Marshals' Dark Rip Wheeler Is Yellowstone's Absolute Best Replacement

Published Oct 5, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

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Yellowstone's spinoffs have faced criticism about attempting to recreate the franchise's most beloved characters rather than investing in new ones, but Marshals dark Rip Wheeler replacement is a fascinating missed opportunity for the CBS series. While Taylor Sheridan's flagship series has loomed large over both Marshals and Dutton Ranch in the past year, Yellowstone is long over, and its spinoffs are currently the shows that are telling the Dutton's stories, even without some of the major figures involved. Still, the spinoffs have seen countless discussions about what characters from the original series that the new characters represent or closely resemble.

Marshals has mostly avoided the trap of pulling in familiar archetypes by moving away from ranch politics and sticking closely to the more procedural elements of its story. Even so, Marshals season 1 introduced a character who quickly evoked comparisons to Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) in Jeb (Kevin McNamara), one of Tom Weaver's enforcers. In the same way that Rip was often seen as the muscle making things happen for the Dutton family on Yellowstone, Jeb was introduced at the end of Marshals first season as someone fiercely loyal to Weaver who would be physically intimidating and closed to negotiation.

While Jeb resembles Rip in frame, the most interesting part of his character was easily the possibilities of what a distorted, dark version of the Yellowstone character could've become. With the Marshals season 2 premiere pulling the rug out from beneath that potential story, the show both highlighted the possibilities and shut the door on them.

Marshals Season 2 Sets Jeb As The Dark Version Of Rip

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With a limited role during Marshals season 1, it's clear from his introduction that Jeb's role is straightforward. Introduced as one of Tom Weaver's most trusted guys, Jeb functions as muscle for the East Camp land-grab operation that gradually develops into one of the season's major conflicts. Unlike Tom, whose motivations are rooted in greed and power throughout his time on screen, Jeb doesn't present himself as an independent decision-maker. Instead, he acts as an extension of Weaver's will, carrying out what he's asked to without question. That dynamic is reminiscent of Rip's role in Yellowstone in the early years.

Throughout much of the original series, Rip served as John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) trusted and dependable enforcer, carrying out difficult tasks to protect the ranch at all costs. Rarely questioning his orders, Rip was a fully fleshed out character by the time Yellowstone came to an end. The flagship series spent years developing Rip and establishing his moral framework, which made it clear why he was comfortable and secure carrying out sometimes brutal actions for the sake of the Dutton family. Rip's actions were usually connected to things he believed in, which allowed him to remain a fairly sympathetic character.

Marshals' Jeb seemed like he may fit the bill to be a Rip-type character, but the CBS series didn't take the time to invest in his growth or allow audiences to find an emotional anchor point within the character. Instead, Jeb demonstrated what happens when Rip's characteristics are devoted to the wrong cause.

Yellowstone's Direct Replacement Characters Are Boring

CBS

TV franchises can fall into the habit of creating replacement characters, especially when they're deep into a universe and working with spinoff after spinoff of an original series. When a popular figure leaves a series or their role shifts within a show, it's typical that a new character arrives to fill a similar narrative function, keeping balance within the story as a whole. While this is a typical habit on TV, the result is often too predictable for viewers to find interesting, mostly because the overall comparison overwhelms the new addition's identity, ensuring they're not as important as the original.

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The Yellowstone universe has occasionally found itself at the center of these comparisons, especially as the spinoffs have continued into their sophomore seasons. New ranch hands invite comparisons to older ranch hands, or new antagonists are measured against previous villains. Most of the comparisons don't find themselves holding much water, but the comparison between Jeb's character and Rip's has more weight to it than usual. Rip's devotion to John Dutton and the ranch repeatedly forced him into morally questionable situations, and seeing another version of that character on the complete opposite side of the Dutton family in Jeb was interesting.

Marshals used Jeb as a way to show the archetype of Rip's character without the emotional investment, which caused more harm than good. Though Marshals season 2 could've created a far richer story if it invested in building out the Weaver side of the story with Jeb included, the series is too focused on Kayce to do so.

What Happens To Jeb In Marshals Season 2

CBS

Although there seemed to be an adversarial relationship developing between Kayce and Weaver's glorified henchman, Marshals season 2's premiere closes the door on much of that potential tension. As the rescue operation unfolds, Kayce eventually reaches Tate and attempts to escape Weaver's forces. During the confrontation, Jeb pursues them, leading to a violent struggle that ends with Kayce killing him. The fight between the men is a quick one, but it ends decisively, removing one of the direct threats to Kayce, Tate, and the mounting issues with East Camp. While it's an understandable choice, Jeb's death was a disappointing one.

Jeb had a clear thematic purpose that tied back to the greater Yellowstone universe. He wasn't another obstacle for Kayce to overcome, but instead he embodied an alternate version of one of the franchise's most recognizable character types, and that gave him narrative value beyond the direct and immediate conflict. Had Jeb survived Marshals season 2's premiere, he could've returned to explore a parallel between himself and Rip that may have provided an even stronger link between Marshals and Dutton Ranch. While the decision to have Kayce kill Jeb in order to rescue Tate wasn't wrong, it limits the story.

In a franchise that's filled with spot-on comparisons and obvious character counterparts, Marshals season 2's decision to proceed with a character that ties back Rip Wheeler was an interesting choice. While he wasn't a direct replacement, Jeb being the shadow of Rip's character type over Marshals saw a glimmer of potential, despite the story coming to a swift end.