Farewell to a Legend: Kevin Costner, Yellowstone’s John Dutton, has passed away at the age of 70 md20

Ever since Yellowstone concluded last year, audiences have been wondering what would become of the Dutton family. Sure, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) had been buried six feet under, but Kayce (Luke Grimes) in particular was of interest to many who felt that his journey had finally begun in those last few episodes of the neo-Western drama. When a spin-off was announced, fans flocked to the idea, and after waiting for some time for CBS to release any footage from the upcoming Y: Marshals, the official trailer has recently dropped — and in its opening moments, it reveals something we’ve long suspected.

Did CBS Confirm Monica Dutton’s Death in the New ‘Y: Marshals’ Trailer?

Image via CBS

The trailer begins with some shots that show the East Camp of the land that was formerly the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, land that Kayce and his family reserved for themselves following the events of Yellowstone‘s series finale. While all of this looks somewhat familiar, Kayce’s dialogue overlaying the scenery is what’s particularly notable. He speaks about losing his teammates (likely his fellow SEALs in overseas combat), his parents, and even his brothers, highlighting both Lee (Dave Annable) and Jamie (Wes Bentley) from the original series. But what is especially telling about what we’ve seen of Y: Marshals so far is that we see Kayce kneeling beside a previously unknown grave, one that looks nothing like what we’ve seen of the Dutton cemetery that his father was buried in on Yellowstone. From what we can tell, it appears to be on Kayce’s land, perhaps implying that his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) has passed in between “Life Is a Promise” and the Y: Marshals premiere. It seems highly likely, given that she doesn’t appear in the trailer, and Asbille has yet to be confirmed to appear at all.

Considering we see both Kayce and Monica’s son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), who is really looking all grown up, and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) in this trailer — which makes sense considering both have been confirmed as series regulars — and there’s no additional reference to Monica, it appears that Kayce’s bride is no more. In the end, this may be the best catalyst for the former Navy SEAL-turned-cowboy to shift careers and become a lawman patrolling the Last Best Place. Kayce’s former SEAL buddy and current U.S. Marshal Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) later notes that while Montana may look like God’s country, it’s the Devil who appears to be running it. Perhaps weighted by the grief of losing most of his family, including his wife, Kayce decides instead to fight for the lives of those around him, stepping into the role that many of us believed he would after the back half of Yellowstone Season 5. It’s been a long time coming, and what better to spur on such a drastic career change than the death of Monica?

Of course, it’s always possible that Monica has been written off in some other way. The trailer focuses quite heavily on the others that Kayce has already lost in his life, so maybe Taylor Sheridan and company will opt to give him a happier ending, with Y: Marshals being written around Monica’s appearances rather than straight-up killing her off. Maybe the grave is actually Jamie’s, since there’s no way that Beth (Kelly Reilly) would let him be buried beside their father. This doesn’t seem particularly likely, but maybe the door is being left open for Kelsey Asbille to return later. Either way, Y: Marshals doesn’t premiere until March, so we have a while before we receive any further confirmation. But it’s worth noting that this is the most we’ve seen of the show thus far, and since the CBS program hasn’t shown Monica in any form, it seems as if Kayce is wandering through life on his own. Well, until he joins the Marshals, that is.

‘Y: Marshals’ Is Going in a Different Direction From the Rest of the Yellowstone Universe

However you slice it, Y: Marshals aims to carve a different slice out of the Yellowstone Universe than previous installments. While 1883 and 1923 each focus on the Duttons as they build their eventual cattle empire, showing the origins of the family brand, Y: Marshals is more of an extended epilogue that appears to be more in step with modern neo-Western programs like Longmire, Justified, Walker, or Joe Pickett. Unlike some of the other proposed spin-offs, like The Madison, 6666, or the Beth and Rip-centric series, Dutton Ranch, Y: Marshals is making a home for itself on network television rather than strictly on streaming, with CBS airing the drama before sending it to Paramount+ with the rest of Sheridan’s collection. It appears that Kayce and the U.S. Marshals will go up against everything, including “gangs, cartels, and race warriors,” all hiding across Big Sky Country. If you expected Y: Marshals to be similar to Yellowstone in style and substance, it may feature some of the same characters, but it’s making an effort to establish its own name beyond that “Y” brand.

In the trailer, Rainwater tells Kayce that Duttons are known especially for their ability to spill blood, highlighting their “killer instincts.” Nevertheless, he calls Kayce a “protector,” reminding him that he was never a killer the same way his father or the other members of his family were. It’s that tension that Kayce will no doubt be forced to wrestle with: the violent nature he so often avoided on Yellowstone and his deep desire to protect not only those closest to him, but everyone else he comes across. The flagship Dutton drama got away from that with Kayce over the years, but it appears that Y: Marshals is going to revisit what made Kayce such a compelling character in the first place. Given that Yellowstone began with the death of his older brother Lee, Y: Marshals kicking off with Monica’s demise seems highly likely.

Y: Marshals premieres on CBS on March 1, 2026, and will be available for streaming the next day on Paramount+. Until then, you can rewatch Yellowstone exclusively on Peacock.