Red Dead Redemption 2 is a massive game with an open world that has hundreds of unique characters. The main character, Arthur Morgan, is free to explore different landscapes and interact with several non-playable characters to engage in missions. Players can either do the main story missions to progress, or gain more insights about the main character and his relationship with others through side missions. One such mission involves the mysterious Francis Sinclair.
These side missions range from collecting Cigarette Cards in Red Dead Redemption 2 to locating wild animals for a circus. During the stranger missions, Arthur comes across intriguing characters like Deborah MacGuinness, Jeremy Gill, Albert Mason, and Charles Chatenay. One of the most fascinating NPCs is Francis Sinclair, whose presence is so odd it has even led fans to believe time travel may be involved.
The Player's First Meeting With Francis Sinclair
Francis Sinclar is found west of Strawberry in the Hawk's Eye Cabin, and serves as one of the lesser known NPCs of Red Dead Redemption 2. Sinclair initiates the side mission "Geology for Beginners," in which he asks Arthur to collect 10 rock carvings for a handsome price. These rocks are scattered across different areas of the map, and after collecting all of them, Francis invites Arthur to his home.
However, he is immediately unlike other Red Dead Redemption 2 NPCs because of his peculiar appearance, body language, and behavior. At first glance, most players will immediately notice his attire looking ahead of its time, along with his ginger hair and a prominent birthmark on his right eye. Moreover, he has a thick Transatlantic accent and uses slang from the 1920s and 1930s.
In addition, these rock carvings depict strange phenomena, like the invention of the wheel, the detonation of a nuclear bomb, and the building of the pyramids. Some also show a man dressed in similar attire to Sinclair. After collecting these rocks, Sinclair mentions that he'll be traveling soon, so Arthur should come to see him as quickly as possible.
Francis Sinclair Disappears
Arthur visits Hawk's Eye Cabin in Red Dead Redemption 2 to meet Francis Sinclair and collect his promised reward, but they are nowhere to be found. Instead, Arthur comes across a woman holding a baby who introduces herself as Mrs. Sinclair. Arthur explains that he's there to see her husband, who she claims has been dead for more than a year.
Arthur asks whether her dead husband is named Francis, but the woman says her husband's name was Tom Sinclair and Francis is the baby in her arms. The baby is also a redhead with the same birthmark as the adult Francis Sinclair Arthur meets earlier. Arthur tells the woman that he's confused and ultimately leaves the cabin. Beyond this mysterious conversation, a giant poster with complicated illustrations can also be seen inside the house.
Francis as a Possible Time Traveler In Red Dead Redemption 2
The events of this Red Dead Redemption 2 side mission and the exchanges between Arthur and Mrs. Sinclair suggest Francis Sinclair could be a time traveler. Firstly, the adult version of Francis has a peculiar look, evidenced by his strange clothing and thick accent. The most notable difference is that Francis uses a belt instead of suspenders, which were not in vogue until the early 20th Century. Furthermore, his business card has an image of an hourglass with wings, a literally traveling timepiece.
Secondly, the rock carvings he wants Arthur to collect across the vast landscape of Red Dead Redemption 2 depict some of the most important events in human history. Others show unusual scenes like a giant aircraft, which could point to an alien invasion, and a humanoid figure with wings that resembles Francis Sinclair.
In addition, Sinclair could also be Kraff, the deity worshiped by the Epsilon Program - a religious cult in the Grand Theft Auto series. The followers of the cult believe Kraff is the Emperor of the 4th Paradigm, and people with the same eye birthmark are his descendants.
The most mysterious detail about this strange Red Dead Redemption 2 character is the mural on the wall of Sinclair's hut. The poster shows a man nearly identical to Francis Sinclair in the center, seemingly stepping into a portal. The man in the picture is surrounded by the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza on the one side, and tall skyscrapers on the other, much of which are scenes depicted in the rock carvings.
The Sinclair Mystery Deepens
These details point to the fact that Francis Sinclair is a time traveler who went back in time to his birthplace. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 leaves a lot of questions unanswered about this potential time traveler. Most importantly, nobody knows who placed the rock carvings in the first place, and why Arthur was sent to collect them.
When Arthur returns to Sinclair's hut, the poster on the main wall is visible to everyone, including Mrs. Sinclair. She would surely be aware of the poster, but seems unbothered by it, suggesting she knows who her baby will grow up to be. Strange phenomena and mysteries like are one of the reasons why Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered among the best games of all time.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.