There’s a surprising number of candidates after Brett’s exit.
Chicago Fire feels a little bit like its cleaning house in season 12. The firefighting drama said goodbye to Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende) in the season premiere, and Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) left town after marrying Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer), another former lead.
You’d think that’d be enough for a single season, but Chicago Fire has continued to plant seeds and suggest that other characters are considering leaving the 51 as well. There’s been personal drama, professional setbacks, and a general sense of uncertainty as we enter the second half of season 12.
Here are some of the characters who have suggested they will be elsewhere by the end of the year (though we hope they aren’t).
Kelly Severide
It’s become part of the Chicago Fire experience to speculate on what the heck Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) is going to do next. The character comes and goes seemingly every couple episodes, which has not only been tough on his wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), but on the fans as well.
Severide made it back in time for Brett and Casey’s wedding, but it was a close call, and the character hasn’t really divulged whether he plans to get back out on the road. If he continues to do this, he may as well not even be part of the 51! We hope he decides to stay sooner rather than later.
Joe Cruz
Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) is an interesting one because he straight up told Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) that he thinks its time for him to leave 51. Granted, he said it after a particularly heated exchange with Severide, who belittled him, but it’s clear that Cruz is looking at his career from a macro perspective.
He’s a valuable firefighter, and if he could easily be a lieutenant if given the chance. If Severide decides to stay at 51, however, it creates a lack of openings, so Cruz would have to look into other firehouses if he wanted to continue to move up the chain of command.
Things are better between Cruz and Severide, but the former is still worth keeping an eye on.
Christopher Herrmann
Admittedly, the least likely candidate on this list. Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) is a lifer, so there isn’t a risk of him making a move to another firehouse or anything. The bigger issue is age, and his recent health issues.
The character was forced to utilize hearing aids after a potent explosion, and he’s getting close to retirement age. We’re not saying he’s going to die on the job or anything so dramatic, but a near future in which Herrmann decides to hang it up is not altogether surprising.
Derrick Gibson
We’re still trying to figure out what’s up with Derrick Gibson (Rome Flynn). The character has some demons to deal with, as evidenced by the manslaughter story he shared with Carver (Jake Lockett), but the show is making it seem as though his time with 51 is coming to an end.
To be clear, Gibson joined the team the episode after Gallo left, so he’s barely clocked any screen time. While extenuating circumstances are always worth taking into account, it would be bizarre from a sheer narrative standpoint to introduce Gibson and then immediately axe him.
We hope to get some clarity on his character soon (especially if he’s on his way out).
