There’s an awful trend circulating in the Yellowstone franchise, but one character breaking it led to a devastating fate. Taylor Sheridan’s epic neo-Western saga began with Yellowstone in 2018 and expanded with two prequel series, 1883 and 1923. While other spinoffs are in the works, the Yellowstone prequels are the only offshoots of the original series that have been released.

The original series ended with Yellowstone Season 5, delivering a finale that disappointed many fans of the series and of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton character. John dies in the opening of Season 5, Part 2, bringing his battle for the Dutton Ranch to an abrupt and tragic end. John had evaded death before, somewhat unbelievably, like other larger-than-life Yellowstone characters.

The Dutton Family Tree Explained

Before John’s battle for the ranch, many members of the Dutton family tree came before him and his wife, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol), and their children, Lee (Dave Annabel), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequels detail several other generations of the family tree who lived in the Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties, respectively.

1923 tells the family’s story during Prohibition, with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren leading the series as Jacob and Cara Dutton. The cast of 1923 also includes breakout stars in the roles of Spencer and Alex Dutton, with Brandon Skelnar and Julia Schlaepfer portraying an epic love story. The family encounters many tragedies, including an epic battle for the ranch.

John & Jacob Dutton Survive Severe Gunshot Wounds In Yellowstone & 1923

With a rich ensemble cast bolstering their success, John, Jacob, and James Dutton lead their families through the trials and tribulations of their times. In 1923, Jacob faces off with Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), a mining tycoon and a jaded sheep farmer who join forces and wage a war against the Duttons for their ranch.

Likewise, John Dutton comes head-to-head with formidable foes who want to take his ranch. In fact, in both Yellowstone and 1923, amid the treacherous battles, Jacob and John Dutton both experience life-threatening gunshot wounds. When Banner declares war on the 1920s Duttons, he shoots Jacob multiple times in the chest with a Tommy gun, nearly killing him.

Similarly, John’s ability to ride again signals to audiences that he’s okay. In Yellowstone Season 4, Episode 2, Carter (Finn Little) watches as John gets back on the horse, literally and metaphorically. In both cases, John and Jacob’s survival seems unimaginable, but they both make full recoveries with support from key family members, namely Beth and Cara.

James Dutton, From 1883, Dies From A Minor Gunshot Wound In Yellowstone

After fighting with horse thieves on his sprawling homestead, James came home with a gunshot wound. James Dutton’s wife dressed his wounds on the kitchen table, like Cara did for Jacob. However, James, getting shot 30 years earlier, experienced a much different fate. Unlike Jacob and John’s multiple shots to the chest, James suffered just one gunshot to his gut.

That said, unlike those who came after him, James Dutton wasn’t able to get back on the horse. He experienced one of Yellowstone’s grimmest deaths instead. It highlights how the earliest Duttons suffered the worst fates in establishing the family’s Montana homestead, with James and Margaret’s youngest son, Spencer Dutton, who lived to 80, being the exception.