The main protagonist and playable character. A former outlaw who ran with Dutch Van Der Linde's gang, a huge falling-out with the gang led to John deciding to go straight and try to raise a family. However, the Bureau of Investigations wants to eliminate the gang, and they force John - by holding his family hostage - to take up his guns once again and hunt down and capture or kill the men he once called friends.
Anti-Hero: John is an Anti-Hero no matter how you play him, but the Karma Meter makes it somewhat difficult to ascertain exactly whatAnti-Hero he is. A player who does consistently good deeds, along with Marston's willingness to help people in need and motivation for the main story for make him more of a Type II or a light Type III. A particularly nasty player can make him a Type IV or even a Type V.
All Love Is Unrequited: It's implied that by the last time she meets John she's developed a crush on him. However it seemed that she got over it by the epilogue, where it's stated that she's married.
Dirty Coward: Notably, he happens to be "late" during the assault of Fort Mercer, where even West Dickens and Seth fight for a bit. However he'll fight back if he has absolutely no choice.
Depraved Bisexual: States that he's had a wife and child once while implying that his relationship with Moses Forth was more than just partners.
Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted; while robbing a grave he expresses disgust at one of the corpses he exhumes laying with his sister... but then stated that that's just because he doesn't like women, full stop.
In Undead Nightmare he also plays cards with his now undead friend Moses, in similar fashion the ending of Shaun of the Dead shows Shaun playing video games with zombie-Ed
Reverse Mole: His role as part of the assault on Williamson is getting inside Fort Mercer and opening the gates for John and the others.
Throw the Dog a Bone: In the epilogue it is mentioned that he actually found a real treasure and become rich.
He also has a prominent role in the Undead Nightmare DLC.
Bill Williamson
The first of John's former gang members that he has to bring to justice.
Do With Him As You Will: A possible fate for him. If John decides not to personally kill him, he'll walk away and tell the rebels that he's all theirs, after which they'll proceed to perforate him with bullets.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: When de Santa first meets John, he acts extremely hostile, to the point of having his soldiers aim their weapons at him. A few seconds later he bursts out laughing and explains that he was joking. John is less than amused.
The Dragon: To Allende. Well, not if you ask Espinoza....
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: He hates Captain Espinoza, and attempts to get him killed along with John by sending them against a large group of rebels equipped only with unskilled new recruits.
Straight Gay: While his homosexuality is strongly hinted at in his interactions with the drink pourer and openly mocked by his enemies, he fits this trope.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: To the point of being blind to any of Reyes' faults. She also has trouble understanding that John doesn't care about the revolution as much as she does.
Abraham Reyes
The leader of the rebels. A charismatic son of nobles who proves to be not nearly as great as he says.
Big Bad: Technically this for Undead Nightmare. He's the one who starts the Zombie Apocalypse after taking an Aztec mask he thought would make him invincible.
Big Damn Heroes: Saves John from being executed by de Santa, returning the favor from earlier.
Jerkass: It's pretty clear to John that Reyes is a man obsessed with power more than he is with actually doing any good. However, he does keep his side of the deal with John and in the end helps him get Esquela and Williamson.
Really Gets Around: Claims that it's his duty to spread his seed amongst his citizens as future Presidente. In Undead Nighmares it's mentioned that pregnant girls tend to be tossed to the nuns however.
Full-Circle Revolution: It's revealed in the epilogue that after leading the rebellion to victory and becoming Presidente, Reyes becomes just another tyrannical dictator.
Javier Escuella
One of John's former gang members and evidently the brains of the group. He aided Bill in going to Nuevo Paraiso to escape from John.
Broken Pedestal: According to John, he was hit the hardest by Dutch going insane.
A federal agent forcing Marston to go after his former gang members. He's holding Marston's wife and son hostage, until he finishes the job... and even then, Ross still has something up his sleeve...
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: He gives John the high-powered pistol by shoving it barrel-first into John's stomach. But then again, he's not too concerned about John's well-being.
Kick the Dog: He seems to love making snide, insensitive remarks about John's family. And one of the first things we see him do is rudely shove a little boy selling newspapers out of his way.
Not so Different: Between John, and himself, they really aren't. Neither of them can escape their past. John can't escape his past life of crime, while Ross can't his life as a government employee, constantly being pulled back in to work.
Pet the Dog: When you're hunting him down as Jack, you talk to his wife and brother... and what they say hints that he has sympathetic traits despite being a menace to the Marston family.
Resignations Not Accepted: His wife tells Jack that while he's tried to retire, the government keeps pulling him back in.
Smug Snake: Both he and Fordham are irritatingly condescending to Marston whenever they meet.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At least he thanks John if he gets Javier alive. And he even congratulates John after Dutch is taken cared of. Surprisingly, he doesent show up when Ross kills John.
Professor Harold MacDougal
A "researcher" of Native Americans, MacDougal is a perfect representation of science of his time.
Archnemesis Dad: Sorta. He adopted John, Bill, and Javier when they were children, and raised them as a part of his gang. MacDougal even states that the current relationship between John and Dutch is Oedipal in nature.
Ax Crazy: One of the more subtle examples out there.
Blood Knight: By his own admission. He barely believes in the causes he fights for anymore, but keeps killing because it's all he knows how to do.
Wicked Cultured: Considering that he taught John how to read, Dutch is probably rather well educated for his time. Also, when exploring his lair you can find a well-stocked bookshelf and a typewriter
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Formerly. John thinks that when Dutch realized that no matter how hard he fought, he could never make a real difference in the world, he snapped.
Took a Level in Badass: Before John's death? A bookish, somewhat awkward teenager, always getting himself into trouble. After John's death? He's become a Badass, just like his father, who hunts down and slays Edgar Ross in a duel as an act of vengeance. Unfortunately, this is the polar opposite of what John wanted his son to be.
