I'll go with one that most of you are probably unfamilar with, John Marston from Red Dead Redemtion. Not only is his charecter the perfect example of a man's man but his story is interesting and fun to follow throughout the game. Here is John Marston's story.
John Marston was born in 1873, his father was a Scottish immigrant, his mother was a prostitute, and in Marston's own words is hinted that his father might have been her pimp. John's mother died during childbirth. In 1881, John's father died of unknown causes, thought to have been by drinking. When his father died, John was 8 years old so he was placed in an orphanage, where he spent the next nine years. At the age of 17 he ran away and joined a gang led by a man named Dutch van der Linde. In the band, Van der Linde himself taught John to read and shoot. In the gang, he met Abigail, a prostitute who traveled with the band and that John himself would marry in the future. John says, the band struggled for more than just making money, stole from the rich and powerful to give to the needy, sick, and poor with their own ideals, however, during a bank robbery in 1908, Marston was shot and was left to die by his companions, which caused Marston to decide to leave his life of crime and reform. With his wife, Abigail, and son, Jack, Marston bought a ranch to live peacefully, John also had a daughter who had died either during childbirth or soon after. Soon, however, he is required by the Bureau of Investigation to apprehend his former outlaw friends. To ensure the loyalty of John, they kidnapped his family, holding them hostage until the completion of his mission.
After starting from the town of Blackwater, John is sent by train to the town of Armadillo where he meets with a guide named Jake. Jake takes him to Fort Mercer, Bill Williamson and his gang's main hideout, where Marston confronts and tries to reason with Bill. This results only in John being shot in the ribs. He is rescued by a woman named Bonnie MacFarlane who would take care of him until he recovered. After his recovery, John works with local stakeholders in the city of Armadillo and other colorful characters to help him to take Fort Mercer, where the gang was hiding Williamson. Marston raids Fort Mercer, but Williamson is nowhere to be found. Bill has fled to Mexico with the help of Javier Escuella, another member of Marston's former gang.
Marston follows Williamson to the province of Nuevo Paraiso in Mexico. There, Marston becomes entangled in a civil war between the rebels led by a man named Abraham Reyes and soldiers in the region, led by Colonel Agustin Allende, Marston works for both sides to locate Williamson, but is betrayed by Allende and from there John goes to work permanently with the rebels, In an assault on El Presidio the player can decide whether to kill or capture and return Escuella to the Bureau agents. The rebels then assault the palace of Allende in Escalara, killing Williamson and Allende. John returns to Blackwater where he hoped to be reunited with his family after completing his mission, but Edgar Ross, the head agent, tells John that his mission is not over, and that he must kill Dutch Van der Linde, John is reluctant but knows he does not have a choice and accepts. Dutch leading a gang of Native Americans in the mountains of tall trees, John attempted several attacks and until he and the U.S. Army assaults Cochinay, Marston then chases Dutch through a cave that leads onto a cliff with an opening at the end. Dutch then says he was only fighting for what he believed in and that the Government will only find another monster to justify their actions and then steps off the cliff. With his old gang dead John is allowed to return to his family After meeting at his ranch with his family, John began to live as he always wanted taking care of his ranch and his family, the days were more or less peaceful until one day, John's ranch was assaulted by U.S. soldiers led by Edgar Ross. John defends his family as they flee to the barn on his ranch, there his wife, Abigail and his son, Jack flee on horseback, John, still in the barn peers through the doors to see a firing squad on the other side. He pushes open the doors and draws his revolver, taking down as many people as he can before they open fire. John is gunned down but remains standing upright making labored efforts to breathe, John falls to his knees and dies. His body is buried on a hillside by Jack and Abigail, overlooking his ranch in 1911.
You really have to play this to get the full expeirience of the story, and I would definetly reccomend it to everyone. But John Marston is a man who struggled his entire life for his American Dream, and even though it didn't end the way he wanted he went out like a man.
