Rockstar Games has spent years treating Red Dead Redemption 3 like a campfire story: everyone leans in, nobody admits who started it, and the marshmallows are getting impatient. As of 2026, the studio still has not officially confirmed the game, but the first two Red Dead Redemption titles left behind such a rich, rowdy, emotionally devastating cast that a third chapter practically writes itself. Red Dead Redemption 2, being a prequel, gave fans a younger, scruffier look at familiar faces and introduced a wagonload of characters whose futures remain tantalizingly blank. That blank space is where speculation gets fun. If RDR3 ever rides out of the fog, it should not simply invent a fresh gunslinger and forget the old crew. It should bring back a few RDR2 favorites—characters with unfinished business, unresolved grief, and, in one case, a childhood that involved far too many armed adults.
Jack Marston: The Kid With a Target on His Back 🎯
There are very few children in Red Dead Redemption 2’s bloody and mature story, and Jack Marston is one of them. He functions mostly as a plot device in RDR2, which is a polite way of saying the poor kid spends a lot of time being protected, kidnapped, or used as emotional leverage while adults make terrible decisions around him. A third game could fix that by making Jack a playable character, giving him room to develop into something more than John Marston’s sad inheritance.
A direct sequel to Red Dead Redemption would be the cleanest route. RDR1 already lets players step into Jack’s boots after John’s story ends, so a third game could follow that handoff and turn Jack into a full protagonist. Better yet, RDR3 could save Jack from John’s fate and let him successfully leave the outlaw life behind for loftier, more virtuous goals. That would be a bold choice for a series obsessed with tragedy, but it would also give fans something rare: closure that does not taste like gunpowder and regret. Even if Jack is not playable, he deserves a real arc rather than a cameo. Players who spent two games watching him grow up have earned that much.
Sadie Adler: Grief With a Revolver 💥
Sadie Adler arrived at the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2 like a house fire in human form, and she immediately became a fan favorite. Her voice actor has expressed interest in starring in RDR3, which is the kind of news that makes fan theories sprout legs and run off with the whiskey. Sadie is certainly a viable protagonist because she is still alive and active after RDR2’s events, and she has already proven herself as both a strong supporting character and a force of nature with excellent aim.
Whether she takes the role of player-character or returns as an NPC, RDR3 would benefit from including Sadie in some way. It is strongly hinted that she moved to South America after RDR2, which could justify taking players to a new location—a shake-up that a third game would likely need. Her RDR2 arc was satisfying, but there is still room to develop her character, perhaps by putting her grief over the loss of her husband under a stronger microscope. Sadie’s idea of therapy appears to involve horseback adventure and threatening the correct people, so a more intensive, granular story could honor the character while bringing her arc to a conclusive end.
Charles Smith: The Quiet Moral Compass 🏕️
While Sadie is assumed to have headed south, Charles Smith is suggested to have gone north. The original headline calls him Charles Chatenay, which is a different RDR2 character and a wonderful reminder that even outlaw databases need proofreaders. Charles Smith—the hunter, not the artist—is one of the most popular and beloved members of RDR2’s diverse cast. His arc reaches its climax when he decides to help the Wapiti tribe near the end of the game, guiding them toward Canada, which is where he is suggested to be headed during the epilogue.
Charles is one of the more reserved members of the Van der Linde gang, opening up slowly to characters like John and Arthur. His personality shows a brief, welcome spark of joviality during RDR2’s long epilogue, and a new Red Dead Redemption could develop that lighter side without sanding off his stoic calm. Charles is also considerably more honorable and altruistic than most characters in the series, which provides much-needed moral conflict in a world where “reasonable” often means “only three people got shot.” On top of all that, he is more than competent as a hunter and gunslinger, making him another candidate for a playable role—perhaps one of multiple player-characters in Red Dead Redemption 3.
| Character | Last Known Vibe | RDR3 Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Marston | A kid surrounded by terrible role models | Direct sequel protagonist or meaningful NPC |
| Sadie Adler | Grief, grit, and a ticket south | Playable lead or NPC in a new location |
| Charles Smith | Quiet honor and a northern trail | Playable hunter, moral anchor, or both |
Rockstar has not confirmed that Red Dead Redemption 3 is in development, but the success of the first two games provides ample incentive to continue the series’ story. If a third game eventually releases, its developers should strive for originality while bringing back underused characters from RDR2. RDR3 can leave the wild west setting behind by including Sadie or Charles in its narrative, or it can hang back with characters like Jack Marston, who could use more development to rival that of his father. Whether Red Dead Redemption 3 centers on one of these RDR2 characters or puts them in supporting roles, they all still have trials and tribulations to navigate. Their inclusion would be more than welcomed by players—and, frankly, RDR2 remains too sad to replay without a support group. 🐎