Micah Bell
Micah is considered wicked, savage, and unpredictable, even by the standards of the Van der Linde gang. He reportedly enjoys action in his life, famously shooting what Arthur claims is half the town of Strawberry to retrieve his prized revolvers. Despite his reckless nature, Micah is an experienced criminal and hitman, earning him the favor of Dutch himself. Micah has a poor relationship with most gang members, frequently antagonizing and intimidating them, and even making explicit threats against those he dislikes (with Dutch being practically the only person he doesn't antagonize, though he expresses frustration with Dutch's concern for the weak). Beyond Dutch, Micah initially attempts to gain Arthur's trust—despite Arthur openly detesting him, viewing him as selfish, unreliable, and opportunistic. Arthur's fears are confirmed later when Micah acts as an informant for the Pinkertons after returning from Guarma. When confronted with his disloyalty, Micah labels himself a survivor, prioritizing his own self-interest. His camp interactions reveal a deeply nihilistic outlook; he openly rejects concepts of good and evil, finding no inherent meaning in life. Like Arthur, he is self-aware regarding his immorality, claiming that if damnation were real, he would feel right at home. Unlike Arthur, however, he feels no remorse for his actions and makes no effort to seek redemption.
Throughout the game, Micah's relationship with Arthur devolves into a bitter rivalry as Micah exploits Dutch's paranoia. Micah takes pride in his position as Dutch's right-hand man and mocks Arthur's tuberculosis, calling him "Black Lung." Micah seems to have harbored long-standing jealousy toward Arthur’s close relationship with Dutch, admitting he had been "waiting a long time to do this" during their final confrontation. This jealousy surfaces at the end of the game: if the player has low honor and Arthur helps John escape, Micah bitterly exclaims that Arthur is no better than him before killing him, laughing, and spitting on his corpse. Micah treats everyone with sadistic, psychopathic contempt and lacks any set morality. He expresses admiration for Alberto Fussar's brutal actions in Guarma, forcibly flirts with most of the women in camp (particularly Abigail), and is implied to have sexually harassed Sadie upon their meeting. He violently mocks young Jack, and by 1907, he is accused of slaughtering an entire family, including a young girl. He displays extreme prejudice toward those of different races and backgrounds, insulting Lenny, Charles, and Javier, and frequently stereotyping Sean’s Irish heritage. Yet, he maintains some friendly interactions with Javier, proving he is capable of forming bonds despite his prejudices.
"Oh, my, how wonderful life is! Indeed it is. Believe me, it is! Old Micah Bell told me that. That was my daddy. Micah Bell, just like his father. They were a pair of wild horses. Father and son... and then me. At one point, my daddy was wanted for murder in five counties. Five! He never suffered fools. He almost killed my brother once, but... my brother was always a fool. And a coward. Yellow as snow. Never could stand him. Or his wife. Lives in California, by the sea. Pathetic. What kind of man lives by the sea, I ask you? Eh? Eh? Eh? The kind of man whose wife tells him where to live. No woman has ever told me anything, other than 'Get lost!' And that suits me just fine."
– Micah Bell speaking about his past.
Bell is deliberately vague about his history, though he claims his father taught him that "compassion is for the weak" and that the United States is a cutthroat, Darwinian world. He views the gang as having too much "dead weight,” calling Uncle a "parasite" and suggesting people like Molly O'Shea and Reverend Swanson should be discarded. Although he tells Arthur and Bill that his ideal gang is a "tight group of five or six strong gunslingers," he contradicts his own ideals in 1907 by leading a large gang of at least 50 men.
Micah is cold-hearted regarding death, calling it "part of the game" after the Blackwater Massacre despite his role in the deaths of Jenny Kirk, Mac, and Davey Callander. Following Kieran's death, he does not mourn, instead speculating that Kieran tried to betray the gang. He is similarly dismissive of Hosea and Lenny’s deaths. He also harbors a hatred for dogs, frequently kicking Cain, and is implied to have killed him. He is constantly willing to betray gang members to ensure his own survival—most notably when he persuades Dutch to abandon Abigail to the Pinkertons. Micah is an atheist who openly mocks the religious as "parasites," though he suggests a morbid curiosity about finding out what hell is like. He is dangerously cunning, maintaining his role as a mole for a significant period while manipulating Dutch's declining mental state. Despite his selfish and imperious attitude, Bell respects those he deems capable in combat, secretly admiring Arthur's skills and enjoying their moments fighting side-by-side, even claiming they always "get the job"
