Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone” Character John Dutton Comes Up Several Times in “Marshals ”Premiere
Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone” Character John Dutton Comes Up Several Times in “Marshals ”Premiere
Julia MooreMon, March 2, 2026 at 2:10 AM UTC
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Luke Grimes on "Marshals" (left)' Kevin Costner on "Yellowstone" (right)Credit: CBS; Paramount
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the premiere episode of Marshals.
Luke Grimes' new Yellowstone spinoff series about Kayce Dutton, Marshals, premiered on Sunday, March 1
In the first episode, there were quite a few references made to his family's notoriety, and to John Dutton (Kevin Costner) in particular
Costner's character was killed off in the final installment of Yellowstone after the actor announced his exit from the series
John Dutton's legacy lives on.
In the March 1 premiere of Marshals, a Yellowstone spinoff series, John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner in the original series), has quite a few mentions in the new CBS spinoff, which centers around John's youngest son, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes).
Costner's character died in the second half of Yellowstone season 5, its final installment, after Costner, 71, announced his exit from the series. John's death initially appeared to be self-inflicted, but it was later revealed that Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) had arranged a murder-for-hire scheme amid her relationship with Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), John's son and Kayce's older brother. In the series finale, Beth (Kelly Reilly), John's daughter, killed Jamie over his involvement in their dad's death.
In Marshals, the Dutton family's Montana legacy was brought up in one of the first scenes involving Kayce's longtime friend and former Navy SEAL teammate, Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green). "All those years of door-kicking, you never once mentioned that you're some Montana Rockefeller," Pete said to Kayce, ribbing him.
"That was the best part about being a SEAL. Being a Dutton didn't matter," Kayce replied.
After Kayce met the rest of Pete's team — Belle (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea (Ash Santos) and Miles (Tatanka Means) — his family's notoriety came up once more.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Kevin Costner as John Dutton in "Yellowstone" season 2 (2019)Credit: Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
"Cal never shared [that] he was buddies with Kayce Dutton," Belle said, which prompted Andrea to ask if there's "something special" about Kayce.
"Honey, have you done any research on your new hometown?" Belle asked, and then Miles jumped in to provide some context. "Duttons owned the biggest ranch in Montana for generations," he explained. "Kayce sold it to my tribe last year."
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Belle added even more information, as she referenced both Costner and Bentley's characters explicitly. "His dad was the governor who was killed. Brother Jamie's the attorney general who went missing," Belle said. "Does any of this ring a bell?"
The final time that Costner's character was referenced in the Marshals premiere was during a heart-to-heart between Kayce and his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), when Kayce mentioned his dad.
"The only reason I'm gripping this place so tight is because it's the only thing I have to offer you, son," Kayce told Tate of their ranch in East Camp, which he'd negotiated to keep after selling the rest of the Dutton's land to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham).
"But what if I'm not sure I want it?" Tate asked his dad.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton in "Marshals"Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
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That question made Kayce chuckle, as he said, "Your grandfather, he warned me about this. [He] said [that] one day, you'd test me. Force me to make a decision that not only affects your future, but my place in it."
"I want you to forge your own path — this camp is your home, it's not your destiny," Kayce told Tate.
He then reiterated that, amidst his grief over the deaths of so many of his loved ones, the only thing he cares about is that Tate is happy. "I've lost my teammates, my parents, my brothers and even my wife, and I'm still standing. If I end up on the wrong side of you, that'd be the end of me, son," Kayce said.
New episodes of Marshals premiere Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
