The Red Dead Redemption franchise introduced the world to the Van Der Linde gang. In the first game they were set up as the mysterious life John Marston lived before wanting to change his life for the better.
In the follow-up prequel title, players come to learn about the gang from inside and become familiar with the members and the inner workings of the crew as a whole. The gang is large but there's a handful of interesting and important members. Let's now rank the 10 most prominent members of the Van Der Linde gang from Red Dead Redemption 2.
10 Micah Bell
If this list was comprised of every single member Micah Bell would easily come in the last place among the group. Though plenty of the other members were selfish or just jerks in general, Micah was working to actively cause drama.
Him being in Dutch Van Der Linde's ear for most of the game led to the many mistakes and mishaps the gang experienced along the way. Micah Bell wasn't looking out for anyone but himself and was willing to let others die just so he could get his. The rat of the Van Der Linde gang belongs at the bottom of every list.
9 Dutch Van Der Linde
Dutch Van Der Linde was, of course, the leader and founder of the Van Der Linde gang. In it's earlier years the gang provided an outlet and way of life for kids and young adults who didn't have anywhere to turn to. Dutch was always charismatic and could light up a crowd, but something in him changed.
Whether it was the head injury in Saint Denis, or he simply feared the inevitable change ahead of him, Dutch quickly changed from doing what was best for the gang into doing what was best for Dutch.
8 Bill Williamson
You have to be unlikable in a Western for your most defining character trait to be the silhouette of your cowboy hat. Bill Williamson was known for having one side of his hat up and pressed against the center. He was also known for being a real big jerk.
The problem with Bill is that because Dutch helped give his life meaning and purpose he's loyal to him to a fault. Even when it's clear as day that Dutch and Micah are steering things in the wrong direction, Bill never serves any push back.
7 Javier Escuella
Javier Escuella experiences a big change during the events of the second game despite starting as a likable and trustworthy member of the Van Der Linde gang. He looks up to Dutch quite a bit, just like his closest friend on the gang, Bill Williamson.
Once Dutch began to lose his mind, Javier seemed to become ultra-defensive of the leader in a weird state of denial. He looked up to and believed in Dutch so much, that the drastic change in Dutch shook Javier to his core as his ideal leader crumbled to insanity.
6 Hosea Matthews
Hosea Matthews was the oldest and most respected member of the Van Der Linde gang. Alongside being Dutch's right-hand man and confidant, Hosea was easily the most intelligent person in the gang as well. He had a preference for non-violence, but as Dutch began to fall off the wagon, their ideals began to clash.
Once Hosea passed away, Dutch had little to no resistance or push-back from someone he truly respected which only accelerated the groups fall from grace. Hosea's death was the straw that brought the horse's back.
5 Simon Pearson
At first, Simon Pearson comes off as a whiny and needy man who just so happens to be the gang's cook. As time unfolds players come to realize that he's simply a man not cut out for this lifestyle. He's never mean to Arthur Morgan, and he only becomes frustrated when his livelihood is directly at stake.
This is a reasonable thing to become anxious and stressed over. Luckily for him, once the Van Der Linde gang disbands he can be found running his own shop and seemingly living his best life possible.
4 Charles Smith
Charles Smith is underrated and underappreciated in the Van Der Linde gang. His ties to his Native American heritage become invaluable later in the crew's story as working alongside a tribe becomes the focus of Arthur Morgan's empathetic nature as he courts death.
Charles and Sadie Adler are arguably the closest pairings among the gang right behind Arthur and John Marston or Micah Bell and Dutch Van Der Linde. The two of them show that good people and outlaw tendencies aren't mutually exclusive things.
3 John Marston
John Marston may have been the protagonist of the first title, but from a writing perspective, Arthur Morgan's journey blows his out of the water. The second game does a lot for John though in terms of character depth and charisma.
It retroactively makes him a more dynamic character int he first game due to the information players gather from his time inside the Van Der Linde gang. Since they're kind of a package deal you can go ahead and add his wife Abigail right next to him at the #3 spot on the list.
2 Sadie Adler
Despite being one of the newer members of the gang, Sadie Adler quickly becomes a prominent and important part of the group. She shows a large group of mostly men that her being widowed was the worst thing that could have happened, not for her, but the rest of the world.
Along with Arthur Morgan's journey, Sadie is one of the only members Arthur knows is loyal to a good cause. By the end of the credits, Sadie is a bounty hunter simply looking to bring justice along the American southwest in one shape or another.
1 Arthur Morgan
In many ways, the reason John Marston pursues a better life and commits to being a better man is because of Arthur Morgan. Arthur's not a perfect person, but the entirety of the game's campaign focuses on a man coming to terms with the fact that he's a better man than the life he's lived.
As he stares down death he pushes to right his wrongs and make sure those he cares about are in a position of safety. The Van Der Linde gang saved Arthur as a kid and ultimately killed him as an adult.