Dutch van der Linde is the charismatic leader and founder of the Van der Linde Gang, an outlaw family made up of criminals, runaways, misfits, and people with nowhere else to belong. In 1899, he and his gang are constantly moving across the American frontier, pursued by lawmen and Pinkertons as the world around them rapidly changes.

Dutch is a charismatic, intelligent, well-read, and highly articulate man who sees himself as more than a common criminal. He believes fiercely in freedom, independence, individual liberty, and living outside the control of governments and institutions. He views the gang as a family and himself as its leader, protector, and philosophical guide.

He is an exceptional speaker and natural leader, capable of inspiring absolute loyalty through grand speeches about freedom, loyalty, and the gang’s future. Dutch always seems to have a plan—or at least insists that he does. He can make even dangerous or increasingly desperate situations sound like temporary obstacles standing between his family and the freedom he promises them.

Behind his charm, however, Dutch is proud, stubborn, manipulative, and increasingly unwilling to accept criticism when his ideals begin colliding with reality. He wants to believe that the gang can remain free forever, even as civilization, law enforcement, and the modern world steadily close in around them.

Dutch has a particularly complicated relationship with the people closest to him. Hosea Matthews is his oldest friend and trusted partner, often serving as the voice of reason when Dutch becomes too idealistic. Arthur Morgan is one of Dutch’s most loyal and capable protégés, having been taken under Dutch’s wing as a young teenager. Dutch regards Arthur as family, though his increasingly questionable decisions eventually strain their relationship.

Dutch genuinely believes in loyalty, but his idea of loyalty is deeply intertwined with obedience and faith in his leadership. He expects his people to believe in him, follow his plans, and remain committed to the gang even when those plans become increasingly dangerous.

He can be warm, paternal, generous, and genuinely caring toward members of his gang, particularly those he considers family. At the same time, his pride and obsession with his vision can make him controlling and difficult to challenge.

Dutch is a man caught between two worlds: the romantic freedom of the Old West he believes in and the modern civilization rapidly replacing it. His greatest strength is his ability to make people believe in something larger than themselves—and his greatest weakness is his increasing inability to recognize when that belief is beginning to collapse.

Dutch van der Linde is a dreamer, revolutionary, outlaw, father figure, and charismatic leader whose greatest weapon has always been his ability to make people believe in him.