Red Dead Online suffers from many failures, the narrative and open world of the single-player Red Dead Redemption 2 has been endlessly praised for its stellar writing and attention to detail. Both of these strengths shine through the game's major and minor characters.
Because it is a prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2 shares only a handful of characters with Red Dead Redemption, giving fans a glimpse of what many of them were like years before the events of the first game. The most prominent character between these two games is John Marston, who ends Red Dead Redemption 2 as a happily married man eight years after Arthur Morgan's death and three years before the start of Red Dead Redemption. As for the other characters, many of their whereabouts are unknown, leaving fans to wonder if RDR2 characters like Charles got happy endings.
While much of John Marston's story has already been covered, there is still room to expand upon the life and times of several other characters. Assuming that a third Red Dead Redemption game is a sequel instead of another prequel, there is a meaty twelve year period between RDR2 and RDR, and much can happen within this timeframe. Alternatively, Red Dead Redemption 3 could take place after the first game, which holds its own bevy of unique opportunities when it comes to reintroducing old characters. Indeed, there are many interesting ways for Red Dead Redemption 2 characters to come back in a new installment.
Jack Marston Is An Obvious Choice For RDR3's Protagonist
There are very few children in Red Dead Redemption 2's bloody and mature story, and Jack Marston is one of them. However, he was used as more of a plot device than anything else, and featuring him as a playable character in a third game would offer a lot of potential for engaging development and storytelling. RDR3 could even save Jack from John's fate, having him successfully leave the outlaw life behind to pursue loftier, more virtuous goals.
This approach would only work if Red Dead Redemption 3 were positioned as a direct sequel to Red Dead Redemption rather than taking place between the first two games. Were Rockstar to take this route, it would follow the precedent set by Red Dead Redemption 2, wherein the playable character in the prologue becomes the protagonist of the following release. Even if Jack isn't a playable protagonist in the third game, it would be good for him to be featured in it and have some sort of arc, as it would offer closure for those who played both games.
Sadie Adler's Story Could Continue In Red Dead Redemption 3
Sadie Alder was first introduced at the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2, and she immediately became a fan-favorite character. Sadie Adler's voice actor could star in RDR3, which she's expressed interest in doing, and Sadie is certainly a viable protagonist given that she's still alive and active following the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. This character could also come back as an NPC, as she has been proven to be a strong and likable ing character.
Whether she takes the role of the player-character or an NPC once again, RDR3 would greatly benefit from including Sadie Adler in some way. It's strongly hinted that she moved to South America after Red Dead Redemption 2, so she could serve as a justification to bring players to a new location, which would be a shake-up that can only help RDR3. Additionally, while she did have a strong and satisfying character arc in RDR2, there is certainly still room to develop her character, perhaps putting her grief over the loss of her husband under a stronger microscope. RDR3 could tell Sadie Adler's story in a more intensive and granular way, ultimately honoring the character and bringing her arc to a satisfying and conclusive end.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Take Players Up North With Charles Chatenay
While Sadie is assumed to have headed to South America at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, Charles is suggested to have gone in the opposite direction. Charles is one of the most popular and beloved of RDR2's diverse cast, and his arc reached its climax when he decides help the Wapiti tribe towards the end of the game. He helps this tribe escape into Canada, which is where he is suggested to be headed at the end of the RDR2 epilogue.
Charles is one of the more reserved of the Van der Linde gang, only slowly opening up to characters like John and Arthur over the course of the story. His personality is shown to be somewhat more jovial at one brief point during Red Dead Redemption 2's long epilogue, and an appearance from him in a new Red Dead Redemption could further develop his character and give fans more insight into the lighter side of his stoic and calm personality. Charles is also considerably more honorable and altruistic than most characters in the Red Dead Redemption series, which provides much-needed moral conflict. On top of all this, he is more than competent as a hunter and gunslinger, making him another candidate for a playable character, perhaps being featured as one of multiple player-characters in Red Dead Redemption 3.
Rockstar hasn't confirmed that Red Dead Redemption 3 is being developed, but the success of the first two Red Dead Redemption games provide ample incentive to continue the series' story. If a third game does eventually release, its developers should strive for originality while bringing back underused characters from RDR2. RDR3 can leave the wild west setting behind by including Sadie or Charles in its narrative, or it can hang back with characters like Jack Marston, who could use a bit more development to rival that of his father's. Whether Red Dead Redemption 3 centers on one of these Red Dead Redemption 2 characters or puts them in a ing role, they all still have trials and tribulations to navigate, and their inclusion would be more than welcomed by players.