Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game known for its incredibly detailed open-sandbox world and intricate branching narrative paths, but the title still ultimately brings players to the same place. The epilogue gives players a chance to more calmly explore the game's world, but there's still at least one more twist in store for gamers. One Red Dead Redemption 2 player was startled when a deer came right up to them in the epilogue of a high honor playthrough. Red Dead Redemption 2 SPOILER WARNING for the rest of the article.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, the honor system plays an important role in the story and gameplay alike, but its most memorable aspect may be the way it influences the game's ending. No matter what decisions the player makes, Arthur Morgan will be dead by the end of the game. However, recurring dreams he has throughout a given playthrough and a sudden encounter with an animal in the epilogue seem to imply he comes back.
Redditor ReallyBuffHamster shared screenshots of John Marston being approached by a bizarrely friendly deer. Although deer are far from the most dangerous animal in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, it's quite odd to see one march up to the player without fear. The cosmology of the Red Dead Redemption series is deliberately uncertain, as is the specific identity of the supernatural Strange Man, which opens up the possibility that this deer is Arthur Morgan returned to check on his friend.
According to ReallyBuffHamster, the deer walked right up to John Marston, stood there for a while, and then calmly walked away. This seems to imply that the gamer had just finished a high-honor run of Red Dead Redemption 2, as Arthur Morgan is symbolized by a buck in that branch of the game. It's unclear if it's possible for players to encounter a coyote at the end of a low-honor run. If so, the encounter would likely be far more dangerous than this friendly greeting.
As of writing, it appears that many other fans have agreed that this deer is Arthur Morgan reincarnated. Several users began theorizing about what Arthur Morgan had come back to tell John Marston, with some posting direct quotes from in-game conversations. One user disagrees with this conclusion, stating that Arthur Morgan is reincarnated as a bluejay in high-honor runs and he watches John Marston build the ranch. However, all of these theories should be taken with a grain of salt, as it's possible that fans are simply looking too deeply into things.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.