Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Confirms Whether Kevin Costner's John Dutton Is Dead

This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Yellowstone."

Kevin Costner is open to the idea of playing John Dutton again, but the possibility of that ever happening seems unlikely following the "Yellowstone" season 5 part 2 premiere. "Desire Is All You Need" opens with the revelation that the rancher-turned-politician shot himself in the governor's mansion, though we later discover that foul play was involved. The series had to address Dutton's absence following Costner's high-profile "Yellowstone" exit and subsequent legal drama, but this is still a shocking development.

"Yellowstone" season 5 isn't interested in treating viewers to a drawn-out murder mystery. The same episode reveals that Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) — the Market Equities fixer who made it her mission to sabotage Dutton because he used his political power to block business developments — hired contract killers to do the job. Despite giving Atwood the go-ahead to proceed with the hit in the past, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) is visibly upset by his adoptive father's death, showing that he might have a soul after all. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), meanwhile, blames Jamie for her dad's murder and is now out to get payback.

The Dutton family patriarch's assassination sets the stage for a war between his surviving family members and his enemies in the upcoming episodes. Furthermore, the show's creators see it as an opportunity to explore some interesting storylines.

Kevin Costner's "Yellowstone" contract required John Dutton to receive a moral death. As of this writing, it remains to be seen if he approved of his character's send-off before it happened. That said, series producer and director Christina Voros believes Dutton's death will add more layers to the character's loved ones.

"I think [creator Taylor Sheridan's] decision to begin this way was incredibly brave," Voros told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think it is testament to his faith in the characters and the actors who embody them to go, 'Let's not make this about the incident. Let's make this about how these human beings exist in the aftermath.' That was more interesting to [Taylor] than the incident itself."

Between Jamie's guilt and his sister vowing to unleash havoc to avenge her old man's murder, "Yellowstone" is already exploring how the characters are coping with the shocking event. And if this show's history is anything to go by, viewers can expect more bloodshed before the season finale.

New episodes of "Yellowstone" premiere Sundays on Paramount Network.

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