Red Harlow is a bounty hunter who seeks revenge for his parents’ death and the main protagonist of Red Dead Revolver.
History
Past
Red with his parents
Red was born to Nate Harlow Sr. and Falling Star and one evening, his father returned home, ecstatic about a large discovery of gold he and his partner, Griff, had made in the Bear Mountains. Nate gave Red his old pistol, after showing him a new gold encrusted revolver with a scorpion design on the handle that he’d had made. Nate explained that his Scorpion Revolver was one of a pair and his partner had the other one, before Red went to practice with his new pistol. However a group of bandits attacked and Red and Nate worked together to fight them off, but Nate and Falling Star were killed by Colonel Daren. Red rushed to them, begging them to wake up and Daren taunted him, calling his father a “yellow-belly”. The boy angrily grabbed his father’s
Red having lost everything
revolver out of the fire it had landed in and shot at Daren, blowing his arm off, but also burning the scorpion symbol into his hand. Red ran away and hid in a ditch as the bandits searched for him, but they eventually gave up. After this, he would become a bounty hunter, but that tragic day still haunted him.
Seeking Bounties
Red meeting Curly
Years later, Red was heading through the Twin Rocks area with his dog when he ran into Curly Shaw, a salesman who’d been harassed by the gang of Bloody Tom. As he was offering Red some wares, a pair of outlaws under Tom showed up and began beating up Curly, before trying to gun down Red. However he easily killed the two and proceeded to take down the entire gang, including Bloody Tom himself. Curly recommended that Red go to Widow’s Patch to claim the bounty on the gang and he commandeered the salesman’s cart to do so. But upon arriving in Widow’s Patch, Sheriff O’Grady told Red that he didn’t have anything to offer him for the gang since the Ugly gang was tearing the place apart. As they were talking,
Red helping Sheriff O'Grady
one of the gang members shot Red’s dog when it urinated on his foot and the bounty hunter proceeded to angrily gun the gang down. However Sheriff O’Grady was badly injured and Red took him to Brimstone to see a doctor at the behest of his daughter, as well as to get his bounty. On the long train ride there, another gang tried to rob the train, but Red fought them off and successfully arrived in Brimstone. Sheriff Bartlett met him and brought O’Grady to a doctor, after telling Red to stop by his office if he was looking for work. Bartlett sent Red out after the outlaws, Pig Josh, a former carnival performer, Bad Bessie, a female criminal, and
Red with Jack Swift
Mr. Black, a bizarre undertaker, and he managed to take each one out, claiming the bounties on them. As he was taking on Pig Josh, Red freed Jack Swift, an English sharpshooter who’d worked with the gang when it was a circus. Bartlett told Red that the bank’s supply of gold hadn’t arrived yet and he went over to the bank to look into his bounty.
Going After Diego
Red first meeting Annie
As Red arrived at the bank, Annie Stoakes was angrily leaving after being refused an extension on the debt she owed. He overheard her mention that the Governor, who was trying to drive her off her land, was mining gold from Bear Mountain and asked the bank manager about it. He refused to say anything and Red threateningly demanded that he tell him where Annie lived, saying that the manager had better have his gold when he got back.
Red asking Annie about the gold mine
Red arrived at Annie’s ranch to find it badly damaged after an attack by outlaws hired by Griffin and he asked what she knew about the gold mine in Bear Mountain. Annie said she didn’t know anything about the mine, but told Red that there were men in the Brimstone Saloon always going on about it. She looked at her ruined ranch sadly and Red gave her a poster advertising the Brimstone Battle Royal, a quick draw competition, which paid $5000 in gold to the winner. He headed to the saloon, where he overheard an outlaw named Dan talking about a man who lost his arm and replaced it with a cannon and Red asked about this.
Red being arrested by Bartlett
They refused to talk and he got into a bar fight with some of their goons, before gunning down Dan and his thuggish brother, Sam. Red was then arrested by Sherriff Bartlett, who locked him up and told him he shouldn’t stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Red asked about the one-armed man, revealing he’d killed his parents, and Bartlett realized he was Nate Harlow’s son. The bounty hunter demanded information about what happened and Bartlett explained that 12 years ago, in battle between the U.S. Cavalry and the Mexican army, General Javier Diego had captured Griff, Nate’s partner. In exchange for his life, Griffon told the general about the gold he’d found in Bear Mountain and they’d had Nate killed so as to claim all the gold. Bartlett told Red about a shipment of gold Diego would be bringing to
Red knocked out by Daren
Griff, now Governor Griffon, and let him go so he could go after Diego. Red destroyed the wagon shipping the gold, but was knocked out by Colonel Daren and taken prisoner in the gold mine. However he was rescued by his cousin, Shadow Wolf, along with a captured Union soldier, Buffalo Soldier, and escaped the mines. Red met up with Shadow Wolf again at Diego’s fort, where he managed to take on the general’s forces. However he was confronted by Colonel Daren, who had captured a fatally wounded Shadow Wolf, but Red managed to kill him.
Red stabbing Daren's body
He went to Shadow Wolf as he was dying and his cousin told him to go after Diego’s war train and finish what he started, before he died. Red stabbed Daren’s corpse in the chest with Shadow Wolf’s knife, saying their people would know of his courage, then set off after Diego. Red eventually managed to take down the heavily armed, armored war train with use of a
Red taking revenge on Diego
Gatling gun, before facing off against Diego himself and badly wounded him. The general tried to crawl away, promising Red gold, whiskey, weapons, and women in exchange for his life, only for the bounty hunter to coolly shoot him in the face.
Completing his Revenge
Red meeting up with Jack and Annie
Red returned to Brimstone for the Battle Royale, meeting up with Jack and Annie. He asked them about Buffalo Soldier, who’d headed for town to try and get help from the U.S. Cavalry. However Mr. Kelley, running champion of the Battle Royale, told Red that Buffalo Soldier wouldn’t be “causing the governor anymore trouble.” Later, the Battle Royale began and Red managed to gun down his first two opponents as did Jack, Annie, and Kelley. The next day, Red faced off against Kelley when Governor Griffon suddenly began hosting the Battle Royale, as Bartlett was taken away and knocked out by the governor’s men.
Red being aimed at by Griffon and his men
Griffon disqualified Jack and Annie, saying Red and Kelley were clearly the best, before the two finally faced off. Red managed to beat Kelley, but Griffon and his men suddenly drew their guns on him. Griffon said it was time to end what should’ve ended so many years ago and Red noticed the governor had the other Scorpion Revolver, realizing that he was his father’s old partner, Griff. Griffon told
Red attacking the mansion with Jack and Annie
Kelley, who’d managed to survive, to kill Red, before leaving, but the bounty hunter finally succeeded in taking Kelley down. Red then joined forces with Jack and Annie to storm Griffon’s mansion, successfully getting inside and fighting the governor’s men. Along the way, Red and Annie found Buffalo Soldier imprisoned and freed him. The bounty hunter eventually confronted Griffon, who said he should’ve made sure Red was killed all those years ago, and managed to kill him.
Red taking Griffon's Scorpion Revolver
Bartlett showed up and told Red that he should get away before the army showed up. He then offered Red the $5000 in gold, but the bounty hunter told the sheriff to give it to Annie and Buffalo Soldier, saying it was never about the money and took Griffon’s Scorpion Revolver, before leaving.
Personality
Red is quiet and serious, barely speaking to anyone and this was a way in which he greatly changed after his parents’ deaths. He can get easily angered and become rather hostile when angry, but Red can act very polite when he wants to. He is a loner by nature, which may be because he just wants to avoid close relationships after the pain of losing his family. Red demonstrates that he does have a sense of honor, helping people in need even at a cost to himself.
Abilities
Red is an excellent gunman, able to efficiently use both pistols and rifles. He is a master in doing quick draws, beating a number of opponents in showdowns in slow motions. Red also displays excellent hand-to-hand combat skills, when he fought off a few bandits unarmed in the train/
Trivia
- Red appeared as a DLC playable character in the multiplayer of Red Dead Redemption, along with a number of other characters from Red Dead Revolver. His exploits are also mentioned by campfire storytellers in that same game.
- Red is portrayed somewhat differently in Red Dead Redemption with a gruffer voice and a different bandana.
- Red bears a great resemblance to Clint Eastwood, particularly his character, The Man With No Name, in the Dollars Trilogy, a series of Spaghetti Westerns.
- Red’s last name, Harlow, suggests he has English ancestry.
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