In an interview with Game Rant, Roger Clark elaborated on the origins of Arthur Morgan’s character and how he came to be the iconic protagonist in Red Dead Redemption 2. Throughout the game’s development, Arthur’s personality and constitution evolved drastically, which Roger Clark played a key role in developing. Clark had the creative control to help influence the development of Arthur Morgan’s character in tandem with the game’s narrative, whether it was the origins of his personality or how he carried himself. From Roger Clark’s perspective, this deeply impacted Arthur Morgan’s character.
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The Evolution of Arthur Morgan Throughout Red Dead Redemption 2
At the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2’s development, after Roger Clark had been cast as the lead role of Arthur Morgan, the overarching narrative was largely finished. But Clark was given a surprising amount of creative control for discovering and determining Arthur Morgan’s character. According to Clark, the narrative was purposefully flexible to allow for him (and other characters) to flesh out character’s personalities throughout the game’s creation:
As a result, Roger Clark was able to inject much of his own inspiration into the development of Arthur Morgan’s personality and how he interacted with his fellow gang members. It’s clear that the camaraderie between cast mates may have went a long way in influencing this, as the gang largely hammers home the feeling that everyone is family and cares for one another. Even when Dutch is tainted by Micah’s influence and everything begins to fall apart, players can still feel the unbridled loyalty between them. This goes a long way as the relationship becomes strained and broken throughout the events of the later chapters. Arthur Morgan, being one of the few characters at the center of the gang’s conflict, evolves and changes drastically:
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Arthur Morgan’s Origins in Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur’s character origin is a more subtle note in Red Dead Redemption 2, but Clark still had a formative role in helping establish Arthur Morgan’s character. Players know that Arthur was orphaned at a very young age, and fell in with Dutch’s gang after losing his parents at around 11 years old. Arthur then bounced around the streets alone as a delinquent before he met Dutch Van der Linde four years later. From there, Dutch and Hosea helped raise him into the man he’s become in Red Dead Redemption 2. Because much of Arthur’s childhood was spent growing up with Dutch’s nomad-like gang, Roger Clark added a variety of inspirations for Arthur’s personality:
Clark’s work resulted in the iconic Arthur-isms that highlighted Arthur’s distinct character, as well as the many memes and jokes about the game. Clark’s own background helped serve to inspire Arthur’s depiction in more ways than one. “Arthur had traveled a lot in his youth, like me,” Clark explained, “so I took bits from dialects that I liked.” Arthur’s slightly non-descript western accent certainly made him more adaptable, and was especially more unique for his character design. Now, Arthur’s southern drawl and story is far more iconic, but at the time, Roger Clark’s work put Arthur Morgan’s character on that Path.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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