Red Harlow

“It never was about the money.”

–Red Harlow

Red Harlow is the main protagonist and playable character of Red Dead Revolver.

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

Background

Red Harlow is the son of Nate Harlow and Falling Star. One rainy evening, when Red was a youngster, his father returned from a successful gold prospecting trip to Bear Mountain. Nate's success made them extremely wealthy, so he brought many gifts for his family, Red's being his father's Old Pistol. Red immediately went to practice with his new weapon. Within minutes of the family reunion, a group of bandits raided the homestead. Red and Nate killed most of the bandits, but while Red was off fighting, Colonel Daren gunned down Red's parents in cold blood. Red rushed to their sides, screaming, and begging for them to wake up. Daren then began belittling and mocking Nate, saying to Red, "Kid, I reckon your Pa's better off dead, him being such a yellow-belly and all, Hehehehe". In a bloodthirsty rage, Red grabbed his father's Scorpion Revolver out of the fire.

The red hot metal handle seared the Scorpion on the handle into his flesh. Red fired a single shot. Daren screamed as he felt his skin tearing and ripping as his arm was blown off. Red then flees into a ditch while the Bandits searched for him, but soon gave up. While they rode away on horseback, Red laid there, staring at his hand, his parents' screams ringing in his head.

Red becomes a bounty hunter at some point after the tragedy.

Story

The Drifter

Years later, Red and his Dog are passing through Twin Rocks, when they come across Curly Shaw, who was recently robbed by a group of bandits. As he is talking, the bandits Twiggy Phelps and Smitty approach from behind. They interrupt him, throwing him to the ground. Twiggy notices that Red is staring at them. They then attempt to ambush Red, only to meet a bloody end. Their posse then attacks Red only to meet the same fate. After the fight outside, Bloody Tom, Greg "Big Oaf" Whitney and his son George storm out of their huts, ready to kill Red. They each attack, each having their brains blown out. After the fight, Curly Shaw recommends that Red take their corpses to Widows Patch for a reward. Red takes Shaw's cart to transport the bodies. Red arrives in Widows Patch for his reward, however Sheriff O'Grady has nothing to reward him with, as the Ugly Gang has completely destroyed Widow's Patch. Meanwhile, behind them, a group of outlaws gathers around Red's dog. The dog urinates on an outlaws foot. A single shot rings out and the barking stops. Red unholsters his gun in a blind rage, and slaughters the outlaws like they did to his dog. This confrontation sends him into an all out war with the Ugly Gang, brutally killing the key members in order: Chicken, "Hedgehog", "Whiskey" and "Gigolo". After his gang has been killed, Ugly Chris himself confronts Red, using the Sheriff as a meat shield. Red shoots him like a dog. Red begins searching for survivors, and discover from Katie O'Grady that her father is critically wounded, and that the closest doctor is in Brimstone, and that he will get a large reward for taking him there, plus for killing the Ugly Gang. Red and the Sheriff set out for their destination, and Red's most important milestone on his road to revenge.

The train ride is long, and full of surprises. Red's train is ambushed by a group of bandits, his train car being held at gunpoint. Red kills the strange bandit in a duel. Red then fights his way to the caboose, killing Smiley Fawler. The train then begins speeding dangerously down the tracks. Red then kills his way to the locomotive and kills the bandit that was holding the conductor hostage. Red has to fight the Pedrosa Brothers for the 5 minutes to Brimstone, killing them and their henchman "Hatchet" Schultz in the process. The train arrives on schedule, it's occupants unharmed. Sheriff Bartlett then arrives and takes Sheriff O'Grady to the doctor, offering Red work before leaving.

The Bounty Hunter

Red's work from Bartlett is bounty hunting. His targets are Pig Josh, Bad Bessie, and Mr. Black. Red goes after Josh first, finding him at an old army outpost known as "Fairgrounds". He finds Jack Swift, who has been taken hostage by Josh and his troops. Jack Swift asks for Red's help but refuses until he is ambushed by Professor Perry's goons. Red frees Jack from his cage and kills Pig Josh along with Perry's goons. Returning to Brimstone, he is assigned to Bad Bessie. Red finds her in Rogue Valley. After bribing in her bounty, Bartlett assigns him to Mr. Black, the undertaker at the Tarnation cemetery. Red finds Mr. Black and some bandits and kills them, returning to Bartlett to collect the bounty.

After Red takes care of the 3 Bounties, he gets in a bar fight with some ruffians at the Brimstone Saloon. Red kills the owners but is soon arrested by Bartlett. While Red is in the jail cell, Bartlett discovers his true identity, his identity was unknown to the other characters and was simply referred to as "The Bounty Hunter," and informs him of the man who really killed his parents, General Diego. Bartlett lets Red go, and he begins his search for Diego to finally avenge the death of his parents.

Red attacks Diego's army, but is soon captured by Javier Diego and Daren. He was soon escaped, thanks for his cousin, Shadow Wolf. The two cousins battled Daren, who killed Shadow Wolf, but was killed by Red himself.

Red then chased Diego, who tried to escape with a train. Red stopped the train and after a long shootout, executed Diego with a fatal shot to his head.

Red comes to the town of Brimstone, re-meeting with both Jack and Annie to the battle royal. After dueling against few duelists, Red was set up to battle Mr. Kelley. Griffon who holds the Scorpion Revolver, revealing himself to be the one who sold out Red's father. Griffon orders Kelley to kill Red, but Red kills Kelley and, along with Jack and Annie, chasing Griffon to his mansion. Red reunited with Buffalo Soldier, and the two chased Griffon to mansion's roof. Red and Griffon make a final shootout, with Red killing Griffon.

Bartlett gives money to Red for killing Griffon, Red, however, taking the Scorpion Revolver from Griffon's dead body, telling to Bartlett to give the money for Annie and Buffalo.

Red walks away and says that "it never was about the money". His future and fate are unknown.

Mission Appearances

As the main playable character, Red Harlow appears in most missions and in Brimstone between missions. The following missions use other playable characters, however:

"Freak Show" - no appearance
"Range War" - beginning/ending cutscene only
"The Traitor" - beginning/ending cutscene only
"Bear Mountain" - no appearance
"Stagecoach" - no appearance
"Hell Pass" - no appearance

Personality

Red is a very quiet and rather humorless character. He rarely speaks, and when he does, it is often the least he has to say to anyone. Although he was rather chatty in his teenage years, it could be said that after his parents died, he simply lost the need to talk much. However, despite his quietness, he does prove to be polite, as seen when he always says "Ma'am" to some women he meets and tips his hat to defeated opponents in duels. Also, he shows to be the type not to be messed with, as seen when he came to collect his money, he ignored the bank owner's excuse and even threatened him to give it to him when he comes back.

Red seems to harbor deep loathing towards the scorpion scar branded on his right hand, so much that throughout the game he has a piece of red cloth wrapped around his right hand to conceal the scar from everyone, either because he could be ashamed of it, or he simply didn't want to be reminded of his parents' death.

He also seems to act solely as a loner, shown when he refused to release Jack Swift when they first met, although he did free him when he needed help. It could be said that he simply avoids close relationship probably because he doesn't want to lose any more people he cares about. He also shows a great sense of justice, being ready to help people that need help. Additionally, he is even willing to give money to those who need it, for example at the end of the game, he tells Sheriff Bartlett to give $5000 that he won from the Battle Royale to Annie Stoakes and Buffalo Soldier, even though he wanted to keep the money for himself. Also, he himself stated that "it never was about the money", suggesting that he does it not because he enjoys it, but because he earns money for the living this way and that he cares more about serving justice, rather than just killing people for fun and money.

Showdown Mode

Red is available as a playable character in Showdown Mode. He is available from the start of the game and does not need to be unlocked.

Sheriff Bartlett's Journal

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.

Quotes

Red Dead Revolver

“	Much obliged	„
	—Red, upon being selected in Showdown

“	Hate to kill a lady...	„
	—Red, after killing Bad Bessie

“	All will know of your courage, cousin.	„
	—Red, regarding Shadow Wolf

“	When I get back, you better have my gold.	„
	—Red

“	You ain't my problem...	„
	—Red, refusing to save Jack Swift

“	Tell me what you know about the death of my family.	„
	—Red

“	I'll get it this time!	„
	—Young Red, upon being selected in Showdown

“	What can you tell me about the one-armed man??	„
	—Red asking about Daren

“	I'm goin' right in...	„
	—Red

“	I just want my money!	„
	—Red to bank manager of Brimstone

“	How much for the lot.	„
	—Red to Sheriff O'Grady after killing Bloody Tom and his gang

“	Our people shall now know of your courage cousin.	„
	—Red after Wolf died

Legends and Killers DLC

Redharlow — Red as a *Redemption Multiplayer* skin.

"Aren't there any real outlaws left around here?"
"Should I call you Mister or Misses? Cause I ain't so sure!"
"Like I always say: It never was about the money."
"I thought Pig Josh was a freak, but you take the prize!"
"I've dropped a hundred fools tougher than you!"
"When you get to hell, give Griff my regards!"
"Stop trying to be something you're not!"
"I'll be doing mankind a favor by putting 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!."
"Don't forget to tell the devil that Red Harlow sent 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 hope you aren't that 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 pull the trigger, let's all have a good laugh."
"I'd advise you to cut and run now while you got the chance"

Appearances

Red Dead Revolver _{(First appearance)}

Non-canon appearances

Red Dead Redemption _{(Online in the Characters in the Legends and Killers DLC Pack)}

Trivia

Robert Bogue, the voice of Red Harlow, also provided the voice of Troy in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, as well as the voice and motion capture of Steve Haines in Grand Theft Auto V. Bogue also reprised his role as Red for the Legends and Killers DLC pack.^[1]
Harlow is mentioned, along with Annie Stoakes, Bad Bessie, Mr. Black, Colonel Daren, Jack Swift, General Diego, and Shadow Wolf, in campfire stories in Red Dead Redemption.
In Redemption singleplayer, when the player's honor level is Desperado, John Marston can be heard saying "I don't know whether to call you mister or misses!" This is one of Harlow's quotes in Redemption multiplayer. *In Red Dead Redemption, Harlow wears a white bandana with blue dots, while he wears the opposite colors in Revolver.
Red Harlow looks very similar to the actor Clint Eastwood, who is famous for starring in many Western films, and his unique revolver (Scorpion) with a custom image on its grip, and the red cloth on his hand is most likely a reference to Clint Eastwood's legendary protagonist character, "The Man With No Name" featured in the "Dollars Trilogy" of Spaghetti-Western movies, who had a revolver with a rattlesnake on the grip and wore a leather cuff with thumb hole over his hand in For a Few Dollars More. The scar on Red's cheek may also be a reference to Eastwood in "The Outlaw Josey Wales". Red's Voice is also similar to that of Eastwood, being very smooth yet threatening.
Red has more accurate dead-eye targeting skills than any other character.
Red appears to be older in Red Dead Redemption, as his character model has more defined wrinkles. His voice also sounds deeper and gruffer.
Buffalo Soldier only ever refers to Harlow as "Bounty Hunter".
Red's hand appears to be more blood covered than burnt when hiding in the mission "Bull's Eye".
As seen in the gallery, Red smokes a cigarette during selection in the Red Dead Redemption multiplayer outfitter, but never smokes during Red Dead Revolver.