Dutch van der Linde

Dutch van der Linde is the secondary antagonist of the 2010 action-adventure game Red Dead Redemption and one of the two deuteragonists (alongside John Marston) of its 2018 prequel Red Dead Redemption 2.
He is voiced by Benjamin Byron Davis.
==History==
===Background===
Dutch was the leader of the Van der Linde gang who he built with Hosea Matthews in 1874, and they terrorized the west for a long time, eventually picking up new members (first one being Arthur Morgan) as they went on. Dutch's sanity deteriorated over time due to his ego and corrupting influences, and would become an enemy to his proteges, Arthur Morgan and John Marston.
== Biography ==
===Early Life===
Dutch van der Linde was born near Philadelphia in 1858 to an English woman named Greta an an unnamed father of Dutch descent, and his father fought and died in the Civil War. When Dutch learned of his father's death, van der Linde held a sworn grudge against Southerners since his father fought for the Union against the Confederacy. During his childhood, Dutch was disobedient and didn't get along with his mother, and left home around the age of fifteen. Greta would pass away in 1881 due to unknown causes and was buried in Blackwater, and Dutch learned this by a uncle of his.
===Outlaw===
Dreaming of living an independent existence, Dutch turned to crime and befriended fellow outlaw Hosea Matthews during the mid-1870s. The two became close friends, and would pull cons on people in Ohio, but the two were arrested by Sheriff Carmichael before escaping from their cells. In 1877, Dutch and Hosea came across a teenager named Arthur Morgan, and decided to take him under their wing. The two taught Arthur how to read, hunt, shoot, ride and become a criminal like themselves, and the two became Arthur's mentors and father figures. 
Around this time, Dutch met Susan Grimshaw, and the two began a romantic relationship and she too joined his and Hosea's ranks. The two would eventually end their relationship, and Dutch moved on to a woman named Annabelle, whom he fell deeply in love with. Dutch and Hosea then formed the Van der Linde gang as more outlaws joined them, and would commit robberies to survive. Bill Williamson and Javier Escuella would later join the group in the mid 1890s, and the two became loyal members of the gang.
Dutch would run into a fellow outlaw named Colm O'Driscoll, who was the leader of his own gang called the O'Driscoll Boys, and the two started an uneasy partnership. Dutch disliked Colm's attitude toward treating his men as disposable, but O'Driscoll didn't like van der Linde's idealistic beliefs. For an unknown reason, Dutch broke his partnership with Colm and killed his brother, which resulted in O'Driscoll murdering Annabelle. Dutch mourned the loss of Annabelle, and became the archenemy to Colm that would turn into a feud for years.
Around 1885, Dutch saved the boy John Marston from being lynched by a group of homesteaders, and decided to induct him into his gang. Becoming John's mentor, Dutch taught him everything he knew like he did with Arthur, and started to regard the two as his "favorite sons". While leading the gang, Dutch and Hosea attempted to do good deeds by stealing from the rich and handing it over to the orphanages and shanties. As a result, Dutch and his gang became wanted men and women, with van der Linde earning a price on his head by law enforcement. As years went on, Dutch became more known for his idealistic philosophy, gaining a ego as he started to see himself as a symbol of the wild west. In addition, Dutch didn't want the world to become dependent on government and law enforcement, and opposed urban cultured towns and technology.
Immediately before the events of 2, Dutch and Micah planned the Blackwater Robbery with greater rewards than the heist scoped by Arthur and Hosea, which initially went well but went wrong after Micah goaded Dutch into killing Heidi McCourt, drawing the attention of the law as well as Pinkertons. Dutch decided to hide their haul and flee the law, eventually deciding on the mountain ranges of Colter in Ambarino. 
===Red Dead Redemption 2===
After arriving on Colter, Dutch ordered the van der Linde gang to settle down as he decided to scout the mountains. After Arthur returned, he, Dutch and Micah decided to scout around, as they arrive at the Adler Homestead. After fending off an ambush by the O'Driscolls, he learns about Colm planning a train heist. 
After the train robbery all of his gang members start to question Dutch and if he has a plan, his sanity deteriorates further when his longtime partner who helped Dutch build up the gang for 20+ years, Hosea Matthews dies along with Lenny after another of his botched robberies. after Hosea dies. This gives Micah Bell room to slide over and manipulate Dutch by acting as Dutch's yes-man, into becoming more ruthless with the promise of money, which keeps on making him worse and worse.
Eventually Micah gets so much control over Dutch, leading him to leave John Marston, Arthur Morgan, Abigail Roberts, and Sadie Adler to die at the hands of Mr. Milton and the Pinkertons to die. Additionally he starts using this feud between the government and the natives for his own benefit.
In the last mission, Dutch is persuaded to kill his brother, Arthur by Micah, and realizes he made a horrible mistake, however he doesn't take a side. Micah (depending on your honor) does the deed himself, or leaves him to die peacefully on the mountain or camp due to the incoming lawmen.
Years later in 1907 John and Sadie goes to Micah's cabin where he sees Micah and Dutch who is working with him because he does not want to admit he made a mistake. Now Dutch has a difficult choice between kill Micah and admit he made a mistake, or kill John and keep living this lie. He eventually admits it and runs off and disappear. leaving the Blackwater money behind for John and Sadie.
===Red Dead Redemption===
At this point in 1911 Dutch is one of the main antagonists and one of the last remaining members of the Van der Linde gang, being hunted by John Marston for the government. Eventually John corners him at the mountain and Dutch admits that he's made mistakes and tells John he can't change who he is and commits suicide by jumping off the mountain.
==Personality==
Dutch's personality is egocentric, Dutch is very self centered and narcissistic as he feels he is the story's hero and that he shouldn't be disagreed with because of all he's done to the gang members. This works out fine because stuff was mostly going well, but when Micah decides to betray Dutch by egging him on to do stupid plans and starts turning Dutch against the other gang members because the gang members started doubting him and Micah was a yes-man.
==Gallery==
===Images===
Dutch-RD2-Render.png|Dutch in Red Dead Redemption II.
Dutch van der Linde.png
RDR2 Dutch van der Linde PC.webp
== Trivia ==
*In Red Dead Redemption II, Dutch rode an albino horse named "The Count" that won’t let anyone but Dutch ride him. Arthur Morgan once attempted to ride The Count but was quickly bucked off, and if he approaches The Count alone, the horse will become noticeable agitated.
*He is about 6'2 and 176 lbs.
*Even before the botched bank robbery in Saint Denis, Hosea vaguely mentions a decline in Dutch's sanity to Arthur early in the story.
*Dutch is of Dutch descent on his father's side and of English descent on his mother's side.
*Dutch has betrayed the only remaining members of the gang who wouldn't become villains
**John Marston implied that Dutch simply let him get arrested in Saint Denis, never saving him (Dutch was against Arthur and Sadie rescuing him from the Sisika Penitentiary). This could most likely be true, seeing as how Dutch abandoned Arthur to die by a small group of soldiers in the oil fields later on in the story.
**Dutch leaves Arthur Morgan to die and helps Micah in the battle against Arthur.
**He leaves Sadie and Abigail to be kidnapped by the government.
**And he uses Charles' and his people cause to distract the government so they can slip out although this puts the natives and Charles in danger.
*Dutch's comment on the government "finding another monster to justify their wages" held true, as Edgar Ross ultimately betrays John Marston in the final chapter.
==See Also==
*Dutch van der Linde on Villains wiki
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