Summary
Red Dead Redemption’s central character, John Marston, has popped up in an unusual place, appearing as a potential answer to a question on a history test. While John Marston certainly did a lot to change the state ofRed Dead Redemption’s version of the American West at the end of the 19th century, he was unfortunately not the correct answer to this question.
One of Rockstar Games' most popular properties, the Wild West action-adventure series has seen a lot of success since the first game’s launch in 2010. Much of that success lies with Marston, the first original Rockstar character to be playable in multiple games in the same series. Although he seems to have settled down by the second game’s ending, some fans want to seeJohn Marston play a role inRed Dead Redemption 3.
In this instance, however, John Marston is an incorrect answer to a multiple-choice question about U.S. history. Reddit user Sr-rookjesko recently shared an image of a test given out by their history teacher, which asks for the name of the longest-serving U.S. Supreme Court justice. The correct answer was John Marshall, who served from 1801 to his death in 1835, though his name is strikingly similar to that of thepopular Rockstar Games character.
While Rockstar’s grizzled gunslinger never did ascend to the highest court in the United States, there are some historical American connections with his name. Along with his wife, the Marstons share first names with the second president and first lady of the United States, John and Abigail Adams, though whether that historicalJohn Marston-related factwas an intentional move by the developers has not been confirmed. Additionally, there was an Elizabethan English playwright named John Marston, who may have been the historical figure that this history teacher was referencing in the incorrect answer. However, John Adams was the president who nominated John Marshall to the Supreme Court, which could make the web of history and game-related facts related to this test question even more mind-boggling.
Regardless of whether the connection to Rockstar Games was intentional in this case, teachers have used video games to try to connect with their students, andRed Dead Redemptionis no exception. Last March, a high school teacher shared on Reddit how theyusedRed Dead Redemptionin a senior English class, having students play both games in the series and keep a log of the moral choices made by the protagonists as a form of character study.
Red Dead Redemption 2
WHERE TO PLAY
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
