Red Harlow is a central character, and the primary protagonist of Red Dead Revolver. He is also referenced as an old Western legend in both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red is one of the starter characters available in Showdown Mode. A model of his younger self is also available to use; it is unlocked by purchasing "Sand Painting" from a store.

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

Quick Answers

Who is the main character in Red Dead Revolver?

Red Harlow, the primary playable character in Red Dead Revolver, is the central figure of the game. He is under player control in most of the game's chapters, with the ability to utilize all weapons, barring those exclusive to other characters. Red is also one of the two characters with access to the Deadeye system.

Provided by: Fandom

Is Red Harlow a playable character in any other games besides Red Dead Revolver?

Indeed, Red Harlow, the protagonist of Red Dead Revolver, is playable in Red Dead Redemption's multiplayer mode via the Legends and Killers DLC pack. He is also a starting character in Showdown Mode, and a younger version of him can be unlocked by buying 'Sand Painting'.

Provided by: Fandom

What is the age of Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver?

Red Harlow's age in Red Dead Revolver isn't directly mentioned. The game, set in the 1880s, allows the protagonist's age to be between 18 and 60. Hence, Red Harlow's birth year could be anywhere from 1838 to 1880.

Provided by: Fandom

What happened to Red Harlow after the events of Red Dead Revolver?

Post the events of Red Dead Revolver, the narrative of Red Harlow, the protagonist, remains largely uncharted. He is recognized as a folk legend in the Redemption Universe, with his bounty hunting exploits and his parents' death being well-known. However, he is not part of the same canon as Red Dead Redemption and its sequel.

Provided by: Fandom

History

Background

Red was the son of Nate Harlow, a gold miner, and his wife Falling Star. Through his mother, he is a descendant of the Red Wolf Native Americans tribe, and one of the grandchildren of Running Moon, the tribe's current chief.

Red is also cousin to Red Wolf member Shadow Wolf, and the two of them used to play together before the deaths of Red's parents.

Events of Red Dead Revolver

Prologue

Young Red and his mother greet Nate as he returns with good news: he and his partner "Griff" found gold in Bear Mountain's mine. To celebrate their partnership and newfound wealth, Nate and Griff made a pair of custom revolvers called the Scorpion Revolvers. After Red noticed his father's new weapon, Nate gave his son his old pistol for practice, promising that one day the Scorpion revolver will become Red's.

On his father's suggestion, Red decides to go down the river next to their farm to practice, much to his mother's annoyance due to him shooting at their pots and pans. The Harlow ranch is soon raided by outlaws and bandits; as Red chases towards his parents, he guns down several bandits before rushing towards his parents' screams.

Finding his deceased father and mother, Red is soon confronted by their killer and the bandits' leader, Daren. As Daren mocks the deceased Nate, the young Red grabs his father's revolver - engulfed with flames - and shoots Daren's left arm, severing it; the molten metal of the revolver would scar Red's right hand-palm.

The Bounty Hunter

Years after the tragic events at Broken Creek, Red would grow to become an experienced gunslinger and a dreaded Bounty hunter. He would also get a golden-colored dog as his sole companion.

Traveling through Twin Rocks, Red and his dog encounter a merchant called "Curly" Shaw, who offers to sell Red several goods. Their encounter is cut short by members of the Bloody Tom Gang, who threaten both Shaw and Red. Red quickly dispatches of the gang's minor members. His actions draw Bloody Tom himself and his two lieutenants, but all three fall to Red's bullets.

Red takes Shaw's cart so he could carry Bloody Tom's corpse to the nearby Widow's Patch to collect the bounty on his head, but the settlement's local Sheriff, O'Grady admits that due to the town's occupation by the Ugly Gang, he has nothing to offer. At the same moment, three thugs of the Ugly Gang kill Red's dog; hearing his poor dog's dying noise, Red quickly guns down the responsible men before engaging against the entire gang.

Enraged by Red's action, the gang's leader "Ugly" Chris Bailey attacks the bounty hunter while using O'Grady as a human shield, but he is swiftly defeated and killed by Red. Due to the injuries O'Grady sustained, his daughter Katie asks Red to help her bring him to Brimstone to get treatment; Red complies after O'Grady says Brimstone's Sheriff Bartlett might reward Red.

During the train ride to Brimstone, Red defends O'Grady and the other passengers from attacking bandits led by the Pedrosa Brothers, even duelling one of the leaders of the gang.

Brimstone

Upon his arrival at Brimstone, Bartlett decides to hire Red's services to take out several notorious bandits and criminals in the areas surrounding the town. In his first task, disposing of Pig Josh, Red meets an English gentleman called Jack Swift, who would become a reoccurring ally to him.

His later two assignments include the removal of two gang leaders, Bad Bessie and Mr. Black. During his quest to kill Bessie, Red encounters Shaw again and helps him traveling through Rogue Valley, while in his quest to dispose of Black, Red visits Tarnation, eliminating every single member of Black's gang.

Red's skills and actions earn him the respect and gratitude of Bartlett, but the Sheriff is unable to pay him due to the local bank's gold wagon hasn't arrived yet. In his visit to the bank, Red briefly meets rancher Annie Stoakes, and overhears her conversation with the banker, Carnaby Peabody, mentioning gold in Bear Mountain. He then meets up with Annie after an attack on her ranch, acquiring information about the gold and giving her a flyer for the local Battle Royale that was on the other side of the note she received from Sam.

At the Brimstone saloon Red overhears several outlaws mentioning a man losing his arm and having it replaced with a cannon (referring to Daren) and Red asks them about the circumstances about it, but Dan refuses to tell him anything, which leads to a gunfight within the saloon and the brothel. Red manages to kill the leading outlaws, including Dan and his older brother, but his action disturbs the peace in Brimstone, leading Bartlett to arrest him.

Locked in a cell, Red has a conversation regarding his motives with Bartlett, revealing to the shocked Sheriff that he is in fact Nate's son looking to avenge him. Bartlett then tells Red of the lead-up to his parents' demise, including the involvement of Daren's boss Javier Diego and Nate's traitorous partner Griff. After he finishes telling Diego's story, Bartlett releases Red to hunt Diego down at Devil's Fork.

Bear Mountain imprisonment

Red makes his way towards the Sunset Canyon, where he kills his way through several of Diego's soldiers and even destroys one of the General's stagecoaches, carrying gold. As he proceeds to examines the wreck, however, Red is assaulted from behind by Daren. Before he can kill him, Daren is stopped by Diego ordering him to take the unconscious Red to their gold mine to be imprisoned.

During his time locked at Bear Mountain's mine's jail cells, Red befriends a fellow prisoner dubbed the Buffalo Soldier. The two are soon released by Shadow Wolf, Red's cousin, who witnessed Red's capture and has been working on breaking him free. During his escape from the mine, Red also releases a captured Katie O'Grady and duels Mr. Kelley's assassins in the Lounge room.

As he ventures closer to escaping, he finds himself fighting against two of Diego's best men, the medic Tony and the army Captain Ted Bufias, but the two fail to stop him. He then uses Ted's dead body to open the mines' exit door, by throwing it on a cart and busting with it through said door.

Making his way towards the nearby Fort Diego, Red rejoins Shadow Wolf as they fight off Diego's men, including his miners and soldier using a Gatling Gun. During the battle Shadow Wolf is mortally wounded by Daren, who then proceeds to fight Red with his arm cannon. After a difficult fight, Red finally achieves the first step in his revenge by slaying Daren. The victory is soured by Shadow Wolf's own demise, who goads Red on to finish his revenge, whom Red then credits with killing Daren by stabbing him in the chest with Shadow's knife.

Pursuit of Diego

After briefly mourning his cousin and acquiring a horse, Red proceeds to chase down Diego's train, filled with weapons and soldiers. After killing the majority of Diego's men and separating the train's cars, Red shoots down the shield to train's engine with some help from Willy Wilson's Gatling Gun, before setting for a showdown with Diego himself.

As Red approaches the train engine, Diego shows up with his flare rifle to riddle Red with cannons before firing a gatling gun at the Bounty Hunter, while the last of his men make their final stand. Red manages to kill off the last soldiers, separate Diego from his Gatling, and wound the General.

A wounded Diego attempts to negotiate his life with Red, offering the Bounty Hunter gold, women, weapons and whiskey in return. Red slowly approaches Diego as he aims his revolver and executes the Mexican general as the latter refers to him as a "partner" and reaches out his arm for a handshake. With Diego's death, Red accomplishes one more step to finishing his revenge.

Brimstone Tournament

Back in Brimstone, Red is first greeted by Jack Swift, Annie and Mr. Kelley, who taunts him. After entering the Sheriff's Office, Bartlett who tells the former about Brimstone's annual dueling tournament and its four-time champion Mr. Kelley, before asking the Bounty Hunter (now referring to him as Red, since he knew his identity) if he wishes to participate it alongside Jack and Annie; Red accepts the offer and defeats Gabriel Navarro during the first round.

During the second round, Red is faced with and defeats Billy Cougar. After the duel, Red rests at the town's saloon, where he catches up with Bartlett and Jack. He also has an encounter with Kelley, who taunts him about his skills and optional encounters with the showgirls, the bartender and Jason Cornet.

The following day, Red faces Kelley, whom he defeats, though Kelley survives. It is in this moment where Red confronts his father's partner Griff for the first time as he reveals himself to him on the balcony above. Now called by his full name Griffon, he is the area's Governor as well as Diego's partner and Kelley's boss. Griffon taunts Red - who notices the Governor's Scorpion revolver, finding out that he was in fact Nate's former partner - and orders Kelley to kill Red while he returns to his mansion.

Despite the presence of civilians that Kelley also targeted, Red manages to kill Kelley quickly. Red is soon joined by Jack, Annie and Bartlett, the latter revealing the location of Griffon's mansion; Red sets off to finish his vengeance once and for all, supported by Jack and Annie.

Showdown

Arriving at the mansion garden's entrance, Red and his allies make short work of Griffon's sniper Oswald and lead guard Randy along with numerous of Griffon's American soldiers. Red and Jack follow Annie to a second floor's door on the right, only to find it closed. Red and Annie then cover for Jack as he lock-picks the main door's lock.

The trio storms into the mansion, killing their way towards the second floor. Red finds a secret passage in one of the rooms after killing Rhidian, and Jack decides to stay behind and buy him off some time as Red ventures into the unknown entrance while Jack fights the Cornet Brothers.

A while into the secret area of the mansion, Red reunites with Annie, who has obtained keys to the mansion's library. After disposing of two of Griffon's stronger Cornet brothers and even more soldiers, Red and Annie free the Buffalo Soldier, who was captured by Griffon and put in the storage closet while Red was fighting Daren. Red and Buffalo Soldier confront Griffon at his office but find out it was actually occupied by Jason Cornet, who taunts them. Red quickly guns him down in a duel.

On the mansion's rooftop, Red finally confronts Griffon and fights off his men alongside the Buffalo Soldier, who is incapacitated by Griffon with some dynamite. A gunfight between the two ensues, with Red injuring Griffon and possibly killing the rest of his soldiers. Confident that he will win, a final duel occurs between Red and Griffon, but the Bounty Hunter ultimately guns down the Governor who robbed him of his parents years ago.

Finding Griffon's corpse to the mansion's entrance, Red reunites with Annie and Buffalo Soldier, as well as Bartlett, but finds out that Jack didn't survive the fight. Bartlett offers Red the prize money of the Battle Royale, but Red simply hands his father's Old Pistol to Buffalo Soldier and acquires Griffon's Scorpion Revolver.

Red then asks Bartlett to give the gold to Annie and Buffalo Soldier, bid them farewell, and walks away as he proclaims that his cause was never about the money. Where Red went after this, and the rest of his life is an untold story.

Redemption Saga

Note: The events of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 are not considered part of the same canon as Red Dead Revolver. The following description is therefore not contiguous with the preceding section on Red Dead Revolver.

Red Harlow appears to be something of a folk legend in the Redemption Universe. The death of his parents and the tales of his life as a bounty hunter are famous throughout the country.^[1] His actions, such as fighting the Mexican Army^[2] and his duel with Mr. Kelley during the Brimstone tournament^[3], have become renowned; there even appears to be a book about his quest for vengeance.^[4] In both games, the player can hear stories about Red Harlow and his exploits from NPCs at campfires.

However, Rockstar Games have stated that Red Dead Revolver is in a separate continuity from Red Dead Redemption, with Dan Houser confirming Revolver's setting as being "in its own universe".^[5]

Character

Personality

As a child, Red appeared to be quite energetic and talkative. He was also shown to be very close with his parents, happily rushing towards his father Nate when the latter returned from gold mining. Despite his more cheerful attitude as a child, Red could still be composed and determined, fighting his way through bandits to rescue his parents.

The deaths of his parents scarred Red both emotionally and physically, and he would pursue the ones behind his personal tragedy for the next twelve years. Red became a very quiet, stoic and serious individual during that time period, often interacting with people solely for information gathering.

Red's defining trait is his composure; even during the direst situations and when faced against emotional events, Red tends to keep to himself and remain calm and collected. He is rarely consumed by blind rage, instead falling back on tranquil fury during which he will gun down any of stands against him.

Despite his distant and cold attitude, however, Red is not without humanity; in his years after his parents' deaths, he would journey with a dog as his companion, and when it was killed by outlaws, he quickly drew his weapon to avenge it.

In other situations, he decided to rescue Jack Swift and give Annie his bounty money despite claiming that the former "wasn't [his] problem" and the latter didn't have all the information he desired. His love for his family also extended to his beloved cousin Shadow Wolf, and Red would credit him for killing Daren after his fall against the Colonel.

As shown with his aforementioned case with Annie, as well as his refusal to take Griffon's gold, Red doesn't value money much, despite his profession as a bounty hunter, seeing it more as his means to the end goal of bringing justice to his parents rather than personal gain or reward.

Appearance

Red wears a bluish-gray jacket alongside a pair of brownish-gray western pants, with a bandolier over his right shoulder. He wraps a long, dusty scarf around his neck and covers his head with a slightly torn and visibly aged cowboy hat, which he rarely removes.

Red is a man who is most likely to be in his mid-20s,^[6] with a fair skin and dark brown hair. His face bears several scars from what appears to be past hostile encounters, with two gashes of varying lengths on each of his cheeks, alongside a small scar over his nose.

Red's most distinguished physical element is a mute red glove on his right hand, which covers a unique scorpion-shaped scar on his palm he received on the day his parents were murdered.

The character's Redemption model is nearly identical in terms of overall attributes to Red's original appearance in Revolver, but slight adjustments and greater level of detail to Redemption's graphical upgrades. His long-sleeved shirt received a bluer shade, while his hat appears to be smaller in size.

Gameplay

Red is the primary playable character in Red Dead Revolver; he is the player-controlled avatar in all but six of Revolver's chapters. As such he is able to use all weapons available in the game excluding those unique to the other playable characters. In single-player mode, he is one of the only two characters that can use the Deadeye system, the other being Jack Swift; a major difference between the two is that Red's ability targets manually rather than automatically.

In Showdown Mode, Red is notable for having one of the highest accuracy levels among all selectable characters. His special ability allows him to rapidly empty his weapon's magazine at the opponent with increased accuracy. Both the standard and young skins of Red share this ability.

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.

Red's journal page, 4 - 5

Red's journal page, 6 - 7

Mission appearances

Red Dead Revolver

• "Bull's Eye"
• "Bounty Hunter"
• "Ugly Streetfight"
• "The Traincar"
• "Railroaded"
• "Carnival Life"
• "Rogue Valley"
• "Ghost Town"
• "The Cemetery"
• "Range War" (unplayable)
• "Saloon Fight"
• "The Traitor" (unplayable)
• "Sunset Canyon"
• "Jailbreak"
• "The Mine"
• "Fort Diego"
• "End of the Line"
• "Devils and Angels"
• "Battle Royale"
• "Battle Finale"
• "Siege"
• "House of Cards"
• "Fall from Grace"

Quotes

Red Dead Revolver

Showdown Mode

Legends and Killers

• "Aren't there any real outlaws left around here?"
• "Should I call you Mister or Missus? 'Cause ain't so sure!"
• "Like I always say: It ain’t about the money."
• "Just drop the tough act and I'll be on my way."
• "I thought Pig Josh was a freak, but you take the prize!"
• "I must've killed all the real outlaws, 'cause I don't see none around here!"
• "I've dropped a hundred fools tougher than you!"
• "Nobody told me the Circus was in town!"
• "Alright, take your last breath and make it a good one."
• "When you get to hell, give Griff my regards!"
• "Just hold still so I can kill you, and get on with my day!"
• "You're just another wannabe who's soon to be gone!"
• "Why won’t you stop trying to be something you're not!"
• "I'll be doing mankind a favor puttin' 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!"
• "Draw your gun friend, 'cause you're about to get a history lesson!"
• "Any luck you had it's about to run out, partner!"
• "Don't forget to tell the devil, Red Harlow sent you!"
• "I can only imagine your mother's face when she first laid eyes on 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 really hope you’re not as 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 then, pull the trigger, let's all have a good laugh."
• "I'd advise you to cut and run now while you got the chance."

Trivia

• Red Harlow seems to have been named in honor of the Red Wolf Tribe by his mother.
  • His beta name was simply 'Red Hand' and his younger self had a character model resembling Jody.
  • Red originally had a sister named 'Jinny' in the beta, who would be killed at the beginning of the game by Daren, along with his parents. This is further evidenced by one of Daren's taunts during "Fort Diego", where he asks Red if he didn't have a little sister.
• Red was voiced by Robert Bogue, who also reprised the role for the Legends and Killers DLC. Bogue would also lend his voice in other Rockstar Games projects, including Troy in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony and Steve Haines in Grand Theft Auto V.^[7]
• Although Harlow was voiced by Robert Bogue in both Revolver and the multiplayer edition of Red Dead Redemption, Harlow's voice appears different in the pieces of content. This was possibly made to show the age gap between the two series.
• In the Outfitter, Red has the first character pose, which is smoking a cigarette on a box of army supplies. It's also the only instance when Red can be seen smoking.
• Out of the three main characters of the Red Dead series, Red is the only one who survives the events of his respective game through its entirety, rather than being killed off and concluded by another character.
  • He is also the only one to kill his game's main antagonist. Arthur dies, unable to kill Micah, leaving John to do so. Edgar Ross raids Beecher's Hope, executing him via firing squad, leaving Jack to avenge his father.
• In Showdown Mode, Young Red shares some quotes with "Kid" Cougar.
• In Red Dead Redemption 2, the player can encounter a man camping around Hennigan's Stead; he mentions that, before his brother died, he used to tell him stories of Red Harlow and will tell the stories to the player.^[8] In game files, the man in question is labeled as "REDHARLOW."^[9]
• Before the prologue of Red Dead Redemption 2, Charles Smith, a native American turned outlaw, burnt his right-hand amidst the turmoil while escaping Blackwater. This appears to be a subtle reference to Red Harlow's backstory.
• Footage of Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver is used to depict an actor of the 5 Past High Noon TV show in Manhunt 2.
• Red Harlow (along with the outlaw Smitty) makes a brief cameo in Grand Theft Auto IV, in a commercial for the western television show called Spittoon, a series that comes off as a parody of how the West was won.^[10]
  • The narrator tells the viewer that the new season of Spittoon arrives on a Tuesday. Red Dead Redemption was officially announced on February 3, 2009, a Tuesday - Rockstar's preferred date for announcements. This could have been either a reference or teaser to Red Dead Redemption, a game that was in active development at the time.
• He shares similarities with Jack Marston.
  • Both had their fathers betrayed and killed after allying themselves with governmental figures.
  • Their journey as outlaws involves them tracking down and avenging their loved ones.
  • They carry an item that once belonged to their father. Red carries one of the Scorpion Revolvers, while Jack carries John's hat.
• Buffalo Soldier is the only protagonist character in the game to never refer to him as Red, as he never figured out his name during the game's events, despite being jailed with him and simply refers to him as "Bounty Hunter". Jack Swift and Annie Stoakes both start referring to him as "Red" after the first couple of rounds in the Battle Royale after hearing Sheriff Bartlett announcing his name. Likewise, Sheriff starts calling him by his name after the events of "Bar Fight".
• Technically, in his early teens, he was the youngest playable character in any Rockstar game; he was even younger than Jimmy Hopkins, the main character of Bully who is 15 years old.
  • But one important detail to note is that young Red Harlow only playable for a short time at the very beginning of the game. After that, he can be played as an older.

Gallery

Red Dead Revolver

Red as he appears on the cover art of Revolver.

Artwork depicting Red's profile.

Early rough design of Red.

Concept art.

Early poster of Red during Capcom's ownership.

Red, as a Showdown Mode character.

Young Red, as a Showdown Mode character.

Promotional screenshot of Revolver depicting Red.

Red Dead Redemption - Legends and Killers

Red as a selectable character in the Outfitter.

Promotional screenshot of Red.

Promotional screenshot of Red participating in a gunfight.

Close-up shot of Red.

References

Navigation