Kayce’s Wife Is Missing in 'Marshals,' the 'Yellowstone' Spin-off — Here's What Happened

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the finale of Yellowstone and Season 1, Episode 1 of Marshals.

Taylor Sheridan's wildly successful Yellowstone series has already spawned a family of spin-off shows, and it doesn't look like he'll be slowing down any time soon. The most recent addition to the Yellowstone family is Marshals, which follows Kayce Dutton, picking up one year after he leaves the Yellowstone family ranch.

The show logline says that the ex-Navy SEAL will use his "cowboy and military skills to fight crime in Montana while dealing with family ties and the mental toll of law enforcement," per IMDb. Fans noticed that one major character in Kayce's life, Monica, was missing from the show's promotional material.

Yellowstone fans were right to worry when they didn't see Monica in teasers for Marshals. The polarizing character died during the year between the Yellowstone finale and the Marshals premiere, per Entertainment Weekly. She passed away from cancer, which she contracted from toxic waste pollution on the reservation she grew up on. Several others who grew up on the Broken Rock Reservation also died of cancer from the same toxins.

Although her character will be missing, it seems that Monica's death will be a driving force for the new series. It's the reason Kayce feels driven to become a Marshal.

Kayce's actor, Luke Grimes, told Entertainment Weekly that his character needed some adversity to spur the events of the new series. "Obviously, we can't just watch this guy have his dream life … Something's gonna have to happen that gets in the way of him having that," Luke shared. He added, "Otherwise, why is he gonna take a badge? The last time we saw him, he was throwing a badge in a field. Is he gonna go pick it up?"

Spencer Hudnut, who is a show creator alongside Taylor Sheridan, agreed that Monica was killed to motivate Kayce to make a big life change. They wanted to explore the darker side of the character's emotions. Spencer said, "A person in that kind of pain could do anything ... There's something very volatile and very kinetic about that."

Spencer also confirmed that Monica's spirit will live on in the new show. He said, "Her presence and spirit will remain throughout this series. She's such a huge part of who Kayce Dutton is that she will be with him along the way."

Monica's death affects her son's storyline as well. In the premiere, Kayce's son, Tate, holds up a photo of his mom during a protest over a mine that could perpetuate the issue of toxic waste dumping. He tells Kayce, "After how much Mom suffered, we should be leading the charge here — not waving the white flag."

Monica's actor, Kelsey Asbille, has not publicly commented on her character's absence from the Yellowstone spin-off series. However, Luke said that he talked about the news with her, and reported that she "handled it like a pro and totally understood," per TV Insider. "I worked up the courage to call. I didn’t know how she was going to feel about it. I had to see how she was doing. We had a great conversation," he said.

Luke had many kind words to say about Kelsey. He said that she's one of his best friends and that she's "down to earth, sweet, and kind to every other actor and the crew." He later added, "She is so talented, gorgeous, and awesome. She’s going to work. That’s not an issue."