‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff ‘Marshals’ Reveals Monica Dutton’s Fate in Premiere Episode

The premiere of Luke Grimes’ new Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals, has confirmed fans’ fears about the fate of Monica Dutton.

Sunday’s premiere of the new CBS drama, which follows Kaye Dutton (Grimes) as he takes on a new chapter with the U.S. Marshals, revealed that his wife (Kelsey Asbille) died after a battle with cancer.

The episode first hinted at Monica’s fate when Kacye called for his wife during a nightmare, but when he reached out for her upon waking, he realized the bed next to him was empty.

Later, the couple’s son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), clashed with his father over his protesting mines that would dump toxins onto reservation land, holding up a framed photo of Monica as he told him, “After how much Mom suffered, you should be leading the charge here, not waving the white flag.”

It wasn’t until the final scene of the premiere that viewers got a full look at Kacye’s heartbreak, however, as he broke down while visiting Monica’s grave.

“I miss you, baby. I miss my wife — my best friend. My only friend,” he said, breaking down. “I’ve been so lost. The best part of me died with you. You’ve always told me to fight for the life I want. But I had the life I wanted — it was with you.”

Kayce told Monica he would be “changing paths” as he tried to “find a new beginning for me and Tate,” assuring her, “I love you, baby.”

Following the premiere, Marshals showrunner Spencer Hudnut told TVLine that Monica was killed off to set up the next stage of Kayce’s story. “Kayce had such a perfect ending in Yellowstone,” Hudnut told the outlet. “His dreams had finally come true. As we were trying to figure out how to tell the next chapter in Kayce’s story, it felt like he really needed to be shaken out of that.”

“Unfortunately, tragedy tends to find Kayce, so something bad was going to happen for him one way or the other,” Hudnut continued. “It just sort of played out that it was going to be Monica.”

Grimes added to Parade that while Monica might not be around “physically,” she would still be “very much a part of the show” and “very much honored” throughout the first season. “She gets revisited a lot,” he assured.

Marshals airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.