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WeDoingThisAgainRWe

For me a villain doesn't need redeeming qualities to be well written. He's fully rounded, especially if you watch the cut scenes and provoke the camp interactions, plus watch his interactions. He's a character we love to hate, so they've done a good job with that.


JamesJakes000

Correct! His camp interactions are amongst the best. Dude hits on Grimshaw, and I truly believe he was aiming to actually hit that if she let him, it was hilariously assholic. Also, sending little Jack to ask Arthur about the stick in his butt!


Khan-Shei

He's a milf lover? Okay I respect him now even if I still hate his rodent guts


Satanic_Earmuff

"Deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure straight hate you. But goddammit, do I respect you."


Moonking-4210

HE DID?


JamesJakes000

Yup. She was cleaning a rifle and Micah went all about how seeing her with a gun makes him all bothered, or something along those lines. I was holding my sides laughing


Moonking-4210

Fucking hell


JamesJakes000

IKR!


Moonking-4210

Micah is a manslut confirmed?


SpeakNowAndEnter

This. I feel like in the last 10-15 years movies (specifically comic book movies) have focused on trying to make their villains relatable and make you almost feel bad for them or even agree with them. And while there’s a time and place for that kind of character, not every villain needs to be like that. Some people are just selfish and evil, and that’s that


jonboyo87

I agree that villains don’t need redeeming qualities but Micah did. He’s so over-the-top shitty that it doesn’t make sense for anyone in the gang to want him around. You could argue that he was allowed to stay because Dutch liked him but I don’t really buy that either. He brought barely anything of value to anyone, insulted everyone he made eye contact with, and slaughtered an entire town just to get his guns back. It couldn’t have been more obvious that he would eventually flip on the gang. Almost every character is better written and feels like actual people. Micah is Yosemite Sam with a better vocabulary.


Snowballz3000

I agree with you because he really is over the top evil. But I think Dutch wants him around because it shows that he doesn’t mind that kind of behavior and parallels with the “bad” side of Dutch. But seriously. Did he need to be an asshole every time we encountered him? I wish it was a more gradual reveal that Micah was up to no good but him and Arthur never get a long and he acts sketchy from the very beginning.


albrt00

Dutch wanted him because Micah saved his life


SSishere

What’s the lore on this?


albrt00

https://youtu.be/L28HlrLyqBM?si=hXEun5zpwVIbhRVg


SSishere

Thanks partner! It seems like he’s… lying about it though? & Arthur acknowledges that he’s lying ?


albrt00

I could be wrong but I think something about it was also written in Arthur's journal


ThatsGottaBeKane

I’d say Dutch is the real villain of the game, even though he’s not 100% a villain. Micah is the devil on Dutch’s shoulders.


WeDoingThisAgainRWe

It's a fair comment, it's possible to have 2 villains but Dutch is definitely a villain in sheep's clothing


ThatsGottaBeKane

Definitely. A very complex and sometimes grey area based villain in sheep’s clothing.


imperious_prima

The game is complicated and complex, which is why we love it so much. I believe the primary antagonist of the game is *modernity.* Arthur witnesses two different philosophical perspectives on how to survive in the New Age… On one side, you have influential characters, like Hosea and Rain Falls; on the other, you have the likes of Dutch and Micah. And I agree that Dutch is a more significant antagonist than Micah, probably because Dutch’s character is more involved in the game’s primary conflict of change.


SnarlyMocha325

And he’s the main baddie John is chasing in rdr1, Javier and bill were to find Dutch iirc


HandofthePirateKing

It was Micah moreso he killed and traumatized most of the people in the gang through his actions. Dutch was just a delusional, self-indulgent narcissist since day one and the gang was eventually going to fall apart with or without Micah but he added in alot more trauma and suffering


ThatsGottaBeKane

That’s true as well.


QuipOfTheTongue

Happy cake day, partner.


Oath_Br3aker

And Arthur is the angel on his other shoulder.


RealChungusOfficial

That's Hosea, he was the one holding the gang together. Dutch never paid much attention to Arthur's advice.


ThatsGottaBeKane

Indeed.


thphnts

Very well written. In my first playthrough I wouldn’t have guessed he was the antagonist early on. I just found him to be annoying in general. It says a lot that Peter Blomquist, the actor behind Micah, even said he found the character to be hateable when he finally played the game.


Edtombell777

Did we play the same game? It was so on the nose from the get go, from the way they first introduced his character in the blizzard approaching Dutch and Arthur. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with an obvious villain in a story.


Appropriate-Estate75

>It was so on the nose from the get go, from the way they first introduced his character in the blizzard approaching Dutch and Arthur. I agree that Micah is an obvious vilain, but how did you know based on that? It's basically the same way Arthur is introduced.


Edtombell777

It’s like a structural or symbolic thing, first we have two friends moving through the thick snow together, then a third character approaches from the opposite direction… menacingly lol. I’m not actually educated in storytelling so I can’t explain it better than that, it’s just a feeling


Elvothien

Well the first few sentences he says show how little he cares about other people's life's. The first thing Arthur says is that he found the gang some shelter.


Appropriate-Estate75

Doesn't he start by saying he found a home and asking about Davey, Mac and Sean? But yeah after the whole conversation riding with him it's clear he's an asshole. Even more of ciurse if you include the way he behaves in Sadie's house and his racist comment at the end of the mission. I'm just saying calling him a vilain because he approached Dutch in the blizzard is a stretch.


Elvothien

He only asks after the men. Dutch tells him Jenny died too and he just straight up doesn't care. He also says something along the line of people in camp who can't pull their own weight don't concern him/ are useless. And absolutely, he makes sure you know his character from the start. > I'm just saying calling him a vilain because he approached Dutch in the blizzard is a stretch. Ah, I thought you were talking about the scenes as a whole. Visually I agree, there's not much difference. Both times we see we Arthur/ Micah from the perspective of Dutch and both times Dutch identifies and greets them.


Open-Mathematician32

At first, I thought Micah waa an equal of Arthur, like they were the muscle of the gang. I found him more practical than Arthur, like I agreed with Micah that they needed to cut those members that didn't pull their weight. I then saw him in that scene with Sadie, that started the fire, & I was taken aback. To me he crossed the line there. Then when they returned & he complained about sharing a room with darkies, I started seeing a pattern of what his character was going to be. Most players/gamers who watch this scene see him as a racist piece of shit for this, but they are all forgetting that in those times, that was a common attitude. So it is more shocking to us than it would have been back then. I think Micah is the perfect antagonist to Arthur, the perfect protagonist. Micah is my favourite character in this game for those reasons.


thphnts

The way I saw it and the way you saw can both be correct.


Edtombell777

I know. It’s not like I was disputing what you said, which was that you wouldn’t have guessed he was the antagonist. And I agree that he’s more annoying than anything.


smrtfxelc

There are also some small hints in the first game that Dutch *might* end up becoming a villain


Dogstile

I actually thought he was great bait. I just assumed it'd be him, when really its Dutch. Fantastic bait and switch.


GamingViewPointsYT

Some real-life villains don't have any redeemable qualities either. So as much as I like multidimensional villains and their story arcs. One-dimensional hateable villains can be well-written too. Micah is one of them.


EveBenbecula

He's proto incel. I think it's hilarious how blatantly he sucks and has no redeeming qualities outside of shooting good. But I think that makes him a good character. Sometimes, a total piece of shit gets away with everything. Until he doesn't. I love the voice performance and I wish I hated Micah less so I could enjoy listening to it a little more


Re-challenger

He gave arthur one of the most powerful weapons in the game.


Mojo_Rizen_53

Which was?


Re-challenger

lanch repeater, which fires much faster


Mojo_Rizen_53

You can get that weapon looong before rescuing Micah, before doing any missions in Chapter 2, just by robbing the basement of the Rhodes Gunsmith.


I_Follow_Rude_People

tb. You can kill so many people with that simply by spitting on them


Mojo_Rizen_53

Micah had nothing to do with Arthur catching TB. That was Arthurs own fault for beating the hell out of a sick man for a few measly dollars. Besides, Micah was out exploring with Lenny when Arthur visits Downes.


I_Follow_Rude_People

ik lol it was a badly failed attempt to be funny


Apophis_36

Comically one dimensional


PM_YOUR_BOOBS_NOW

No depth to Micah’s character at all, it’s one of my only gripes about the game


Effective-Bad-2657

I always saw Micah to be like a Quentin Tarantino movie villain, Dutch as a written by Scorcese Villain


Open-Mathematician32

Thank you. I saw that too


Gambit_90

He started off wanting to be friends with Arthur but eventually hated him, also he had to grow up with his dad who was just like him so you could imagine how terrible his childhood was


mkaym1993

He is one of my favourite characters, which I am usually afraid to admit! I woul have loved some kind of DLC (not a full game) where you got to play him as a low honor POS


Open-Mathematician32

100%


Troub-Noob

I think Micah’s one-dimensional assholery is what makes him brilliant in this story. In a game where every hero has an awful flaw and every villain can garner some sympathy, you’re inclined to wait for some sort of shift in Micah just like every one else, but it never comes. In possibly the most morally grey story ever written, the fact that Micah is just solely the deepest black possible makes him unique; and, sticking with the colors analogy, it only takes the smallest drop of black to turn white paint grey, while you can almost never turn black to white. And oh, how he spreads that like an infection through the camp


WhatAreYouSaying05

I think Micah is just a distraction. Micah exists so that when fans are trying to figure out why the gang collapsed, they’ll look at him and not Dutch. Even without Micah in his ear, I believe things would’ve played out the same. Even before Hosea’s death, Dutch was shouting at Arthur on the way to the swamp for not being loyal enough. Micah may have served as an accelerator, but it was always Dutch who caused the downfall of the gang


Open-Mathematician32

I agree


SituationThen4758

Everyone loves Darth Vader but I would like to ask Peter the actor who played him if he knew how bad of a character he was playing,.


Open-Mathematician32

I believe he only realised when he first played the game


aidskek

I've heard some conversations in camp in which micah tries to bond with the other gang members just to get rejected, therefore I wouldn't say that he is completely one dimensional. It might be just another move to become more influential in the gang, but it could also be his human side seeking recognition and bonds with other humans. Even if he is just plain evil, I can live with that. He is still an integral part in the gang dynamics and Dutches development. The game isn't just about good against evil or who turned out to be the rat at the end.


FragrantGangsta

I've considered that too, even when Micah tries to extend an olive branch, he gets shut down by literally everyone in camp. Even Dutch at first. But you also have to remember, there were 6 months he spent with the gang that we didn't see. I assume they tried to include him at first, and he ruined that for himself over time.


Michael_Threat

In my opinion if you can hate a fictional character as much as most rdr2 players hate micah...that's an effective and well written character


Purple_Blacksmith681

Of all characters ive ever seen in a game,series, even people which i met in reallife, hes the greatest piece of shit i have ever encountered somehow. So i think yes a well written character


YesWomansLand1

Doesn't need redeeming qualities, but if you're looking for them, depending on your perspective, he is at the very least thankful for you rescuing him and gives you an offhand holster.


attilathehoon

there are so many nuances in this game it's crazy, it even comes down to stuff like how they dress, colors of their clothing, what type of horse they use, every little something is telling something about the character they portrait


onetruezimbo

I think hes underrated in terms of writing, an unrepentent outlaw out for himself and nobody else in a game full of outlaws either trying to justify their lifestyle or trying to redeem themselves for it, what Dutch convinces himself hes not and what John/Arthur fear they really are


Queasy_Diet4586

being a one dimensional asshole with no redeeming qualities is what makes micah a great villain imo. hes a VILLAIN after all, not strictly an antagonist


ChopinLisztforus

Not every villain needs to be sympathetic or have redeeming qualities. Sometimes, the best villain is one who you just want to beat the tar out of because they are evil.


Kataratz

He's not just an asshole. He genuinely is a true "Cowboy/Outlaw" that believes fully in the wolf-eat-wolf philosophy. He even seems to be loyal to Dutch when he killed Strawberry people and didn't comeback until he had a gift in return, so somewhere he believes a man must make something out of his mistakes. He also seems really dorky when flirting with the camp girls, one of the few moments he's not just an ass. It kinda made me think that somewhere in Micah's rotten mind, he wanted to be liked. And my biggest point, he seems to respect / want to be Arthur's friend in the first half of the game. He sees Arthur as a man who doesn't give a shit about anyone's opinion and says aight, this guy lives by his code. I just said a bunch of words, in short, he is a very well written secondary villain (Dutch is the main Antagonist in my opinion)


Tricky_Lobo

this sub is is looping but yeah he’s a good villain etc


TheOneCalledMartin

He doesn't have redeeming qualities, but he is a well written character! It's been discussed before, but it's interesting how he was able to turn Dutch against his gang. It would have happened anyway, but Dutch listened to a guy he had known for six months more than Arthur and Hosea, who he had known for YEARS!


Open-Mathematician32

I don't believe he turned Dutch. No mre than Hosea, Arthur or John


Umbran_scale

I'm leaning towards one dimensional asshole, he literally has no other traits or qualities to him other than to be a moustache twirling villain. It's to a point I question why or how he's even part of the camp. He's only been part of the team for 6 months and everyone knows him as a racist, sexist, misogynist, disgusting rotten creep that barely contributes anything to the camp. Throughout 4 chapters, no one likes him at all and no one says a good thing about him or even wants anything to do with him and no one addresses the issues he causes at the camp either constantly causing arguments, fights and bullies the non fighters.


HandofthePirateKing

both. Micah is like one of the best Rockstar antagonists ever created he practically represented all the exaggerating things that people feared about the Van Der Linde gang and was one of the reasons the gang fell apart. Micah was callous, loathsome, insane and hardly contributed in the camp but he wasn’t stupid or incompetent he knew how to handle himself in a fight and most likely knew that the pinkertons wouldn’t let him live even though he helped them


GameBytesBlog

The latter


03zx3

Hitler didn't have any redeeming qualities, and he's like *the* villain.


EBECMEMERBEAN

Why would a villain need redeeming qualities?


Snowballz3000

Personally, I love Micah mostly because of peters acting but I do think he doesn’t have much depth. I feel like his character would have more of impact if you didn’t see his betrayal coming, but him being the rat was the most obvious ‘twist’ ever. I just wish there was more moments where he wasn’t a complete asshole but almost every single time you see him he is… it’s just kinda boring.


Reasonable-Island-57

Both, he's well written and has zero redeeming qualities. Hes extremely psychopathic in a realistic sense. Manipulative, tries to be charming, has no empathy or remorse, doesnt view people as people but as things he can use to get what he wants. He has bouts of anger and violence when anyone wrongs him in his view.


bayareakpopoff

Yes


Fanatic-psycho

Both...


sogwatchman

I'm not sure but he's an ass. I wish I could shoot him the first time I see him and Strauss.


Stanislas_Biliby

Yes to both. They are not mutually exclusive.


Mindfullgamer

So I've met some shady people irl and Micahs character is to an extent an accurate representation of such but honestly some of the worst people can actually be "likeable" a mask that makes them seem in better words normal. It was strawberry that shows what's underneath his mask. I knew it then. Arthur did too, he was a coward for letting him walk out of that town. Someone that unstable was a liability. Not only to Arthur but the gang as well. It was hard for me to want anything to do with him after that. And chasing Sadie around and burning her house down was uncalled for. What was he going to do when he caught her ? ( Get stabbed by Sadie) I think he should have been more friendly. Then the betrayal would have hurt more. From brother to the destroyer of the family.


Open-Mathematician32

To me Sadie was more unstsble & a bigger liability than Micah. I think we all know what he would have done when he caught Sadie, & he probably would have thought it was justified because she would have stabbed him. But he didn't deliberately burn her house down as you are implying. A candle was accidentally knocked over. Yes, that happend directly because of his actions, but it was not deliberate


Impressive-Yak-5248

Just on big Asshole that is a rat and a Arthur killer :(


geniasis

I don't necessarily see them as mutually exclusive. Micah's character functions as an opportunistic infection that encourages Dutch's worst impulses. He doesn't *need* to be complex because that's not what his character requires him to be, and as a result it actually helps highlight Dutch's complexity.


KKVKLVKK

well written definitely


GlobalistFuck

hes not onedimensional. i mean yes you can somewhat predict after a while how hes going to turn out in the plot, but hes nowhere this palpatine-evil-villain cliché, his personality is so much more complex.


sue_donyem

He's a very well written character with next to no redeeming qualities.


roRro2222

Micah always talking about surviving. I think they could use this as a motivation with his back story


Fun-Anything4386

I think if he was the only bad guy/if the only way we saw him was trolling Arthur, he’d be too one dimensional. But the way he manipulates Dutch is great


cjhud1515

He's pretty one-dimensional. They set it up early as this is the villain and who's working against you. It's a shame cause I thought early it was gunna to be different. When you break him out of strawberry, he drops the line about always looking up to Arthur and also calling themselves brothers and "the sons of Dutch." Would have been cool to see Micah one of the senior members of the gang, who while very different beliefs than Arthur always a mutual respect but his jealousy causes him to turn on the gang and corrupt Dutch.


Open-Mathematician32

He is a gunslinging outlaw. He makes no apologies for that. To me, he is the The Bad (Lee Van Cleef's Angel Eyes, from the The Good, The Bad & The Ugly) of Red Dead Redemption 2. He is my favourite character


r3latable_123

The second one


Maywoody

He brings in the grit and lawlessness, this helps establish the gang as gunslingers and outlaws instead of just a group of people trying to make it. I think he also brings in the other philosophical perspective of like “whats the point of caring” which juxtaposes Arthur who still has a heart. You make some of your biggest scores with Micha. Which establishes him as capable And I think he’s more of the snake than the rat. I think Micha was an pos, but i dont think he was the snitch. He had nothing to gain and is too smart to think the pinkertons would let him live after snitching. I used to think he was a rat and after realizing it could have been other people like John and Abigail, i think this adds way more to his character. So focused on him as an asshole you miss the real rats.


Oath_Br3aker

He is one-dimensional. Dutch is the well written villain, not Micah. What motivation did Micah have except for "sUrvIvAL"?


Heydar_HDYT

If Writers got you to rage because of a Villain they wrote, then they did their job right.


Edtombell777

Yeah I think he’s kind of an afterthought on the writers’ part. And I’m kind of an asshole fot this but the voice acting could’ve been better, it felt a tad too try-hardy to me. Like he was trying his hardest to be like Brad Dourif or something. The character did feel like it wasn’t on par with the rest of the main cast. That’s why I wouldn’t care for Micah even if he wasn’t so disagreeable.