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“He is a cowboy, but he is also a Navy SEAL, so he has this incredible toolkit of skills to put to the test. He’s a guy who excels running into the fire. As we saw all through Yellowstone, he is really the essence of being a protector.”

That instinct to protect has always defined Kayce — especially when it came to Monica and their son, Tate. But the new series begins at a moment of rare stillness for him. After securing East Camp and carving out a future for his family in Yellowstone’s finale, Kayce has had something he’s never really known before: time. “This downtime… has forced him to confront some of his demons and really focus on being a father,” Hudnut explains. “He’s a changed man.”

Is Kelsey Asbille in ‘Y: Marshals’?

While Asbille has not been confirmed to appear in Y: Marshals, Breckin Merrill is returning as Tate, now 17 years old — and that father-son relationship becomes one of the emotional backbones of the series. Hudnut notes that Kayce is finally learning to be more than just a provider. “He primarily always saw himself as a protector,” he says, “but maybe left the parenting to his wife. Now we get to see the bond between Kayce and his son deepen — and Kayce beginning to see a lot more of himself in Tate.”

That shift also forces Kayce to reflect on his complicated relationship with his own father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), whose death looms large over the series. “Through Tate, Kayce gets to understand his father better,” Hudnut says. “Even though he’s obviously passed away.” In many ways, Y: Marshals positions Kayce at the center of a generational reckoning — no longer reacting to trauma, but actively trying to break the cycle.