The Dutch Van Der Linde Cannibal Theory - Red Dead Redemption

Today we're looking at a lesser known theory that has been circulating a slight bit of late, but has existed for as long as Red Dead Redemption. I thought we'd take a look at it together even if it is a bit thin on substance because the alternative is I do nothing for another day.

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[Arcanelake]

I honestly don’t find this theory far fetched. I think Dutch’s delusions of grandeur and his own importance could eventually lead him down the path to cannibalism. He has nothing left but his narcissistic nature. He couldn’t even let John kill him because he had to be the author of his own demise.

[jumtastico]

I actually wanted an Undead Nightmare in RDR2 but with Dutch (as a protagonist) hallucinating the old gang members and the people he killed as zombies. It could actually be a great reason on how he descended into insanity. Also cool if they added bank heists and him recruiting his native army from RDR1. Also would be amazing to see his deadeye and a zombie version of The Count.

[the_cowpoke]

John: "YOU... tried... you tried to eat me!"

Dutch: "I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE, SON"

[enthiegavoir]

Probably not intentional, but in real life there is a thing called Wendigo Psychosis, essentially if someone is forced to commit cannibalism, or is nearly driven to the point of it, they will feel an intense need to consume human flesh, even after they have access to better reasources.

Dutch being at his most desperate could have driven him to the point of canniblism.

[twoface]

What is interesting to note that in the beginning of RDR2, the Van der Linde are like the Donner Party. Desperate, hungry, and snowed in. If it weren't for Arthur, looting canned goods from the Adler Homestead and hunting those deer with Charles... well, I'd say sucks to be Jack. Either Jack or Pearson, Arthur's suggested meal.

[Sin]

The bones around the campfire, the presence of other implications of cannibalism and an actual cannibal in the game, and the human skulls present in his living space makes me think this theory is likely. It's not something that Dutch would never do given his mental state at the time. Cannibalism is also by no means something Rockstar is afraid of portraying in their games.

[hrodebrt]

The moment I started to question if Dutch was always a bad guy was when in the second game Arthur first meets the agents while fishing. Milton said a line that stuck with me, "orphaned street kid seduced by that maniacs silver tongue and matures into a degenerate killer". To me that line was like an eye opener, instead of me thinking Dutch saved Arthur I started to consider he just saw an opportunity to have a life long servant who he can manipulate into doing anything for him.

[twoface]

11:25 I will never not appreciate Fizhy taking time out of his day to dedicate several minutes of a video on a 13 year old game to analyze rust in bathtub.

[elperrodelautumo]

This could’ve made Dutch into two people. The gang charmer Dutch and the survivalist Dutch.

[andersondawn]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Dutch ate folk by the end. He’d clearly lost his mind in Red Dead 1. Eating the remains of some of his enemies and even keeping their skulls, wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for him. Maybe in some crazed logic, Dutch believed it’d make him invincible 🤷‍♀️

[tysonchambliss]

I personally don't think he is a cannibal but it brings up an interesting reality. The mere fact that we have to stop and ask "Was dutch a cannibal?" Is representative of who his character was and I think that, at least, was intentional on Rockstar's behalf.

[mankyscotchgit]

I would connect this (symbolically) to Beaver Hollow in the second game. The camps get progressively worse as the game goes on, from the more optimistic, classic Western views of Horseshoe Overlook (though not without signs of the gang's fundamental problems - Dutch's fancy clothes, tent, books and gramophone undermine his egalitarian persona from day 1), to the symbolism of the ever-hypocritical Dutch presiding over the gang from a southern manor house at Shady Belle, and finally to Beaver Hollow, a den of degenerate cannibals, which, like his hideout in the first game, is filled with human and animal bones. As Dutch's mental decline accelerates, his environment increasingly reflects his true nature.

I would also dispute the idea that lack of food is necessarily an argument against cannibalism. In universe, Roanoke Ridge is full of game, yet the Murfrees still prefer to cannibalise their victims and display their corpses in horrible ways, for reasons that are never revealed to us or even really speculated about in-game. In reality, we see similar behaviours - various tribal groups had (probably some still have) superstitious beliefs about absorbing the power of enemies by eating them, or believe that it's a way of honouring the dead or taking some of their spirit into themselves. Voluntary cannibalism (usually for ritual reasons) may be even more common than survival cannibalism in history and prehistory.

Some serial killers also cannibalise victims voluntarily, often because they are excited by breaking the taboo (which could fit with Dutch's character, given his aggressive and outspoken rejection of mainstream society and morality), or because they enjoy the sense of triumphant power it gives them over the victim (again, that motivation could make sense for Dutch - he is an extremely domineering narcissist, who is also very insecure whenever his position is threatened, or he perceives it to be; power is extremely important to Dutch).

Edit: Also, I am now recalling his feeding Bronte to an alligator in a new light. Even the name of the quest - 'Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten'. Which kind of establishes, psychologically, that Dutch does gain satisfaction and a sense of power from his enemies being eaten.

[thheaven]

“It is man, so in love with greed, he has found only appetites.”

[snoookie]

My own theory of Dutch van der Linde is I think the scariest of them all and what makes him such a compelling villain.
And the theory is he is just a painfully normal man. It is the scariest to me, because he just tries to fight all the necessary evils of civilization... and throughout the story of RDR 2 he just slowly begins to realize that his preferred most effective way of fighting society's necessary evils is through primal unnecessary evil... or as agent Milton puts it ... he venerates savagery.

[eds]

Those are deer femurs. Human femurs look longer and have a distinct ball head that protrudes out to the top side. Deer femurs look pretty much like that asset.

[Gameplay-clvp]

I think it just represents that he sits on the "throne" with bones of his enemies below him, I don't think he ate them

[waybatch]

His last hideout with the old gang was Beaver Hollow. Maybe after he went crazy he tried to decorate his new home like his last "home" in kind of remembrance of his former gang.
Would emphasize that he is sick and really is stuck in time and traumatised. In Beaver Hollow he lost Molly, Susan, Arthur to a degree John (because he left hin and thought he must be dead), Swanson left, Strauss was kicked out by Arthur, Pearson left, Trelawny left....
His whole gang got destroyed.
So in a sick sense he feels close to the gone members, if he tries to decorate his cave in a way, that would remind him of the last 'altogether' moments of his old gang.
Though it was all falling apart, maybe thats how his delusion plays out.

[rl]

Arthur: “And John and his family, they’re vegan! I’m afraid we gotta let them go!”

Dutch feeling the ultimate sense of betrayal: “John…vegan?”

[Frredster]

2:47 I remember Arthur saying something about poetry and only using it when it starts to help the gang with killing, surviving, etc. I forget the exact quote. But I do remember Dutch's response: "You have no idea." Remember that he reads philosophy books, discusses the topic often, and plans out his own speeches before he presents them.

Another edit now that I've finished the video: maybe we're meant to think that Dutch set up some sort of camp for himself after RDR2's epilogue and that's where he was until RDR1. But we see no indication of that in RDR2's post-epilogue freeroam, so he could have been living rough and scrounging up men and a proper camp until RDR1. Doing that for four years straight could very well make the already broken Dutch more insane, until he becomes what we see of him in RDR1. Just a little idea I had, but idk if it's worth anything.

[namelessnavnls]

Hosea's Angry Ghost is my new favorite username EVER.