Dutch Van der Linde is not the only Satanic figure in Red Dead Redemption 2. While Dutch captures Satan’s dark charisma, Micah’s similarities to the fallen angel are more superficial. Unlike Milton’s seductive character, Micah is something you try not to step in. In Mary-Beth's words – she's the most perspicacious character in the gang – he's just “not that interesting” (Horseshoe Overlook; Shady Belle). Micah's very banality is what makes his role in the tragedy so effective. He isn't particularly good at manipulating people – we see his clumsy and obvious attempts to charm some of the gang in camp; only Bill and Javier are initially susceptible to it…
The writers of Red Dead Redemption 2 – Dan Houser, Michael Unsworth, and Rupert Humphries – drew more inspiration from Paradise Lost, the epic by John Milton, than any other work. Milton is the 17th-century poet who gives the game's Agent Milton and John-I-Mean-Jim Milton their names. The poem tells a much-expanded version of the Biblical story of Genesis, beginning with the aftermath of Lucifer's rebellion in heaven and ending with Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden. The poem and the game both deal with themes of sin and repentance – but they arrive at disparate conclusions.
One of the most popular video games ever made is not just a game, but a text of texts, thick with allusions to historical personalities, movies, and most of all, literature. Poems, novels, short stories, and plays, not to mention writers themselves, inspired Red Dead Redemption 2.
