Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 first look teases John Dutton’s fate

As Yellowstone’s final episodes get ever closer, the first official teaser of Part 2 gives a first look at a world without John Dutton.

For fans of the Taylor Sheridan show, Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 will be bittersweet. Sure, we’ll be able to step back onto the Dutton Ranch once more, but Kevin Costner (aka: JD) won’t be there.

While nobody knows just how he’ll be written out of the big finale, the first look has a few eerie clues that he might have gone to the great Train Station in the sky.

The teaser, released by the official Yellowstone X/Twitter account, doesn’t give much away. There’s a shot of the Yellowstone ranch entrance, barns (complete with the iconic brand), a white horse, and a shadowed figure stepping into the doorway of the Dutton family house.

By all accounts, that looming figure could be Rip or Kayce, hinting that either might play a larger role once John is out of the picture. But it seems as though death is hinted throughout the trailer, most notably when it comes to the sight of John’s hat hanging alone on a rack.

John dons an army of cowboy hats over the course of the show, but his most iconic is his brown one, which can be seen hung up without a wearer.

What’s more, the white horse is most likely a piece of foreshadowing that hints towards John Dutton’s off-screen death when the new Yellowstone episodes roll around. (As it goes in Revelation 6:8: “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him was Death.”)

It’s been assumed by fans that Sheridan would write Costner out of the show using an unexpected death. But until now, that’s been a theory only – these particular images and a lack of commitment to showing any one character does further tease that John would have met his untimely end by the time the show picks back up.

The teaser is also a good indication that we may be getting a full-length trailer sometime soon. While Season 5 Part 2 is still in production, the series is set to air from November 10, 2024, meaning marketing should be getting into full swing in the near future.

With that in mind, expect more teasers and clues that point towards what’s in store for the final episodes!

For more, check out our guides to 1923 Season 2, 1944, and The Madison. You can also check out the most shocking Yellowstone deaths. (Who knows, maybe John will be added to the list by the time Part 2 is over!)