Taylor Sheridan Emphatically Proves Luke Grimes' Marshals Hot Take Wrong

Kayce Dutton actor Luke Grimes shared a hot take about Marshals season 2, and Taylor Sheridan very overtly proved him wrong. Since Marshals is one of Yellowstone's many spinoffs, Luke Grimes has been playing the role of Kayce Dutton for years now. He understands the character better than almost anyone else in the world, apart from Taylor Sheridan and a handful of other writers.

In Marshals season 2, however, Kayce is going through some major changes. Marshals itself is a very different show from Yellowstone, and Kayce doesn't have to live in the shadow of his father and the Dutton family anymore. He's also now raising his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), all by himself after Monica's premature death from cancer. In light of all those changes, Kayce has changed as well.

Recently, Luke Grimes shared a hot take about the future of Marshals and how it relates to Yellowstone. Given his long history with the franchise and with Kayce, Grimes' words held some serious weight. Now, however, Taylor Sheridan has proven that Grimes' hot take was wrong, and that Marshals should take a bold move that will connect it to Yellowstone even more: bringing back Kevin Costner's John Dutton III.

Luke Grimes' John Dutton III Return Hot Take Explained

Luke Grimes' hot take about Marshals centered around Kevin Costner and his Yellowstone character, John Dutton III. When asked if Costner could reprise his role and appear in Marshals season 2, Grimes said that he'd rather have Monica (Kelsey Asbille) return in a flashback. According to Grimes, having a reunion between Kayce and Monica would be more "poignant" than having Kayce reunite with his father.

Never spoken to Kevin [Costner] since we stopped working together. Not for any other reason other than just, you know, we're both busy guys and life moves on. But I mean, it would be cool. I doubt that will happen at this point. I just don't know. I think if there was a flashback, I'd probably rather it be with Monica than John. I think that'd be more poignant to the character, but we'll see. So far, no conversation, but I sure would love it working with her.

Grimes' take on having a Yellowstone reunion is a bit of a hot take, but it's not exactly controversial. Many of the show's fans would likely appreciate seeing Monica again, especially considering how important her death has been to Marshals so far. Still, many Yellowstone and Marshals fans would rather see Kevin Costner's long-awaited return to the franchise, especially considering the circumstances of his abrupt departure from the original show.

Infamously, Kevin Costner left Yellowstone in the middle of season 5, citing "creative differences" with creator Taylor Sheridan, pay disputes, and scheduling conflicts. Costner also wanted to work on his own Western franchise, the now-scrapped Horizon: An American Saga series of films. As a result of his departure, John Dutton III was killed off-screen, an ending to the character that many viewers found unsatisfying and anti-climactic. Having him return in Marshals would be a chance to send the character of John Dutton off in a more fitting way.

Marshals Season 2, Episode 2 Proves That It Needs John's Return

Despite what Luke Grimes thinks of the situation, Marshals season 2, episode 2 proved that it needs to bring John Dutton III back. This week's episode made a point of showing both Kayce and Tate grappling with the legacy of John and the Dutton family as a whole. Kayce is worried that he's becoming his father, while Tate clearly still misses his grandfather and the guidance he provided.

Early on in the episode, Tate was sitting beside John's grave, and he reflected on how John raised him and voiced his regret at comparing Tom Weaver to his grandfather. Kayce then waxes poetic about how the "Dutton legacy" is always having to fight, and at the end of the episode, he tells Rainwater that "No Dutton man should become his father." John is clearly at the front of their minds, and Marshals season 2 is largely about Kayce reckoning with his family's history.

Bringing John back, then, would be perfect for Marshals. Kayce's already thinking about his father's legacy. The show can just let the viewers in on it. What better way would there be to address the question of whether Kayce is a better man than his father than by having Kayce remember an important moment from his childhood or his father's life and compare it to how he's raising Tate? It works so well that Costner's return wouldn't even feel like fan service, it would just feel like a natural progression of Kayce's worries and Marshals' moral story.

As poignant as Monica's return would be, considering how both Kayce and Tate are still mourning her death, her absence arguably helps that part of Marshals' story. Monica, through her absence, essentially haunts the narrative of Marshals. Bringing her back in a vision or flashback would undermine the loneliness Kayce and Tate are feeling and soften the blow of her death. Conversely, bringing John back would help Marshals get at the meat of Kayce's main moral dilemma.

Can Kevin Costner Return In Marshals After Yellowstone (& How)

It's clear that bringing Kevin Costner's John Dutton III would work extremely well for Marshals, but there's still the elephant in the room: would it even work? After all, Costner left Yellowstone on less-than-friendly terms. Many of the problems that led to him leaving in the first place may still be reasons why he wouldn't be willing to return. Add to that the fact that John is very notably dead by the time Marshals takes place, and it seems like a long shot.

Many of the problems that led to Costner's departure from Yellowstone, however, may have already been addressed. Though Sheridan is a creator and executive producer for the show, he isn't the main creative voice behind Marshals. That may be enough to prevent any more "creative differences" between him and Costner. John would also likely be appearing for just a few minutes of screen time, which should make it a lot easier to satisfy Costner's salary demands. It would also be a lot easier to fit into his schedule, especially since he doesn't have Horizon: An American Saga to focus on anymore.

As for the problem of John being dead in Marshals' timeline, that also has an easy fix. Yellowstone has had plenty of flashbacks and extended sequences set in the past before, and there's nothing stopping Marshals from doing the same. Marshals doesn't need to resurrect John, it can just use a flashback to when he was alive. Alternatively, John could appear as a kind of vision to Kayce, an embodiment of his memory of his father that Kayce can interact and converse with, not unlike Harry Morgan in Dexter.

If Marshals wanted to, and there is plenty of reason to, the show could easily explain John Dutton III's return in one way or another. It would help Marshals tell its story, give even more insight into both Kayce and Tate, and give Yellowstone fans a chance to see Kevin Costner back in the franchise once more. It seems like a win-win situation. Here's hoping that Marshals continues to prove Luke Grimes' hot take wrong.