There are even some important characters in both franchises that are surprisingly similar in their motivations and roles in the games’ main stories. Micah Bell from Red Dead Redemption 2 and Dimitri Rascalov from Grand Theft Auto 4 have a remarkable amount in common. Here’s a breakdown of the similarities between two of Rockstar’s most iconic villains, and how both men end up meeting grizzly ends for similar reasons.
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Micah And Dimitri’s Philosophies
Dimitri Rascalov and Micah Bell may have some surface-level similarities like their blond hair and blue eyes, but at first they appear to have very different demeanors. Throughout Red Dead Redemption 2 Micah is portrayed as a paranoid and impulsive man who first sets the Van der Linde gang on its path of destruction after convincing Dutch to attempt the then-botched Blackwater ferry job. Dimitri, on the other hand, is portrayed as more competent and far calmer, in part thanks to the painkillers he abuses throughout GTA 4.
Despite these superficial differences, there are far more similarities between the games’ two villains. Both Micah and Dimitri are willing to betray anyone around them in order to survive. In one of GTA 4’s most memorable lines Dimitri explains his philosophy: “If there is one thing that I have learned, it is that we must obey the rules of the game. We can pick the game, Niko Bellic, but we cannot change the rules.” Micah has a similarly exposing line in camp. He can be overheard talking to Reverend Swanson, saying “I believe there’s winners and losers… and nothing else besides.” In the same interaction Micah also says that “there ain’t no soul, Reverend…not in any of us.”
Both Micah Bell and Dimitri accept the constantly changing nature of their lifestyles and the shifting loyalties that come with them. Micah’s lack of belief in a soul reflects his broader belief that nothing is permanent or immutable, realized in his ever-changing loyalties and mirrored in Dimitri’s belief in “survival of the fittest.” Dimitri’s adherence to “the rules of the game” also shows a similar cynical pragmatism. Both justify their lack of loyalty as rooted in realism, and both use the metaphor of a game to imply than anything other than their ultimate, personal success is a total loss, justifying any of their actions.
At the start of their stories the two antagonists appear to be loyal to just one person. In Dimitri’s case, it’s Mikhail Faustin, and in Micah’s case it’s Dutch van der Linde. In both cases, even this loyalty eventually reaches its breaking point. When Mikhail’s hot-headedness causes a war to break out between different factions of the Russian mob, Dimitri agrees to have Mikhail murdered to restore the peace and shifts his loyalty to more powerful mobster Ray Bulgarin.
Micah betrays Dutch and the Van der Linde gang to the Pinkertons in Red Dead Redemption 2, although Dutch doesn’t truly come to believe in the betrayal until later. While both believe they can “pick the game” they play, however, it turns out they can’t pick the rules others play by.
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Pragmatism Versus Revenge
Although both Micah and Dimitri believe that betraying those around them is the only way to stay on top, it is their betrayals which eventually lead to their downfalls when the player character sets out for revenge. In GTA 4 there are two ways the ending can play out. Niko can go through with a heroin deal involving Dimitri, or take revenge on Dimitri for attempting to have him killed earlier in the game. If Niko goes ahead with the deal Dimitri sends a hitman after him at the wedding of Niko’s cousin Roman, who is killed during the ensuing struggle. Either way, Niko eventually comes after Dimitri, and Dimitri ends up falling victim to revenge.
Revenge is eventually Micah Bell’s undoing as well. Eight years after Arthur’s death in Red Dead Redemption 2 John Marston, Charles, and Sadie Adler hunt Micah and Dutch to the top of a mountain. Seeing Micah for who he truly is, Dutch shoots him dead during the final confrontation. Both Dimitri and Micah believe that their constant backstabbing makes them smarter than the people around them, and that they’re able to see the world and its stakes for what they truly are.
Their philosophies lead to their downfalls, however, when their betrayals push other characters beyond pragmatism. Dutch decides to shoot Micah and leave behind the Blackwater money out of emotion, not pragmatism. If Niko takes revenge on Dimitri instead of going through with the deal, he puts his emotions before the chance to make money as well.
Both Micah and Dimitri believe themselves to be pure pragmatists, and they believe that their pragmatism will give them the edge they need to survive. What they fail to account for, however, is that not everyone thinks in the same way — not everyone chooses to play the same game. Dutch’s sentimentality eventually causes him to kill Micah despite what he has to lose by doing so, while the same can be said of Niko and Dimitri. Neither Micah Bell nor Dimitri Rascalov are able to convince their killers despite what they seemingly have to offer them.
Both Micah and Dimitri believe they will come out as winners through their willingness to betray others, but both fail to see that not everyone is motivated by the same ruthless expediency. Neither Rockstar villain acts with any regard for other people, but instead of making them stronger, this makes them vulnerable when they assume others will play by their rules. In failing to account for the emotions and personal relationships they’ve left behind, the philosophies of both characters are shown to be just as foolish as the hot-headedness of Mikhail or the sentimental romanticism of Dutch. Their betrayals may have helped them get ahead, but eventually the past catches up.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. Grand Theft Auto 4 is available now on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
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