Westworld’s Robert Ford vs. the real life Robert Ford

Who is the real life old west Robert Ford, and what does his story tell us about Westworld’s Robert Ford?

Last night on Westworld we discovered that Ford’s first name is Robert. He’s not the only Robert Ford out there though, there was a real life Robert Ford who played a big role in the old west.

One of our readers was quick to notice the name, good eye Bob!

The real Robert Ford was born in January 1862 in Ray County, Missouri. Ford grew up admiring the famous outlaw Jesse James for his exploits during the civil war, and would eventually join the James gang. It would all go south though and in the end Robert Ford would murder Jesse James.

So how does the story of the real Robert Ford possibly relate to Westworld? Well to know that we have to look at what happened with Ford in the last episode. We know from what Ford has told Bernard and what Ford told Dolores that there were problems with Arnold. Arnold apparently almost destroyed Westworld with his obsession to create real consciousness in the hosts. The man in black was involved in saving the park after Arnold’s death, but there still may be a  larger connection to the two.

It was also quite telling that Ford got visably annoyed when the man in black said that Arnold was the creator of the park. Ford likes to think that Westworld is something he did and created, which is probably partially why he doesn’t talk about Arnold. There’s clearly some jealously issues between Ford and Arnold, even all these years after Arnold’s death.

Could it be that Ford killed Arnold and then made it look like a suicide? Could Arnold be seeking his revenge on Ford through the hosts that he is in the head of?

If Westworld’s Robert Ford did kill an older almost mentor like Arnold then his story would have a striking resemblance to the tale of the real old west Robert Ford.

NEXT: Breaking Down The Westworld Terms And Conditions

What do you think? Do you think Ford shares a name with Jesse James’ killer on purpose? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.