A new Yellowstone fan theory has emerged, predicting that an abandoned season one plot is going to be brought back for John Dutton in season five’s final lot of episodes.
It has been widely reported that John Dutton star Kevin Costner quit Yellowstone due to creative differences with creator Taylor Sheridan as well as scheduling conflicts.
The Bodyguard star is currently working on a new movie series which he will be directing and starring in called Horizon: An American Saga but it isn’t clear when it’s going to be out.
It’s also unknown whether or not Costner is going to be in season five, part two, of the Paramount Network drama with sources taking different stances.
Nevertheless, fans believe they have already sussed out how John Dutton III is going to be written out, even if Costner isn’t physically in the show.
While discussing the potential ending for John in Yellowstone, one Reddit user theorised: “How about he die from the original colon cancer that could have let us all off in the first place?”
In the first season of Yellowstone, tensions were rising as it was discovered John had colon cancer but was successfully removed after surgery.
Everyone feared the worst once again in the series two premiere when he collapsed and coughed up blood, however, the ranch’s vet realised he was actually suffering from a ruptured ulcer.
So John’s cancer storyline was abandoned altogether after this point but with the series coming to an end, another fan has detailed what they believe could happen.
A Reddit user explained that if they were Sheridan, they would bring the cancer back but it wouldn’t be Yellowstone if John would “simply ride off into the sunset”.
They said it would have to be the end stage of cancer where the patriarch would have a matter of days or weeks to live.
He would also win a “final battle for the ranch”, followed by a scene with just John and his right-hand man Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).
And, according to the fan, this would be where the memorable ending for John would come in.
The Yellowstone fan explained: “They [John and Rip] are beaten up and injured but are alive and upright.
“But John, in that moment, realises he wouldn’t want to go out any other way.
“He turns to Rip and asks Rip to shoot and kill him right there. He doesn’t want to die with people around him.
“He loves and respects Rip and knows that despite how hard it will be for Rip to do that and live with it, Rip will do it for him.
“The caveat is that he makes Rip promise not to tell anyone else in the family that Rip was the one who shot him because they’d never forgive him and Beth would fall apart. He makes him tell them that he died in the fight.”
So could John’s cancer return or has Sheridan got another unexpected plan up his sleeve for the head of the Dutton family’s departure?
Yellowstone season 5 part 2 is expected to air in November 2024 on Paramount Network.