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For five seasons, Gil Birmingham’s portrayal of Chief Thomas Rainwater has been a highlight of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone.

Rainwater is a complex, ambitious leader—sometimes adversary, sometimes uneasy ally to the Duttons—whose mission is to reclaim his people’s ancestral land. Yet, many fans have felt that Rainwater’s character deserved even more depth and storylines.

That may be about to change. After the conclusion of the Yellowstone prequel 1923, a new theory has emerged that could dramatically alter Rainwater’s place in the Yellowstone universe. This theory centers on a possible ancestral connection between Rainwater and his loyal driver and companion, Mo Brings Plenty.

In 1923, Tiana Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) and Pete Plenty Clouds (Cole Brings Plenty) shared a brief but powerful romance before tragedy struck. Pete’s death devastated Tiana, but their relationship may not have ended there.

The show hints that Tiana could have been pregnant after their time together, making it possible that her child is an ancestor of Thomas Rainwater. If so, the Rainwater and Brings Plenty family lines would be forever intertwined.

This connection would add a whole new dimension to Rainwater’s bond with Mo, suggesting they are distant relatives rather than just close allies. It would also mean that all the suffering Tiana endured in 1923 was not in vain—her legacy lives on through Rainwater and Mo, who now fight together for their people’s future.

The show has left Tiana’s fate open-ended, fueling speculation. We know from Yellowstone’s first season that Thomas Rainwater was adopted and raised away from the Broken Rock Reservation, unaware of his Native heritage until adulthood.

It’s possible that Tiana left Montana, settling further south and raising her child as Mexican to escape her painful past. This would explain why Rainwater initially believed he was Mexican before discovering his true roots.

With a 1944 prequel in development, fans are hopeful we’ll see more of Tiana’s story and how her descendants eventually returned to Montana. This could finally fill in the gaps of Rainwater’s family history, which remains much more mysterious than the well-documented Dutton lineage.

There are also tantalizing theories that Rainwater may be connected to the Dutton family itself, or even to major characters like Rip Wheeler. Such a revelation would bring the show’s themes of legacy, identity, and land ownership into sharper focus, transforming the conflict from a simple battle over territory into a deeply personal struggle rooted in shared bloodlines and history.

If Taylor Sheridan chooses to explore these connections, it could fundamentally reshape Yellowstone’s emotional and thematic core. Rainwater would no longer be just a rival or ally—he would be a living bridge between past and present, between two families whose destinies are more intertwined than anyone realized.

Stay tuned, because if these theories prove true, Thomas Rainwater’s story is about to change everything we know about Yellowstone.