Yellowstone is obsessed with the concept of legacy – it turns out, the fans are just as picky about the Dutton family lineage as the characters themselves.
Nobody is more obsessed with their family’s legacy than John Dutton. Through literal blood, sweat, and tears, JD has managed to keep his historical ranch in the hands of the Duttons – with a few near misses here and there.
Every villain, plot twist, and death in Yellowstone almost entirely revolves around the Duttons protecting their ranch and their name. In fact, Taylor Sheridan has constructed an entire universe around that ethos. As fans have traveled throughout Dutton history, they’ve gained an understanding of just how big the legacy really is.
Which is why they’ve taken such notice of one major Dutton family plothole. And it’s one that’s got them reconsidering the very fabric of the ranching family’s lore.
Yellowstone fans address the lack of John Dutton IV
On the Yellowstone subreddit, one user addressed the missing link in the Dutton family by pointing out that there is no John Dutton IV.
“If the family legacy means everything, why is there no John Dutton IV?” the original post asked, referring to the fourth John Dutton in the family tree.
Kevin Costner’s John Dutton is the third-generation of John, with the son of James and Margaret Dutton in 1883 serving as the first, with Costner’s on-screen father as the second iteration. As it stands, John’s only living grandson, Tate, has not carried on his family name. So, what gives?
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Some fans theorized that there was in fact a John Dutton IV and that it was Lee. As one comment said: “Zero evidence but likely Lee was John Lee Dutton but went by Lee.”
Others agreed, saying: “Makes perfect sense, actually,” and “This makes the most sense for sure.”
Others also took the middle-name route, suggesting that Kayce had John in his name in some regard. “Well, we know John is Kayce’s middle name,” said one comment.
However, it was also pointed out that Kayce and Monica’s second child was going to be named John. “There is. Kayce’s second son,” one user said.
The series even confirms this, when Kayce reveals that the child (who died in childbirth) would have been named after his grandfather. It’s a touching moment, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why John didn’t name any of his own children after him, as is tradition.
Perhaps it’s a sign of what’s to come. As one user suggested: “The legacy dies with him.” If John is the end of the Dutton bloodline as we know it, then perhaps that’s a foreboding message of what happens to the family by the show’s end.
