A missing 1923 story-line raises questions about Yellowstone universe continuity 

1923 has done a lot to shape the Yellowstone legacy, but one oddly missing storyline now has fans scratching their heads. A key detail about Spencer Dutton, which was mentioned in the flagship Yellowstone series, quietly vanished in the prequel without any explanation.

This missing piece doesn't just create confusion about Spencer, but it also throws the whole Dutton family tree and timeline into question. So what happened, and why does it matter so much to the Yellowstone continuity?

A detail from Yellowstone that 1923 never followed through on

In Yellowstone Season 4, John Dutton shares a personal memory that once seemed like a throwaway line but now feels far more important. Speaking to ranch hand Jimmy, he says;

"My grandfather lost his leg. He said the worst pain he ever felt was in his toes after his leg was gone. Phantom pain, they call it."

That brief moment gave viewers one of the only insights into Spencer Dutton before 1923 ever aired. It set the stage for a character with a significant physical loss, something dramatic enough to leave a lasting mark on future generations.

But as 1923 unfolded, there was no sign of Spencer losing a leg. He was shown going through brutal challenges, including war and a harsh journey back home, but never once did the series follow up on the missing limb.

Even in the final moments of the series, when we see an older Spencer cloaked in shadow, there's no clear hint he's missing a leg. At most, there's a limp, but it could just be age. Given how rare such character details are in Yellowstone, this omission stands out.

The absence of this injury raises the question: Did Taylor Sheridan forget, or was the idea quietly dropped to serve a different narrative direction?

The shifting Dutton family tree and its ongoing confusion

Beyond Spencer's unexplained leg, 1923 creates another puzzle by leaving John Dutton's lineage a little murky. With Jack Dutton shot and killed in the second season, the only remaining candidates to father Kevin Costner's John Dutton are Spencer or, possibly, a new generation entirely.

After Spencer reunites with Alex, she dies from complications of frostbite shortly after giving birth to their son. They named him John in memory of Spencer's late brother. Fans of Yellowstone will recognize this child as John Dutton Sr., who was seen in a flashback played by Dabney Coleman.

So does this confirm Spencer as the direct ancestor of John Dutton? It seems that way. But the timeline still feels strained, especially when comparing it to Yellowstone's earlier hints.

There's even speculation among fans about whether John Dutton might've been talking about a maternal grandfather instead. But with Jack gone and Elizabeth eventually distancing herself from the Dutton ranch, the chances of Jack's child staying connected to the ranch seem slim.

The storylines built around these characters, right from Elizabeth's pregnancy to Alex's tragic end, make the family path feel more like a maze than a line.

1923 might have answered who John Dutton's grandfather is, but in doing so, it forgot one of the few clear details Yellowstone gave us in the first place. By skipping Spencer's leg injury and making the family timeline harder to follow, the prequel leaves the Yellowstone universe with threads it may never tie up.

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