Carter was first introduced in Season 4 of Yellowstone and quickly made an impact on the series. While it’s clear that Beth wants Carter to be the son she could never have after being unknowingly sterilized in her youth (and she certainly sees the similarities between the boy and Rip when he was that age), she struggles to treat him properly at first. It’s a strange situation, to be sure, but after Rip encourages Beth to put the boy to work, Carter grows a simple fondness for the ranch life. More than that, when he encounters John Dutton, he gets a glimpse of what his future could entail. “I know what I want to be when I grow up,” Carter explains to one of the ranch hands in Season 4’s aptly titled “I Want to Be Him.” You can guess his answer. When John is mercilessly assassinated in Season 5, Carter takes the loss pretty hard, believing that John Dutton was a man untouched by the rest of the world. With this harrowing realization, he continues to live on for his surrogate parents, and makes his own mistakes throughout the rest of the series.

With No Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, Carter Can Create His Own Cattle Empire

Being raised by both Rip and Beth will no doubt make Carter tough-as-nails, and a formidable rancher to be reckoned with. From Rip, he’ll learn the same ranching techniques that John once taught Rip years ago. He’ll understand all the intricacies of cattle, taking care of the land, and the other basics necessary for a cattle king. But from Beth, Carter will learn to become a shrewd businessman, and will likely learn the legal side of the business in a way that John never quite could. In this way, he may grow up to be a superior rancher compared to his surrogate grandfather. Now that John is dead, his memory will likely spur the young rancher to do just that — especially if tragedy continues to strike.

The Beth and Rip ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off Will No Doubt Continue Carter’s Story

As mentioned before, Carter won’t have the same sort of resources to work with that the Duttons did for over a century. The land is no longer theirs, and from what we can see at the end of Season 5’s finale, “Life Is a Promise,” the space that Rip and Carter have to work with is far more limited in size and scope. Still, that doesn’t mean that Carter won’t be able to use the Dutton brand to his advantage. If the Rip/Beth-led spin-off really is titled Dutton Ranch, it seems like the pair will be relaunching the family brand, and with Carter learning the ropes himself, it will be the perfect time to reveal himself as the next Dutton in line. Sure, he may not be blood, but he’s just as family as anyone else.