Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe is expanding, but it’s unclear if all the characters who survived the series finale will appear in spin-offs…

Since Yellowstone‘s final episode aired in December 2024, fans of the Sheridan-verse were thrilled to learn that the Dutton siblings would live on in upcoming series. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) are set to continue their stories in Dutton Ranch, while Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) will return in Marshals, set to premiere March 1 on CBS.

The official Marshals synopsis is as follows: “With the Yellowstone Ranch behind him, Kayce joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana. Kayce and his teammates — Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos) and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means) — must balance the high psychological cost of serving as the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence with their duty to their families, which for Kayce includes his son Tate (Brecken Merrill) and his confidantes Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) from the Broken Rock reservation.”

The spin-off sounds thrilling, and we’re excited to hear that other Yellowstone stars like Merill, Birmingham, and Mo Brings Plenty are still prominent fixtures in Kayce’s daily lives. But one star is notably missing from the cast and trailer: Kelsey Asbille, who played Kayce’s wife and Tate’s mom, Monica.

So does Monica die in Marshals? And is Kelsey Asbille in the Yellowstone spinoff?! Here’s why fans fear Marshals kills off Monica and Asbille leaves the Yellowstone universe.

Does Monica Die in Marshals? Why Fans Think Kelsey Asbille Isn’t In Marshals:

Before Yellowstone concluded, Kayce sold the family land to Rainwater for $1.25 an acre, or 1.1 mil in total, to return the Yellowstone and Paradise Valley to the Broken Rock People. Kayce, Monica, and Tate officially moved to East Camp and were finally settled following the Dutton family drama and John’s (Kevin Costner) tragic, unexpected death. So naturally, fans assumed Marshals would pick up with Kayce and fam right where we left them…in a good, loving place!

When Asbille’s name was absent from the new show’s synopsis and cast list, however, fans started to wonder if she and Monica would even be in Marshals. If she was, surely she’d be listed with Kayce’s family and confidants alongside Tate, Mo, and Rainwater, right?!

To add to initial suspicions of Monica’s death/Asbille’s lack of involvement in the spin-off, earlier this week CBS dropped a gripping Marshals trailer, and Monica was nowhere to be found. On top of that, the trailer featured a brief glimpse of Kayce and Tate staring at a bed as a body was covered with a white sheet. So could that be Monica?!!? An at-home caregiver covered the body, and the bedside table featured several bottles of pills. So perhaps the deceased succumbed to illness? The curious scene also appeared right as a Kayce voiceover said, “The only thing I ever wanted was taken from me,” which suggests his wife may really be gone.

As the trailer continued and Kayce’s pal Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) appeared, Kayce asked if Pete was performing a “wellness check,” which implied that the Yellowstone alum was in need of one. The following scene showed Kayce kneeling down at what appears to be a headstone, later admitting that “most of” his family was gone. So who’s headstone is it? And is Monica joining the long list of deceased Dutton family members?! We’re counting down the days until we find out.

On a more hopeful note, fans also noted that a mystery woman with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders also walked up beside Kayce in a brief clip towards the end of the trailer. Whether that’s Monica — or even a scene in present-day (we know Yellowstone loved a good flashback) — is unclear. But we do know Monica was a controversial character in the Yellowstone community, so if Asbille isn’t in Marshals it will be interesting to learn how and why the decision to move on without her was made.