Yellowstone Season 5 Part B: Fans Think an ‘1883’ Prophecy Has Already Revealed How the Show Ends After Kevin Costner Exit

The highly anticipated part two of the final season of Yellowstone, starring Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and more, premiered on November 10, 2024. Created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, the neo-Western drama series that garnered the attention of audiences across the world is concluding. Kevin Coster, who played the lead as John Dutton on the show, announced that his character wouldn’t return for the final season.

The finale season has left the fans shocked by a significant character’s death, but at the same time, it redefines the trajectory of the series as it inches towards its conclusion. Ardent fans of the show are now looking back at the prophecy shared in Yellowstone’s prequel series 1883 that laid the groundwork for the original series’ end.

Kevin Costner’s fate in Yellowstone Season 5 Part B makes the 1883 prophecy come true

Yellowstone’s fifth and final season’s part two premiered on November 10, 20204, which revealed that John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, has died. The premiere episode showcases Beth Dutton and Kayce Dutton arriving at the governor’s mansion to find their father’s body alongside a gun. Later, it emerged that a fatal gunshot wound in the Montana governor’s mansion’s bathroom claimed his life. The reason behind his death is yet to unfold.

The death of the patriarch shifts the focus to the surviving characters, as they navigate their way in the aftermath of John Dutton’s death. His death also goes on to hint that while the story and the characters’ lives move on, their journey to defend John Dutton’s legacy continues. John’s death has also set the stage for an impending confrontation between Beth and Jamie.

Executive producer and director Christina Voros shared that creator Taylor Sheridan is less focused on John Dutton’s death but more on how his death is going to reshape the other characters on the show. According to the Digital Fix, fans on Reddit have recalled how the fate of Yellowstone was hinted at in its prequel,1883.

In 1883, Spotted Eagle, played by Graham Greene, shares with James Dillard Dutton to carry his wounded daughter to a land, which is now known as Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Spotted Eagle, who is a Native American Chief mentioned,

In seven generations, my people will rise and take it back from you.

Now, John Dutton’s grandson Tate marks the seventh generation of Dutton and the sole heir to the Yellowstone land. Tate is half Native American from his mother Monica’s side, so it can be seen as The Duttons will likely lose the ranch and it’ll return to the Native American community of the Broken Rock Reservation.

Fans have however stated that Costner’s absence has decreased their interest in the show, but they are glad that the story is coming to a full circle.

Kevin Costner says he loved Yellowstone

Back in June, during a cover story shoot with People, Kevin Costner, who played John Dutton on the show from 2018 to 2022, revealed that he loved his time on the show. He said,

I loved the show. I liked the people on the show. I liked what it was about. I love that world.

The actor’s exit from the show raised a lot of questions at the time, but he noted that he waited for the scripts for a year, but there weren’t any scripts at the time, so he decided to pursue his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga. Even though the response for the movie was underwhelming, Costner is adamant to continue.

Talking about the time when the show was pitched to him, he said,

When it was first pitched to me by Taylor Sheridan, it was one season and like a long movie, which is speaking my language. But ultimately, I think what happened was the studio didn’t want that.

Costner noted that Sheridan is a prolific writer, and since he said that he’d do the series, he stood by his words. The actor agreed to do three seasons, although eventually, he ended up doing five. Kevin Costner also mentioned that he was disappointed to witness that when the rumors about his exit started to come out, no one came out in his defense.

Lastly, he added that in the end, he just couldn’t do any more of it than he already had. It has also been known that there were some creative differences between Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner, which is why the actor decided to exit the show.

Yellowstone is streaming on Paramount.