Yellowstone fans in disbelief over Kevin Costner's exit storyline as they complain about part 2 premiere

Yellowstone made its highly-anticipated return on Sunday with the second part of its fifth and final season – and it's safe to say fans aren't too happy about Kevin Costner's exit storyline.

Warning! Spoilers for season five, part two premiere ahead!

The episode opens with the dramatic death of Kevin's character John Dutton, who is found with a gunshot wound to the head on the floor of his bathroom. Part of John's body is seen lying on the ground, with Kevin's face not shown in the scene.

Later, John's son Jamie (Wes Bentley) calls a press conference where he announces that his father died by suicide.

Taking to social media, fans criticised the storyline with many saying Kevin "deserved better".

One fan wrote: "Kevin Costner deserved a better ending. Kudos to being one of the best characters in television in the last decade. Nobody will ever come close," while another added: "Honestly I knew that Kevin Costner wasn't coming back but Taylor Sheridan should've found a better way to kill him off!"

A third viewer penned: "Even though we know KEVIN COSTNER wasn't supposed to come back for the rest of #Yellowstone. The way to end his character was just dumbfounded and lazy. Could've been a better way or he just could've rode off into the sunset."

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Others defended the show's writers, with one person penning: "Listen, Kevin Costner wasn't coming back. Am I happy that THAT is how they wrote off John Dutton? Not really. But at the same time, it plays into the story. There weren't a whole lot of options they could do. I have faith that this final season will still be great."

A second fan added: "How are people surprised that the John Dutton character got killed off? Kevin Costner announced a year ago he quit the show. This was the obvious way things were going to play out."

Kevin, who starred as Dutton patriarch John since 2018, announced his departure due to scheduling conflicts. His exit comes amid reports of a fallout with show creator Taylor Sheridan.

In June, Kevin told People he was "disappointed" about the producers' handling of rumours surrounding his exit.

"I was disappointed that nobody on their side... ever stepped up to defend what it was I actually did for them," he said. "There came a moment where I thought, 'Wow, when is somebody going to say something about what I have done versus what I haven't done?'"