3 characters who could die on Chicago Fire

Darren Ritter

Speaking of Ritter, there’s no one on Chicago Fire who’s in more trouble than Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri). For one, he’s also standing directly in front of the boiler, as he’s helping Herrmann try to keep it from blowing up, over Herrmann’s vehement objections. So whatever happens, there’s no way it doesn’t affect him somehow.

For two, he’s a recurring guest star. Logistically speaking, it’s much easier to jettison Daniel Kyri than to drop someone who’s a series regular with a much longer contract. Recurring story arcs can end at any time, after all.

But for three, Ritter is Chicago Fire‘s equivalent of the red shirt on Star Trek. This show has a real habit of introducing new firefighters, bringing them into Firehouse 51, and then getting rid of them as soon as it’s moved on to the next thing. It happened with Scott Rice (season 3), it happened with Jason Kannell (season 6), so the writers could decide to kill Ritter off just because they feel he’s served his purpose and they don’t need him around anymore.

That’d be unfortunate, because it’d reinforce what’s becoming a trend. But also because of all the fresh faces who’ve come around, Ritter is one of the best. Daniel Kyri’s chemistry with David Eigenberg and Christian Stolte in particular is fantastic, and audiences just started to learn more about his character in recent episodes. There’s a lot that could be done with his character, and he deserves to stay. Unfortunately, he’s also the easiest to let go.

If anyone dies on Chicago Fire—remember, this could be another fake-out like how everyone was okay after the end of season 5—it’s going to be Darren Ritter. And he will be missed.

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