Y: Marshals Proves Kayce Dutton Was Always Yellowstone’s Secret Weapon (& Taylor Sheridan Knew It All Along)

If not for the fact that Taylor Sheridan continues to give audiences new and interesting stories in the world of his Dutton Family Saga, fans would probably be really missing Yellowstone right now. Still, even if great Westerns have continued to exist on television because of shows like 1883 and 1923, fans are still missing the specific characters who appear in the 2018 original series Yellowstone. When the final season ended nearly a year ago, it was a bittersweet situation for several reasons. The fact that the show and the story was ending was one thing, but the overall essence of the series felt concluded anyway, because Sheridan was forced to kill off his main protagonist, John Dutton. Still, fans always wanted to know what was next for every single supporting character that effectively stole the show for five-plus seasons.

In retrospect, Yellowstone was great because of the entire cast of characters, and key moments involving Beth, Rip and Kayce overshadowed John Dutton. Still, Yellowstone was defined by Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, which made the final season feel different, even if not necessarily worse, because he wasn’t involved. What it confirmed was that Sheridan had a massive fan base dedicated more specifically to his supporting cast, and as he figured out how to balance concluding one show with essentially writing another, he found the formula for multiple upcoming spin-offs that have fans excited. The final season proved something that was evidently clear throughout the season, and it was about fan-favorite character Kayce Dutton.

Y: Marshals Is a New Kayce Dutton Series Coming to Paramount+

Image via Paramount Pictures

There are a number of characters who fans wouldn’t mind spending more time with from Taylor Sheridan’s hit series, Yellowstone. Still, fans couldn’t have known that Sheridan was planning on expanding on each of the major characters from the series. Aside from John Dutton, the most important characters are Beth, Kayce, Rip and Jamie. With three out of four of those characters still alive and well after the events of Yellowstone, it was only a matter of time before Sheridan considered continuing their stories.

One of the most entertaining and emotionally resonant characters on the show was Kayce Dutton, youngest child of John and Evelyn Dutton. First portrayed as the estranged son of John Dutton, Kayce didn’t want anything to do with his family’s ranch or legacy as he tried to separate himself from those responsibilities and the dangers that came with them. Ironically, Kayce proved to be one of the few people capable of dealing with the conflicts consistently threatening his father and his family. In a similar “reluctant heir” arc to the one fans have seen in other crime and Western stories, Kayce slowly evolves over the course of the series and so does his relationship with his father.

With his military background and hardened Western philosophy, Kayce becomes a key asset to the Dutton Empire throughout the five-plus seasons of the show. Reeling from the death of his father, Kayce goes on an emotional journey in Yellowstone’s final season that involves obtaining an element of revenge and embracing ultimate acceptance so that he can move on with his life. Looking back on the series Kayce’s arc is one of the most satisfying, especially as it looks to bring everything full circle for the complex heir.

Not wanting to be involved in the family business in the first place, Kayce ultimately gets what he wants by having to experience serious pain and loss. Throughout his journey in the series, Kayce finds the value in his family legacy and eventually looks to uphold it, even though it means he won’t be following in his footsteps. This was an essential aspect of the final season that mostly came to fruition. Taylor Sheridan probably felt like many fans did when realizing these characters’ stories are not quite over.

Kayce Dutton returns next year when he stars in his own series called Y: Marshals. The series looks to explore Kayce’s evolution into a new person with his own identity in the years following his father’s death. Transitioning from a borderline criminal into an official of the law, Kayce’s story sees him becoming a U.S. Marshal as he looks to fight crime in a contemporary “wild west.” It’s essentially the kind of contemporary Western series that fans have been clamoring for ever since Yellowstone ended, and it proves how important Kayce done truly is and always was.

Kayce Dutton Was Yellowstone’s Secret Weapon All Along

Image via Paramount Pictures

Taylor Sheridan is one of the best writers of the 21st century. The way he thematically and emotionally crafts storylines in his films and shows has truly been a key aspect of great stories coming out in recent years. However, this all stems from his writing great characters that express important themes and perspectives that a lot of films and shows today don’t represent. It also feels like Sheridan is very aware of the roles every character plays, giving each of them distinct skills and voices that make them perfect for specific scenarios. Kayce Dutton is the perfect example of this, and if fans look back and ask themselves whether John Dutton would have made it as far in the series as he did if it weren’t for his youngest son.

Characters like Beth and Rip are other great examples of this, because they certainly had crucial roles to play in overcoming major obstacles. Beth’s mind and Rip’s unyielding loyalty proved essential to defeating every enemy the Duttons faced. This is part of what makes John’s death so thematically resonant. Only Beth knew how bad the internal disease inside the family was as it continued to fester each season. Jamie proved her right in the final season, and it led to incredibly dramatic and intense situations as the series came to a close. It was ironic that the greatest threat was so close to home, when the Duttons seemed to have an answer for every external threat they faced.

With all of this being said, it was Kayce Dutton who proved to be the most important weapon John Dutton had when battling his enemies. Kayce represents a trend in the Dutton family that stretches back generations, as Kayce’s grandfather and great-grandfather were also the perfect weapons for the family during their respective stories. Kayce, Spencer and James Dutton all had a military background in common, which made them incredible warriors capable of dealing with threats directly, even if violently. No matter how tame things appeared at first, each season of Yellowstone revolved around a massive crisis that eventually required excessive force from the family’s key enforcer, a.k.a. Kayce.

Representing the Western gunfighter role that would fit most classical Western heroes, Kayce Dutton was secretly Yellowstone’s weapon and one of the most badass heroes in modern television. From dealing with Dan Jenkins, to battling an entire militia and avenging his father’s death, Kayce was always the final piece in each chess match the Duttons played with their competitors and enemies. It’s only natural that Kayce should evolve into a proper protagonist with his own series. Y: Marshals actually seems like the perfect next step for the character as he will turn into a classic Western icon on par with other iconic Western characters.

Y: Marshals Will Explore Every Bit of Kayce Dutton

Image via Paramount Pictures

Even as Kayce Dutton became a fan-favorite character in Yellowstone, his most resonant moment came between him and his father, wife or son. The drama and humanity that was consistently present in Yellowstone made it transcend its function in every way. Still, Kayce was always slightly overshadowed by the incredible ensemble of characters, and never really got an amble amount of time dedicated to his growth and development. This aspect of the series never harmed it, but just made fans want more Kayce, and now they’ll finally get it.

What Y: Marshals should do really well is give even greater depth to Kayce as he evolves into a heroic protagonist with justice, honor and family as core values of the character. It should give Y: Marshals a very thematic purpose and maybe even allow the series to grow beyond Yellowstone in all the best ways. Luke Grimes is returning as Kayce along with new and returning cast members from Yellowstone, but more details are still coming out as the series builds towards its series premiere next year.