Who Killed Travis in ‘Yellowjackets’? Our Theories

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of Yellowjackets.

Showtime’s mystery-thriller show Yellowjackets has almost returned for Season 2, and fans are hungrier than ever to have their burning Season 1 questions answered. Most importantly, fans have questions about the fate of Travis Martinez (Kevin Alves/Andres Soto).

Throughout the season, audiences learn that Travis survives their time in the wilderness and returns home. As an adult, he sadly meets a tragic end in the Season 1 finale, where Natalie (Sophie Thatcher/Juliette Lewis) and Misty (Sammi Hanratty/Christina Ricci) uncover his body hanging from a barn ceiling. Natalie insists that his death is murder, prompting enormous speculation.

Who killed Travis in Yellowjackets? Here are our best theories before Season 2.

Yellowjackets fans have had two years to develop their best theories as to which characters could have murdered Travis — if he was murdered at all. The show is known for its twists and turns to keep fans on the edge of their seats, but we’re hoping Season 2 will finally answer the mystery of Travis’ death. Several characters could have killed Travis, but here are the most common theories.

The season 1 finale ended with Natalie’s former sponsor, Suzie, calling her on the phone and screaming that someone had drained Travis’ bank account — Lottie Matthews (Courtney Eaton/Simone Kessell), to be specific, who until that point, fans didn’t realize had survived the wilderness. Throughout the first season, Lottie developed mysterious gifts that could be interpreted as supernatural or just hallucinations.

Either way, the little information fans are given about her character is that as an adult, Lottie runs some sort of commune. Could Travis have angered Lottie somehow, so she set her acolytes on him?

During Season 1, fans learn that Taissa Turner (Jasmine Savoy Brown/Tawny Cypress) struggles with sleepwalking. As both a teen in the wilderness and an adult, she wakes up in the woods, shoveling dirt into her mouth, with no memory of how she got there.

It’s entirely plausible after the events of Season 1, where Adult Taissa’s wife, Simone, discovers a hidden altar in her house (complete with a beheaded Biscuit), that Taissa lost control and hurt Travis without knowing it.

In an interview with Variety in July 2022, Yellowjackets co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and executive producer-showrunner Jonathan Lisco spoke with Kate Aurthur ahead of Season 2. The trio revealed that they deliberately obscure how many people are in the group scenes to keep audience members from trying to guess who lives until 1998, when the team is rescued.

It could be the case that whoever is responsible for murdering Travis is a character audiences haven’t encountered yet as an adult, even if they’ve been onscreen as a teen.

Tricky “reporter” Jessica Roberts (Rekha Sharma) approaches each former Yellowjackets team member with promises of a six-figure book deal to dig into their lives. It’s revealed early on by Shauna and Misty that Jessica might not be a reporter, as she doesn’t work at any known newspaper. During Season 1, she is kidnapped by Misty, who questions her for information, insistent that Jessica is the one blackmailing them.

Although Jessica was not blackmailing the group, Misty drugs Jessica’s cigarettes and “lets her go,” only for Jessica to meet an uncertain fate via car crash after the drugs make her lose consciousness. If Jessica is still alive, she could have exacted revenge against Travis in retaliation for her capture? Or does she have motives entirely unknown to viewers?

Although Natalie theorizes that Travis wouldn’t kill himself, none of the former teammates know that for certain. Travis leaves Natalie a mysterious note in his home that says, “Tell Nat she was right,” but doesn’t explain what she was right about. Fans hope that Travis didn’t commit suicide, but anything is possible in the world of Yellowjackets.

Don’t forget to tune into Yellowjackets Season 2, available for Showtime subscribers on March 24, 2023. Episodes will then be released weekly on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.