Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 has come a long way since the franchise's beginnings in Red Dead Revolver, but that doesn't mean the developers have completely forgotten their roots. Although Red Dead Redemption 2's open world contains only one brief reference to the original hero of Red Dead Revolver, Red Harlow, there's reason to believe the character is still alive and well.

[WARNING: Spoilers for the Red Dead Redemption series below.]

As a pretty strong rule, protagonists in the Red Dead Redemption series usually meet an untimely end. John Marston met his demise at the hands of government agents and Arthur Morgan contracts TB from Thomas Downes while acting as Strauss' strongman. There is an undercurrent of violence only leading to more violence in the world of Red Dead Redemption, and both games end with their main protagonists dying and another character (John Marston's son Jack in the original Red Dead Redemption, and John himself in RDR2) taking up that mantle and continuing where the first player character left off. However, that's not how Red Dead Revolver ended things.

Related: How RDR2 References Red Dead Redemption's Best Character

Red Dead Revolver's ending is much more triumphant, with the game's player character Red Harlow turning down a monetary reward (which was rightly earned by helping to save a small town, even though he used to be an outlaw) and walking off to embark on his next adventure. Although he may still very well be on the run from the law, Red Harlow's ending is much more uplifting (and open-ended) than what John Marston and Arthur Morgan would later receive.

RDR2's Red Dead Revolver Easter Egg Explained

Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Revolver took place in the 1880s, a good ten years before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. It's unknown exactly where Red Harlow went after Red Dead Revolver, but it is clear that he made a name for himself, as one NPC in Red Dead Redemption 2's overworld goes out of their way to mention him. The information isn't firsthand - he says he heard it from his brother, who likely heard it from someone else - but it seems pretty spot-on as being about THAT Red Harlow.

"Yep, you probably heard of him. Legendary bounty hunter bringing the savage outlaws of the frontier to justice," the Red Dead Redemption 2 NPC, who can be found outside of Hennigan's Stead, says. "A man who watched his parents get murdered in front of him as a boy, but who uses that pain to become a better man, and ultimately to... wreak his vengeance." When pressed for more information, the NPC will reply "I don't know, bounty hunting never felt like that to me."

While this could simply be one man sharing his stories about a legendary outlaw, there is another interesting twist to the character. In Red Dead Redemption 2's game files (accessible via Mod-RDR) this particular NPC is actually named Red Harlow. Could this be the same Red Harlow from the original Red Dead Revolver, now an older man who doesn't look back fondly on his actions?

It's unlikely, but possible. Rockstar developers could have easily named this character Red Harlow in the game files in order to remember that this was the one NPC in particular to assign Harlow's dialog Easter egg to. However, it's also possible that this IS in fact Red Harlow himself. Fans have had no official confirmation of his demise, and although Harlow's physical description doesn't match that of the NPC, Rockstar has stated in the past that the Red Dead Redemption games have connections to Red Dead Revolver, but may not necessarily take place in the same universe. This means it could be possible that a version of Red Harlow still exists, he just may not look exactly how Red Dead Revolver players remember him.

Although it is not very likely, it's possible Red Dead Revolver's Red Harlow still exists and is in hiding during the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. If there is ever a third entry in the series, it would be interesting for Rockstar Games to pick Harlow's adventures back up, so players can finally know how the original outlaw's story ends.

Next: Why Red Dead Redemption 2 Feels Like Such A Slow Game