This article dives deep into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2, spotlighting the kinds of villains that really leave a mark. The gaming world is full of memorable antagonists, some winning over players with a tragic backstory or nuances that demand sympathy. Yet, sometimes it’s the characters we genuinely despise that stick with us the most, proving just as effective. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 manages to encompass both ends of this spectrum, introducing a character that channels the widespread disdain Micah Bell from Red Dead Redemption 2 evokes.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sets up its story by confronting players with a variety of moral dilemmas. Do you avenge a betrayal with violence or show mercy and forgive? Characters like Istvan Toth and Markvart von Aulitz wear their villainous intentions on their sleeves, which somehow makes their misdeeds easier to stomach. On the flip side, Vauquelin Brabant’s betrayal rests firmly in the camp of unforgivable, driven by sheer self-interest, and immediately recalls the infamy that Micah Bell achieved in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 players know Micah Bell all too well as one of gaming’s foremost traitors. Initially perceived as a Van Der Linde Gang ally, Micah’s treachery becomes strikingly clear as his unscrupulous past and the suspicious circumstances of the Strawberry Massacre unfold. By becoming an informant and deviously manipulating Dutch to distrust Arthur, Micah proves his villainy is deeply rooted in self-preservation and avarice. This makes the climactic encounter in the game’s epilogue, where players as John Marston finally bring Micah to justice, all the more satisfying.
The narrative thread in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 showcases Vauquelin Brabant following a trajectory akin to Micah’s, cementing his role as a similarly reviled character. Initially found imprisoned alongside Hans Capon, Brabant is described by Capon as a loyal ally. However, Brabant’s true nature is revealed when he attempts to abscond with stolen silver, even resorting to murder. His masquerade as a noble is just another layer of deceit that unravels, with his final betrayal coming as he leads troops against Suchdol castle, ruthlessly torturing Samuel in the process. Players are confronted with an opportunity to end his treacherous path, as his actions make the choice to eliminate him an easy one.
Opting to spare Brabant doesn’t change his nature; he immediately calls for reinforcements, placing his own survival above any semblance of loyalty. Such characters, driven purely by self-interest and willing to forsake any ally, are rarities in video games. Micah Bell’s notoriety in the gaming world since Red Dead Redemption 2’s release serves as a benchmark of villainy, and Vauquelin Brabant, with his underhanded machinations in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, is quickly rising to join that infamous league.
