Yellowstone enthusiasts have spun a wild hypothesis that might signal the dramatic

comeback of John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) by the climax of season five. After

the long-awaited debut of season fives ninth episode, Desire Is All You Need, fans were

stunned as John is discovered deceased in the Governor’s mansion from an apparent

self-inflicted fatality.

Nonetheless, his daughter Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) smells deceit immediately and it was soon exposed that Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) accomplice Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) had crafted the fake suicide plot. Yet, the mystery lingers: Is John Dutton truly gone?

Following the tempestuous midseason premiere, theories are swirling amongst fervent followers, with some pitching intensely speculative scenarios.

Despite Kevin Costner severing all association with the series as of last June, there’s buzz suggesting he could shock audiences with an orchestrated return, according to an online debate on Reddit where one devotee posited: “John is not dead, the hit was intercepted and he is working to bring down the fixer who is hooking up with Jamie.”

This emerges despite the absence of Costner’s image from the scene. John is never fully identified on camera, hinting at possibly extensive facial injuries. While the speculation didn’t aim for serious consideration, another commenter jumped aboard, alleging: “The dead body was a double where the face was too badly injured to truly identify”, reports the Mirror.

“Late in the season, as Beth and Kayce (Luke Grimes) are facing off against Jamie, what looks like a tornado hits the ranch. What it is really is two riders doing horse twirlies and kicking up dust.

“The first is John, who set this in motion to see who he could trust. The second is Travis (showrunner Taylor Sheridan’s character), who is revealed as the one true hero of the show and saves everything and everyone before triumphantly twirling off into the sunset. The end.”

Their proposal did descend into parody, but perhaps there’s still something in the idea that Costner and Sheridan’s parting of ways is just a smokescreen for one of the most shocking TV twists ever.

One fan spotted another potential clue that suggests the body the police are analysing actually belongs to someone else.

“I saw them dusting for powder residue on the left hand of the body, but Costner is right handed?” they mused.

Could the victim simply be a body double set up by John after he caught wind of Sarah’s schemes?

Plenty of fans agreed, with one saying: “I think John comes back, I really do.”

“I think this whole beef is manufactured and it’ll be part of a big reveal.”