake of it by the time of the first game. Whatever former idealism he had, it's all been stamped out, and he's an empty shell of a man.
* VisionaryVillain: Of sorts. By 1911, his war against civilization and dream of a world where a man is 100% free to do what they want is fueled entirely by his hatred of the modern world, and fights against the law to return the world to the times of old. Too bad his way of executing this plan consists of hiding in caves, convincing young natives to die for him and an occasional robbery and murder. Judging by his hideout and last words, it's entirely possible -- if not likely -- that deep down he doesn't believe in this goal either and just wants to spite the government for trying to tell him what to do.
* VocalEvolution: His manner of speaking goes from being boisterous and emotive (with frequent voice cracks) in ''II'' to being more soft-spoken and cool-headed by ''I'', coinciding with his DespairEventHorizon. His voice is also slightly deeper in ''I'', likely due to his old age and/or the stresses of continuing to live his dying lifestyle.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: In ''II'' he either switches between wearing an all-black or all-red waistcoat, both equally dapper and contributing to his status as a BadassInANiceSuit.
* WarriorPoet: A badass outlaw infamous for numerous bank and train robberies, but also a well-spoken CulturedBadass who justifies his actions with his anarchistic philosophy. [[https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/A_Day%27s_Walk_Poem A couple of]] [[https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/Dear_Annabella_Poem old poems]] addressed to "Annabella" can be found along with the pipe he left in an old cabin in Vetter's Echo, though the difference in handwriting makes it unclear if they were his or not.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: His philosophy in ''II'' is a tendency to "shoot fellas as need shooting, save fellas as need saving, and feed 'em as need feeding."
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He certainly thinks of himself as this. Whether he is indeed one, or just a manipulative psychopath is [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation largely up to the player's interpretation]], though there's enough reason to believe either is valid.
* WhiteStallion: Rides a white Arabian stallion named The Count in ''II''.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: At first, Dutch was a charismatic leader and a mentor willing to fight for the good of the people he has in his gang, but he is also quite prone to being delusional and making bad decisions. In fact, all his fatal flaws are the main reason why his SanitySlippage will come into play years later. In the end, it's revealed that he's just a sad man and a pitiful shell of a man clinging to false hope, only posing a threat due to his ties with Native American rebels -- a cause one can hardly call unjust.
* WouldHarmASenior: [[spoiler:In Guarma, he strangles an elderly guide to death because she demanded more money after he had paid her his only remaining gold stolen from Saint Denis. Granted, she was brandishing a large knife close to his face. Arthur's reaction makes it clear that he was more than capable of simply subduing her rather than killing her, however.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He would brutally murder one if he needed, or ''[[AxCrazy wanted]]'' to.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He thinks himself and his gang as [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood and his Merry Men]]; law-breaking heroes who will always stay one step ahead of the law thanks to RefugeInAudacity and PlotArmor, and who are beloved as champions of the oppressed at the same time they're hated by the oppressors. In reality, he's just another gang leader whose wild plans tend to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome trip on reality]] (his plan to tar and feather an army unit nearly gets his gang all killed when the rear guard shows up, for example) and who is feared by everyone not part of his gang because he's still robbing them. [[spoiler:By the end of the original game, he's figured out that he was never a hero and his crusade against civilization was hypocritical and pointless; the subsequent DespairEventHorizon causes him to kill himself.]]
* YouAreWhatYouHate: For all his preaching of his ideals to challenge the rise of modernity, he has a paradoxical relationship with it as he subtly follows similar practices and lifestyles, and his most vindictive grudges in ''II'' are of ambitious men that serve as dark mirrors of his own flaws. The realization of this contributed to his SanitySlippage.
** For all that Dutch understandably describes the O'Driscoll Boys as "brutes" and "animals" for their violent ways, what little of Colm is seen or described shows that he's very similar to his old enemy; the two men share a volatile temper, they're both schemers (though Colm seems to prefer simpler, more direct schemes), and Colm even reveals himself to be a flashy dresser when he [[https://www.gtabase.com/igallery/2401-2500/RDR2_GameplayVideoPart2_20-2428-1080.png arrives in person in "Blessed are the Peacemakers"]]. The main difference is that, while Dutch tries to be a noble father figure, Colm is unapologetic about being a cruel thug and doesn't hide the fact that he sees no value in his men. Although he frequently brings up Colm killing Annabelle as proof that he's an irredeemable mad dog, Dutch always brushes off any mention that Colm did it in retaliation for the murder of his brother. [[spoiler:The Van der Linde Gang actually had a shaky truce with the O'Driscoll Boys at the time, meaning that Dutch originally incited the feud.]]
** Similarly, Leviticus Cornwall shares Dutch's burning ambition, distaste for the law, and drive to succeed, but imposes his will in the name of modernization and industry, getting obscenely rich while his company despoils the land and his workers suffer. [[spoiler:Dutch's accusation that the difference between them is that Cornwall "destroy[s] everything in [his] path" gets more grimly ironic the longer the game goes on and the gang begins to fall apart with a trail of dead and ruin in their wake.]]
** WordOfGod says that this is partially the reason for his [[spoiler: brutal murder of Angelo Bronte]], being disgusted with himself for admiring his wealth and power.
* YouMakeMeSick: He is not happy about John collaborating with the federal government to hunt him down. [[spoiler:In his own twisted point of view, it basically confirmed that John was really the rat of the gang and not Micah; Dutch shot Micah for nothing in 1907, when he should’ve shot John.]]
--> '''Dutch''': We all make mistakes, John. I never claimed to be a saint. But equally, I never took you for an errand boy.
[[/folder]]
!!!Membership
[[folder:Abigail Marston (née Roberts)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abigail_roberts___red_dead_redemption_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The life we led, that doesn't go away. It's never over."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see her in ''Red Dead Redemption'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/830ed8e1185794fe061b259bc451c62d.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Sophia Marzocchi (''RDR I'', motion capture in ''RDR II''), Cali Elizabeth Moore (''RDR II'')
An ex-prostitute that rode with the gang in its heyday, Abigail's life changed with the birth of her and John Marston's son, Jack. While John was initially unwilling to admit the child was his and struggled with his feelings for her, the collapse of the gang saw the two reconcile and decide to settle down together. Now Abigail ''Marston'', she lived a quiet life on the ranch... until some agents of the law showed up on their doorstep with a message.
----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** In ''II'', he astutely calls out the emotional truth of some of the gang members: Dutch wants to be a king of America, with the gang members being his knights venturing to show the population a better, nobler way to live. He also identifies Susan Grimshaw as a fine woman who cares for the camp and its members with her whole heart, and calls her displays of stern strictness and her barbed tongue as being "a rose's thorns".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EnmityWithAnObject: [[spoiler:In the post-game of II, she really doesn't like the taxidermized squirrel that John can get from completing the Hunting Requests despite the fact that he considers it art. Afterwards, John can find it hidden around various different places around Beecher's Hope and eventually it'll end up over on the top of Mount Shann]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 164 (click to see context) from:
* JerkassHasAPoint: In "II" while pitching an idea about a bank robbery, Bill calls Arthur out about the shootout in Valentine when the latter expresses doubt in the plan [and in Bill's competence, in turn]. In response, Arthur says it was not his fault and that it was "just one of them things," to which Bills asks why, when he messes up, he is called a "fool and an idiot", while whenever Arthur messes up, it's "just one of them things." Arthur does not have a comeback for this, and everyone present agrees that it is a good point...even Lenny, of all people.
to:
* JerkassHasAPoint: In "II" while pitching an idea about a bank robbery, Bill calls Arthur out about the shootout in Valentine when the latter expresses doubt in the plan [and [and, in turn, Bill's competence, in turn]. competence]. In response, Arthur says it was not his fault and that it was "just one of them things," to which Bills Bill asks why, when he messes up, he is called a "fool and an idiot", while whenever Arthur messes up, it's "just one of them things." Arthur does not have a comeback for this, and everyone present agrees that it is a good point...even Lenny, of all people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 164 (click to see context) from:
* JerkassHasAPoint: In "II" while pitching an idea about a robbery, Bill calls Arthur out about the shootout in Strawberry when the latter expresses doubt in the plan [and in Bill's competence]. In response, Arthur dismisses it as "just one of them things," to which Bills asks why, when he messes up, he is called a "fool and an idiot" while whenever Arthur messes up, "it's just one of them things." Arthur does not have a proper comeback to this, and everyone present agrees that it is a good point- even Lenny, of all people.
to:
* JerkassHasAPoint: In "II" while pitching an idea about a bank robbery, Bill calls Arthur out about the shootout in Strawberry Valentine when the latter expresses doubt in the plan [and in Bill's competence]. competence, in turn]. In response, Arthur dismisses says it as was not his fault and that it was "just one of them things," to which Bills asks why, when he messes up, he is called a "fool and an idiot" idiot", while whenever Arthur messes up, "it's just it's "just one of them things." Arthur does not have a proper comeback to for this, and everyone present agrees that it is a good point- point...even Lenny, of all people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* JerkassHasAPoint: In "II" while pitching an idea about a robbery, Bill calls Arthur out about the shootout in Strawberry when the latter expresses doubt in the plan [and in Bill's competence]. In response, Arthur dismisses it as "just one of them things," to which Bills asks why, when he messes up, he is called a "fool and an idiot" while whenever Arthur messes up, "it's just one of them things." Arthur does not have a proper comeback to this, and everyone present agrees that it is a good point- even Lenny, of all people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 160 (click to see context) :
* InsultBackfire: His potential last words to John before his death are insulting the man. He calls John "weak minded", says "Dutch wanted you [John] dead, we all did!" And his last insult (and potential last words) are "You always was a traitor, you bastard orphan!" All these insults backfire however, when John just gets angrier at Bill and finally calls Bill a "dumb inbred hick" before putting a bullet in Bill's head.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 205 (click to see context) from:
* TragicVillain: At the end of it all, Bill is just a broken man with PTSD who, having had an insane and alcoholic father and having witnessed the atrocities of the war, he had no purpose until Dutch arrived in his life. The real tragedy comes when, after Dutch's SanitySlippage and the dissolution of the gang, Bill had no one and nobody cared about him, and it is very implied that the lack of people who cared about him, SanitySlippage and the trauma of the war made him as monstrous as Micah.
to:
* TragicVillain: At the end of it all, Bill is just a broken man with PTSD who, having had an insane and alcoholic father and having witnessed the atrocities of the war, he had no purpose until Dutch arrived in his life. The real tragedy comes when, after Dutch's SanitySlippage and the dissolution of the gang, Bill had no one and nobody cared about him, to turn to for emotional support, and it is very implied that the lack of people who cared about him, SanitySlippage and the trauma of the war made him as monstrous as Micah.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 259 (click to see context) from:
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Javier was almost as busy as John during the 12-year TimeSkip - he [[spoiler:stays with Dutch for an unknown amount of time before leaving for equally unknown reasons]], after which he ends up back in Mexico despite being wanted dead there, somehow ends up working for the same goverment that wanted him dead, builds up a reputation among the rebels, rescues Bill from Fort Mercer ''and'' somehow ends up in El Presidio where he's either killed or captured. If Rockstar ever wants to revisit the ''GTA IV'' [=DLC=] model, they'd definetly have one strong premise on their hands.
to:
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Javier was almost as busy as John during the 12-year TimeSkip - he [[spoiler:stays with Dutch for an unknown amount of time before leaving for equally unknown reasons]], after which he ends up back in Mexico despite being wanted dead there, somehow ends up working for the same goverment that wanted him dead, builds up a reputation among the rebels, rescues Bill from Fort Mercer ''and'' somehow ends up in El Presidio where he's either killed or captured. If Rockstar ever wants to revisit the ''GTA IV'' [=DLC=] model, they'd definetly definitely have one strong premise on their hands.
Changed line(s) 269 (click to see context) from:
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Like you wouldn't ''believe''. Javier Escuella in ''II'' is a DashingHispanic SharpDressedMan who shows unwavering UndyingLoyalty towards Dutch Van der Linde even as he's being tortured, demonstrates himself as a formidable gang member who is quite reliable in a gunfight, and cares very much about his fellow gang members and bonds with them happily. Compare that with what he's become in RDR 1: a sleazy and vindictive DirtyCoward who cares only for himself who dresses in very plain and unkempt clothing, and spends much of his time running away from John Marston when he sets out to capture him.
to:
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Like you wouldn't ''believe''. Javier Escuella in ''II'' is a DashingHispanic SharpDressedMan who shows unwavering UndyingLoyalty towards Dutch Van der Linde even as he's being tortured, demonstrates himself as a formidable gang member who is quite reliable in a gunfight, and cares very much about his fellow gang members and bonds with them happily. Compare that with what he's become in RDR 1: a sleazy and vindictive DirtyCoward who cares only for himself who dresses in very plain and unkempt clothing, and spends much of his time running away from John Marston when he the latter sets out to capture him.
Changed line(s) 275 (click to see context) from:
* InkSuitActor: In ''II'', his facial features are slightly changed so he bears a slight resemblance to his voice actor Gabriel Sloyer.
to:
* InkSuitActor: In ''II'', his facial features are slightly changed so that he bears a slight resemblance to his voice actor Gabriel Sloyer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In either game, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for his (mandated) months-long absence before hugging him afterwards. In ''2'', she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and expressing grief and remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. She also pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing, only to insult him for his idiocy once Arthur and Javier return him injured from the mountains.
to:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In either game, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for his (mandated) months-long absence before hugging him afterwards. In ''2'', she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Davey Callander and expressing grief and remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. She also pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing, only to insult him for his idiocy once Arthur and Javier return him injured from the mountains.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 64 (click to see context) from:
* {{Tsundere}}: Shades of this, mostly around John. Earliest example is when John is brought back to camp bloodied up after being attacked by wolves and stranded in a blizzard for days. She's beside herself with joy upon his return...only to go right to spitting insults the second he's on the bed. Unlike most conventional depictions, it's clear that the reason for Abgail's acrimony is often ''because'' she cares about her loved ones, rather than it being a denial of her affection towards them.
to:
* {{Tsundere}}: Shades of this, mostly around John. Earliest example is when John is brought back to camp bloodied up after being attacked by wolves and stranded in a blizzard for days. She's beside herself with joy upon his return...only to go right to spitting insults the second he's on the bed. Unlike most conventional depictions, it's clear that the reason for Abgail's acrimony is often ''because'' she cares about her loved ones, ones (and is simply at odds with their decision-making), rather than it being a denial of her affection towards them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing and later insults John for being so stupid when Arthur and Javier return with him.
to:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, In either game, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then his (mandated) months-long absence before hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, ''2'', she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling expressing grief and remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she She also pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing and later insults John missing, only to insult him for being so stupid when his idiocy once Arthur and Javier return with him. him injured from the mountains.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOutOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing and later insults John for being so stupid when Arthur and Javier return with him.
to:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, her tendency to express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOutOfWorry [[AngerBornOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she pleads to have Arthur look for John when he goes missing and later insults John for being so stupid when Arthur and Javier return with him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, her tendency to be a {{Tsundere}} who looks after her family is established from her first appearance. Her first appearance has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she tells Arthur to look for John when he goes missing and later insults John for being so stupid when Arthur and Javier return with him.
to:
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From both games, her tendency to be a {{Tsundere}} who looks after express her anxieties and frustrations over the safety and wellbeing of her family and loved ones (and especially with John) [[AngerBornOutOfWorry through acrimonious outbursts]] towards them is established from her first appearance. Her first appearance appearance, where ''1'' has her physically assaulting John for being gone for months and then hugging him afterwards. In the prequel, she's seen caring for a mortally wounded Daley Callander and feeling remorse when he succumbs to his wounds. Later on, she tells pleads to have Arthur to look for John when he goes missing and later insults John for being so stupid when Arthur and Javier return with him.him.
Changed line(s) 64 (click to see context) from:
* {{Tsundere}}: Shades of this, mostly around John. Earliest example is when John is brought back to camp bloodied up after being attacked by wolves and stranded in a blizzard for days. She's beside herself with joy upon his return...only to go right to spitting insults the second he's on the bed.
to:
* {{Tsundere}}: Shades of this, mostly around John. Earliest example is when John is brought back to camp bloodied up after being attacked by wolves and stranded in a blizzard for days. She's beside herself with joy upon his return...only to go right to spitting insults the second he's on the bed. Unlike most conventional depictions, it's clear that the reason for Abgail's acrimony is often ''because'' she cares about her loved ones, rather than it being a denial of her affection towards them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Arthur's thoughts on fatherhood bear are completely peripheral relevance to his possible relationship status with Abigail.
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
** Downplayed with Arthur, based on the unconfirmed speculation that they were ever an item before Abigail settled with John. After taking Jack to a fishing trip on Abigail's request, Arthur intimates in his journal about how he should have taken the chance to marry her before she ended up with John, and how he would actually enjoy being a father to Jack, ''possibly'' implying at least a fling. He's also always the first person she asks for help, which suggests that the sense of emotional kinship he has towards her may be mutual.
to:
** Downplayed with Arthur, based on the unconfirmed speculation that they were ever an item before Abigail settled with John. After taking Jack to a fishing trip on Abigail's request, Arthur intimates in his journal about how he probably should have taken the chance to marry her before she ended up with John, and how he would actually enjoy being a father to Jack, ''possibly'' implying at least a fling. He's also always the first person she asks for help, which suggests that the sense of emotional kinship he has towards her may be mutual.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
** Downplayed with Arthur. Arthur mentions in his journal that he should be in John's place and would actually enjoy being a father to Jack, implying at least a fling. He's also always the first person she asks for help. Though it's left interpretation if Arthur actually had feelings for her or if he wanted to marry her because he wanted to take care of them in John's absence. Considering what happened [[spoiler:to his own young son and baby mama, it could very well be that.]]
to:
** Downplayed with Arthur. Arthur, based on the unconfirmed speculation that they were ever an item before Abigail settled with John. After taking Jack to a fishing trip on Abigail's request, Arthur mentions intimates in his journal that about how he should be in John's place have taken the chance to marry her before she ended up with John, and how he would actually enjoy being a father to Jack, ''possibly'' implying at least a fling. He's also always the first person she asks for help. Though it's left interpretation if Arthur actually had feelings for help, which suggests that the sense of emotional kinship he has towards her or if he wanted to marry her because he wanted to take care of them in John's absence. Considering what happened [[spoiler:to his own young son and baby mama, it could very well may be that.]]mutual.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
If any of the characters have had sex with Abigail according to Dutch's claim, it was more on the basis of her as a prostitute, rather than it being a substantive relationship. Dutch's claim in the first game is also debatable as by then he's a clear antagonist to John and is thereby willing to say anything that could provoke the younger man, which makes him an unreliable and untrustworthy reference.
Deleted line(s) 27 (click to see context) :
** Given that Dutch said in the first game that "they all had her", it's likely that she did sleep with a few of the male gang members at some point before getting pregnant with Jack. However by the present all of the men who had been around from before Jack's birth treat her with respect and she gets along with them pretty well.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
chronologically, it makes more sense to acknowledge his prequel personality first.
Changed line(s) 358 (click to see context) from:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Goes from being a miserable old jerk who constantly complains about having to do things in the first game to be a jovial, enthusiastic man in the prequel, although he's still just as lazy then as he would be later on.
to:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Goes from being a miserable old jerk jovial and enthusiastically hedonistic chatterbox in the prequel, to a rather mirthless grouch who constantly complains about having to do things in the first game to be a jovial, enthusiastic man in the prequel, - although he's still just as lazy then as he would be later on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 353 (click to see context) from:
* BookDumb: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] by his assertion that he doesn't need to read, claiming that reading pollutes the mind - a point he argues at one instance by using Dutch as an example [[spoiler: and going by what eventually transpires throughout the course of the prequel, he may [[TheCloudCuckoolanderWasRight possibly have had a point]] about evaluating the ''practical relevancy'' of what is read before simply taking it at face value. Lenny, who is the opposite of this trope, can sometimes express a similar point directly towards Dutch later on.]] He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows what's new in the market such as pre-cut houses. Note however that he claims that he doesn't ''need'' to read, and not that he actually ''can't'' if he has to, potentially [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this entry, especially since no real evidence is offered of him being able or ''un''able to read.
to:
* BookDumb: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] by his assertion that he doesn't need to read, to, claiming that reading pollutes the mind - a point he argues at one instance by using [[https://youtu.be/5JckHCKzaNs Dutch as an example [[spoiler: example]] -[[spoiler: and going by what eventually transpires throughout the course of the prequel, he may [[TheCloudCuckoolanderWasRight possibly have had a point]] about evaluating the ''practical relevancy'' of what is being read before simply taking it at face value. Lenny, who is actually the polar opposite of this trope, can [[https://youtu.be/j-DzZBdMRYA sometimes express a similar point point]] directly towards Dutch later on.on, which entertains the suggestion that Uncle was RightForTheWrongReasons - it's what and how you read that matters ''more than'' whether you should read at all.]] He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows what's new in the market such as pre-cut houses. Note however that he claims that he doesn't ''need'' to read, and not that he actually ''can't'' if he has to, potentially [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this entry, especially since no real evidence is offered of him being able or ''un''able to read.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 353 (click to see context) from:
* BookDumb: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] by his assertion that he doesn't need to read, claiming that reading pollutes people mind. He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows what's new in the market such as pre-cut houses. Note however that he claims that he doesn't ''need'' to read, and not that he actually ''can't'' if he has to, potentially [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this entry.
to:
* BookDumb: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] by his assertion that he doesn't need to read, claiming that reading pollutes people mind. the mind - a point he argues at one instance by using Dutch as an example [[spoiler: and going by what eventually transpires throughout the course of the prequel, he may [[TheCloudCuckoolanderWasRight possibly have had a point]] about evaluating the ''practical relevancy'' of what is read before simply taking it at face value. Lenny, who is the opposite of this trope, can sometimes express a similar point directly towards Dutch later on.]] He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows what's new in the market such as pre-cut houses. Note however that he claims that he doesn't ''need'' to read, and not that he actually ''can't'' if he has to, potentially [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this entry.entry, especially since no real evidence is offered of him being able or ''un''able to read.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 353 (click to see context) from:
* BookDumb: Uncle even admits that he doesn't need to read, claiming that reading pollutes people mind. He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows whats new in the market such as pre-cut houses.
to:
* BookDumb: Uncle even admits [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] by his assertion that he doesn't need to read, claiming that reading pollutes people mind. He at least makes it up for being street smart. He also seems to be up to date with the latest news and knows whats what's new in the market such as pre-cut houses.houses. Note however that he claims that he doesn't ''need'' to read, and not that he actually ''can't'' if he has to, potentially [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this entry.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 255 (click to see context) from:
** This appears to be a recent development. During the event of the prequel, Bill and Javier have done far more dangerous things than fighting Marston. [[spoiler:They both have no issue going up against both Arthur and John at the same time in the ending.]]
to:
** This appears to be a recent development. During the event events of the prequel, he regularly goes into life-threatening situations without hesitation. [[spoiler:He and Bill and Javier have done far more dangerous things than fighting Marston. [[spoiler:They both have no issue going up against both Arthur and John at the same time in the ending.]]
Changed line(s) 272 (click to see context) from:
* IMissMom: Combined with "EvenEvilHasLovedOnes": In one campfire interaction, he says that he heard that his mother died, and there's a bit of sadness in him when he says, "I mourn her... but I did not bury her." Combined with the fact that his sister got married, he says that [[YouCantGoHomeAgain he's afraid to go back to Mexico because he might get killed]].
to:
* IMissMom: Combined with "EvenEvilHasLovedOnes": EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In one campfire interaction, he says that he heard that his mother died, and there's a bit of sadness in him when he says, "I mourn her... but I did not bury her." Combined with the fact that his sister got married, he says that [[YouCantGoHomeAgain he's afraid to go back to Mexico because he might get killed]].
* LeanAndMean: In 1911, he's lost a lot of weight and has become a worse person overall.
Changed line(s) 289 (click to see context) from:
* MercyKill: An interpretation to John killing him. If left alive, Javier would be imprisoned, likely tortured by Bill and Dutch’s whereabouts and ultimately executed publicly.
to:
* MercyKill: An interpretation to John killing him. him could be seen as this. If left alive, Javier would be imprisoned, likely tortured by for Bill and Dutch’s whereabouts and ultimately executed publicly.
Changed line(s) 292 (click to see context) from:
* ThePigpen: In the first game, he looks like he hasn't bathed in years and his clothes are worn-out and filthy.
to:
* ThePigpen: In the first game, he looks like he hasn't bathed in years and his clothes are worn-out and filthy.filthy, a far cry from the well-groomed SharpDressedMan he was in ''II''.
Changed line(s) 307 (click to see context) from:
* SanitySlippage: Perhaps not as severe as Dutch's or Bill's, but it's pretty clear that he has spiraled downwards pretty badly after ''II''. In Redemption, John explicitly mention Javier losing his mind.
to:
* SanitySlippage: Perhaps not as severe as Dutch's or Bill's, but it's pretty clear that he has spiraled downwards pretty badly after ''II''. In Redemption, John explicitly mention Javier losing outright says that he's lost his mind.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 140 (click to see context) from:
* {{Expy}}: Although he was already before ''GTA V'' was released, his main characterization in ''II'' makes him an {{Expy}} of [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]. Like Trevor, Bill is an [[FromCamouflageToCriminal ex-soldier with military training]], a [[AxCrazy violent maniac]] with [[HairTriggerTemper serious anger problems]], an anti-social, an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], has shades of CringeComedy, not the best in mental health, has an ambiguous sexual preference, bullies the less imponent members of his gang (Bill to Lenny and Kieran; Trevor to Wade, Ron and Floyd), has a serious problem of emotional dependence related to his unstable parental relationship, [[TheMentallyDisturbed suffers from a legitimate mental illness]], and eventually became a violent criminal who is deeply loyal to his main comrade (Bill to Dutch; Trevor to Michael and Franklin). Even his previous characterization in the first game parallels Trevor, since like Trevor, Bill became the most prolific criminal in his local area and went his own way to build his own criminal empire through violence and domination. But while Trevor [[spoiler:could have a happy ending with option C despite all his monstrous actions, Bill couldn't]].
to:
* {{Expy}}: Although he was already before his debut predates ''GTA V'' was released, by three years, his main characterization in ''II'' makes him an {{Expy}} of [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Trevor Philips]]. Like Trevor, Bill is an [[FromCamouflageToCriminal ex-soldier with military training]], a [[AxCrazy violent maniac]] with [[HairTriggerTemper serious anger problems]], an anti-social, an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], has shades of CringeComedy, not the best in suffers from poor mental health, has an ambiguous sexual preference, bullies the less imponent weaker members of his gang (Bill to Lenny and Kieran; Trevor to Wade, Ron and Floyd), has a serious problem of emotional dependence related to his unstable parental relationship, [[TheMentallyDisturbed suffers from a legitimate mental illness]], and eventually became a violent criminal who is deeply loyal to his main comrade (Bill to Dutch; Trevor to Michael and Franklin). Even his previous characterization in the first game parallels Trevor, since like Trevor, Bill became the most prolific criminal in his local area and went his own way to build his own criminal empire through violence and domination. But while Trevor [[spoiler:could have a happy ending with option C despite all his monstrous actions, Bill couldn't]].there is no such option for Bill]].
Changed line(s) 192 (click to see context) from:
* RepetitiveName: Subverted. His full name could be mistaken for being William Williamson, seeing his nickname "Bill". However idle chatter in ''II'' reveals that the "Bill" part comes from his family name.
to:
* RepetitiveName: Subverted. His full name could be mistaken for being William Williamson, seeing due to his nickname "Bill". However idle chatter in ''II'' reveals that the "Bill" part comes from his family name.
Changed line(s) 203 (click to see context) from:
* StoutStrength: The fattest in the gang besides Pearson, yet also among the strongest.
to:
* StoutStrength: The fattest in the gang besides Pearson, yet also among one of the strongest.
Changed line(s) 205 (click to see context) from:
* TookALevelInJerkass: In the prequel, he was a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but starts losing his redeemable traits overtime. By the first game, he's just as nasty as Micah. In ''I'', Abigail is outright baffled by this, as the Bill she knew was a pathetic nobody, and was surprised he was even capable of the atrocities John describes to her.
to:
* TookALevelInJerkass: In the prequel, he was a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but starts losing his redeemable redeeming traits overtime.over the course of the game. By the first game, he's just as nasty as Micah. In ''I'', Abigail is outright baffled by this, as the Bill she knew was a pathetic nobody, and was surprised he was even capable of the atrocities John describes to her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ThePigpen: In the first game, he looks like he hasn't bathed in years and his clothes are worn-out and filthy.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 133 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In the first game, he seems to care about his second-in-command Norman Deek, and kidnaps Bonnie McFarlane for a hostage exchange when he's captured by the authorities. However, it's downplayed, as Bill's own men end up gunning Deek down while attempting to ambush Marston anyway, though it's unclear if Bill was in on this event.
to:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In the first game, he seems to care about his second-in-command Norman Deek, and kidnaps Bonnie McFarlane [=McFarlane=] for a hostage exchange when he's captured by the authorities. However, it's downplayed, as Bill's own men end up gunning Deek down while attempting to ambush Marston anyway, though it's unclear if Bill was in on this event.
Added DiffLines:
* SourOutsideSadInside: In ''II'', his grumpy exterior hides a lot of insecurities and it's pretty clear he really wants to be liked and accepted by the other gang members,
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Given the part he plays in planning the events of "Sodom? Back to Gomorrah", the mission's title appears to suggestively hint at his sexuality.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DyingCurse: After being betrayed by Allende, he goes out insulting Marston, calling him "weak-minded", a "bastard orphan", and saying that everyone in the gang wanted him dead. Either of these can become a CurseCutShort if John decides to shoot him mid-ramble.
Added DiffLines:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In the first game, he seems to care about his second-in-command Norman Deek, and kidnaps Bonnie McFarlane for a hostage exchange when he's captured by the authorities. However, it's downplayed, as Bill's own men end up gunning Deek down while attempting to ambush Marston anyway, though it's unclear if Bill was in on this event.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's loud, lazy, and irritating, and these traits [[TookALevelInJerkass only got worse]] after settling down with John. Despite this, he really loves the Marston family, gives them genuine advice on how to run their farm, and [[spoiler: will die protecting them]].
