The death of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton in “Yellowstone” season 5 took many viewers by surprise, as the character was an unstoppable force until his polarizing assassination. That said, his demise was arguably a long-time coming, as the cowboy had a massive list of enemies, which brought him into contact with some undesirable folks. Enter Wade Morrow (Boots Southerland), a corrupt rancher who goes way back with John.
Wade is introduced in “Yellowstone” season 3 as a neighboring rancher who keeps meddling in the Duttons’ business. His antics range from herding buffalo close to John’s land to trampling two of his ranchers, Teeter (Jennifer Landon) and Colby (Denim Richards), with his horse while the young lovers are trying to enjoy some romantic time together away from the hustle and bustle of cowboying. He’s a nasty piece of work, and he holds a grudge against the Dutton family tree.
It’s later revealed that Wade was hired by Roarke Morris (Josh Holloway) of Market Equities to provoke the Duttons into breaking the law, but that isn’t the main reason for John’s beef with the old cowboy. In short, Wade stole something from the Dutton family’s leader in the past, and that’s unforgivable.
Wade Morrow stole his freedom on Yellowstone
The Duttons’ fight to protect their land leads to some of the wildest moments on “Yellowstone,” not to mention some of the most barbaric ones. Fortunately for John, he has a couple of loyal ranch hands who are willing to do his dirty work, whom he brands like cattle in exchange for their loyalty. Being branded means that you’re part of the Duttons’ inner circle, forever bound to the ranch. Wade Morrow received this honor when he worked for John back in the day, but he left the ranch with his brand still intact — an action that the Dutton patriarch equates to theft.
“Yellowstone” season 3 features an intense exchange between John and Wade, with the former reminding his onetime employee that he has something that belongs to him. From that moment on, it’s clear that John is planning to exact revenge against the rancher, even though it takes a while for viewers to find out that the only thing Wade stole was his own free will. He might have gotten away with it, too, but his actions against the Duttons and their ranchers lead to Wade meeting his maker.
What happened to Wade Morrow on Yellowstone?
Wade Morrow was hired to provoke the Duttons into breaking the law, and he succeeded in some ways. Unfortunately for him, though, John is smart enough to go about it without getting caught. Wade’s final moments see him and his son being lured into a trap by Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and the Yellowstone ranch hands, culminating in Wade being hung from a tree.
That said, Wade doesn’t get to die without giving back what he stole. Before he gets lynched, Rip orders Walker (Ryan Bingham) to cut the branding off the old man’s skin, ensuring that John gets his pound of flesh. The moral of this story is that people shouldn’t mess with the Duttons, and their employees ought to be grateful for being part of the family’s inner circle.
What’s more, the Yellowstone ranchers’ participation in Wade’s demise leads to them being branded like cattle in their own right, and they stay on the family’s good side until the end of the series. After seeing what happened to Wade, though, who could blame them for not wanting to cross their boss?
