Out of ‘Yellowstone’s Bad Guys, These Two Are the Worst

Over the years, Yellowstone has had quite a few impressive villains. From greedy land developers to corporate conglomerates, just about everyone wants a piece of what the Duttons aren’t selling. But no villains rivaled the famed Beck Brothers who rocked the Dutton’s world during Season 2, putting a name and a face on pure evil, though they wouldn’t exactly see it that way. The first antagonists to flip John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) world on its head, the Beck Brothers were the worst of the worst, and Yellowstone still hasn’t quite recovered.

The Beck Brothers Were Forces to Be Reckoned With on ‘Yellowstone’

There’s no denying that the Beck Brothers––played by Neal McDonough and Terry Serpico––knew how to get what they wanted. Intimidation, blackmail, and even assassination attempts are all within the realm of possibility for these businessmen, and they’re willing to pit anyone against each other so long as they come out the victor. In possibly one of the most brutal scenes in the series, they even send a band of assassins and black-market assailants to “put Beth in her place” after the Dutton heiress (played masterfully by Kelly Reilly) refused to play ball (“Resurrection Day”). Thankfully, Rip (Cole Hauser) showed up to pull Beth out of the fire, but not before she got severely burned.

Additionally, the Beck Brothers had an air of superiority to them that made them stand out. While corporate stooges like Roarke Morris (Josh Holloway) weren’t much but a pretty face, and baddies like Garrett Randall (Will Patton) were essentially one-trick ponies, the Beck Brothers took their time to mess with their prey before going in for the kill. Compared to many of the other Yellowstone antagonists, these guys got stuff done. Waiting for John Dutton to give in was never an option for them. No, the Beck Brothers did everything within their power to force a surrender, getting more and more desperate with each episode.

Of course, desperation only makes one more dangerous, and the Becks certainly fit the bill. By the end of the second season, they poisoned the Dutton’s cattle, pointed the finger at Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) in an attempt to forge an alliance, and even kidnapped John’s grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill), when it all went south. These merciless businessmen, if you could even call them men, we behind some of the most dastardly deeds that ever occurred on Yellowstone, so it’s no wonder that they’re considered by many to be the types of villains we love to hate.

Neal McDonough Shines Particularly Bright as Malcolm Beck

But a villain is only as good as the actor playing the part, and Neal McDonough has proven himself time and again as one of the greatest character actors of the 21st century. Known for his villainous roles on television, such as Hanson on Van Helsing, Robert Quarles on Justified, and Damian Dahrk on Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, McDonough is at his best when he plays characters at their worst. He even appeared in 2023 as the Devil himself in the multiversal sci-fi film The Shift. But on Yellowstone, McDonough plays a different sort of villain, one who can go all-out, consequences be damned.

“One of the things I try to do with all of my villains is to make it so that everything they do is completely justified in their own brains,” McDonough explained in a special feature for the episode “Behind Us Only Grey.” “That’s the great thing about Malcolm Beck, that there’s a code of ethics, and if you cross that line, I’ll do everything I have to do to bring you back onto my side, and if you don’t want to come onto my side, you know what’s going to happen.” Of course, Malcolm Beck doesn’t see himself as a villain, hence why he often wears a lighter-colored hat, but whenever he aims to intimidate or succumb to the darkness within him, he changes colors like a chameleon changes its disguise.

“But again, as an actor, you can’t play it as evil, you have to play it as a simple businessman,” the actor concluded. “And I think that’s what makes Malcolm Beck so bloody chilling to watch.” McDonough is onto something here, and it’s no wonder after all these years of playing incredible villains on screen. The Beck Brothers are especially frightening antagonists because they see none of it as personal insult or injury, only business. That is until things go wrong and it becomes personal. Only then do we see their true colors, and how they’re willing to justify their actions as a result.

When the Beck Brothers Were Around, ‘Yellowstone’ Gave a Face and Name to Its Enemies

Compared to its earlier years, Yellowstone‘s later seasons have consisted of political campaigns and attempted corporate takeovers, with many of the Duttons’ later antagonists lacking any real name or personality. Yes, Market Equities has been a real thorn in the Duttons’ side for a while, and Garrett Randall certainly made his mark with his attempted assassinations of the whole family, but none of the show’s villains have been as memorable or as charismatic as the Beck Brothers, particularly Malcolm, who, as we’ve already explained, is such a fascinating figure to consider in the larger Yellowstone canon.

With these guys around, Yellowstone gave us two faces and a name we could all hate together, something that’s been seriously lacking ever since. While it’s easy to dislike many of the antagonists that creator Taylor Sheridan has introduced since, none have made the same sort of impression that the Beck Brothers did. Even as far as development is concerned, the Beck Brothers were interesting and layered characters who had an entire empire of their own that we could step into, one that was just as interesting as anything the Duttons were doing. But Market Equities? Garrett Randall? What did they have to offer the audience other than being a placeholder and proxy for the same sort of threat that Yellowstone‘s previous villains embodied better?

For shows like Yellowstone, which teters the line between being a soap opera and a prestigious TV drama, to succeed in the long term, there has to be more than just character drama keeping it going. Both the characters and the plot have to move forward, and Season 2 did just that. The Beck Brothers were a near-perfect example of how to raise the stakes after a strong first season and introduce compelling villains who can turn the entire idea behind the show on its head. Since then, the show hasn’t recovered, and it seems as if Sheridan has struggled to make Yellowstone as theatrical ever since. Sure, assassination cliffhangers and eerie spirit quests help, but so do villains with an axe to grind, and all the resources in the world to grind them.

The Beck Brothers Brought the Whole Cast of ‘Yellowstone’ Together

For Yellowstone‘s first season, Danny Huston’s real estate developer Dan Jenkins and Gil Birmingham‘s Chief Thomas Rainwater were the primary antagonistic forces behind the show. Even going into the second season, John Dutton and his family were still at odds with Jenkins and Rainwater as all three men threatened and taunted each other. But when the Beck Brothers became a bigger threat, hoping to encroach on both the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and Rainwater and Jenkins’ casino project on the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, it changed the nature of their relationships forever.

For the first time on the show, the Duttons, Rainwater, and Jenkins all worked together against a common enemy. Neither Malcolm nor Teal Beck would’ve thought twice about making enemies with any of them on their own, but they didn’t imagine that they’d eventually work together to stop the Becks from taking what they held most dear. This forever changed the landscape of Yellowstone and ushered in a new era of Dutton/Rainwater relations that has continued through the show’s fifth and final season. Jenkins, however, was assassinated by the Beck Brothers at the end of Season 2.

Whether you like that the Duttons and the folks at Broken Rock have been uneasy allies since or not, there’s no denying the lasting power that the Beck Brothers had on Yellowstone, even after Teal was killed by Kayce (Luke Grimes) for abducting Tate from the ranch. Malcolm’s fate, on the other hand, is still somewhat up in the air after that final standoff with John Dutton. “Malcolm Beck is certainly not dead,” actor Neal McDonough told Fox News in 2022, sparking plenty of fan theories about the fearsome Beck’s possible return. “I can’t imagine what Malcolm Beck would be like after he comes back… and [gets] revenge against the whole Dutton family. I just think it would be fantastic television, but we’ll see.” We don’t know much at all about the second half of Yellowstone Season 5. Maybe Malcolm Beck will return after all to take his revenge on the Duttons. Wouldn’t that be something?