10 Yellowjackets Characters Most Likely To Die Before The Show Ends, Ranked

Spoilers are ahead for Yellowjackets season 2.

Both Yellowjackets timelines are full of shocking twists — and that includes unexpected main character deaths. The one certainty might just be that no one is safe until the Yellowjackets finale rolls its credits. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the thriller chronicles past and present threads. In the former, which is set in 1996, a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team winds up in a devastating plane crash while flying to Seattle, Washington for a tournament. Stranded in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months, the surviving team members struggle to maintain their physical and mental well-being.

In the present-day storyline, which is set 25 years after the horrific plane crash, those who made it out of the wilderness continue to deal with the ramifications of their ordeal. In Yellowjackets season 2, the adult Lottie Matthews (Simone Kessell) returns to the fold as the one in charge of a wellness commune — a career trajectory that echoes her young adult character’s (Courtney Eaton) transformation into a spiritual leader. The core characters’ run-in with adult Lottie results in Natalie (Juliette Lewis) seemingly dying in Misty’s (Christina Ricci) arms in the Yellowjackets season 2 finale.

10 Adult Shauna

While it’s clear that Shauna survives the ordeal in the wilderness, that doesn’t mean the character will live to see the end of Yellowjackets. Played by Melanie Lynskey, the unhappy homemaker can’t seem to shake her time in the forest. Not only was she one of the most proficient hunters, but Shauna still has all of that Jackie trauma to deal with. Haunted by the past, Shauna has a strained relationship with her daughter, Callie, in Yellowjackets season 1. While that dynamic shifted in season 2, the mother-daughter bond might be the (thematic) reason Shauna won’t survive the series.

9 Adult Misty

One of Yellowjackets‘ more unhinged characters, Misty (Christina Ricci) is kind of the one responsible for the whole 19 months in the wilderness ordeal. Notably, she dismantles the plane’s black box and continuously manipulates those around her. While that’s kind of par for the course in a survival thriller like Yellowjackets, it would be somewhat satisfying to see Misty pay for her under-the-radar sadistic tendencies. However, the amateur sleuth might live since she was saved by Nat in the season 2 finale.

8 Adult Taissa

The ever-determined Taissa (Tawny Cypress) develops a sleepwalking habit post-plane crash, which evolves into a kind of psychogenic fugue. Needless to say, there are two sides to Taissa — the driven would-be politician and the woman who’s so haunted by her past that she puts her family in jeopardy. Like Shauna, Taissa is clearly one of the ensemble show’s core characters, so her death might be unlikely given her position in the cast. Still, the thriller might just shock viewers by ending Taissa’s story early.

7 Adult Lottie

In the past timeline, Lottie runs out of the medication used to help her manage the symptoms of her schizophrenia. Between that and the mental stress of being stranded in the wilderness, she begins to experience visions and becomes a kind of spiritual leader in some of the girls’ eyes. In adulthood, Lottie runs a commune and, just before meeting up with her former teammates, begins to once again experience haunting visions. While Lottie survives season 2, she is one of Yellowjackets‘ antagonists — at least in the eyes of the Yellowjackets‘ core cast of characters.

6 Adult Van

Adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) doesn’t make an appearance until Yellowjackets season 2. Even so, she’s a core member of the group, especially given her past romantic relationship with Taissa. Not a main character but more crucial to the story than a random supporting player, Van’s death could carry just emotional and narrative resonance to make it a very likely possibility. Not to mention, adult Van was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so her outlook isn’t great regardless of how the thriller’s plot turns out.

5 Mari

The sarcastic Mari (Alexa Barajas) is deeply devoted to Lottie while in the wilderness. Initially a skeptic, she becomes the biggest believer of all and, in doing so, threatens to disrupt the Yellowjackets’ already-fragile relationships. While she could have survived the ordeal, it does seem strange that Mari doesn’t make an appearance at Lottie’s season 2 commune. That said, it would be a huge blow to Lottie’s leadership — and credentials as a spiritual figure — for Mari to die in the wilderness.

4 Ben

Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) is the team’s assistant coach, though he deals with much more than he bargained for post-plane crash. After the wreck, Misty amputates his leg in order to save his life and, afterward, tries to pursue him. The only adult to survive the initial ordeal, Ben is continually horrified by the girls’ behavior. Moreover, he lights the cabin on fire at the end of Yellowjackets season 2, thus destroying the team’s source of shelter from the elements. Between all the cannibalism and unbridled rage, Coach Ben might be next on the menu.

3 Adult Jeff

Jeff (Warren Kole), Shauna’s husband and Jackie’s ex, has become something of the ultimate spouse in the eyes of Yellowjackets fans. While he seemingly poses a threat to Shauna and the other survivors in season 1, he turns out to be a solid ally as the series progresses. One of the few men on the show, Jeff might survive because of that fact — or he might end up like all the other men in the Yellowjackets’ lives: dead. While it would be heartening for Jeff, Callie, and Shauna to all survive the series, that seems unlikely.

2 Akilah

Another member of the Yellowjackets soccer team, Akilah (Keeya King, season 1; Nia Sondaya, season 2) appears in season 1, but becomes more of a focal point in Yellowjackets season 2. Able to discern which plants are edible, Akilah is key to the group’s survival. However, she hasn’t appeared in the present timeline — and that means her fate is very much up in the air. That said, her death might just factor into Yellowjackets season 3.

1 Gen

Yet another member of the Yellowjackets soccer team, Gen (Mya Lowe) is really given a lot of screen time before the show’s sophomore outing. As a minor-yet-named character who’s stranded in the wilderness, Gen — like Akilah — doesn’t seem very likely to survive. After all, if the show plans to deliver more haunting deaths, it will have to do so by ending side characters’ storylines. As more Yellowjackets characters are picked off in the past and shown in the present, Gen’s odds of survival become slimmer.