After everything he went through with the Van der Linde Gang, Charles Smith deserves a happy ending when Red Dead Redemption 3 finally comes out. Although Charles managed to evade the sad fate of most of the gang , the final chapter of his story is still unwritten. As one of the best characters in Red Dead Redemption 2, he deserves proper closure.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for RDR2.]
Charles was a member of the Van der Linde Gang in Red Dead Redemption 2, and one of the more likable, even-tempered of the game. Non-combative by nature, Charles' main duty with the gang involved hunting and gathering food for the others, and he didn't take pleasure in crime. He is also one of the few of the gang to remain loyal to Arthur, not being swayed by Dutch as easily as Bill and Javier had been. While Javier and Bill didn't get enough screen time before their respective ends, Rockstar has the chance to avoid repeating that mistake with Charles.
Charles returns in Red Dead Redemption 2's epilogue to help John build his new home and take down Micah once and for all, but it feels like his full story has yet to be told. As one of the gang's most prominent and one of Arthur's closest friends, Charles really deserves to get his happy ending. Red Dead Redemption 3 may provide the perfect opportunity for that, if Rockstar was to make a true sequel to the previous two installments and not a prequel that ventured further into the past.
Charles Has The Most Open-Ended Ending In Red Dead Redemption 2
In Red Dead Redemption 2, Charles is among the gang that leaves the Van der Linde Gang near the end of the game as he realizes that Dutch simply cannot be trusted anymore. By the end, the entire gang has dissolved, and the final confrontation with Arthur and John facing off against Micah confirms that. By the end, RDR2's doomed Van der Linde Gang has scattered across the west, with many of the survivors' fates being discovered by John during the epilogue.
Some of the surviving Van der Linde Gang met fairly nice fates. For example, Mary Beth became a successful writer, and Tilly got married and became quite wealthy. However, Charles' fate is undetermined by the time of his final appearance. After helping John one more time, he explains his plans to head to Canada and start a family, in hopes of living a peaceful life. Although the player gets to watch Charles leave again, they do not know what became of him or his plans. Out of everyone who isn't already dead or with a predetermined fate from the first game, Charles' ending is the most mysterious.
Fans of the series do not know if Charles managed to find peace in Canada, because, despite his role in Red Dead Redemption 2's long epilogue, the game ends before anything further can be revealed. As it stands, Charles simply walks off into the sunset. With Charles being such a well-liked member of the gang, it would be nice to know if he found his peace.
Why RDR3 Needs To Show That Charles Made It Out Okay
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sad game when all is said and done. Most of the characters that the player has come to meet and become attached to have died by the end of the story. Even though the story ends on an optimistic note with John, Abigail, and Jack having escaped to a new life, players of the first game know that it won't last. While the game's darkness is not overwhelming, it is still quite prominent.
While some RDR2 gang got nice endings, as mentioned previously, far more either wound up dead or soon to be dead once all was said and done. Even Arthur himself succumbs to tuberculosis at the end of the main story. For almost all of the main cast to have been condemned to sad endings, often without even making any major mistakes themselves, is quite tragic to watch. At the same time, Charles is one of the most moral and likable of the gang, so confirming that he managed to make a good life for himself would be a good bit of positivity to add to the often bleak world Rockstar created across both Red Dead Redemption games.
Players will have likely grown tired of so many Van der Linde ending up dead. Charles is the most prominent member of the gang to have survived thus far, and having his survival confirmed would be great news. With the fates of Red Dead Redemption 2's Van der Linde gang frequently being so brutal, it would be good to see Charles make it out alive.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Focus On Charles' Story
There has been no announcement of a potential Red Dead Redemption 3, and there likely will not be one for a long time. However, considering the myriad directions that such a game could go, revisiting Charles would be worth at least a side story. Some of the characters from the first Red Dead Redemption showed up in RDR2, so a cameo by Charles in RDR3 wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
Even if Charles isn't a major character in Red Dead Redemption 3, revisiting him could do plenty of good. If the player character is someone from the gang's past (Red Dead Redemption 3 could continue Sadie's story, for instance), then bringing Charles in for a role could be a great way to not only build nostalgia, but also provide closure. Why Charles would be back in the game's familiar territory after leaving for Canada could be up for interpretation, but the main reason for his appearance would be to conclude his story. Players would probably love the chance to ride alongside Charles one more time for a mission, and he could depart on good once more. Perhaps later in the story, the player could even receive a letter from Charles, confirming that he has found a place of his own to settle down.
Having an appearance from Charles in Red Dead Redemption 3 could be more than just a nostalgic callback. It could be a good sendoff to a much-respected character. Plus with Charles being one of RDR2's best and most moral gang as well as a tough man, there is a long list of potential ideas that a questline involving him could include.
Charles Smith is the best character from Red Dead Redemption 2 whose fate remains uncertain, and the next game could change that. A final chapter in his story could be the closure that the often sordid tale of the Van der Linde Gang needs. Red Dead Redemption 3 could bring fans that closure, and hopefully, it will.