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It never was about the money.
Red Harlow

Red Harlow is a central character, and the primary protagonist of Red Dead Revolver. He is also referenced as an old Western legend in both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red is one of the starter characters available in Showdown Mode. A model of his younger self is also available to use; it is unlocked by purchasing "Sand Painting" from a store.

With the addition of the Legends and Killers DLC pack, Red Harlow is a playable character model in the multiplayer mode of Red Dead Redemption.

History

Background

Red was the son of Nate Harlow, a gold miner, and his wife Falling Star. Through his mother, he is a descendant of the Red Wolf Native Americans tribe, and one of the grandchildren of Running Moon, the tribe's current chief.

Red is also cousin to Red Wolf member Shadow Wolf, and the two of them used to play together before the deaths of Red's parents.

Events of Red Dead Revolver

Prologue

Pa! Pa! Get up, Pa! Pa!
A young Red finding his father's corpse.
Revolver1Bull's Eye

Red and his mother greet his father.

At the age of 14, Red and his mother greet Nate as he returns with good news: he and his partner "Griff" found gold in Bear Mountain's mine. To celebrate their partnership and newfound wealth, Nate and Griff made a pair of custom revolvers called the Scorpion Revolvers. After Red noticed his father's new weapon, Nate gave his son his old pistol for practice, promising that one day the Scorpion revolver will become Red's.

On his father's suggestion, Red decides to go down the river next to their farm to practice, much to his mother's annoyance due to him shooting at their pots and pans. The Harlow ranch is soon raided by outlaws and bandits; as Red chases towards his parents, he guns down several bandits before rushing towards his parents' screams.

Finding his deceased father and mother, Red is soon confronted by their killer and the bandits' leader, Daren. As Daren mocks the deceased Nate, the young Red grabs his father's revolver - engulfed with flames - and shoots Daren's left arm, severing it; the molten metal of the revolver would scar Red's right hand-palm.

The Bounty Hunter

How much for the lot?
Red to Sheriff O'Grady regarding the bounties on the Bloody Tom gang.

Years after the tragic events at Broken Creek, Red would grow to become an experienced gunslinger and a dreaded Bounty hunter. He would also get a golden-colored dog as his sole companion.

Traveling through Twin Rocks, Nate and his dog encounter a merchant called "Curly" Shaw, who offers to sell Red several goods. Their encounter is cut short by members of the Bloody Tom Gang, who threaten both Shaw and Red. Red quickly dispatches of the gang's minor members. His actions draw Bloody Tom himself and his two lieutenants, but all three fall to Red's bullets.

UglyStreetfight

Red fights the Ugly gang.

Red takes Shaw's cart so he could carry Bloody Tom's corpse to the nearby Widow's Patch to collect the bounty on his head, but the settlement's local Sheriff, O'Grady admits that due to the town's occupation by the Ugly Gang, he has nothing to offer. At the same moment, three thugs of the Ugly Gang kill Red's dog; hearing his poor dog's dying noise, Red quickly guns down the responsible men before engaging against the entire gang.

Enraged by Red's action, the gang's leader "Ugly" Chris Bailey attacks the bounty hunter while using O'Grady as a human shield, but he is swiftly defeated and killed by Red. Due to the injuries O'Grady sustained, his daughter Katie asks Red to help her bring him to Brimestone to get treatment; Red complies after O'Grady says Brimstone's Sheriff Bartlett might reward Red.

During the train ride to Brimstone, Red defends O'Grady and the other passengers from attacking bandits led by the Pedrosa Brothers.

Brimstone

Tell me about the one-armed man.
Red questioning Dan about Daren.

Upon his arrival at Brimstone, Bartlett decides to hire Red's services to take out several notorious bandits and criminals in the areas surrounding the town. In his first task, disposing of Pig Josh, Red meets an English gentleman called Jack Swift, who would become a reoccurring ally to him.

GhostTown-Revolver

Red arrives at the hideout of Mr. Black's gang.

His later two assignments include the removal of two gang leaders, Bad Bessie and Mr. Black. During his quest to kill Bessie, Red encounters Shaw again and helps him traveling through Rogue Valley, while in his quest to dispose of Black, Red visits Tarnation, eliminating every single member of Black's gang.

Red's skills and actions earn him the respect and gratitude of Bartlett, but the Sheriff is unable to pay him due to the local bank's gold wagon hasn't arrived yet. In his visit to the bank, Red briefly meets rancher Annie Stoakes, and overhears her conversation with the banker mentioning gold in Bear Mountain. He then meets up with Annie after an attack on her ranch, acquiring information about the gold and giving her his reward for all his bounties.

At the Brimstone saloon Red overhears several outlaws mentioning Daren and asks them about the circumstances about it, which leads to a gunfight within the brothel. Red manages to kill the leading outlaws, but his action disturbs the peace in Brimstone, leading Bartlett to arrest him.

Locked in a cell, Red has a conversation regarding his motives with Bartlett, revealing to the shocked Sheriff that he is in fact Nate's son looking to avenge him. Bartlett then tells Red of the lead-up to his parents' demise, including the involvement of Daren's boss Javier Diego and Nate's traitorous partner Griff. After he finishes telling Diego's story, Bartlett releases Red to hunt Diego down.

Bear Mountain imprisonment

Our people now shall know of your courage cousin.
Red mourning Shadow Wolf's death.

Red makes his way towards the Sunset Canyon, where he kills his way through several of Diego's soldiers and even destroys one of the General's stagecoach. As he proceeds to examines the wreck, however, Red is assaulted by Daren. Before he can kill him, Daren is stopped by Diego ordering him to take the unconscious Red to their gold mine.

During his time locked at Bear Mountain's mine's jail cells, Red befriends a fellow prisoner dubbed the Buffalo Soldier. The two are soon released by Shadow Wolf, who witnessed Red's capture and has been working on breaking him free ever since. During his escape from the mine, Red also releases Katie O'Grady.

FortDiego

Red stabs Daren's corpse with Shadow Wolf's knife.

As he ventures closer to escaping, he finds himself fighting against two of Diego's best men, Tony and Ted Bufias, but the two fail to stop him. He then quickly disposes of the bodies throwing them on a cart.

Making his way towards the nearby Fort Diego, Red rejoins Shadow Wolf as they fight off Diego's men. During the battle Shadow Wolf encounters and is mortally wounded by Daren, who then proceeds to fight Red. After a difficult fight, Red finally achieves the first step in his revenge by slaying Daren. The victory is soured by Shadow Wolf's own demise, whom Red credits with killing Daren.

Pursuit of Diego

After briefly mourning his cousin and acquiring a horse, Red proceeds to chase down Diego's train, filled with weapons and soldiers. After killing the majority of Diego's men and separating the train's cars, Red shoots down the train's engine, setting for a showdown with Diego himself.

Revolver22Devils and Angels

Red executes general Diego.

As Red approaches the train engine, Diego shows up before firing a gatling gun at the Bounty Hunter, while the last of his men make their final stand. Red manages to kill off the last soldiers, separate Diego from his gatling gun, and wound Diego.

A wounded Diego attempts to negotiate his life with Red, offering the Bounty Hunter gold in return. Red slowly approaches Diego as he aims his revolver, and executes the Mexican general as the latter refers to him as a "partner". With Diego's death, Red accomplishes one more step to finishing his revenge.

Brimstone Tournament

Back in Brimstone, Red is greeted by Bartlett who tells the former about Brimstone's annual dueling tournament and its four-time champion Mr. Kelley, before asking the Bounty Hunter if he wishes to participate it alongside Jack and Annie; Red accepts the offer and defeats Gabriel Navarro during the first round.

During the second round, Red is faced with and defeats Billy Cougar. After the duel, Red rests at the town's saloon, where he catches up with Bartlett, Jack, and Annie. He also has an encounter with Kelley, who taunts him about his skills.

BattleRoyaleKelley

Red faces Mr. Kelley.

The following day, Red faces Kelley, whom he defeats, though Kelley survives. It is this moment where Red confronts his father's partner Griff for the first time, now called Griffon and is the area's Governor as well as Diego's partner and Kelley's boss. Griffon taunts Red - who notices the Governor's Scorpion revolver - and unleashes Kelley upon Brimstone.

Despite the presence of civilians, Red manages to kill Kelley quickly. Red is soon joined by Jack, Annie and Bartlett, the latter revealing the location of Griffon's mansion; Red sets off to finish his vengeance once and for all, supported by Jack and Annie.

Showdown

Give [the reward] to them. It never was about the money.
Red to Bartlett after the downfall of Griffon.
Siege-Revolver

Red, Jack and Annie storm into Griffon's domain.

Arriving at the mansion garden's entrance, Red and his allies make short work of Griffon's sniper Oswald and lead guard Randy. Red and Jack follow Annie to a second floor's door, only to find it closed. Red and Annie then cover for Jack as he unlocks the main door's lock.

The trio storms into the mansion, killing their way towards the second floor. Red finds a secret passage in one of the rooms, and Jack decides to stay behind and buy him off some time as Red ventures into the unknown entrance.

A while into the secret area of the mansion, Red reunites with Annie, who has obtained keys to the mansion. After disposing of two of Griffon's stronger guards, Red and Annie free the Buffalo Soldier, who was captured by Griffon while Red was fighting Daren. Red and Buffalo Soldier confront Griffon at his office, but find out it was an impostor; Red quickly guns him down.

FallFromGrace-Revolver

Red confronts Griffon for a final duel.

On the mansion's rooftop, Red finally confronts the real Griffon and fights off his men alongside the Buffalo Soldier, who is incapacitated by Griffon. A gunfight between the two ensues, with Red injuring Griffon. A final duel occurs between Red and Griffon, and the Bounty Hunter ultimately guns down the Governor who robbed him of his parents years ago.

Bringing Griffon's corpse to the mansion's entrance, Red reunites with Annie and Buffalo Soldier, as well as Bartlett, but finds out that Jack didn't survive the fight. Bartlett offers Red the prize money of the Battle Royale, but Red simply hands his father's Old Pistol to Buffalo Soldier and acquires Griffon's Scorpion Revolver.

Red asks Bartlett to give the gold to Annie and Buffalo Soldier, bid them farewell, and walks away as he proclaims that his cause was never about the money. Where Red went after this and the rest of his life is an untold story.

Redemption Saga

Note: The events of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 are not considered part of the same canon as Red Dead Revolver. The following description is therefore not contiguous with the preceding section on Red Dead Revolver.

Red Harlow appears to be something of a folk legend in the Redemption Universe. The death of his parents and the tales of his life as a bounty hunter are famous throughout the country.[1] His actions, such as fighting the Mexican Army[2] and his duel with Mr. Kelley during the Brimstone tournament[3], have become renowned; there even appears to be a book about his quest for vengeance.[4] In both games, the player can hear stories about Red Harlow and his exploits from NPCs at campfires.

However, Rockstar Games have stated that Red Dead Revolver is in a separate continuity from Red Dead Redemption, with Dan Houser confirming Revolver's setting as being "in its own universe".[5]

Character

Personality

Legendary bounty hunter bringing the savage outlaws of the frontier to justice. A man who watched his parents get murdered in front of him as a boy, but... who uses that pain to become a better man, and ultimately to... wreak his vengeance.
Camper to John Marston

As a child, Red appeared to be quite energetic and talkative. He was also shown to be very close with his parents, happily rushing towards his father Nate when the latter returned from gold mining. Despite his more cheerful attitude as a child, Red could still be composed and determined, fighting his way through bandits to rescue his parents.

The deaths of his parents scarred Red both emotionally and physically, and he would pursue the ones behind his personal tragedy for the next twelve years. Red became a very quiet, stoic and serious individual during that time period, often interacting with people solely for information gathering.

Red's defining trait is his composure; even during the direst situations and when faced against emotional events, Red tends to keep to himself and remain calm and collected. He is rarely consumed by blind rage, instead falling back on tranquil fury during which he will gun down any of stands against him.

Despite his distant and cold attitude, however, Red is not without humanity; in his years after his parents' deaths, he would journey with a dog as his companion, and when it was killed by outlaws, he quickly drew his weapon to avenge it.

In other situations, he decided to rescue Jack Swift and give Annie his bounty money despite claiming that the former "wasn't [his] problem" and the latter didn't have all the information he desired. His love for his family also extended to his beloved cousin Shadow Wolf, and Red would credit him for killing Daren after his fall against the Colonel.

As shown with his aforementioned case with Annie, as well as his refusal to take Griffon's gold, Red doesn't value money much, despite his profession as a bounty hunter, seeing it more as his means to the end goal of bringing justice to his parents rather than personal gain or reward.

Appearance

Redharlow

Red's appearance in Red Dead Redemption.

Red wears a bluish-gray jacket alongside a pair of brownish-gray western pants, with a bandolier over his right shoulder. He wraps a long, dusty scarf around his neck and covers his head with a slightly torn and visibly aged cowboy hat, which he rarely removes.

Red is a man who is most likely to be in his mid-20s,[6] with a fair skin and dark brown hair. His face bears several scars from what appears to be past hostile encounters, with two gashes of varying lengths on each of his cheeks, alongside a small scar over his nose.

Red's most distinguished physical element is a mute red glove on his right hand, which covers a unique scorpion-shaped scar on his palm he received on the day his parents were murdered.

The character's Redemption model is nearly identical in terms of overall attributes to Red's original appearance in Revolver, but slight adjustments and greater level of detail to Redemption's graphical upgrades. His long-sleeved shirt received a bluer shade, while his hat appears to be smaller in size.

Gameplay

Red is the primary playable character in Red Dead Revolver; he is the player-controlled avatar in all but six of Revolver's chapters. As such he is able to use all weapons available in the game excluding those unique to the other playable characters. In single-player mode, he is one of the only two characters that can use the Deadeye system, the other being Jack Swift; a major difference between the two is that Red's ability targets manually rather than automatically.

In Showdown Mode, Red is notable for having one of the highest accuracy levels among all selectable characters. His special ability allows him to rapidly empty his weapon's magazine at the opponent with increased accuracy. Both the standard and young skins of Red share this ability.

Red Harlow is listed in Sheriff Bartlett's Journal on pages 4 - 7 under the Heroes section. The pages are available from the start of the game and do not need to be unlocked.

Mission appearances

Red Dead Revolver

Trivia

  • Red Harlow seems to have been named in honor of the Red Wolf Tribe by his mother.
  • Red was voiced by Robert Bogue, who also reprised the role for the Legends and Killers DLC. Bogue would also lend his voice in other Rockstar Games projects, including Troy in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony and Steve Haines in Grand Theft Auto V. [7]
  • Although Harlow was voiced by Robert Bogue in both Revolver and the multiplayer edition of Red Dead Redemption, Harlow's voice appears different in the pieces of content.
  • In the Outfitter, Red has the same pose as John Marston. It's also the only instance when Red can be seen smoking.
  • Out of the three main characters of the Red Dead series, Red is the only one who survives the events of his respective title through its entirety, rather than being killed off and concluded by another character.
  • In Showdown Mode, Young Red shares some quotes with "Kid" Cougar.
  • In Red Dead Redemption 2, the player can encounter a man camping around Hennigan's Stead; he mentions that, before his brother died, he used to tell him stories of Red Harlow and will tell the stories to the player.[8] In game files, the man in question is labeled as "REDHARLOW."[9]
  • Before the prologue of Red Dead Redemption 2, Charles Smith, a native American turned outlaw, burnt his right-hand amidst the turmoil while escaping Blackwater. This appears to be a subtle reference to Red Harlow's backstory.
  • In the 3D Universe, footage of Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver is used to depict an actor of the 5 Past High Noon TV show in Manhunt 2.
  • In the HD Universe, Red Harlow makes a brief cameo in Grand Theft Auto IV, in a commercial for the western television show called Spittoon, a series that comes off as a parody of how the West was won.[10]
    • The narrator tells the viewer that the new season of Spittoon arrives on a Tuesday. Red Dead Redemption was officially announced on February 3, 2009, a Tuesday - Rockstar's preferred date for announcements. This could have been either a reference or teaser to Red Dead Redemption, a game that was in active development at the time.


Quotes

Red Dead Revolver

You ain't my problem...
Red's only lines towards Jack Swift.
Hate to kill a lady...
Red, after killing Bad Bessie.
I want my money.
Red to bank manager of Brimstone
When I get back, you better have my gold.
Red.
Tell me what you know about the death of my family.
Red.

Showdown Mode

I'll get it this time!
Young Red, upon being selected in Showdown.
Much obliged.
Red, upon being selected in Showdown.

Legends and Killers

  • "Aren't there any real outlaws left around here?"
  • "Should I call you Mister or Missus? I ain't so sure!"
  • "Like I always say: It ain’t about the money."
  • "Just drop the tough act and I'll be on my way."
  • "I thought Pig Josh was a freak, but you take the prize!"
  • "I must've killed all the real outlaws, 'cause I don't see none around here!"
  • "I've dropped a hundred fools tougher than you!"
  • "Nobody told me the Circus was in town!"
  • "Alright, take your last breath and make it a good one."
  • "When you get to hell, give Griff my regards!"
  • "Just hold still so I can kill you, and get on with my day!"
  • "You're just another wannabe who's soon to be gone!"
  • "Why won’t you stop trying to be something you're not!"
  • "I'll be doing mankind a favor puttin' a bullet in you!"
  • "Damn, they sure don't make 'em like they used to."
  • "The name's Red, and all I see around here is yellow!"
  • "Draw your gun friend, 'cause you're about to get a history lesson!"
  • "Any luck you had it's about to run out, partner!"
  • "Don't forget to tell the devil, Red Harlow sent you!"
  • "I can only imagine your mother's face when she first laid eyes on you."
  • "You're looking at the Brimstone quick draw champion."
  • "I'll fill you so full of holes you'll whistle when the wind blows!"
  • "I hate shooting women, but in your case, I'll make an exception."
  • "You ain't even worth the price of a bullet, my friend."
  • "I really hope you’re not as slow as you look."
  • "You sure look like you come from a close family."
  • "Go find 20 friends so we can have ourselves a fair fight!"
  • "I hope you're tired, 'cause you're seconds away from getting bedded down!"
  • "C'mon then, pull the trigger, let's all have a good laugh."
  • "I'd advise you to cut and run now while you got the chance."

Gallery

Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Redemption - Legends and Killers

References

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZtgX4xiY1Q (4:17)
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGjigkxRMM
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0Uhf36UE0 (3:08)
  4. (John Marston and Son) Jack Marston: "It's an adventure, sir. Set out in the West, and it tells this amazing story about how people killed the savage redskins and how this man, this brave man, hunts the man who killed his father."
  5. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-undead-nightmare-qanda/1100-6282212/
  6. Judging by some dialogue from Sheriff Bartlett in the mission Bar Fight, the events of Bull's Eye happened twelve years ago. Red appears to be in his early teens during the latter mission.
  7. Asked & Answered: Red Dead Redemption DLC & Multiplayer Edition: http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption/news/article/7971/asked_&_answered_red_dead_redemption_dlc_&_multiplayer_edition
  8. The player's encounter with the man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x__UEn29iyY
  9. https://www.mod-rdr.com/wiki/peds/u_m_m_story_redharlow_01/
  10. https://youtu.be/96Tpp2RyEgI (0:36)

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