Jeff Lima returning in Chicago Fire season 7

Chicago Fire is bringing back another recurring character, as Jeff Lima will reprise his role as Leon Cruz later in Chicago Fire season 7.

There’s going to be another character coming back to Chicago Fire, and it’s happening sooner than you think!

Jeff Lima is returning as Leon Cruz, the younger brother of Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), in an upcoming episode that’s scheduled to air in February. Lima’s representatives have told One Chicago Center that he’ll be seen in the season’s 15th episode, which is slated for Feb. 15.

Leon was last seen in the sixth season, when he returned from witness protection in the episode “An Even Bigger Surprise” to surprise Joe on his birthday.

Before that, he had been mixed up with gangs during the show’s first and second seasons, which eventually led to him being shipped out of Chicago and sent to Florida. Leon’s struggles, and Joe’s involvement in them, almost ended Joe’s career as a firefighter.

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But when Leon Cruz turns up in his next episode of Chicago Fire, it’s not going to be for another party. Per our information, his appearance will include a few “pivotal moments” that lay the groundwork for the next crossover between Fire and Chicago PD.

It’s anyone’s guess exactly what that entails. When One Chicago fans saw Leon last season, he’d cleaned his life up and seemed pretty happy.

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That means there are multiple ways his storyline can go next. Is his difficult past going to catch up to Leon and pull him back into the line of fire?

Or is Leon going to see some way that he can help—having already been undercover with the Chicago Police Department once before—and volunteer to put himself into another dangerous situation? Either way, one can’t imagine that Joe will be that thrilled about his brother’s choices.

But it’ll be great to see Leon back, because Joe could certainly use to see his brother again. He can introduce his brother to his new girlfriend Chloe (recurring guest star Kristen Gutoskie) and generally just get some brotherly bonding time that he hasn’t really had in a long while. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t end in tragedy, which seems to be the theme when this franchise brings back family members.

Stay tuned later this week for our interview with Jeff Lima where he dishes on what it was like to return to Chicago Fire and gives a few clues about what’s next for Leon!

For the latest Chicago Fire season 7 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.