John Marston

## Description

John Marston Was Born In 1873 On A Boat To New York, John Lived With His Father Until The Latter Was Blinded And Died, Presumably In A Bar Fight.

## During The Gang's Last Year

John Was Sent To An Orphanage Before Running Away To Make His Own Living. At The Age Of 11, John Committed His First Murder When He Shot A Man, Although He Claimed The Incident Was Not His Fault. In 1885, At Age 12, Marston Had Been Caught Stealing By Homesteaders In Illinois, Who Planned On Hanging Him. Dutch Van Der Linde Stepped In And Saved The Young Boy, Taking Him Under His Wing; John Was Then Inducted Into The Van Der Linde Gang. The Gang Became A Surrogate Family To The Young Boy, With Dutch Becoming His Mentor And Father Figure. He Taught John How To Read, Shoot, Hunt, Gather, And Instilled Him With A Love Of Nature And Things Other Than Power.

John Developed Into An Experienced Outlaw And Committed Several Crimes Across The American Frontier With The Gang. Alongside Morgan, Marston Was Viewed As Dutch's Proudest Protégé; Many Members Of The Gang Considered John To Be Dutch's Favorite And "Golden Boy", Much To The Envy Of Certain People, Such As Bill. Marston Had Believed In Dutch's Philosophy, Believing That The Gang Stole And Fought For A Reason. In Stealing From The Rich, They, In Turn, Gave To The Poor. They Wanted To Elicit Change In The People Of The West. Although During The Gang's Final Years, John Came To Realize The Gang Was Losing It's Way.

In 1894, A Prostitute Named Abigail Roberts Joined The Gang And Ultimately Fell In Love With John And Later Conceived A Child They Named Jack. The Gang Became An Extended Family To Jack, With Most Of The Members Becoming Aunts And Uncles To Him. John Displayed Some Difficulties Connecting With His Son And Even Doubted Jack Was His, As Well As Fears About His Own Ability To Raise Him. Around 1896, John Left The Gang For A Year. His Return Was Met Well With Dutch And Certain Other Members Of The Gang, Whilst Arthur Felt Betrayed By His Actions.

The Gang Picked Up New Members Such As Micah Bell, Lenny Summers, And Charles Smith As They Traversed The Grizzlies Circa 1898. They Continued Moving East Until They Reached The Up-And-Coming Port Town Of Blackwater, Where They Decided To Stay For A While. Here, Micah Ended Up Encouraging Dutch To Pursue A Boat Heist, Which John Participated In Alongside Javier, Sean, And The Callander Brothers - Mac And Davey. The Heist Went Wrong And Dutch Shot A Defenseless Girl Named Heidi McCourt In The Head And A Unit Of Pinkerton Agents Ambushed The Gang, Resulting In An Eruption Of Violence. The Gang Escaped And Managed To Stash The Money From The Boat Somewhere In Blackwater. The Heist Was A Disaster, Leading To The Deaths Of Davey And Jenny Kirk, Mac Being Separated, And Sean's Capture By Bounty Hunters. John Took A Bullet In The Arm And Escaped With The Rest Of The Gang, Heading North Towards Big Valley.

The Gang Continue To Flee North But Find Themselves In A Snow Blizzard. John And Micah Are Sent To Scout Ahead While Arthur Searches For Any Shelter. John Heads North And Sets Up A Small Camp Before Continuing Head Where He Finds Himself In A Scuffle With A Pack Of Wolves. After Abigail Begs Arthur To Look For John, Arthur Is Convinced By Hosea And Javier To Search For Their Lost Brother. John's Camp Is Found By The Duo Alongside John's Horse, Which Had Been Mauled By Wolves. After The Duo Continue Searching, They Eventually Find John Horrifically Injured. Arthur And Javier Help John Back To Camp Where He Is Scolded By Abigail And Given Space To Rest For The Rest Of The Gang's Stay. John Tries To Convince Dutch To Allow Him To Accompany Them On Robbing A Train But Dutch Declines And Tells John To Rest. After The Robbery, The Gang Leave Colter Behind And John Continues Resting.

After Recovering From His Injuries, John, Alongside Bill And Arthur Head To Six Point Cabin In An Attempt To Locate And Kill Dutch's Long Time Nemesis, Colm O'Driscoll. The Three Stealthily Kill The Unsuspecting Guards Before Assaulting The Camp And Killing A Lot Of O'Driscolls. After Arthur Finds The Cabin Empty And Tries To Kill Kieran, John And Bill Convince Arthur To Let Him Live.

John, Arthur And Charles, Alongside Sean Macquire, Prepare To Rob A Train Full Of Wealthy Folk With An Oil Wagon. However, The Law Shows Up Sooner Than Expected And The Group Are Forced To Flee After Looting The Train. Later, John And Arthur Steal A Herd Of Sheep But Are Found Out By An Auctioner Who Scams Them Into Giving Him Eighteen Percent Kickback. After The Duo Ride To The Valentine Saloon To Meet Dutch, John And Strauss Leave To Make Sure No One Knows Where They Are But Are Captured By Leviticus Cornwall And His Hired Guns. Arthur Saves John By Shooting His Captor In The Neck And John Shoots Strauss' Captor Before The Three Get Into A Shootout With Cornwall's Men. After The Massacre Is Over, The Gang Decide To Pack Up And Leave. John Goes Back To Blackwater To Collect The Money For The Sheep And Gives Arthur His Cut Of The Bunch.

John, Javier, And Arthur Strike A Deal With Murdo Gray To Steal Prized Horses From The Braithwaites But Find Out They've Been Scammed When They Are Only Given Seven Hundred Dollars. After Jack Is Kidnapped By The Braithwaites, John Participates In The Assault On Their Manor In Hopes Of Getting His Son Back. When Jack Is Revealed Not To Be In The Manor, He Grows Furious And Worried And Realizes Just How Bad Of A Father He Has Been. Once The Pinkertons Find The Gang's Location, John And Arthur Are Sent To Clear Out Shady Belle For The Gang To Use As A Hideout.

John, Arthur And Dutch Go To Angelo Bronte's Manor, After Learning From Catherine Braithwaite That He Is Holding Jack Hostage. In Exchange For Jack Being Returned To Them, Arthur And John Are Sent To Deal With A Group Of Grave Robbers In The City's Cemetery. The Duo Kill The Grave Robbers, Although The Police Arrive At The Cemetery Upon Hearing Gunshots, Forcing John And Arthur Manage To Sneak Out Of The Cemetery And Evade Them. When They Return To Bronte's Mansion, Dutch Is There Waiting For Them, Along With Jack. They Then Return To Camp, And The Gang Throw A Party To Celebrate Jack's Return. John's Relationship With Dutch IS Challenged As John Begins Losing Faith In Him And Questions The Gang's Further Actions. Later, John Accompanies In Kidnapping Bronte And Witnesses Dutch Drown The Mob Leader In The Swamp Before Feeding The Scum To An Alligator. During The Saint Denis Bank Robbery, John Is Left Behind By Dutch And Incarcerated.

After Dutch And The Gang Return From Guarma, Sadie And Arthur Scope Out Sisika Penitentiary To Ensure John Is Still There. Once John Is Broken Out And Returns To Camp, Dutch Scolds Arthur For Breaking John Out Against His Wishes. John And Dutch Get Into Several Arguments And Even Bill And Javier Begin To Believe That John Is A Traitor And That Arthur Is Losing Faith As Well.

Despite Their Tensions, John Goes To Bacchus Bridge And Awaits Arthur's Arrival To Set Up The Mining Charges And Blow Up The Bridge. During This Operation, Arthur Convinces John That He And His Family Should Run Away From The Doomed Gang, Once They Have Enough Money. The Duo Begin Making Plans, And John Informs Arthur That Abigail Knows Where The Gang's Money Stash Is. The Feeling That They Need To Get Out Is Escalated Even More As Dutch Descends Into Madness, In Addition To Becoming Increasingly Influenced And Corrupted By Micah, Who Acts As His New Right-Hand Man. John Is Later Present With The Rest Of The Van Der Linde Gang During The Battle Against The U.S. Army At The Oil Fields, Although He Plays A Minimal Part.

John Participates In The Final Robbery Of The Van Der Linde Gang, Which Involved Robbing An Army Payroll From A Well-Guarded Train. When Uncoupling A Burning Train Carriage, John Gets Shot In The Shoulder By A Train Guard And Falls Off The Train. Dutch Goes Back To Save Him, But Ultimately Decides To Leave John To Die. After The Robbery, John Is Presumed Dead By The Rest Of The Gang.

During A Stand-Off Between Micah And Arthur About The Former Being A Traitor, John Makes A Shock Return, Still Injured, Claiming That Dutch Left Him To Die. John And Susan Grimshaw Side With Arthur, While The Rest Of The Gang Sides With Dutch And Micah. Susan Threatens Micah At Gunpoint, But He Kills Her While She’s Distracted By The News Of The Pinkertons' Arrival. Dutch Then Draws His Revolvers And Demands To Know Who Is With Him, And Who Is Betraying Him, Ultimately Leading To The Gang Uniting Behind Him And Against Arthur And John, Holding The Two At Gunpoint. Before The Duo Can Be Gunned Down By The Others, The Standoff Is Interrupted By A Pinkerton Assault On The Camp, Causing The Gang To Flee.

John And Arthur Flee Into The Caves And Eventually Make It Out Before Making For Their Horses, The Duo Are Then Chased Down By Dutch And Micah As Well As Cleet And Joe. Dodging Their Former Leader And Divisions Of Pinkertons, John And Arthur's Horses Are Eventually Gunned Down And The Duo Are Forced To Flee Up The Mountains. The Duo Eliminate As Many Pinkertons As They Can Before Arthur Tells John To Run, Arthur Gives John His Satchel As Well As His Hat Before The Latter Leaves. John Eventually Meets Sadie And Abigail At Copperhead Landing And Part Ways. John And Sadie Also Vowed To Kill Micah For His Treachery Should They Ever Find Him.

## 1907 - 1911

Years After The Gang Disbanded, In 1907, The Marston Family Survive An Incident Near Roanoke Ridge Which Involved John Shooting Someone, And Head To A Destination Unknown. They Eventually Arrive In Strawberry To Try Their Luck There Where Abigail And Jack Land A Job In The Town Clinic And, Under The False Identity "Jim Milton", John Temporarily Gets A Job Working For The General Store, Delivering Some Supplies To David Geddes At Pronghorn Ranch. John Arrives At The Ranch On Time And Manages To Stop Two Loudmouths From Harassing The Ranch. After this, John Receives Work As A Ranch Hand For The Geddes. His Reunion With Abigail Starts Uneasy Friction After She Receives News Of John's Actions Prior To Their Arrival.

Nevertheless, Abigail And John Manage To Get By With Their Newfound Life. John Helps Mr. Geddes And Ranch Foreman Tom Dickens With More Ranch Work Such As Teaching The David Geddes' Younger Son Named Duncan Geddes How To Tame And Ride A Horse And Build Fences Around The Ranch. During These Times, John Briefly Connects With His Son, Teaching Him How To Ride A Pony And Going For A Mail Run In Strawberry.

However, Things Turn Sour As John And His Son Are Ambushed By A Group Of Men Connected To John's Previous Muder In Roanoke Ridge, John Tries To Reason With The Men But Is Forced To Kill Them Which Triggers Jack's Anxiety. After They Return To Their Ranch, Abigail's Worries Increase After Witnessing Jack's Anxiety And John Failing To Keep His Promise To Her. This Concern Ignites After The Laramie Attack Pronghorn Ranch And Steal Cattle. John And Some Ranch Hands Head To Hanging Dog Ranch Where They Successfully Destroy The Gang And Retrieve The Cattle. John Also Kills Their Leader For Mocking Him. The Event Annoys Abigail And She Stupidly Ditches John Quietly The Next Morning To Survive On The Streets For The Next Few Months. John Continues To Work At The Ranch And After Some Time, Marston Asks Mr. Geddes To Put Good Faith On His Name So That He Can Borrow Loans From The Bank In Backwater And Buy A Plot Of Land. John Buys Beecher's Hope To Show That Abigail Was Wrong And That He's Changed, With The Intention Of Turning It Into A Ranch.

John Successfully Buys Beecher's Hope After Clearing Away Squatters Living There. He Reunites With Uncle In Blackwater And Charles In Saint Denis, Who Help Marston Build Up His Ranch, John Also Reunites With Sadie In Valentine, Who Provides Him With Various Bounty Hunting Jobs To Pay Off His Bank Loans. Abigail And Jack Head Back To John After Receiving A Letter From Him. John Spends More Time With His Family, Such As Fishing With Jack And Rufus, And Going To Blackwater With Abigail. During Their Trip To Town, John Proposes To Abigail On The Lake.

Eventually, Marston Comes Across Information Leading To Micah's Location. He, Sadie, And Charles Go Despite Abigail's Pleas Not To. In Order To Reach Their Nemesis, The Trio Track Down Cleet In Strawberry, Who Reveals That Micah And His Gang Are At Mount Hagen. John Kills Cleet And The Three Journey To Mount Hagen, Where Charles And Sadie Both Sustain Injuries; With Charles Getting Shot In The Shoulder By A Sniper And Sadie Having Been Stabbed In The Abdomen During A Scuffle With One Of Micah's Henchmen, John Is Forced To Continue On Without Them. He Soon Confronts And Kills Joe, Before Eventually Finding Micah. A Shootout Ensues Between The Two And They End Up In A Deadlock, Which Ends When A Wounded Sadie Appears And Holds Micah At Gunpoint. However, Dutch Makes A Sudden Appearance, Emerging From The Cabin With His Revolvers Drawn, Resulting In Sadie Being Subdued By Micah And Held Hostage.

A Three-Way Standoff Develops Between John, Micah And Dutch, With Dutch Initially Appearing To Be On Micah’s Side. After An Exchange Of Words Between The Three, Dutch Eventually Shoots Micah In The Chest, Mortally Wounding Him And Freeing Sadie. Enraged, Micah Then Tries To Shoot Dutch And John In A Last-Ditch Effort, But John Outdraws Micah And Guns Him Down, Killing Him. Dutch Then Takes His Leave Without Saying A Word, Ignoring John's Attempt To Thank Him. Marston Subsequently Finds The Blackwater Ferry Robbery Money Stash And Returns To The Ranch With Charles And Sadie. Afterwards, With His Debt Having Been Paid Off Thanks To The Money Stash, John Formally Marries Abigail, With Both Looking Forward To Living A New Life On Their Ranch With Jack. Sadie And Charles Leave Beecher's Hope And The Marston Family On Good Terms. Edgar Ross, The Newly Appointed Head Of The Bureau Of Investigation Catches Wind Of The Events On Mount Hagen And Goes To Investigate, Finding Nothing But Micah's Frozen Corpse And No Trace Of The Missing Blackwater Money. Alongside His New Subordinate, Archer Fordham, They Begin A Manhunt For The Culprit, Questioning Various People Until They Trace The Murder To John's Location At Beecher's Hope. John Continues Working On His Ranch With His Family For The Next Few Years, Unaware That His Revenge On Micah Meant The Bureau Knew Exactly Who He Was And Where To Find Him. Four Years Later In 1911, Ross Decides To Use Kidnap John's Family And Blackmail The Outlaw Into Bringing In His Former Brothers-At-Arms.

John Arrives In Blackwater On The Ferry *Morningstar* And Is Escorted By Edgar Ross And Archer Fordham Through Town To Be Sent Off By Train To Armadillo. Once There, John Finds A Fuide Named Jake Hired By The Local Marshal In The Saloon. The Talkative Guide Questions Marston About His Motives But Gets No Answers In Return. He Leads John To Fort Mercer, The Main Hideout Of The Notorious Williamson gang. In confronting His Old Friend, Marston Tries To Reason With Williamson In Giving Up Peacefully, But Williamson Taunts John For His Vocabulary, Proudly Proclaiming That He Is Now In Charge Of His Own Gang. John Reaches For His Revolver But Gets Shot In His Lower Right Torso By One Of Bill Williamson's Men.

After Suffering Through The Night And Eventually Passing Out On The Side Of The Road, Bonnie MacFarlane And Her Ranch Hand Amos Find John And Take Him To Nathaniel Johnston's Doctor Office In Armadillo. After Treating His Wounds, Bonnie Provides John With Lodging, Food, And Drink, On Condition He Helps Her Around The Ranch.

John Works Off His Debt Of $15 To Bonnie And Her Father Drew MacFarlane By Doing Various Ranch Jobs Such As Night Patrol, Cattle-Herding, And Horse-Taming. However, Williamson Finds Out That John Has Survived And Is Staying At The MacFarlane Ranch And Orders His Gang To Set The Barn On Fire. John Rescues The Trapped Horses And Bonnie Promises To Sell Him Some Cattle When He Settles On His Ranch Again.

After Assisting U.S. Marshal Leigh Johnson With Various Jobs In And Around Armadillo, John And The Marshal Begin To Plan An Assault On The Fort. To Gather A Posse And The Necessary Resources To Conduct The Attack, John Works With Snake Oil Salesman Nigel West Dickens And, Through him, Irish And Seth Briars. However, Their Plans Are Temporarily Delayed When Bonnie MacFarlane Is Kidnapped, To Which John Volunteers To Help Marshal Johnson Save Her From Being Hanged. After Saving Bonnie, John And His Allies Carry Out An Assault On Fort Mercer, Using A "Trojan Horse" Strategy By Sneaking John And A Gatling Gun Inside The Fort In Dickens' Wagon. West Dickens Gives Them A Lecture About What Is Inside His "Miracle" Wagon, Before Rapping Sharply On The Side Of The Wagon To Signal John, Who Shows Himself And Kills Most Of The Outlaws While Assaulting The Fort. However, After The Battle, The Crew Discover That Williamson Had Fled The Previous Morning And Went Into Exile In The Mexican Province Of Nuevo Paraíso With Javier Escuella.

Irish Escorts John South Of The Border To The Mexican Province, Nuevo Paraíso, Where He Meets The Region's Provisional Governor, Colonel Allende, And His Subordinate Right-Hand Man, Captain De Santa. He Is Forced To Work For Them To Gain Information On Williamson And Escuella. At The Same Time, John Encounters The Aging Famed Gunslinger Landon Ricketts Who Teaches Him New Gun Fighting Skills And Commits Raids On The Mexican Army. Marston Also Aids Abraham Reyes And Luisa Fortuna - Two Lover Revolutionaries Working To Overthrow Allende And Their President, General Sanchez, With Numerous Revolutionary Attacks. He Attempts To Extract Any Information Possible From Both Allende And Reyes Regarding The Whereabouts Of Williamson And Escuella. However, Allende, Aware Of John's Loyalties, Betrays John And Has His Men Attempt To Kill Him. However, Reyes And His Rebels Arrive In Time And Rescue John Before He Can Be Executed. Marston Kills Captain Espinoza In The Ensuing Battle And Sides With Reyes In The Revolution. After Captain De Santa Is Dealt With, John Participates In An Attack On El Presidio. Marston Confronts Javier And Holds Him At Gunpoint, Although Javier Manages To Escape. Marston Pursues Him, And Javier Is Captured By John In The Ensuing Struggle And Handed Over To The Newly Arrived Agents Edgar Ross And Archer Fordham. Eventually, The Rebels Lead An Attack On Allende's Villa. In The Midst Of The Bloodshed, Luisa Is Gunned Down By Allende's Men, Although She Is Avenged When Raul Zubieta And Two Of His Soldiers Are Killed By John In Retaliation. As The Rebels Storm The Villa, Allende And Williamson, Who Was Also Seeking Protection From The Army, Make Their Escape. They Are Subsequently Hunted Down And Killed By Marston And Reyes, Allowing The Rebels To Take Over Nuevo Paraíso And Make Plans To March On Mexico's Capital, Continuing The Revolution. With Williamson Dead, John Is Required To Head Back To Blackwater In America To Meet With Agents Ross And Fordham Once Again.

Though Marston's Business With Williamson And Escuella Is Over, Ross Tells Him That He Still Needs To Deal With Dutch Van Der Linde, The Fallen Leader Of The Van Der Linde Gang, If He Wishes To Get His Family Back. John, Along With Ross, Fordham And Other Bureau Agents Engage In Several Skirmishes With Dutch And His Gang Of Natives Across West Elizabeth But Fail To Capture Or Even Kill Van Der Linde. Marston Also Works With Yale Professor Harold MacDougal And Native American Informant Nastas In Tracking Dutch Down. Eventually, John And The Bureau Of Investigation Join Forces With The American Army In Ambushing Dutch's Hideout. He Confronts Dutch Himself, Who Warns John That The Government Will Betray Him Once He's No Longer Of Use To Them To Tie Up Loose Ends. Rather Than Dying Or Being Taken Captive By John, Dutch Chooses To Commit Suicide By Falling From A Cliff.

After The Raid Is Over, John Is Released By The Government And Finally Reunites With His Family At Their Ranch In Beecher's Hope. He Settles Down With His Wife Abigail And Sixteen-Year-Old Son Jack, Along With Old Family Friend Uncle, And Attempts To Return To A Crime-Free Life As A Farmer And Rancher With His Family. In Order To Get The Ranch Going, He Returns To MacFarlane's Ranch To Purchase Some Cattle, Breaks Some Horses With Uncle, And Teaches Jack How To Hunt, Even Saving Him From A Bear Some Time Later.

However, As Per Dutch's Warning, Edgar Ross Double-Crosses John. He, Along With The Bureau, US Army, And U.S. Marshals, Launch An Attack On The Marston Ranch. Uncle Is Killed During The Shootout, While John And His Son Continue Holding Off The Attackers. John Tells Abigail And Jack To Run While He Stays Behind In The Barn To Defend Them. Knowing That The Chances Of Survival For John Are Slim, Abigail And John Seal Their Love With A Passionate Kiss Before The Former Rides Off. In The End, John Realizes That The Only Way To Save His Family From The Government's Crosshairs Is To Lay Down His Life. John Sacrifices Himself In A Last Stand Against Ross And His Men. After Exiting The Barn And Standing Before A Large Firing Squad, He Draws His Pistol And Takes Out As Many Men As He Can Until They Open Fire On Him. Still Standing, Breathing Harshly And With Multiple Bullet Wounds On His Body, He Drops His Revolver, Falls To His Knees And Then Eventually Collapses Back To The Ground. Abigail And Jack Return To Find John's Body In A Pool Of Blood, Peppered With Bullet Holes. They Bury Him Up On Top Of The Hill Overlooking The Ranch, Next To Uncle. His Grave Is Inscribed "Blessed Are The Peacemakers."

John's Death At The Hands Of Edgar Ross Could Be Considered A Poetic End To His Life. His Entire Journey Had Been About The Things He Would Do For His Family: He Killed For Them, He Worked With The Law To Bring In Bill Williamson, He Worked Both Sides Of The Mexican Civil War And Tortured A Man To Gain Information On Javier Escuella, He Faced The Man Who Raised Him, And In The End, He Sacrificed His Life To Save His Family And Give Them The Chance To Live In Peace, The Reason He Sought Redemption In The First Place.

## The Legacy Of John Marston

***John Marston Is Remembered As A Legendary Bounter Hunter, Almost Surpassing Arthur Morgan.***

***From 1907 To 1911, John Marston Would Become A Legendary Bounty Hunter Most Remembered For Bringing In Bounties All Throughout West Elizabeth. The Citizens Of Blackwater Were Led To Believe That John Marston Was Killed By The Army, Albeit For Reasons Unknown.***

## Personality

John Can Be Considered Cold And Apathetic But Also Loyal. As The Gang's Fate Appears Set In Stone, John Begins To Question His Morals And Even Doubts Dutch To The Point Where Dutch Leaves Him Behind On Two Separate Occasions.

After Arthur's Death, John Is Considered Dull, Ruthless, And Lacking Of Any Hope But Still Possesses A Level Of Humanity.

John Is Polite Towards Ladies And Has General Respect Towards Most People But Is Willing To Be Hostile Towards Others If They Threaten Him Or Offend Him In Any Way. John Doesn't Like Birds.

## Appearance

John Wears A Grey Vest, Black Trousers, A Beige Shirt, Black Rambler Boots, A Leather Gun Belt, And A Dark Grey Weathered Hat. John Is A White Male With An Average Body And Long Black Hair