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Taylor Sheridan’s small-screen Western drama is just weeks away from ending, and I suspect that means the Grim Reaper has his eye on multiple Yellowstone characters.
Yellowstone has never been afraid of axing off characters in gruesome ways. In fact, you need only look at our ranking of the most shocking Yellowstone deaths to see how some poor souls have met their fate.
As the battle for the Dutton ranch comes to a climax in Season 5 Part 2, there’s no doubt heads will roll, cowboy hats and all. But which Yellowstone characters are most likely to die, and who just might make it out alive?
Here’s our breakdown of who we think is on the chopping block, courtesy of that pale horse rider known as Death.
John Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Dead
Oh man, oh man. No person has ever been so dead. With Kevin Costner‘s unexpected Yellowstone exit shocking fans back in 2023, it was immediately assumed that his on-screen King of Cowboys, John Dutton, would likely be axed off-screen. It’s the solution that makes the most sense, with John’s fictional death serving as the final push for Beth, Kayce, and Jamie to make their final moves for (or against, in Jamie’s case) his beloved ranch.
Let’s look at the facts: John has been on death’s door before. In the time he’s been on screen, John has endured cancer, a burst ulcer, and an assassination attempt that left him in a coma. There’s only so much one man can take! Let him be at peace!
Beth Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Safe
If there was ever a person who could kill the Beth Dutton, we wouldn’t want to meet them. From the beginning, Beth has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with and is perhaps the deadliest person in the Dutton family tree. (In her own words, you are the trailer park, she is the tornado.) Beth simply has too many plans, too many plates spinning to be killed off.
And for as grinding as Beth can be, it wouldn’t be right. Of all the Dutton children, she’s worked the longest and the hardest to abide by John’s wishes, working day and night to outsmart all their enemies. She might not want the ranch at the end of the day, but she’ll most certainly stay alive long enough to see it go on to the next generation.
Jamie Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Dead
Oh, Jamie. They never deserved you. Anyone who’s been through the bumpy ups and downs of Jamie’s miserable life has likely experienced a spectrum of feelings towards the black sheep of the Dutton family. Hate, irritation, and pity are all part of the Jamie package. But, at the end of it all, Jamie was raised by a family who mostly didn’t like him, bred to become something he never wanted to be.
When he found out he was never really a Dutton in the first place, he attempted to make his own way in the world. However, with a lifelong feud with Beth and a major betrayal of John and the ranch, it’s more than likely Jamie will find himself being escorted to the Train Station by the end of Season 5. Beth already told us as much, after all.
Kayce Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Safe
As the golden-haired, sad-eyed boy of the Dutton clan, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wishes a bad fate on Kayce. He just wants to live his life, protect his family, and make sure that Monica and Tate are able to exist outside the violent borders of the Dutton ranch.
John continues to pull him back in, but Kayce is a war veteran with a calm temper and a good head on his shoulders. Statistically speaking, he’s not going to find himself in the grave. Plus, there’s the matter of his Season 4 vision quest, during which he ominously told Monica he saw “the end of us.” That might mean he leaves behind the Duttons once and for all, but dying? We don’t think so.
Rip Wheeler
ParamountVerdict: Safe
Once upon a time, it might have been plausible for Rip to finally meet his maker by the show’s end. He lives off the radar, with no name and no legal standing with the government. Essentially, he’s a nobody who lived most of his life in service of John Dutton. Anybody who knows Rip knows he would die to protect John and Beth.
But Rip is a man of muscle and violence, and it would take a lot to actually strike him down. And, much like Beth, his story isn’t finished. Rumors of Season 6 and a Rip/Beth spinoff have been circulating for months. If that’s even slightly a possibility, they won’t be killing him off anytime soon.
Monica Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Undetermined
Monica is the great tragedy of Yellowstone, and not just because Taylor Sheridan doesn’t know what to do with her. From the offset, Monica was either treated as the moral opposition to John’s acts or a preachy teacher who didn’t know what she wanted. As such, she’s found herself in hot water multiple times, surviving near-death experiences at every turn.
She’s nearly been killed from a hit to the head, an assassination attack, and a car crash in which she lost her unborn child. That’s a lot of trauma and damage to inflict on one poor character. But ultimately, there’s precedence for something to happen to Monica, even if she doesn’t deserve it. Stay tuned.
Tate Dutton
ParamountVerdict: Safe
Lee is dead. Beth hates the ranch. Kayce doesn’t want to be involved. Jamie is a traitor. John Dutton only has one shining ray of hope on his ranch, and it’s his only biological grandson Tate. The soul of Yellowstone can be found in John’s obsession with his family’s legacy and future. Now, it all sits on Tate’s young shoulders.
He’ll be the sole heir of the ranch. And with connections to the Broken Rock Reservation, he’s the only one who might see out 1883’s prophecy. (“In seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you.”) The future of the Duttons might seem rocky for now, but if there is one, it lies with Tate.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 arrives on November 10 on the Paramount Network.
Some of these characters might die, but Yellowstone lives on. Check out our guides to 6666, The Madison, and 1923 Season 2 to see what’s to come in the franchise.
You can also check out our breakdown of all the Yellowstone cameos in Kevin Costner’s Horizon movies.
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