John Marston's Background

John Marston was born in 1873 in the northern United States. His father, a Scottish immigrant, and his mother, a prostitute, both died when he was young. His father, a heavy drinker who loved Scotland, died in 1881 when John was eight years old. John spent the next few years in a rough orphanage before running away to make his own luck on the streets. At the age of 11, he committed his first murder.

In 1885, at the age of 12, John was caught stealing by homesteaders in Illinois who planned on hanging him. Dutch van der Linde intervened and saved him, taking him under his wing and inducting him into the Van der Linde gang. Dutch became John's mentor and father figure, teaching him how to read, shoot, and instill in him a love of nature. John grew into an experienced outlaw, running with Dutch, Hosea Matthews, Arthur Morgan, and others, committing various crimes. He fell under the sway of Dutch's philosophy, believing they stole from the rich to give to the poor, a justification he later admitted was an "excuse to let them rob and steal indiscriminately." John and Arthur were seen as Dutch's favorites, which caused a rift between them.

In 1894, a prostitute named Abigail Roberts joined the gang, and she and John eventually began a romantic relationship that resulted in the birth of their son, Jack, in 1895. John, plagued by doubts and fears about his ability to raise a family, left the gang for a year. He returned in 1897 and accepted responsibility for his son, but Arthur never truly forgave him for abandoning the gang, and their relationship grew more strained.

The gang picked up new members, including Micah Bell, Lenny Summers, and Charles Smith, before arriving in Blackwater in 1899. John participated in the Blackwater Massacre, a ferry heist that went horribly wrong. He witnessed Dutch brutally shoot a defenseless young woman, and a Pinkerton ambush resulted in the deaths of Davey Callander and Jenny Kirk, and the capture of Sean MacGuire. John was shot in the arm and escaped with the rest of the gang, heading north toward the mountains.

For years, John struggled to live a straight life. It wasn't until Abigail left him with his son in 1907 that John realized how much he loved them and began to value the family life they could have. John finally turned his life around and built a ranch for his family, winning Abigail's affection once more and marrying her after many years. He spent time with his son, teaching him to make an arrowhead, and playing with him. John shielded Jack from Micah's violent teasing, showing his love for his son. John would later sacrifice himself to allow Abigail and Jack to escape safely, achieving his final redemption for the love of his family.

John's relationship with Dutch was complicated. John looked up to Dutch as a father figure, but his faith in Dutch began to waver after witnessing the brutal killing of Heidi McCourt during the Blackwater Massacre. He would later question Dutch's decisions, especially his dealings with the Gray and Braithwaite families, which resulted in Jack's kidnapping. John's faith in Dutch was shattered after he was shot off a train during a robbery and left for dead. He ultimately sided with Arthur, understanding that Dutch's philosophy was a lie. Years later, in 1907, John confronted Dutch, who was with Micah. Dutch, who had been manipulated by Micah, believed John had betrayed him. John managed to convince Dutch to shoot Micah, and Dutch walked away without a word.

John and Arthur's relationship was strained after John left the gang for a year. Arthur felt betrayed by his actions and resented him for a time. As time went on, however, their relationship mended. They became slightly better to one another, especially after Arthur, Dutch, and John rescued Jack. Near the end of the gang's time, John and Arthur both caught wind of Dutch's unhinged mental behavior and started to believe their time together was for nothing. Arthur would eventually convince John to take Jack and Abigail and to leave the gang. Arthur would ultimately give his life to stall the Pinkertons from reaching John, who, in protest, was forced to leave him behind. Arthur gave John his hat and satchel with all his belongings. John would later kill Micah in revenge for Arthur's death, showing his devotion to avenging his best friend and adopted brother. John would forever be indebted to Arthur for saving his life and allowing him to start a new life.

Much like Arthur, Hosea (alongside Dutch) took John in and taught him how to read, write, hunt, and use a gun while also instilling him a philosophical outlook and a love for nature. Unlike Arthur, Hosea quickly forgave John for leaving the gang for a year and understood that he knew he did wrong. Despite this, however, he's also expressed disappointment in that John is avoiding his responsibilities as a father to Jack and a husband (though not yet legally until 8 years later) to Abigail and is constantly trying to convince him to take responsibility for his family and that Jack was truly his son despite John's insistence that he wasn't. Despite his lack of success to convince John the first few times, he eventually manages to get through to John.

When Hosea was murdered in the Saint Denis heist, John was angered and told Dutch that they shouldn't have killed Bronte and robbed the bank afterwards. Hosea's death had deeply saddened John and he admits to Arthur that his death still does not seem real to him even after spending so long in jail and that the years he spent with him made him look up to Hosea as family. In his later years, John seldom talks about Hosea but would fondly remember and talk about him each time he (or someone else) brings him up, as for instance, he confirms to Jack that his memory of Hosea being a great fisherman was true. John would also use Hosea's advice in living his own life and on how to be a father to Jack.