GT25's Versus Series: John Marston vs. Jonah Hex

Hello, and welcome to the Versus Series. In this series, we will compare warriors from across the many universes of all forms of fiction and analyze their weapons, armor, and x-factors to see who would win in a hypothetical battle. For this installment, we pit two of the most famous cowboys in the fictional versions of the Wild West with John Marston from video games and Jonah Hex from comic books. For this installment, we will take John Marston at the time of his death in the game Red Dead Redemption and Jonah Hex from the comics before the New 52 relaunch. While these two warriors are more well known than other warriors, I will still give a summary of their histories for those who wish to know more about them.

History of the Warriors

Born in the year 1873 to a prostitute and a Scottish immigrant, John Marston would grow up with his father after his mother died during child birth only to loose his father when he was eight. Running away from the orphanage he stayed at for a few years, he was saved at age twelve from being lynched by Dutch van der Linde who took him in. Joining the man's gang, John would grow up as an outlaw in the Old West with him falling for Abigail Roberts and having a son with her named Jack. With the gang starting to fall apart by the year of 1899, John would be helped by another member into escaping during an ambushed set up by the Pinkerton agency. Marrying Abigail eight years later on Beecher's Hope ranch, he would leave his past behind until 1911 when the Bureau of Investigation kidnapped his family. Forced to work as a bounty hunter, John would go after the former gang members still alive including his father figure Dutch van der Linde. After Dutch jumped to his death, John briefly settled down on the ranch before the BOI and the United States Army besieged the farm to kill him. Making a last stand on his ranch, he would defend and send his family to safety before being gunned down by their attackers.


Born in Missouri on the November 1, 1838, Jonah Hex would grow up being abused as a kid by his father before the man sold him into slavery to an Apache tribe in 1851. He would serve as a slave until saving their chieftain from a puma, an event that would make him a full-fledged member of the tribe. While loved by the chieftain like a son, the man's son Noh-Tante hated his adopted brother and betrayed Jonah while leaving him for dead with the rival Kiowa tribe. After being 'rescued' by a cavalry patrol and unable to find his tribe, he would join the United States Army as a cavalry scout by 1861 only to join the Confederacy. Becoming a lieutenant in the 4th Confederate State Cavalry, he would battle in the American Civil War before he surrendered to the Union the next year. Despite his best efforts, he would fail in stopping his fellow soldiers from being captured and would help cause their deaths in a failed breakout. Four years after escaping, Jonah would return to his tribe and would attempt to reveal the betrayal only to receive the 'mark of the demon' after breaking the rules in a trial by combat. Exiled from the tribe and blinded in his right eye, he would become a bounty hunter with him gaining a reputation among many in the Old West.


Close Range

Bowie Knife (John Marston): The Bowie Knife is a type of combat knife used by John Marston in battle often as his primary weapon in melee combat. This knife has an 8 inch steel blade with a total length of 12.5 inches and weighs 12 ounces.


Tomahawk (Jonah Hex): The Tomahawk is a type of axe from North America which resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft which was used in both melee combat and as a throwing weapon. While some axe heads used were made of stone and horse jaw bones, Jonah Hex often makes use of one that uses an iron axe head. An example of this type of axe has a length of 22 inches and possibly weighs 1.8 pounds.


Verdict: Neither weapon gets the edge. Both weapons can be used as throwing weapons and can slash a target, but the Bowie Knife is lighter by 1.05 pounds while the Tomahawk has a longer overall length by 9.5 inches. In addition, the knife has a longer blade that can be used for stabbing while the axe can deliver chopping blows that can cause even greater wounds to a target.

Pistols

Colt Peacemaker (John Marston): The Colt Single Action Army, or Peacemaker, is a single action revolver that was that one of the most famous Americans revolvers made with John Marston making use of the artillery model. This revolver has a six-shot cylinder that holds the .45 Colt round with the firearm having a hinged gate on the right side of the frame to load and eject the rounds. The Artillery model of the Colt Peacemaker has a length of 11 inches and weighs about 2.31 pounds with an effective range of 45.72 meters.


Colt Dragoon (Jonah Hex): The Colt Dragoon is a single action revolver that was popular in the mid 19th century with Jonah Hex using a pair that were most likely converted to use cartridge rounds rather than lead balls and percussion caps. This modified revolver has a six-shot cylinder that now holds the .45 Colt round with the firearm having a hinged gate on the right side of the frame to load and eject the rounds. The Colt Dragoon has a length of 14.75 inches and weighs 4.25 pounds with a possible effective range of 73.15 meters.


Verdict: Neither weapon gets the edge. Both weapons have the same number of rounds with them using the same type of round with the Colt Peacemaker being shorter by 3.75 inches and lighter by 1.94 pounds with the Colt Dragoon having possibly a longer range by 27.43 meters. In addition, the Colt Dragoon has been converted to operate like the Colt Peacemaker which stops the newer revolver from getting the edge due to using cartridge rounds rather than older lead balls with percussion caps.

Medium Range

Borchardt C-93 (John Marston): The Borchardt C-93 is an early type of semi-automatic pistol that predates the more successful Luger P08 and operates on a short recoil operation with a toggle-lock system. This pistol fires the 7.62x25mm Borchardt round with the weapon having an eight round detachable box magazine. The Borchardt C-93 has a length of 14 inches and weighs 2.56 pounds with a possible effective range of 50 meters.


Sawed-Off Colt Model 1883 (Jonah Hex): The Colt Model 1883 is a type of side-by-side shotgun with the weapon as used by Jonah Hex having its barrels sawed down and operates on a break-action system. This shotgun makes use of 12-gauge shells with the weapon having both barrels being able to hold a single shell each. The Sawed-Off Colt M1883 most likely has a length of 21.5 inches and possibly weighs 3.95 pounds with a possible effective range of 10 meters.


Verdict: The Borchardt C-93 gets the edge. The Colt M1883 has the better round with its shotgun shells, but the Borchardt C-93 is shorter by 7.5 inches and lighter by 1.39 pounds. In addition, it has about five times the range of the shotgun and it has six more rounds to use in its magazine.

Long Range

1860 Henry Rifle (John Marston): The 1860 Henry Rifle is a type of repeating rifle that was first used in the American Civil War by the Union Army with it finding its way to the American West and operates on a breech-loading lever action mechanism. This repeating rifle fires the .44 Henry round with the weapon having a fifteen round tubular magazine plus an extra round in the chamber when fully loaded. The 1860 Henry Rifle has a length of 44.75 inches and weighs 9.25 pounds with a possible effective range of 160 meters.


Winchester Model 1873 (Jonah Hex): The Winchester Model 1873 is a model of the Winchester Repeating Rifle that was one of the most successful models of its day and operates on a lever action mechanism. This repeating rifle fires the .44-40 Winchester round with the weapon having a fourteen round tubular magazine plus an extra round in the chamber when fully loaded. The Winchester Model 1873 has a length of 49.3 inches and weighs 9.5 pounds with a possible effective range of 182.9 meters.


Verdict: The Winchester Model 1873 gets the edge. While the Henry Rifle is slightly shorter by 4.55 inches and just lighter by 4 ounces, the Winchester Rifle has a longer range by at least 22.9 meters. In addition, the extra bullet in the Henry doesn't help when the Winchester has the better of the two rounds as the .44-40 Winchester has more energy behind it then the .44 Henry.

Special Weapons

Lasso (John Marston): The Lasso is a type of tool that is a stiff rope or cord with a sliding noose on one end that stays open when thrown by the user towards a target. This type of tool most likely has a length of 20 feet and possibly weighs a pound.


1860 Light Cavalry Saber (Jonah Hex): The 1860 Light Cavalry Saber is a common type of saber used by both the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War. This type of sword has a 33.75 inch steel blade with a total length of 39.5 inches and weighs 2.13 pounds.


Verdict: The 1860 Light Cavalry Saber gets the edge. Despite the Lasso being lighter by about 1.13 pounds and has a far greater reach, the 1860 Light Cavalry Saber is made to be used as a weapon and its blade allows the user to deliver more lethal strikes to a target.

X-Factors

Physicality: By the time of his death, John Marston was around 38 years old with him having scars on the right side of his face that he got when attacked by wolves while in Dutch van der Linde's gang. He seemed to be about above average in terms of strength and was tough as he could take on a grizzly bear, but was capable of having enhanced reflexes for a short period of time when the need arose. During his time as a bounty hunter, Jonah Hex was in his late 30s to early 40s with him having the distinct 'Mark of the Demon' branded on the right side of his face and being blinded in his right eye. He seemed to be about average in terms of strength, but was extremely tough and was known for having almost superhuman reflexes which he gained through talent and training.

Training: Taking into the man's gang at an early age, John Marston would be trained by Dutch van der Linde in the use of firearms along with how to hunt for food and gathering supplies with him gaining skills in other aspects of fighting during the course of his life. After being taken in by the Apache chieftain, Jonah Hex most likely received some training from the tribe in melee combat and later possibly learned how to use firearms and the saber after joining the United States Army as a cavalry scout.

Experience: This is rather close for both warriors. Having grown up under the wing of Dutch van der Linde, John Marston spent fourteen years of his life as an experienced outlaw and got into a few fights after leaving his old life to become a rancher. By the time of his death, he took on outlaws and police along with hunting down members of his former gang and taking on soldiers from the United States and Mexico. As a former member of the Confederate Army, Jonah Hex battled for a year in the American Civil War before he surrendered to the Union Army and would later work as a bounty hunter in the Old West. During this time, he would take on soldiers of the Union Army and many outlaws and gangs as well as rival bounty hunters and Native Americans.

Audacity: Jonah Hex gets the edge. Despite his early life as an outlaw, John Marston simply wishes to leave his past behind for a more peaceful life with his family to the point of the BOI taking his family hostage to get him to work with them. However, he was still willing to capture or kill the members of his old gang and put up a last stand against United States soldiers in his final battle. While having a personal code of honor to protect and avenge those who are innocent, Jonah Hex has fought against gangs and criminal groups when he has gone after those he is trying to capture. In fact, he has been willing to pursue fleeing criminals and taking injuries during many fights to either capture his targets or to ensure the safety of bystanders.

Killer Instinct: When part of Dutch van der Linde's gang and working with the BOI, John Marston was willing to kill those who got in his way and would later kill United States soldiers to protect his family from harm. Despite this, he was willing to spare some of his foes which included his former gang members and was trying to live a more quiet life from what his past was. As a bounty hunter, Jonah Hex was more than willing to kill many criminals and rival bounty hunters during his travels using his weapons against them and even using traps when fighting against groups. However, his own personal code stopped him from simply killing the innocent and would often avenge those who were wronged by others.

Intimidation: Jonah Hex gets the edge. When he was part of Dutch van der Linde's gang, John Marston most likely gained a reputation for himself as a ruthless outlaw wherever they went. However, at the time of his death, he focused less on maintaining that reputation and more on ensuring his family lived a life that was far removed from violence. Despite being bound by a personal code of honor to protect and avenge the innocent, Jonah Hex had a reputation as a ruthless and prolific killer throughout the Old West. This reputation by itself has been able to deter potential enemies on many occasions and the knowledge that him chasing them has been enough to unnerve a target so badly that they make fatal mistakes.


Match Information: This will be a one on one match with both warriors being on horseback for part of the battle.

The Set Up: In the Great Plains, John Marston is on his ranch with him finally settling down as Jonah Hex arrives having tracked down the man to his ranch for a bounty.

BATTLE

In the Great Plains of the United States, the ranch known as Beecher's Hope has returned to normal with a man riding on his horse around the ranch. The man has a brown hat over his dark brown hair with three scars on the right side of his face while wearing a black denim jacket without sleeves over a long sleeved beige shirt with black gloves over his hands and pinstriped pants that go over his brown boots.

The man has a bandoleer around his torso with a 1860 Henry Rifle in a holster on his back and his belt having two holsters with one of them being just below a sheath holding a Bowie Knife. In the left holster is a Colt Peacemaker while the right holster is holding a Borchardt C-93 with the man having a Lasso hanging on the side of his horse's saddle. This man is John Marston who is riding around Beecher's Hope as he finally seems to have settle down with his past behind him.

Nearby in the plains about fifty feet away from the ranch, a man stops his horse as he pulls out a paper that happens to be a wanted poster. The man has a grey hat over his blond hair with him having a scar on the right side of his face that reveals his teeth and his entire right eye. He wears a grey jacket much like those worn by Confederate soldiers along with a normal belt on the jacket and another belt with holsters on his blue cotton pants with the pant legs going into his brown boots.

The man has a bandoleer of his own around his torso with a Winchester Model 1873 in a holster on his back with him having two Colt Dragoon revolvers in the holsters on his second belt. A Tomahawk is held by the handle between the second belt and his body with the scabbard for an 1860 Light Cavalry Saber strapped to the first belt. On the left side of the horse's saddle is a saddle boot which holds a Colt Model 1883 shotgun which has had its barrels sawed down for ease of use. This man is Jonah Hex, having tracked down his prey to the ranch before him to collect the bounty put out by the Bureau of Investigation.

Looking up from the wanted poster, Hex throws the poster away before having his horse start walking towards the ranch to find his target. Around the same time, Marston has his horse walking towards the barn to put his stead into the structure before he goes back into his house. However, as his horse nears the open doors of the barn, the man sees something out of the corner of his eye and turns his head to the left to see the bounty hunter coming to the entrance of Beecher's Hope.

John gives a small sigh as he turns his horse to the entrance and has his stead lightly gallop towards the man riding up to the gate while taking his rifle off his back. Spotting the man coming towards him, Jonah stops his own stead as he waits for the man to come up to him as he prepares himself for any possibility. Getting within twelve feet from this newcomer, the former criminal stops his horse as both men look at each other with neither talking for a brief moment.

Looking past the man's scarred face, John Marston says in a friendly tone, "Hello there. What brings you here, sir?"

"I'm looking for John Marston," Jonah Hex replies, having a bit of a grim tone to his own voice.

Realizing that things may go south, the rancher prepares himself as he answers, "You're speaking with him. What do you want with me?"

"There's a hefty price placed on your head by some government officials," the bounty hunter tells him, "I'm surprised they're allowing what bounty hunters remain in doing it for them."

Going quiet for a moment, John shakes his head before saying, "Guess they want me dead as well. Surprised you didn't try to lure me out with my family while they're in town."

"That's not how I operate," Jonah remarks with some anger, "Now, you going to try and run or would you rather fight?"

The rancher gives a sigh and thinks for a bit, wanting to run though knowing his family was in danger if there were more coming after him. Looking up and gaining a smirk, the man says, "Looks like I'm going down fighting."

Before Jonah can react, his target has his horse break out in a gallop and races past him before he has his own horse turn back around the way he came. With his horse breaking into a gallop, the bounty hunter takes his Winchester Model 1873 off his back as he prepares to combat yet another one of his targets. Quickly checking his 1860 Henry Rifle to make sure it's loaded, John turns to see his ranch now about seventy feet from them and his latest foe starting to catch up with his stead.

Having his horse turn to the left to circle around the other man, the former criminal could feel his reflexes quicken as he raises his rifle to aim and start firing at his opponent. To his surprise, the bounty hunter is just as fast as he starts firing his own rifle with both having their horse run in a large circle as they keep firing and working the levers of their rifles. Despite most of their shots seeming to miss each other, Marston gets hit in his left thigh though he keeps firing as his reflexes start to slow and he gets a shot that goes into the right shoulder of his foe.

Grunting in pain, Hex moves the lever of his Winchester Model 1873 forward only to realize that he's shot all of his rounds and grabs his horse's reins. Seeing his adversary turning his horse away, the rancher fires his 1860 Henry Rifle only to miss and starts to operate the lever of the rifle to also realize he's fired his final shot. He forces his horse to turn away as he tosses his rifle away much like the bounty hunter had done. As both men ride away from each other, John notices that he's gained a bit of terror from his foe as he draws his Borchardt C-93 from its holster as he uses his left hand to grab his Lasso from the saddle.

Drawing the Colt Dragoon from his right holster, Jonah has his horse turn around to see his target having done the same before having his horse break into a gallop. The former criminal does the same with his own stead as both men raise their guns at each other before firing. Despite the bounty hunter having to use his thumb to cock the hammer, he manages to gain a few grazes on his foe's right side and a bullet going into the rancher. However, he groans as a few bullets from the Borchardt C-93 graze his own right side with a bullet going into his body in the same area.

As both men come close to each other, Hex grabs his Sawed-Off Colt Model 1883 only for his prey to bring his Lasso up and swinging the noose around. The horses pass each other as Marston tosses his Lasso around his adversary with it tightening around the man as he gets pulled off his horse. Loosing his Colt Dragoon and hat, Jonah Hex finds himself being dragged from behind his foe's horse with him bringing his shotgun up to being close to his face. Taking the chance, the man pulls both triggers of his Sawed-Off Colt Model 1883 with the blast sending shot from the shells into the back of John Marston.

Being knocked off his horse, the former criminal briefly rolls on the ground as he looses his own hat along with his Lasso and pistol with the bounty hunter coming to a stop as both horses race away from the field. Looking as his target starts to move, Jonah tosses his shotgun away before moving his right arm to grab his Tomahawk from his belt. At the same time, John groans as he tries to get to his feet despite the shot still being in his back. Getting to his feet, he spots his foe cutting the Lasso with his Tomahawk and rolling to his feet with both standing about ten feet from each other.

Spotting his pistol about thirteen feet from him, the rancher quickly gets his eyes back on his adversary as he draws his Bowie Knife from its sheath. For a few moments, neither man move as they size each other up with them tightening their grips on their respective melee weapons. Then, both men lunge at each other despite their wounds with the bounty hunter swinging his Tomahawk and the former criminal going for a thrust. However, Marston uses his left hand to catch his foe's wrist only for Hex to do the same and grab his right wrist with his own hand.

Both try to overpower the other to no avail as push each other a bit in a circle before John Marston attempts to bring his knee up to get the upper hand. However, Jonah Hex uses his own knee to block the attack and delivers a headbutt that knocks his adversary back a couple steps. John is slightly dazed, but is able to step back to avoid a swing of the Tomahawk despite the axe blade cutting into his shirt and jacket. Bringing his axe back, Jonah is forced to lean back as his opponent slashes at him and the Bowie Knife cuts into his upper left arm.

As he steps back, the bounty hunter sees his target going for another stab and brings his left leg up to plant it into his foe's chest. The rancher gets knocked back a bit and looks up to see the Tomahawk coming at him again with him stepping back as the axe blade cuts into his right arm. Blood flows down his right arm as both men back up as they end up being ten feet from the other where the other was earlier as they look over their wounds.

As they wait for the other to make a move, both start to come up with a plan of action as John tosses his Bowie Knife into the air. Seeing this, Jonah brings his arm back as his adversary catches the knife by the blade and performs the same motion. As both throw their weapons, they step back with their left leg and leans to the right as both manage to dodge their foe's melee weapon.

Their reflexes kick in quickly, both men stepping back as Hex draws his second Colt Dragoon and Marston draws his Colt Peacemaker. Both men bring them up as they use their right hand to cock the hammers before they fire the first shot off at nearly the same time.

John Marston cries out as the bullet tears into his stomach as Jonah Hex gives a loud grunt from the bullet that goes into his left leg. As both pull the hammers back, John is able to get the second shot off quicker and shoots the Colt Dragoon out of his foe's hand. With a smirk, the rancher pulls the hammer back and fires the third shot just as quickly.

Only for Jonah to use his reflexes to draw his 1860 Light Cavalry Saber from its scabbard and deflect the shot away.

Charging as best he can with his wounded leg, the bounty hunter uses his saber to deflect the fourth shot as he sees his foe bring the hammer down again. The man attempts to fire, but Hex reaches him first and thrusts his sword at his opponent. John Marston stares dumbfounded as he looks at the bounty hunter and down to his chest with half of the cavalry saber having gone into him.

The former criminal and rancher drops his Colt Peacemaker as Jonah Hex removes his 1860 Light Cavalry Saber and watches his prey fall to the ground dead. Looking at the body, Hex remains quiet as he places the sword back into his scabbard before turning away from the body and walked to the man's hat and pistol.

He still needed to gather his weapons and retrieve his horse, but no harm in taking evidence of the kill for those who put the bounty out in the first place.


Final Verdict: In a battle between these two famous cowboys from the fictional Old West, both of these men gave it their all but in the end it was Jonah Hex who managed to claim a close victory with a possible outcome of 5.3 out of 10 battles. Starting with their weapons, John Marston was able to take the edge in medium range while both were even with their close range weapons and pistols. However, Jonah Hex claimed the edge in both long range and special weapons which gave him the better ranged weapon and the superior melee weapon in this battle. Looking at x-factors, this is where both were very close with them being even with physicality, training, and experience. However, Jonah Hex took a slight edge with killer instinct since he's more willing to kill while taking the edge for both audacity and intimidation. This is where the battle was decided, as Jonah Hex was more willing to take the edge in the fight and was more willing to kill than John Marston despite all that Marston had been through and done in his life. Overall, the equally experienced and trained John Marston with his superior medium range weapon was taken out by the more audacious and intimidating Jonah Hex with his superior long range and melee weapons.

Got a battle you want to see? Tell me and I'll see if I can get it into the series! Next time, the aquatic river people of Hyrule take on the hyena humanoids of Faerun.


Ray Tanaka: Hey, everyone! After four months and replacing a dead battery for my laptop, the most voted general vs. general battle of the Versus Series poll is now up! Again, I will like to stress that I had no intention of ripping off Metal Harbinger with this battle though his did play a small part in this as my verdict for close range was influenced by his verdict when it came to special weapons. However, those are really the only things we have in common in terms of weapons. When I first came up with this match, I gave John Marston weapons that fit the Old West more (namely those used here) and I mostly kept them since the Colt Peacemaker is arguably his 'trademark' firearm while the 1860 Henry Rifle was the best lever-action in the game and the Lasso made sense for the context of the game. I did include the Borchardt C-93 mostly since I wanted to feature on, but it's the only non-Western firearm here since...well, a bolt-action gun doesn't fit the aesthetic (at least to me personally) and a single-shot rifle would be unfair to him.

As to the weapons of Jonah Hex, those were easier to find since the comics often show a good bit of detail with what firearms and other melee weapons he had access to. His trademark pistols are an early form of Colt revolvers with a little digging showing that they happen to be Colt Dragoons (I assume that they were converted since it would seem weird to use a cap-and-ball revolver while cartridge rounds were the dominant ammunition). As a cavalry scout who served in the American Civil War, it makes sense to see him with a cavalry saber while his Tomahawk is another prominent weapon of his. The Winchester was mostly a guess since it was a popular firearm and the Colt Model 1883 shotgun is also a guess. Really, he did make use of a Sawed-Off Shotgun, but I wanted to call it by an actual name rather than the generic term.

Now, as to the verdict, something that caught my attention is a certain aspect of Marston's character that kinda hindered him a bit with this. This aspect is him wanting to leave his criminal past behind along with any sort of violence and just live a peaceful life with his family. As noble as that sounds and interesting as it is, it means that he's more than likely giving an edge to Hex since the man is a bounty hunter whose only being stopped by his own personal code to, as I've said, protect and avenge the innocent. I'm not saying that Marston isn't going down without a fight, just that he has a goal that's just him not wanting to return to how he was when he was younger.

For this battle, I did take the Dead Eye mechanic into account since I know that would be something that people could say Marston has over Hex. However, the feats I found for Jonah Hex really make the two more even than everything else. Just to name two examples, Hex has on one occasion drawn his revolver and killed four men before they could draw their guns and on another occasion killed six men with their guns out before they could fire. On the second occasion, he grabbed the rifle of one of the men and moved out of the way before shooting another men dead and then the rifleman. Plus, even when looking at his entire list of feats (a few lists do exist online) one thing to keep in mind is that he's blind in one eye, meaning he's doing almost all of his best feats with only one eye.

That said, I don't mind Metal Harbinger's verdict and can actually agree with his outcome. I think it come's down to what weapons Marston has going into this battle. Give him more Western firearms like I did and Hex is coming out the victor, but give him more modern firearms like Metal Harbinger and those are bringing the win to Marston. So, honestly I feel that both my verdict and Metal Harbinger's verdict are correct, just from two different perspectives. Plus, I could be wrong in the use of the Dead Eye mechanic and I'm not afraid to admit that if it is the case. Final thing for the moment is that I currently have a poll for future battles of the Historical Series up. If you wish to vote, see the latest chapter of the Historical Series for more details. Hope you all enjoy!