Former Yellowstone season 2 villain actor Neal McDonough teases the character's possible return. McDonough is a famed character actor from a variety of TV projects, including Band of Brothers, Traveler, Desperate Housewives, Justified, and Arrow, to name just a few. The actor has also appeared in a number of feature films, including Minority Report, Walking Tall, Flags of our Fathers, and Captain America: The First Avenger as Dum Dum Dugan.
In Yellowstone season 2, McDonough played Malcolm Beck, a shady local businessman with deep pockets who was displeased with the competition of Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and decides to push things too far when John Dutton (Kevin Costner) doesn't agree to go along with the plan to disrupt Rainwater's plans to build a casino in the area. This forces a confrontation after Beck goes after the Dutton family, as he gets a militia to kidnap Kayce Dutton's son and attempt to rape and murder Beth Dutton. John Dutton severely wounds Beck in Yellowstone season 2's final showdown and it's assumed that Beck dies as a result, although it's been frequently speculated that he could have survived his wounds.
In an interview with TV Line, McDonough comments on those speculations, affirming that he believes Beck may not have met the fate that viewers initially thought. When asked about his character's death at the end of Yellowstone season 2 "sending shockwaves" McDonough was quick to point out that it's very possible that the character is still alive, saying, "Did I die? Did I? I’m not so sure about that. We have talked about the fact we didn’t actually see Malcolm Beck’s eyes close. There is always that possibility. My brother won’t be coming back for sure, but there is a possibility." Beck's brother, Teal Beck (Terry Serpico), was killed by Kayce Dutton, leaving no question as to his fate, but Beck was far more ambiguous in his last scene on the show.
Yellowstone has frequently had rotating villains on the show from season to season, including McDonough's Beck. Other villain actors have included Danny Huston, Josh Holloway, and Wes Bentley (who acts as a back-and-forth villain, seeing as he is a Dutton). Yellowstone season 5 is currently filming and while some new cast members have been added to the new season, McDonough's name isn't among them. However, it's entirely possible that showrunner Taylor Sheridan could be keeping Beck's return a secret if there is indeed a plan to bring him back.
McDonough's Beck was a particularly vile and conniving villain, making for some great drama in Yellowstone season 2. His methods and attitude created the perfect dynamic between him and the Duttons, making for all-around great TV. Having a strong antagonist is key for any project and McDonough has played that role multiple times in multiple shows with continued success. Having Beck return would be a first for Yellowstone, which sees far more death than resurrections in its plotting. One thing is for sure: if Beck does happen to return, the Duttons will assuredly have their hands full.
Source: TV Insider