Red Dead Redemption 2 players are seemingly always finding new details within the game, though one discovery is particularly startling. Caught on video, the Red Dead Redemption 2 moment shows the beloved character John Marston doing something that he should not be able to.
There are plenty of personality traits and character design details that make John Marston who he is. From the scars on his face to his iconic hat, unique body type, and scratchy voice, players know John as soon as they see or hear him. However, one other trait has stuck with John over the years, becoming a bit of a running joke for fans and Rockstar alike. As many know by now, John Marston cannot swim — or so it seemed.
RELATED: Red Dead Redemption 2 Mod Lets Players Be a Gunsmith
At one point in Red Dead Redemption 2’s storyline, Arthur, John, and Dutch are following some train tracks. These tracks lead over a bridge, and while most fans likely remain focused on the dialogue of the gang, one player decided to force a change to the scene. Having Arthur run forward and directly into John, Red Dead Redemption 1’s protagonist is thrown into the water below. However, John does not drown when thrown off the edge of the bridge, revealing that he has been lying to players and the Van Der Linde gang for years.
Sure enough, John can swim after all, as he begins to tread his way towards land. Obviously startled by this turn of events, Redditor and video poster alexgiiraud fires in John’s direction. The bullet whizzes past his head and hits the water nearby, leading to a funny line of dialogue from John where he comments on how close the shot was to landing. Eventually, John reaches the shore, climbing on his horse and continuing the mission as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. The player’s aggression continues, however, as the clip ends with a punch to John’s leg due to the long-running lie.
While this could be Rockstar secretly revealing some deceitfulness on the part of John, the more likely scenario is that they forgot to give him a separate animation in case such a moment happened. While Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of detail, much of the main story’s content deliberately keeps John away from water. As such, he is likely never meant to fall into it in the first place. On top of that, having a mission fail because John fell in water and drowned would likely be more frustrating to most players than a bit of immersion breaking.
Still, perhaps Arthur should rethink his joke about John’s swimming that can be heard when the pair of outlaws plays poker together. Apparently, Marston is a lot less intimidated by bodies of water than he lets on.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.