Red Dead Redemption 2 player discovers disturbing identity of 'The Strange Man'

A Red Dead Redemption 2 player appears to have uncovered the disturbing truth behind one of the game's most unsettling characters.

Players will bump into all sorts of odd strangers in Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. Alien spaceships, missing friends, and grisly murders are par for the course out there. Or yee-haw for the course, if you want to be hilarious.

Before we move on, take a look at some of the best Red Dead Redemption 2 wins and fails below.

With so much of what's hidden in these games left completely unexplained by Rockstar, it's not too surprising to learn that there are still fans dedicated to picking apart the series' many mysteries in search of the truth.

If you've played Red Dead Redemption or Red Dead Redemption 2, then you've no doubt met The Strange Man. This enigmatic NPC appears in a side mission in the original Red Dead Redemption, and seems to know things about John Marston's past that he couldn't possibly know.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the Strange Man shows up again, in a much more disturbing cameo. While playing as John during the game's epilogue, players can visit an abandoned shack every day for a few days and watch as a painting of the Strange Man slowly comes together. Once the painting is finished, the Strange Man appears behind John in the mirror for a moment before vanishing. Freaky, right?

While we're still not entirely sure just who this ghoul is supposed to be, one dedicated Reddit user has pieced together an incredibly compelling theory that's hard to deny.In short, Basketballjuice believes that the Strange Man is Cain, a figure from the Bible believed to be the first murderer.

The Reddit user outlines his theory in a lengthy post with a number of fascinating points. He believes that the reason Marston knows the Strange Man but can never quite figure out why is because Cain was marked by God so that all would recognise him. Cain is also doomed to walk the Earth for eternity, which is why the Strange Man seems to know everything. Interestingly, once John sketches his house in Red Dead Redemption 2, it will be captioned "serial killer" - a possible reference to Cain's status as the original murderer.

Basketballjuice also points out the town of Tumbleweed has likely been abandoned as a result of the Strange Man's presence. There are a fair few Red Dead Redemption 2 theories linking the character to Tumbleweed's problems, but Basketballjuice believes this is particularly relevant to his true identity. In the Bible, God tells Cain that "when you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth". Is this why Tumbleweed is barren?

Finally - and this is the creepiest part - the Bible claims that those who attempt to destroy Cain will have vengeance enacted upon themselves sevenfold. In Red Dead Redemption, John shoots the Strange Man three times. By the end of the game, John is shot 21 times before being killed.

It's a properly incredibly theory, and full credit to Basketballjuice for putting it altogether. It's unlikely Rockstar would ever confirm this outright, but as far as I'm concerned? This is definitely the real deal.