What’s next for Hank Voight in Chicago PD season 9?

What it means

There was a lot of debate amongst Chicago PD fans this season over the Voight character. Some wanted to see him change and ditch his “justice by any means possible” way of doing things, and others said that no holds barred approach is what makes his character great. By the time season 8 ended, both sides ended up being somewhat right; Voight didn’t have nearly as many physical scenes with bad guys as he has in other seasons, but he also didn’t hold back when absolutely necessary.

That begs the question of if this is the Voight we can expect in future seasons. Will he continue to be more of a team leader who only gets his hands truly dirty in the most extreme circumstances? Is the show going to focus more on how he runs the unit and deals with the outside pressures that want to change it, like Miller, than him doing actual investigating?

With Jason Beghe being such an integral part of the show—remember that the spinoff was built around Voight—it’s hard to imagine him just being the guy who gives orders and settles debates. Voight is too intense of a personality to not have moments somewhere where that comes through. And it doesn’t have to be getting in a suspect’s face; what about another Voight-centric story that challenges him? Or continuing to push his dynamics with team members, like the great scene between Voight and Upton in the season 8 finale?

One thing that’s definitely clear is that the character of Voight sets the tone of the show, so what the writers choose to do with him next season will be a good indicator of what the season will be like overall.