Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for 1923 season 1, episode 1!
The 1923 pilot episode ends with Spencer Dutton getting ambushed by a jaguar that he's hunting in Nairobi, Africa, implying that Spencer suffers a sudden and unexpected death. Spencer is the youngest son of James and Margaret Dutton, and he was just a young boy back in 1883. 40 years later, Spencer has become a grown man, using his skills as a veteran of the Great War to hunt the predators that threaten tourists on African safaris.
As 1923 is a Yellowstone spinoff, it wouldn't be that surprising if such a major character like Spencer Dutton would die so early in the series. After all, with the cast of 1923 being stacked with some of the biggest names in film history, the spinoff can afford to let go of certain characters. Moreover, with Spencer still being burdened by PTSD from his time as a soldier, it's conceivable that a jaguar would be able to sneak up on him for a lethal blow. With the 1923 pilot ending on this cliffhanger, audiences are left to wonder about Spencer's real fate.
Does Spencer Dutton Die In 1923?
Although it's heavily implied that the jaguar kills Spencer, it's highly unlikely that 1923 would kill off such a major character so early in the series. In fact, actor Brandon Sklenar who plays Spencer in 1923 is one of the actors highlighted in the prequel series' intro sequence. Spencer Dutton is also listed on IMDB as appearing on all eight episodes of 1923 season 1. Furthermore, based on the trailer for 1923, Spencer's scenes in the pilot won't be his last in the show.
Could Spencer die at some point in 1923? Yes, it's possible, the fate of every Dutton in 1923 is unknown, and as long-time viewers of Yellowstone know, death in the Sheridan-verse can come at the most unexpected times. This applies not only to Spencer but to every other main character in the Yellowstone prequel. While the jaguar in the 1923 pilot is unlikely to kill Spencer so easily, the war veteran-turned-hunter could walk away with yet another impressive scar and reminder of his mortality.
Spencer's "Death" In The 1923 Pilot Pays Tribute To Yellowstone
Spencer Dutton's brush with death is part of a pattern of ill omens that began in the Yellowstone pilot, which saw the surprising death of Lee Dutton, John's youngest son. Notably, Lee's death was mirrored by the last moments of Elsa Dutton in the 1883 ending. Apart from paying tribute to the Yellowstone pilot, Spencer's "death" feels real because of this pattern of Dutton deaths throughout key episodes of shows in the Sheridan-verse.
However, with 1923's Spencer Dutton being likely to survive facing a jaguar, perhaps the big tragedy is being reserved for the ending or peak of 1923's premiere season. As Elsa Dutton narrates in the cold open of the 1923 pilot, "Violence has always haunted this family." In what is shaping up to be the darkest Yellowstone story yet, 1923 is unlikely to end happily for the Duttons.