Why Red Dead Redemption Doesn't Let John Spare Bill Williamson

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In , the first former Van der Linde gang member John Marston hunts down is Bill Williamson, and the interaction leaves Bill dead. Players can do nothing to change the outcome of the scene, which establishes early on how the game's story is set to play out. With the game forcing Bill Williamson to end up dead, it is fair to question why he cannot walk away from the encounter alive. There are multiple layers to why, from both the former gang member's backstory and John's history with him.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Red Dead Redemption.]

Bill Williamson is more of a supporting character of the Van der Linde gang, even as players learn a little more about him through interactions in. But in the context of the first game, all players know is that he used to ride with John and now has a gang of his own. As killing him is the only way to progress in order to reach all the other members that John is tasked to take down, there are valid reasons the game does not hesitate when it comes to Bill's death.

There is no way to spare Bill Williamson in. If players hold back on the opportunity to shoot Bill, Abraham Reyes will finish him off instead. The game leaving him dead is appropriate considering what he has been up to since the Van der Linde gang split. The effects of Bill's gang on New Austin and Armadillo are apparent, with the outlaws raiding farms and murdering townsfolk. In light of him and his gang committing extreme crimes and being dangerous outlaws, the fate that Bill meets is a justice that the player and John must serve.

All of the Van der Linde gang members go on to meet different fates by the close of Red Dead Redemption 2, some of them more brutal than others.

Bill Williamson's past, as well as some of his actions in, also show how dangerous he is. Before the events of the games, Bill was kicked out of the army for deviancy and attempted murder, kicking off the life of an outlaw. Paperwork explaining his dishonorable discharge can be found in.