The Tragedy Of Rip’s Yellowstone Story That Most Fans Missed

Rip Wheeler’s (Cole Hauser) tragic backstory in Yellowstone is even more poignant and heartbreaking when it’s fully understood. Wheeler was John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) right hand at the Dutton Ranch, doing his bidding like the rest of the cowboys who wear the Yellowstone brand on their chest. However, Rip has a more tragic backstory than any other cowboy on the Dutton Ranch, having come to live with John in his slice of the Paradise Valley when he was just a boy.

We learn in Yellowstone flashbacks that Rip came to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch after a tragedy occurred at his home. Rip’s family was brutally murdered by a father figure they had once trusted. Rip kills the attacker with a frying pan, but only after his mother and brother are killed, which is a tragedy the Yellowstone character makes peace with over time. Rip’s heartbreaking origin story becomes even sadder upon proper understanding of the truth.

Rip Wheeler Killed His Father In Yellowstone, Not His Stepfather

Many People Think Rip Killed His Stepfather

I’ve seen it commonly said that Rip killed his stepfather in Yellowstone, meaning that the man who killed Wheeler’s mother and brother wasn’t part of their original clan and was a legal parent, at one time, instead of a biological one. However, Rip never mentions a stepfather in Yellowstone. Wheeler always refers to his family’s killer as his father, meaning that it was Rip’s own dad who attacked their family. I don’t know where people got the idea that it was Rip’s stepfather exactly, but there’s one explanation.

A flashback in Yellowstone season 1 depicts Rip’s tragedy. John finds young Rip (Kyle Red Silverstein) covered in blood in his barn, having recently escaped his situation. John puts together who Rip is, saying that an ex-husband showed up at a pig farm in Miles City and beat his family to death until someone “cracked his skull with a frying pan.” John remarks they “still haven’t found the oldest boy,” implying that Rip is the missing link. Perhaps fans got the idea that Rip killed his stepdad from the remark, but it was his estranged biological father.

Rip Killing His Father In Yellowstone Makes His Story Even Sadder

Rip Killing His Biological Father Is More Severe

For obvious reasons, this revelation makes Rip’s story even sadder. It means that Rip was forced to kill his biological father in Yellowstone. The attacker wasn’t someone who had joined his family later. The assailant was Rip’s own father, making the tragedy truly horrific. It also means Rip’s dad killed his former wife and tried to kill both of his sons, succeeding in ending the life of the younger of the two. John Dutton’s comments imply that the ex-husband was estranged from the family, but that detail makes it no less heartbreaking.

Still, just because Rip killed his biological father doesn’t mean they were close. When John asks Rip if he knows anything about the incident in Miles City, Rip says, “All I know is this… I should have killed that motherf-cker years ago.” The comment suggests that Rip had potentially been in an abusive situation for years, his remark implying that this wasn’t the first time his biological father had been violent. Sadly, Rip’s comments reveal his regret, knowing that if he had stopped the Wheeler patriarch sooner, his mother and brother would still be alive.

Rip makes peace with his heartbreak by saving up for a proper burial for his mother and brother. He tells Beth (Kelly Reilly) in Yellowstone season 2 that he spent all his money on their headstones. Rip also tells Beth that the best money he ever spent was hiring a gravedigger to unearth his father’s bones. He talks about throwing them out the window, desecrating the remains. Knowing that Rip paid to have his father’s, not his stepfather’s, grave dug up makes more sense. The gesture was deeply personal for Rip because it was his own kin.