WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Billy the Kid.
Summary
- Billy the Kid season 2 takes creative liberties with historical accounts, changing details about Billy's family, friends, and love interests.
- The MGM+ series alters the narrative by killing off Billy's brother Joe and by attributing a nickname to Pat Garrett that he didn't actually give.
- The show also portrays John Riley as the murderer of James Dolan, while in reality, Dolan was heavily involved in the Lincoln County War. Also, Tom O'Folliard joined Billy after John Tunstall's death, not before.
Throughout the first four episodes of the MGM+ series Billy the Kid, the show offers a somewhat honest retelling of the legendary Old West outlaw William H. Bonney. There are several critical pieces of information depicted in Billy the Kid that differ from historical accounts of the actual events surrounding Bonney's life and legendary affairs as a notorious gunslinger. While most of Billy the Kid's earliest years before adolescence were undocumented and thus unknown today, the MGM+ series takes several plausible creative leaps to fill in the blanks on Billy's days as a youth traveling with his family from New York City in the 1860s.
The Billy the Kid true story mostly centers on his various crimes, murders, and legacy as a well-known fugitive during his brief 21-year life. Billy the Kid season 2, episode 1 offers a thoughtful interpretation of how Billy's change of heart and moral awareness turned him away from longtime friend Jesse Evans. Billy the Kid season 2, episode 2 sees Billy's final attempt at finding common ground with Jesse, although the depiction in the MGM+ series diverts from historical accounts for the sake of the narrative. Both Billy the Kid season 2, episode 3 and Billy the Kid season 2, episode 4 chronicle several of the historical battles Billy took part in against Jesse in the violent Lincoln County War.
20 Billy's Brother Joe McCarty Didn't Die Until 1930
Some Historical Accounts Indicate That Joe Was Really Billy's Cousin
One of the biggest factual errors found in Billy the Kid occurs in season 1 in which Billy's younger brother Joseph is seen dying of "consumption" or tuberculosis. Joseph, who by some accounts was actually Billy's cousin, did not actually die as a young adult as portrayed in the MGM+ series. In reality, Joseph McCarty lived until 1930 although he had a tough life as a drifter, eventually passing away alone at the age of 67 in Denver, Colorado. It's likely that in an attempt to make Billy the Kid a more likable character, the MGM+ series killed off Joe to avoid highlighting the real Billy's abandonment of his younger relative.
19 John Riley Didn't Kill James Dolan In Real Life
Dolan Was A Much More Impactful Figure Than Riley Was
In one of the most egregious historical diversions of Billy the Kid season 2, John Riley is seen killing James Dolan in cold blood in front of prominent Santa Fe Ring member Lawrence Murphy. In reality, Dolan was the right-hand man and business partner of Murphy who helped start a monopoly of goods and services in Lincoln County, making both of them very wealthy. Dolan was also a major instigator in starting the Lincoln County War, a responsibility which the MGM+ series appears to handing over to the hotheaded John Riley. While Riley was a supporter of Murphy's, he certainly did not murder Dolan in real life.
18 Tom O'Folliard Didn't Join Billy The Kid Until After Tunstall's Death
O'Folliard Arrives Earlier Than Expected In MGM+ Series
Tom O'Folliard, who was introduced in the Billy the Kid season 2 premiere, eventually becomes the best friend and sidekick of Billy the Kid after joining him as part of the Regulators. In reality, O'Folliard did travel from Texas to meet Billy but not until after the cold-blooded murder of John Tunstall at the hands of the Jesse Evans Gang under the command of the Murphy-Dolan faction. In fact, the Regulators weren't officially formed until after Tunstall's death as well, since they attempted to deputize on the grounds of Tunstall's murder. While O'Folliard does become a close ally of Billy's, the MGM+ series jumped the gun on their fateful friendship.
17 Pat Garrett Didn't Give Billy The Kid His Legendary Nickname
MGM Series Attributes Garrett With Coining Outlaw's Title
Pat Garrett is first seen riding along with the Jesse Evans Gang in Billy the Kid season 1 before he becomes the famous lawman who eventually kills Billy. After being arrested and jailed in Billy the Kid season 1, Garrett writes to inform Evans and Billy that he has become a lawman himself to ensure his freedom. Before that happens, a scene in Billy the Kid season 1 shows Garrett giving Bonney with iconic nickname Billy the Kid. According to records, the name was popularized by the press once Bonney had emerged as a dangerous fugitive and was not actually coined by his future killer Pat Garrett.
16 Billy The Kid's Real-Life Love Interest Was Named Paulita Maxwell
Dulcinea Del Tobosco Is A Fictional Representation Of Billy's Alleged Lover
Billy the Kid has three romantic interests in Billy the Kid season 1, one of which was inadvertently Jesse Evan's girlfriend. Billy meets the alluring Dulcinea Del Tobosco at the end of season 1, setting up their developing romance across Billy the Kid season 2. While it was widely believed that Billy the Kid has numerous romantic partners, none were as documented as Paulita Maxwell, who has yet to be introduced in the MGM+ series. In reality, Maxwell was the one who took one of the few rare known photographs of Billy the Kid, claiming she didn't like the way it came out because it didn't capture his actual likeness (via PBS).
15 Billy The Kid's Mentor Old Moss Didn't Exist In Real Life
Billy's Only True Mentor Was John Tunstall
Old Moss is credited with teaching Young Billy how to shoot a pistol in Billy the Kid season 1. He also risked his life to bring Billy and his poverty-stricken family from New York City to the Old West as seen in the earliest episodes of the MGM+ series. In reality, there's no documentation that Billy ever had a father figure named Moss. John Tunstall is often credited as being an inspiration and a mentor to Billy, whose father Patrick McCarty died ambiguously when he was a child. Moss returned at the end of the Billy the Kid season 2 premiere to offer a cautionary word to Billy before the start of the Lincoln County War.
14 Billy Sought Refuge At Antrim's House After First Escape From Jail
Antrim Was Not As Desperate As MGM+ Series Implies
Billy's stepfather Antrim was certainly not a father figure to the young fugitive, abandoning him and Joe after the death of their mother Catherine. In the MGM+ series, Antrim is seen as the desperate failed businessman who tries to steal from Billy and nearly ends up getting killed. In reality, Billy was the one who sought out Antrim's help after his first run-in with the law. Billy was jailed for theft and was able to escape as seen in Billy the Kid. However, young Billy's first stop as a fugitive was actually at Antrim's house. Antrim allowed him to stay until he realized Billy was stealing from him, kicking him out for good afterward.
13 Billy Robbed A Chinese Laundry With Sombrero Jack, Not Jesse Evans
Sombrero Jack Was Another Legendary Old West Outlaw
One of the most exciting and memorable scenes in Billy the Kid season 1 featured Jesse Evans and Billy the Kid trying to steal from a local Chinese laundry shop. Billy did in fact get caught for this as depicted in the series, however, his accomplice wasn't Jesse Evans but actually another criminal that went by the name of Sombrero Jack. Jack's real name was George Shaefer and was one of Billy's earliest bad influences that led him down a life of crime. In Billy the Kid, Jesse is often credited with steering Billy in a direction outside the law, but other thieves and outlaws like Sombrero Jack were actually just as, if not more, responsible.
12 John Tunstall Was Actually 24 Years Old During The Lincoln County War
Tunstall's Character In MGM+ Series Is Much Older Than Real-Life Figure
One of the biggest historical misrepresentations in the Billy the Kid MGM+ series is the depiction of John Tunstall. Tunstall, whose death at just 24 years old sparked the true beginning of the Lincoln County War in 1878, is played by the currently 59-year-old actor Linus Roache. The portrayal of Tunstall in the MGM+ series doesn't try to frame the character as a young man who historically was only a few years older than Billy himself. Instead, Billy the Kid made their version of Tunstall much older, potentially with the intention of inspiring a more direct and authoritarian tone of Tunstall as a person that the real William H. Bonney admired.
11 Sheriff William Brady Was Not Involved In A Shootout With The Jesse Evans Gang
Brady Was Loyal To The Murphy House Through And Through
One of the most explosive scenes in Billy the Kid season 2, episode 2 was a violent shootout between the Jesse Evans Gang and Tunstall's hired hands which included Billy the Kid, Dick Brewer, and Charlie Bowdre. William Brady, the Sheriff of Lincoln, New Mexico during the Lincoln County War, was known as a corrupt lawman who could bend the law for the highest bidder. For this reason, the real-life Brady sided with Murphy and the Santa Fe Ring in the dispute for Lincoln County, making his involvement in the shootout with the Jesse Evans Gang on the side of the Regulators completely inaccurate.
10 John Tunstall Did Not Instruct Billy The Kid To Break Jesse Evans Out Of Jail
Tunstall's Foolish Attempt At Peace Was Created For MGM+ Series
While there are accounts that Billy the Kid helped Jesse Evans escape from jail in 1877, the retelling of that event as depicted in Billy the Kid season 2, episode 2 is not based on historical fact. There is no account of John Tunstall ever instructing Jesse Evans and the Regulators to break out the Jesse Evans Gang in the hope of making peace with Murphy and the Santa Fe Ring. It's highly unlikely that Tunstall would have told Billy to break the Jesse Evans Gang out as a peace offering considering that they were the greatest threats to his life at the time and would eventually become responsible for his cold-blooded murder.
9 The Real-Life Billy The Kid Never Knew A Man Named Antonio Del Tobosco
Dulcinea's Father Antonio Is Also A Fictional Addition To Billy's Legend
A large section of Billy the Kid season 2, episode 2 highlights the budding relationship between Billy and the fictional Dulcinea Del Tobosco. While Dulcinea may prove to be based on Bonney's real-life love interest Paulita Maxwell in the MGM+ series, her father Antonio is a fictional character that the real Billy never encountered. Billy was known to have many Mexican acquaintances but none by the name of Antonio Del Tobosco. The use of the name Antonio in Billy the Kid could be a reference to the real-life Antonio González Pacheco, a Spanish police officer who was nicknamed "Billy the Kid" for twirling his pistol and was criminally charged with torturing detainees (via The New York Times).
8 Billy The Kid Was Never The Designated Leader Of The Regulators
Dick Brewer Was The True & Original Leader Of The Regulators
After the murder of John Tunstall by the Jesse Evans Gang in Billy the Kid season 2, episode 3, the Regulators banded together to avenge Tunstall's death. While this part of the series is accurate, Billy the Kid was never seen as the official leader of the Regulators as depicted in episode 3. While Billy was certainly a significant part of the Regulators' overarching intentions and strategies, the scene with Billy claiming himself to be the leader of the Regulators is not based on historical fact. The Lincoln County Regulators had three known official leaders: Dick Brewer, Frank McNabb, and Doc Shurlock, but never William H. Bonney.
7 Frank Baker & William Morton Were Killed By The Regulators After They Were Taken Prisoners
Billy Didn't Kill Both Rival Gang Members In Cold Blood
Frank Baker and William Morton were two known members of the Jesse Evans Gang that Billy the Kid killed at the end of season 2, episode 3. In reality, Baker and Morton were actually captured by the Regulators and taken prisoner before being killed by members of the Regulators including Billy the Kid. Morton and Baker were attempting to escape from the captivity of the Regulators when they were shot and killed along with former Regulator-turned-traitor William McCloskey, who has yet to be portrayed in the MGM series. While Baker and Morton were seen getting murdered solely by Bonney in Billy the Kid, they were actually killed by a group of Regulators in what would become the Blackwater Massacre.
6 Jesse Evans Was Instructed To Kill John Tunstall By Dolan & Murphy
Jesse Evans Did Not Recklessly Kill Tunstall On His Own Accord
The MGM+ series makes it seem like Jesse Evans was completely unhinged and of his own accord in his decision to hunt down and kill John Tunstall in cold blood, an act that effectively started the Lincoln County War. History indicates that Evans was not so reckless in his involvement in the murder of Tunstall and was simply following the orders of his bosses James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy. The MGM Billy the Kid series portrays Jesse as a wildcard whom Sheriff Brady became disappointed in through his senseless murder of Tunstall, when in fact Brady was likely aware of and in support of the plan since his loyalty aligned with Murphy's House.
5 George Coe Had His Finger Shot Off, Not Fred Waite
Waite Is Seen Getting His Finger Shot Off During Brady's Ambush
During Billy the Kid season 2, episode 4, member of the Regulators Fred Waite is depicted getting one of his fingers shot off during a shootout. After Billy and the Regulators kill Sheriff William Brady, a violent shootout ensures that results in casualties on both sides of the war. Waits survived the battle on Main Street in Lincoln but left with one less finger than he had before it. In reality, it was Regulator George Coe who had his finger shot off during the Lincoln County War, not Fred Waite. There's no clear reason why the MGM+ series changed this small detail, as Coe also fought alongside Billy and Waite.
4 Tom O’Folliard Wasn’t Injured During Ambush On Sheriff Brady
The Real-Life Tom Was Later Wounded In The Battle Of Lincoln
One of the most tragic moments in Billy the Kid season 2, episode 4 was the near-death experience of Tom O'Folliard, who was brutally shot in the leg and almost bled out. Thanks to Billy the Kid's swift thinking, he was able to help get Tom the medical attention he needed in the MGM+ series. In real life, however, Tom wasn't injured during the ambush on Sheriff Brady and was not wounded during the Lincoln County War until the Battle of Lincoln in which Alex McSween's house burned down. Tom was shot in the shoulder trying to escape the burning house in what would be the final battle of the Lincoln County War.
3 Sheriff Brady Was Initially Replaced By John Copeland
There Were Three Other Sheriffs Of Lincoln County Before Garrett
The MGM+ series sees the rise of Pat Garrett into the role of Sheriff of Lincoln County after the untimely death of William Brady. While Garrett does in fact become the Sherrif of Lincoln County in time, it did not happen so sequentially in real life. Two other Sheriffs were named in the interim following Brady's murder, John Copeland and George Peppin. Peppin replaced Copeland very quickly as he refused to get involved in the Lincoln County War, so James Dolan had him replaced with Peppin. It appears that Peppin will not be portrayed in the second half of Billy the Kid season 2.
2 Pat Garrett Was Elected Sheriff, Not Appointed By Catron
Real-Life Garrett Wasn't Elected Until Lincoln County War Was Over
Garrett was not involved in the Lincoln County War and was not appointed the Sheriff of Lincoln County until 1881. Garrett was also not selected by Santa Fe Ring leader Thomas Catron, John Riley, or Lawrence Murphy and was actually elected into his esteemed position, beating the incumbent George Kimball by a landslide. Peppin was replaced by Kimball after resigning in terror of being killed for his pursuit of Billy the Kid and the Regulators. Garrett won the Sheriff's seat fairly over Kimball and was not aligned with the corrupt Santa Fe Ring, although he reportedly was expected to capture and kill Billy the Kid in his new role.
1 Billy The Kid Took A Pearl Pistol Off Sheriff Brady’s Dead Body
Billy Retrieved McSween's Arrest Warrant In MGM+ Series
Billy the Kid did retrieve an item off both Sherriff William Brady's body after the Regulators killed him in the street, but it was something more valuable in real life than a piece of parchment. The actual William H. Bonney is said to have taken back a pearl-handed revolver that belonged to him which Brady had confiscated. While it makes sense for Bonney to have taken McSween's arrest warrant in the Billy the Kid MGM+ series, it would have also been interesting to see Billy take back another valuable item that was rightfully his from the corrupt lawman. Billy the Kid season 2 is scheduled to continue some time in 2024.
Source: PBS, The New York Times
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Billy the Kid
- Release Date:
- 2022-04-24
- Cast:
- Tom Blyth, Eileen O'Higgins, Daniel Webber, Alex Roe
- Genres:
- Western
- Rating:
- TV-MA
- Seasons:
- 2
- Writers:
- Michael Hirst
- Streaming Service(s):
- MGM+
- Showrunner:
- Michael Hirst
