Archer (Fate/Crossover - John Marston)

**Archer** (セイバー, *Āchā*) is the servant of ??? in the ??? Holy Grail War.

"*People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven."* - John Marston

## Profile

### Identity

Archer's true identity is **Johnathan "John" Marston Sr.**, an American outlaw and bounty hunter of the Wild West who was notable both for his association with the Van der Linde Gang during the 1890s and his forced cooperation with federal authorities in taking down his former friends in 1911. He was killed in a shootout with the US Army at his ranch after his task was complete.

### Personality

John has a strong dislike of birds and a rather dull imagination, especially when compared to his son Jack. When it comes to how he feels about religion, in-game quotes suggest that he is likely a Christian who is not overtly religious.

He is also a fairly serious individual with very little patience for the eccentricities of both life and the various people he meets during the events of Red Dead Redemption. He frequently threatens Irish into sobering up so as to be of some use to him, and he is clearly disturbed/disgusted by Seth's habitual grave robbing. However, he is not above employing sarcasm in conversation with certain characters, particularly those he sees as exhibiting hypocrisy, which can be seen in his interactions with both Abraham Reyes and Agustin Allende. John is also shown assisting both sides of the revolution in Mexico, suggesting he is willing to be morality apathetic to save his family.

He greatly respects women and refuses to commit adultery, yet can be quick to anger and never seems to feel guilty or remorseful about the deaths he's caused both past and present. Despite Dutch leaving him for dead and devolving to a deranged maniac, Marston still holds respect for him as a former father figure in his life. The familial bond created when Dutch took in an orphaned teenage John is still somewhat evident, as John is noticeably reluctant to kill Dutch when given the chance; even years after his time in the gang, John still has some of Dutch's more progressive, less violent philosophical beliefs, such as viewing modern society to be deeply unfair and having a low opinion of the government. However, John does seem to have matured since his criminal days and is unbending in his desire to live out the rest of his life with his family.

John is also extremely polite to women, often calling Bonnie MacFarlane "Miss MacFarlane", even after she requests that he call her "Bonnie." He also does anything possible to keep women safe, even pistol-whipping Irish to defend two nuns he was holding up. In contrast to his politeness to women, John is unafraid to take the moral high-ground when dealing with less than reputable characters, like Irish with his alcoholism and Nigel West Dickens with his swindling of gullible people. John seems to be one of the only men who is loyal to his wife. He also seems to get irritated when someone mentions his wife's past than his own.

Unlike many people of the time, John doesn't hold racist views and even sarcastically mocks those that do. Marston is also skeptical of new technology, dismissing the automobile as "slow" while preferring a horse. He is cynical of the government as a whole, stating that "most men can't handle power", and explaining to Marshal Leigh Johnson the irony of murder being a crime "unless it's ordered by a court of law". However, John does nothing to solve these supposed problems in government, and instead seems to unintentionally further them. He helps Marshal Johnson murder criminals and aids Abraham Reyes in leading a revolution, the latter who ultimately becomes a tyrant after winning power. It seems John has come to a realization that civilization will always be littered with hypocrisy, violence, unfairness, and corruption. Unlike his former gang members, John stops trying to fight it and instead chooses a path to live a peaceful life as a rancher with a loving family, away from all these problems.

Like other playable characters in the series, John has the capacity for both honorable and dishonorable actions, mostly depending on player choice during gameplay. Within the story of Red Dead Redemption, the extent of John's merciful nature or desire for vengeance is somewhat influenced by the player during key moments. At different points in the story, the player can choose whether to personally kill Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Captain De Santa out of vengeance or simply leave their demise to other characters. However, John is usually depicted as being morally ambiguous with a sense of honor in the context of plot and general personality.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, a younger John Marston is depicted. Unlike his older self, John is seen as having a more apathetic, colder personality towards his family. He avoids his responsibly of being a father to Jack, even believing for a time that Jack wasn't his son and often expressing annoyance at Abigail when she chastises him for this. At one point, John even jokes about his family "seeing corpses" in reference to all the people he's killed, showing that he has no moral qualms around his family. As the Van der Linde gang faces increasingly dire situations, John frequently questions Dutch's plans and the overall morality of the gang. At the same time, John realizes how much of a poor husband and father he's been, due to the growing danger his family are being put in due to his actions, which ultimately causes him to change after his wife and son leave him in 1907.

## Abilities

John Marston is a masterful and experienced gunman, sharpshooter, rider and hunter. He is a rugged survivalist and knows life as a fight for survival, which is something he does admirably. He usually gets money for his journeys by either doing bounty hunter work or by selling hunted animal products.

### Noble Phantasm

#### **Dead Eye Targeting**

This Noble Phantasm slows down time to allow John Martson to get more accurate shots on enemies. After marking targets, normal time resumes and a flurry of bullets are released in quick succession. This requires the Dead Eye skill to be activated in order to use. John can activate Deadeye to use his Noble Phantasm on all battles, but with a limited duration that varies based on the level of the enemy.

## References

https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/John\_Marston

https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/John\_Marston

https://rockstargames.fandom.com/wiki/John\_Marston

https://muc.fandom.com/wiki/John\_Marston

https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/John\_Marston