Yellowstone Fans Already Figured Out How Costner Will Be Written Off

Summary

• Kevin Costner will not be returning for the second half of Yellowstone Season 5.
• Fans have been speculating about how John Dutton III will be written out of the show.
• There's a simple way to end John's time on the show without breaching the clause in Costner's contract.

Since it was revealed that Kevin Costner will be leaving Yellowstone, fans have been speculating as to how John Dutton III will be written out of the show.

And some of those who have watched the series from the beginning think they may have stumbled upon an easy decision for the writers when it comes to covering the fact that the Hollywood legend will not be returning for Season 5, part 2.

Does it all go back to Season 1?

Even those who have watched the show from the outset may have forgotten that, back in Season 1, John Dutton III was diagnosed with colon cancer.

It wasn't a huge part of the storyline, and his life never seemed in real danger, so given everything else that has gone on throughout the four and half seasons so far, it's understandable that it might have slipped your mind.

But some fans believe this gives the writers a simple yet effective way to write the patriarch out of the show without having to come up with anything too elaborate that would demand its own plotline. A recurrence of the illness and rapid decline makes sense, and would allow the character to leave with the bulk of the plot focused on how the family takes the news and what happens next.

A simple procedure in Season 1 got rid of the tumour. But we all know that doesn't always spell the end for cancer.

Rumours of a 'moral death clause'

While you might think Taylor Sheridan is free to dispose of John Dutton anyhow he likes, things are never that simple.

Kevin Costner is said to have a clause in his contract that states his character cannot be killed off in a way that brings shame to the family. Of course, this definition is up for debate, but it seems unlikely that Sheridan would want any further legal issues to contend with right now.

There's also the little matter of Taylor Sheridan presumably not wanting Kevin Costner's absence to be any more a part of the finale than it already is. To that end, a natural death brought about by the recurrence of an old illness seems to fit the bill.

More than one health scare for John Dutton III

In Season 2, there were fears John's cancer may have returned when he started coughing up blood. This turned out to be a ruptured ulcer, and neither illness was inconsistent with the character's age., bu

The ulcer was actually treated by a local vet, and John didn't seem to suffer any long-term ill effects from it.

Did the writers suspect things might turn sour?

So, could it be that there was always a suspicion that the relationship between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan might go south?

Were these small illnesses, almost insignificant in the grand scheme of Yellowstone, written in to prepare for a moment just like this? Or were they simply realistic additions to the story that had no ulterior motive?

We may never know. But what we do know is that Kevin Costner isn't coming back, but that these plotlines have turned out nicely for Taylor Sheridan.