Bill Williamson served as one of the main antagonists in the original Red Dead Redemption, but thanks to the way the Van der Linde gang treated Bill, he lost the same edge when it came to Red Dead Redemption 2. Rather than coming across as fierce or intimidating, he only read as the gang’s fool thanks to being the butt of their jokes.
The outlaw originally joined the Van der Lindes after attempting to rob Dutch, who was impressed by Bill’s audacity and extended him an invitation. Prior to this, Bill was in the army pushing back against the Native community. He was honorably discharged after a series of mysterious misdeeds, which aren’t elaborated on in detail in the Red Dead Redemption series, unfortunately.
Bill eventually meets an untimely end in Red Dead Redemption when John Marston, who was being blackmailed by the government to chase down his former gang members, kills him. Or, if players don’t react in time, Reyes will do the deed. Players aren’t supposed to feel very sympathetic for the character in the first Red Dead Redemption, given all of the horrible things it implies Bill has done over the course of his life. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 paints a somewhat different portrait of the character.
How Red Dead Redemption 2 Portrayed Bill Differently
With Bill as the first antagonist players encounter in the first game, he was a force to be reckoned with, and not the kind anyone would want to approach again while unprepared. As the leader of his own gang following his break-up with the Van der Lindes, Bill was portrayed as ruthless and self-serving. He had the ability to send his own men to their death in order to evade capture, signifying how powerful and influential he became, making it all the more surprising when the second game shows him in such a different light.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, Bill is constantly the butt of jokes. The gang particularly gives him a hard time about his drunkenness, making him look like a complete idiot on certain occasions. At one point, when Arthur Morgan walks into Red Dead Redemption 2's Van der Linde gang camp, players can observe Bill completely drunk out of his mind. The outlaw will fall off his chair before Arthur will ask if he’s okay. “This is gonna be a good day,” Bill replies as he starts stumbling off somewhere else in the camp.
Similarly, during a unique random event that’s available in Chapter 2, Arthur will be tasked with saving Bill Williamson from a group of bounty hunters. Javier Escuella asks him to do the honor, but only if players aren’t in a mission and are away from the camp. “Sloppy Bill,” Arthur will say before hesitantly agreeing. The side event isn’t required to obtain 100% completion. Even though Bill is shown to be more than capable on other occasions, during this moment, his drunkenness once again makes him look like a fool. The Red Dead Redemption series may have made Bill one of the main antagonists in the first game, but in the second, his portrayal clearly isn’t so empowering.