Arthur Morgan Looks Even Better As Breaking Bad's Walter White
While Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online are extremely immersive and challenging experiences, there's still quite a bit of fun to be had with how in-depth the different game mechanics can be. Character customization is one of the more exciting aspects of getting started with RDR2. In fact, one Reddit user has used the intricate customization options to perfectly recreate the One Who Knocks in Red Dead Redemption 2.
In a post titled "The Meth in the West!," redditor smirky_doc has shown off an Arthur Morgan who looks uncannily like Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad. For those unaware, Breaking Bad followed Cranston's Walter White (a.k.a. Heisenberg) as he operated a meth business to try to leave money for his family following a terminal cancer diagnosis. The show ran for five seasons on AMC and spun-off into a critically-acclaimed prequel series, Better Call Saul, as well as a sequel Netflix movie, El Camino.
Though Breaking Bad ended in 2013, the show's fanbase is still going strong. This is reflected in the care and detail put into recreating Walter White in Red Dead Redemption 2.
The reactions from other Reddit users have been overwhelmingly positive, with many of them pointing out how perfectly the two characters suit one another.
One user even said it made it feel easier for them to play through the game as an outright villain when rocking this look. It makes sense, because much of Red Dead Redemption 2's story involves Arthur Morgan trying to decide what kind of man he wants to be. Does he want to live with honor or let the world make him harder than ever before? Apparently it's much simpler to allow Arthur to break bad himself when he looks like the greatest meth cook in television history. As said by user LoquaciousMendacious, "Not gonna lie I rocked heisenArthur for my evil playthrough and it felt very right."
Some have even found interesting parallels between Arthur and Walt's characters. As one user points out, "If you think about it, Walter White's story arc is the exact opposite of Arthur Morgan's," following a good man who turns to the dark side through his own greed and desperation. Meanwhile, Arthur Morgan's story truly is one of redemption, following a crook's path to some form of honor and heroism.
Others have taken dialogue from Red Dead Redemption 2 to heart, particularly the line, "Just do one thing or the other, don't try to be two people at once." It has been pointed out that this is very similar to how Walter White approached his illegal dealings in the early days of Breaking Bad. He was almost afraid of what he was capable of. Of course, as the series goes on, Walt becomes more and more desperate, fully committing to his life of crime.
It's an incredible likeness, to the point where some have wondered if it was achieved through mods. This wouldn't be entirely out of the question, considering how many hackers have taken hold of Red Dead Online since it's launch. Heck, if this were a mod, this wouldn't even be nearly the craziest one we've seen in recent months. Last month, some spooky Red Dead hackers caused a ruckus when they unleashed an invincible two-headed skeleton on unsuspecting players. These things couldn't be killed even by gunfire, so a Breaking Bad mod would hardly cause someone to blink in comparison.
According to smirky_doc, however, this was merely done by properly grooming Arthur's existing character model and decking him out in the right attire. As the Reddit user explains, "It's Arthur. Just shave his head and trim the beard. The hat can be bought at any store."
However, there are other aspects to this character resemblance that has been noted and applauded by fans of the game.
Beware of major spoilers ahead for the ending of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Much like Walter White is told he has a short time left to live, Arthur Morgan sadly finds himself in a similar situation. He comes down with tuberculosis part of the way through the game, which leads him to making some very difficult decisions. Both characters, as pointed out by user Alekillo, are constantly coughing, which still does nothing to make either of them any less intimidating.
It's always cool to see something like this bringing different fandoms together. What likely started as a bit of fun on smirky_doc's part has evolved into a spirited discussion of the similarities between the two characters. It's also reminded these fans what they loved so much about both properties.