From the Beck Brothers to Caroline Warner, here are all the main Yellowstone villains who’ve tried to do the Duttons dirty, ranked.
With so many dastardly foes trying to get their greedy hands on the Dutton family ranch, it’s a tricky task to pick the best of the best. Fortunately, we’ve done just that.
We’ve picked out the key antagonists in the main Yellowstone series, with a special focus on those who go out of their way to make life miserable for John Dutton and his posse. Some of these folks have stopped at nothing to try to take him down, from kidnapping children, to attacking his ranch hands. Thanks to them, we’ve some of the best Yellowstone episodes.
We’ve not included questionable characters like Jamie Dutton — this list is for the true antagonists who make it their life’s mission to destroy the Dutton legacy, and are sometimes successful, too. So, before Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2’s release date, here’s our ranking of the Yellowstone villains.
8. Willa Hayes
If you can’t remember who Willa Hayes is, then that’s exactly why she ranks at the bottom of this list. Willa is Beth’s main foe for a good chunk of Season 3, and materializes after Beth plummets Market Equities’ shareholder stocks. As revenge, Willa gets Beth fired from her job at Schwartz & Meyer. Ultimately, she gets outed from her own position of power when Caroline Warner has to swoop in to finish her job of destroying the Duttons.
Make no mistake, Willa is slick and unafraid, which does make her a decent adversary in the boardroom. But at the end of the day, she’s easily outdone by the other schemers around her, and her short tenure on the show mean she’s one of the more forgettable villains.
Seen in: Season 3
Most villainous moment: Getting Beth Dutton fired
7. Dan Jenkins
Ah, Dan. How are you so lovable? Dan Jenkins began his Yellowstone tenure by being part of a three-way duel between himself, John Dutton, and Thomas Rainwater. But where Rainwater and Dutton seemingly had some small modicum of respect for each other, Jenkins was the slippery sly one. A man with money on his mind, he has your typical rich-man attitude and believes he’s perfectly able to overtake John Dutton as the head honcho of Montana.
There’s something a little pathetic about Dan Jenkins, which is why there’s such a soft spot to be had for him. His wife is running circles around him with her incredibly unprecedented promiscuity, and he’s always getting bested by other, better villains. That’s why he’s so low down on this list — a great Yellowstone character, yes, but an effective villain? Not so much.
Seen in: Seasons 1-2
Most villainous moment: Nothing major — Dan Jenkins was a bit of a mess.
6. Caroline Warner
If Yellowstone had a Thanos, it would be Caroline Warner. Other characters hyped up her appearance somewhat, so when she eventually turned up, fans expected big things. What we get is more of a damp squib than the greatest villain this side of Montana. Which is insane, because on paper, Jacki Weaver in an icy wig stepping in to accomplish what others cannot should be gold.
But alas, Caroline’s arc is one of the many victims of Yellowstone’s cancellation. Clearly, she was meant to be a big bad of great proportions. But with Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 now rewritten to end the show altogether, it’s hard to imagine Caroline having any sort of payoff. In an alternate universe, she might have ended up at the top of this list.
Seen in: Seasons 4-5
Most villainous moment: It hasn’t come yet, and it probably never will.
5. Roarke Morris
Roarke Morris comes into our lives while Beth Dutton encounters him fully-clad in fishing gear, but he’s by far the coolest villain on this list. While most others are dirty rotten scoundrels, Roarke is a man with a plan. He wants Yellowstone, and this sweet-talking pretty boy will get it by any means necessary.
His arc might not be as dramatic as some of the others here, but he makes the perfect combatant for Beth. Both are unafraid to show their true colors, and rally insults like a game of tennis. Plus, of everyone on this list, he’s involved in one of the most shocking deaths to be found on the show. In a world of cowboys, Roarke is the smoothie-drinking moneybag with the perfect hair — a distinction that makes him so much more memorable.
Seen in: Seasons 3-4
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Most villainous moment: Hiring Wade Morrow and his son to terrorize the Duttons.
4. Wade Morrow
Wade Morrow is a villain of the most classic kind: a bumbling fool who sticks his hand too far into the snake pit. He also has personal connections to the Duttons, having worked there as a hand in his youth. (He even wears the Y brand.) However, after he was accused of stealing, he never step foot on the Dutton property again…until now. When he returns in Yellowstone Season 3, it’s clear he’s learned nothing.
As a neighboring rancher to the Duttons, Wade does pretty much one of the worst things anyone could do: attack JD’s ranch hands. While he and his son Clint are merely lackeys for Roarke Morris, Wade’s history with John Dutton makes this particular storyline so juicy to witness. Especially when the Dutton crew finally get their hands on him for some well-deserved revenge.
Seen in: Season 3
Most villainous moment: Trampling Teeter and Colby almost to death with his horses.
3. Sarah Atwood
From the moment Sarah Atwood declared she was going to commence her Dutton takedown by going after Jamie, we knew she was trouble. This scheming seductress knew exactly what she was doing by picking on the weakest member of the Dutton clan, and Jamie fell for it hook, line and sinker. The poor boy never stood a chance.
But she shocked us all by doing the unthinkable. After Jamie and Beth’s blowout in Season 5 Episode 8, he floated the idea of hiring a hitman to solve his troubles. Sarah took this as a greenlight to subsequently hire a contract killer and murder John Dutton in the night, setting in motion the final battle of the entire series.
Seen in: Season 5
Most villainous moment: Organizing the hit that resulted in John Dutton’s death.
2. Garrett Randall
Yellowstone leaned fully into its soap opera tendencies when it introduced the ‘Jamie’s secretly adopted’ plotline. The moment Jamie finds out that he’s not actually part of the Dutton family tree, all sense of reason goes out the window. He goes looking for his birth father, and finds him in local hangdog Garrett Randall. (Garrett went to jail after murdering his birth mother by the way — that’s important.)
Garrett and Jamie slowly form a bond. But underneath his attempt to connect with his long-lost son, there’s something darker at play. Garrett wants revenge on John Dutton. For what exactly? Well, probably for taking his only son away from him and raising him under false pretenses. As such, Garrett acts as the devil on Jamie’s shoulder, manipulating him and toying with him without second thought.
Seen in: Seasons 3-4
Most villainous moment: Ordering a hit on the Dutton family that sets off one of the most explosive season finales ever.
1. Malcolm and Teal Beck
While most of these Yellowstone villains make their way in the world by being corrupt business-people and scheming land developers, the Beck Brothers are the real deal. They aren’t afraid of doing villainy the old-fashioned way: by kidnapping people’s grandchildren and handing them over to the militia. What’s more, there’s something undeniably campy and delightful about seeing an evil pair of brothers work together.
The Beck Brothers go about trying to pluck the Duttons from this earth one-by-one, and they do it so well. While they’re still no match for the Duttons in the end, they’re by far the most evil on account of not caring what happens to their victims at all. In a world so occupied by territory and land ownership, the Beck Brothers transcend into something much more menacing.
Seen in: Season 2
Most villainous moment: Kidnapping Tate in the dark of night and effectively giving him PTSD for the rest of his life.
There you have it — all the best Yellowstone villains! Season 5 Part 2 is currently airing weekly on the Paramount Network. To keep up to date with the latest Yellowstone news, check out our guides to the 1923 Season 2, 6666, The Madison, and Yellowstone 1944.