Micah Bell's History
Micah Bell III was born circa 1860 to Micah Bell Jr., a ruthless petty outlaw. When Micah was 17, in 1877, he and his father were on the run for the brutal double homicide of Roscoe and Jean Briggs, who were hung from the rafters with their throats slit.[1] It can be assumed that he was his father's partner-in-crime throughout his upbringing, although evidence suggests that he also ran with his brother, Amos, for a time. Micah would later have a falling out with Amos, who, by 1899, is repentant of his actions and lives in California with his wife and daughters, whilst making it clear to Micah that he wants no contact with him, threatening to kill him if he's anywhere near himself and his family.[2]
Micah became acquainted with two outlaws named Cleet and Joe at some point during his criminal career, and also mentions being involved in a failed bank robbery down south with Norman.
In 1898, Micah met Dutch van der Linde at a bar in a town in the Grizzlies named Crenshaw Hills. Dutch tried to sell gold that his gang had recently stolen, but the deal went sour, leading to an altercation where Micah stepped in and saved his life.[3] As a result, Micah was accepted into the Van der Linde gang. Despite being an experienced outlaw who was respected for his skill in combat, Micah was generally disliked within the gang; in particular, Arthur and Hosea saw him as argumentative, reckless and hot-headed, with Dutch alone taking a liking to him.[4]
After five months, Micah set his sights on a ferry in Blackwater as a potential robbery. Although Arthur and Hosea had their own lead, Dutch instead chose Micah's option, which promised a bigger reward but also riskier. The heist turned out to be a complete disaster, however, and a huge gun battle with the Pinkertons ensued. Due to this, the gang was forced to flee and eventually managed to lose the law by entering a blizzard on the snowy mountains of Ambarino. Unfortunately, both Jenny Kirk, and Davey Callander were fatally injured and Mac Callander captured and killed by Pinkertons.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2
Colter Chapter
In addition to John Marston, Micah was sent to scout ahead while the rest of the gang looked for some shelter. After settling at an abandoned mining town named Colter, Dutch and Arthur ride out to try and find any sign of Micah or John. After a short ride north, they come across Micah, who is seen riding with a lantern. He says that he found a homestead up north that appears to be throwing a party. The three eventually come across the homestead, where Micah and Arthur take cover while Dutch tries to persuade the occupants to help them. Whilst in cover, Micah discovers a dead body in the wagon and alerts Arthur, before a shootout occurs when the house's inhabitants are revealed to be O'Driscolls who attempt to kill them.
After killing the enemy gang members, they loot the home, Micah finds a distressed woman in the cellar and begins harassing her. Dutch and Arthur enter to try and defuse the situation, but, believing her to be an O'Driscoll, Micah flips the table, knocking down the lantern and setting the house ablaze. The trio soon realise that she is not an enemy, so they grab her and leave the burning ranch. After returning to camp, Micah finds out he is bunked with Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Lenny Summers, prompting him to make racist remarks about his roommates. Micah is also ordered to go back to the homestead and bury Jake Adler, though he most likely didn't since there is no evidence of any grave nearby.
Micah later gets into an argument with Bill and punches him in the face, although Bill is restrained by Lenny, Arthur, and Javier before a fight can break out. Dutch then comes in and reprimands the two, before telling them that they are going to launch an assault against an O'Driscoll camp, which Micah is involved in. At the end, Micah searches the camp and finds information about a train which the O'Driscolls were going to rob and gives the map to Dutch. Dutch later decides to rob this Cornwall train, and Micah is part of the crew involved with the robbery. After the guards are eliminated, he searches the train for loot with Arthur and Lenny.
Horseshoe Overlook Chapter
While the gang's wagon train transfers from Colter to Horseshoe Overlook, Dutch sends Micah scouting together with Lenny Summers. They briefly return to the gang's new camp (Micah can be met at the Horseshoe campfire during the early stages of the Chapter) before they are sent out scouting once again by Mrs. Grimshaw.[5] The two of them end up in the area of Strawberry. Bell decides to seek out an old criminal associate of his, a man named Norman, who lives in Strawberry. After playing some Five Finger Fillet with Norman and other men Micah gets into a drunken fight which culminates in him killing two men (most likely members of the O'Driscoll gang), landing him in the local jail where he shares a cell with a member of the O'Driscoll gang.
Lenny, who manages to escape from Strawberry, rushes to the gang's new camp and notifies Dutch and Arthur about Micah's arrest. Ordered to so by Dutch, Arthur reluctantly rides to Strawberry and rescues his fellow gang member. After being freed, Micah immediately shoots his O'Driscoll cellmate in the head, and the pair clear off the guards in the immediate area. Arthur insists they should leave, but Micah instead fights his way through town to get his prized revolvers back, searching for Norman, who has taken possession of his guns after his arrest. Micah soon finds him, kills both him and his wife, before retrieving his guns and resuming his escape from the town. The reckless charge leaves many lawmen dead and almost costs both Micah and Arthur their lives; afterward, Arthur scolds Micah for his carelessness.
Not wishing to return to Dutch empty-handed after the massacre in Strawberry, Micah remains in Big Valley to work on a robbery. He is later joined by Arthur and asks him to help him rob a stagecoach. After a brief gunfight, the pair of outlaws take the stagecoach, before a gang of O'Driscolls attempt to steal it from them. Micah and Arthur camp on one side of the river, and after a long fight, annihilate the enemy gang. Arthur and Micah then take the loot and, now feeling that he has redeemed himself, Micah returns to the rest of the gang. At some point later, when the gang realize that they need to relocate, Micah suggests Dewberry Creek as a possible place to go. Arthur and Charles investigate the location and decide it is a poor choice for camp, so they eventually decide to settle at Clemens Point instead.
Clemens Point Chapter
At some point, news reaches the gang that the O'Driscolls intend to hold a truce meeting for Dutch and Colm. Hosea believes it to be a trap, and Dutch initially agrees with him. Micah, on the other hand, insists it is worth going to and successfully convinces Dutch to attend. Dutch, Micah, and Arthur ride out to meet the O'Driscolls and converse along the way, with Micah reasoning that it’s a chance for the gang to have one less enemy to worry about. However, the meeting results in Arthur's capture after he is sent to a secluded spot above to be a sniper. Unaware of this, Dutch and Micah leave unscathed and return to camp.
A few weeks later, Arthur meets Micah, Bill and Sean MacGuire in Rhodes to discuss a potential protection job with Sheriff Leigh Gray and his family. However, it turns out to be a trap, as the Grays discovered that the Van der Linde gang were responsible for burning their tobacco fields. Sean is killed in the ambush, leaving the other three gang members to fight the Lawmen and Gray hired guns. Bill is soon captured, leaving Arthur and Micah to work together. After dealing with most of the enemies, Micah and Arthur confront Sheriff Gray and demand the release of Bill. Leigh Gray then exits his office with a gun to Bill’s head but is killed by Arthur, before his accomplices are gunned down by Micah and Arthur. After the shootout, Arthur angrily blames Sean's death on Micah and Bill's carelessness and asks Bill to give Sean a proper burial. After the Braithwaites abduct Jack, Dutch tells Micah and Kieran to stay behind and protect the camp while the rest of the gunmen assault Braithwaite Manor to rescue Jack.
Saint Denis Chapter
Micah gets a lead on a heavily guarded stagecoach and decides to bring Arthur and Bill along for the robbery. Using dynamite, they stop the stagecoach before descending upon it. After a short fight with the well-armed guards, the stagecoach's loot is taken by the three, who divide the spoils.
Micah later takes part in the robbery of the Lemoyne National Bank in Saint Denis. After it goes sour, he and some of the other gang members - namely Dutch, Arthur, Bill, and Javier - board a ship destined for the South Pacific.
Guarma Chapter
After the vessel sinks during a storm, Bell washes up on the shores of Guarma with everyone besides Arthur. Not long after Arthur finds the others, they are ambushed and captured by Guarman troops. After they manage to escape with the help of Hercule Fontaine, they go and rest at the rebel outpost of La Capilla, where Micah stays for a time. He eventually goes to Cinco Torres along with the rest of the gang, soon before federal troops descend upon it. After fighting off the enemy attack, Micah reports that Colonel Fussar has positioned artillery batteries on the beaches to prevent them from leaving. Micah and the gang then storm the batteries, where he places dynamite in order to blow them up. He then takes part in the charge against Aguasdulces, which results in the ship captain being rescued and the five were able to leave safely. Along with the rest of the gang, Micah then sets sail out of Guarma and returns to the United States.
Beaver Hollow Chapter
At some point after arriving back in America, Micah secretly became an informant for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who later assault the gang's hideout in Lakay. The gang barely survives the assault, managing to push government forces out thanks mainly to the efforts of Arthur, Sadie, and Bill.
Following the Pinkerton assault in Lakay, the gang are forced to move their camp to Beaver Hollow. From that point forward, Micah starts having a strong influence on Dutch, who has become increasingly dismayed at Arthur's decaying trust in him, mainly caused by the latter's discovery that he is terminally ill with Tuberculosis. Micah becomes more influential, acting as Dutch’s new enforcer and right-hand man.
Micah makes a plan with Dutch to confront Leviticus Cornwall after his yacht comes into Annesburg. The two bring along Arthur, and the three wait for him at the docks. Micah goes and searches for information relating to the Cornwall company, while Dutch and Arthur confront him. After Dutch kills Cornwall, Micah will rendezvous with the two other men and the three fight their way out of the town. Later on, Micah, Arthur, and Bill meet up outside of Van Horn to make plans for stealing some of Cornwall's dynamite, as part of Dutch and Micah's plan. After an argument with Arthur, Micah instructs him and Bill to carry out the task themselves, citing that he has planning to do. After this has been done, Bell asks Arthur to help John to blow up Bacchus Bridge with the stolen dynamite.
Micah later shows up with two men that he knew named Cleet and Joe, who wish to join the gang. Dutch happily accepts them, due to him seeing a collapse in loyalty from the rest of the gang. Micah capitalizes on this, creating more conflict between Dutch, John, and Arthur by trying to convince Dutch that the latter two are traitors while showing superficial loyalty to Dutch. When Eagle Flies shows up at camp and the majority of the gang join him in the battle against the US Army, Micah stays behind at camp with Cleet and Joe.
Micah organizes the robbery of a train carrying army payroll and also takes part in it. During the robbery, John gets shot and falls off the train. Dutch says that he will go back for him, but ultimately leaves him to die, lying to the rest of the gang that John was already dead by the time they got to him. After the robbery ends and everyone makes a return to camp, the gang learn from Tilly that Pinkertons had kidnapped Abigail. Micah convinces Dutch not to go after her, saying that the risks are too high; Dutch agrees with him and decides that Abigail is not worth saving. Appalled by this decision, Arthur and Sadie set off to rescue her alone.
During the operation to rescue Abigail, Arthur learns from Agent Milton that Micah had betrayed the gang and had been feeding the Pinkertons with information ever since his return from Guarma. Upon learning this, Arthur returns to camp to confront Micah about it in front of the rest of the gang. A standoff occurs, with Arthur and Micah drawing on each other. Arthur tries to convince Dutch that Micah is the traitor, while Micah tries to get Dutch on his side by denying it and telling him that they could achieve plenty together. Before anything else can happen, John suddenly returns, still wounded, claiming that Dutch and Micah left him to die, and he subsequently joins Arthur's side. Susan Grimshaw also joins Arthur's side and points a shotgun at Micah, but Micah kills her while she is distracted with the news of the Pinkertons' arrival. In the end, all of the remaining members of the gang aside from John side with Micah.
Pinkertons led by Agent Ross arrive, launching another assault on the gang. Micah and everyone who sided with him then flee the scene. Later, Micah reappears leading Dutch, Cleet and Joe, trying to pursue Arthur and John on horseback, exclaiming that they are traitors. Due to the continuous exchange of fire with Pinkertons, Micah's posse ultimately loses track of them. The following set of events depend on the player's choice and Arthur's level of Honor:
If Arthur helps John to escape: Arthur and John run away together and decide to traverse the mountains. Eventually, Arthur tells John to keep going alone, while he holds off the Pinkertons. After doing so, Micah tackles him from behind and assaults him. After the two fall off a ledge, they engage in a lengthy fistfight. At the end of a long, grueling fight, Arthur pistol-whips Micah with one of his revolvers after being pinned against a wall but loses his grip on it. Arthur then crawls towards this revolver in order to kill Micah, but he is ultimately prevented from doing so by Dutch, who steps on Arthur's hand before he can use the gun. Arthur reiterates that Micah is the rat and says that he always did his best for Dutch and that John was the only one who made it, while Micah picks up his other revolver from the floor and begs Dutch to go with him and get the money. In the end, Dutch walks away, abandoning both Micah and Arthur.
High Honor: Angered at Dutch's decision to cut all ties with him, Micah furiously departs from the scene, leaving Arthur to die. He does so shortly afterward, after witnessing one final sunrise.
Low Honor: After Dutch leaves, Micah vengefully approaches Arthur and aims a revolver at his head, bitterly claiming that Arthur is no better than him. He then shoots Arthur in the forehead and proudly laughs, before spitting on his corpse and walking away.
If Arthur goes back for the money: Arthur leaves John to steal the gang's money hidden back in the caves, but he is suddenly attacked by Micah on his way out, who stabs Arthur in the side with his own knife during a brief struggle. Arthur manages to wrestle Micah off him and the two engage in a lengthy knife fight.
High Honor: Eventually, Arthur manages to blind Micah in the left eye by slashing it with a knife, to which Micah responds by tackling Arthur to the ground and trying to stab him, but to no avail. Arthur bites Micah's hand and punches him in the face, successfully prising him off. Dutch arrives and breaks it up, but after Arthur re-iterates that Micah was the traitor, he decides to abandon both of them, despite Micah dismissing Arthur's claims as "nonsense". Micah also leaves and is seen taking the sack of money which Arthur stole from Dutch’s chest, leaving Arthur to succumb to his Tuberculosis and the initial stab wound, in the rays of the dawning sun.
Low Honor: Instead of slashing Micah's eye, Arthur loses his balance, resulting in Micah tackling him to the ground. Micah manages to stab Arthur in the chest during this struggle before Dutch arrives to break up the fight. With his dying breaths, Arthur swears that Micah is the traitor and begs Dutch to kill him, but Dutch abandons them both. After Dutch leaves, Arthur starts to crawl away, but Micah approaches him with a knife and finishes Arthur off by stabbing him in the back.
Beecher's Hope Chapter
Following the Van der Linde gang's dissolution, Micah went on to form his own gang, taking Cleet and Joe with him. Throughout the years, they committed various crimes including several vicious murders, some of which involved dismemberment; Micah is said to have personally killed two dozen men during this time. A newspaper in 1907 also reports that Micah’s "acts of lawlessness rival that of Van der Linde himself", and that a lot of people were terrified of him. Additionally, Micah found himself in the custody of a sheriff at some stage but managed to escape. Sometime later, Micah murdered a family, including a young girl that Cleet tried to save. Micah tried to kill him for his insubordination, though Cleet managed to escape. Micah also reunited with Dutch at some point and, despite hiding out on Mount Hagen, they managed to recover the Blackwater money. In 1907, Sadie catches wind of Micah's activities, and ventures out with John Marston and Charles Smith to exact revenge on him.
After a trek up the mountain, during which Joe is killed, John confronts Micah and the two exchange fire, ending up in a deadlock. Wounded, Sadie manages to flank Micah from behind, catching him off guard and forcing him to surrender. Before Micah can be killed, Dutch emerges from a cabin, guns drawn. Micah simultaneously manages to overpower Sadie, holding her hostage, and a Mexican stand-off ensues between John, Micah, and Dutch. Dutch initially appears to be on Micah’s side, but after an exchange of words, he shoots Micah in the chest, mortally wounding him. In a last-ditch effort, Micah attempts to shoot John and Dutch, but John is quicker and shoots Micah multiple times. His fate sealed, Micah begins to walk away, giving a final shrug before collapsing dead in the snow. His death marked the end of his reign of terror on the region, while also being a shock to the newspapers.
During the credits, Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham are seen discovering Micah's corpse in the mountains. Further scenes imply that the discovery of his death led to the Bureau of Investigation tracing the murder of Micah back to John Marston, thus leading to the events of Red Dead Redemption. Since no one ever buried him, Micah's now-frozen corpse remains atop the mountain for the player to return to and claim his revolver for themselves.
