# Wyatt Earp — Tombstone character guide > Wyatt Earp in Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Wyatt, Earp, Henry, Hand **First appearance:** 0002-tombstone ## Snapshot A lion-haired federal marshal who arrives in Tombstone already famous from Dodge City, bringing cold calm and a gun to a town that needs both. ## Who they are Earp comes to the silver boomtown in December 1879 wearing a deputy marshal's badge, a veteran of Wichita and Dodge City who has hunted buffalo, fought Indians, and gambled his way across the frontier. He is thirty, long-faced and pale, with a booming voice and the stillness of sculptured stone, a man who follows his own silent trails with roughshod directness. In a town crawling with Cowboys and cattle thieves, his cold competence makes him the natural man of the hour, and the enemies he makes along the way will pull him down as surely as his courage lifts him up. ## Relationships ### [Doc Holliday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/doc_holliday) _friendship_ Deep, loyal friendship and mutual protection, with Doc acting as Wyatt's deadly enforcer. ### [Warren Earp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/warren_earp) _family_ Younger brother fiercely loyal to Wyatt, often serving as his deputy and ally. ### [Ike Clanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/ike_clanton) _rivalry_ Chief antagonist to Wyatt, driven by vengeance and a desire to destroy the Earp faction. ### [Tom McLowery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/tom_mclowery) _rivalry_ Member of the Clanton-McLowery gang, directly opposed to Wyatt's law enforcement. ### [Billy Clanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/billy_clanton) _rivalry_ Young hot-headed cowboy killed by the Earps at the O.K. Corral, representing the feud's violence. ### [John Slaughter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/john_slaughter) _friendship_ Fellow lawman and ally who respected Wyatt's toughness and shared his frontier justice views. ### [Curly Bill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/curly_bill) _rivalry_ Outlaw leader and mortal enemy of Wyatt, leading the cowboy faction against the Earps. ### [John Ringo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/john_ringo) _rivalry_ Intellectual outlaw and leader of the cowboy faction, locked in a deadly chess match with Wyatt. ### [Virgil Earp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/virgil_earp) _family_ Older brother and fellow lawman, sharing a strong bond of duty and mutual protection. ### [Billy Clanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/billy_clanton) _rivalry_ Young hot-headed cowboy killed by the Earps at the O.K. Corral, representing the feud's violence. ### [John Ringo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/john_ringo) _rivalry_ Intellectual outlaw and leader of the cowboy faction, locked in a deadly chess match with Wyatt. ### [Ike Clanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/ike_clanton) _rivalry_ Chief antagonist to Wyatt, driven by vengeance and a desire to destroy the Earp faction. ## In the story ### [Sources](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/sources) Wyatt Earp's written testimony from his trial after the street battle is cited as a source for the Earp side of the feud. ### [Tombstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/tombstone) Wyatt Earp arrives in Tombstone, a key figure in the town's law and order. ### [II: Red Lights and Altar Candles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/ii-red-lights-and-altar-candles) The Epitaph newspaper championed the Earps, indicating his prominence in town politics. ### [III: Glad Hand and Trigger Finger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/iii-glad-hand-and-trigger-finger) Described as cold, balanced, imperturbably calm, and a natural master of turbulent conditions; the leader of the Earp brothers. ### [IV: Wyatt Earp Plays a Lone Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/iv-wyatt-earp-plays-a-lone-hand) Stands alone against a mob of 500 to protect his prisoner, Johnny Behind-the-Deuce, displaying immense courage and authority. ### [Curly Bill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/v-curly-bill) Advises Marshal White on gun control, witnesses the shooting, subdues Curly Bill after the marshal is wounded, and later testifies at Curly Bill's trial, saving him from a lynch mob. ### [IX: Ringo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/ix-ringo) Refuses Ringo's duel challenge, citing his role as a peace officer and candidate for sheriff. ### [X: Russian Bill's Little Drama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/x-russian-bill-s-little-drama) Mentioned as having an interest in the Oriental saloon where Leslie tends bar. ### [On the Benson Road](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xi-on-the-benson-road) Member of the posse that tracked the robbers; later became a target of suspicion in the gossip surrounding the crime. ### [Flashes of Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xii-flashes-of-storm) Central figure in the feud; recounts the theft of his horse and the pursuit of stolen mules, and testifies about his proposition regarding Leonard, Head, and Crane. ### [XIII: The Showdown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xiii-the-showdown) Remains calm during Clanton's threats, slaps Tom McLowery, testifies at the trial, and is acquitted. ### [XIV: The Red Road of Vengeance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xiv-the-red-road-of-vengeance) Leads his followers out of Tombstone after killing Stilwell; delivers a defiant farewell and refuses arrest by Sheriff Behan. ### [The Out Trail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xv-the-out-trail) Transformed into an implacable avenger after his brothers' attacks; recounts the Iron Springs shootout where he killed Curly Bill; later prospers in mining and oil. ### [Sunshine and Peace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xxii-sunshine-and-peace) Mentioned as having known the old business section; gave a deposition in the Crabtree will case; saved Johnny Behind-the-Deuce from a mob. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters/wyatt_earp - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/characters