Is Hawkins going to return to Chicago Fire? (SPOILERS)

Let’s be upfront: the Hawkins (Jimmy Nicholas) death was rough. It came out of nowhere, and seeing Violet (Hanako Greensmith) struggle to cope with the fact that she couldn’t revive him makes the short list of most heartbreaking Chicago Fire moments.

But, what if we told you there was more to the story? Some eagle-eyed fans have pointed out some interesting evidence to support the theory that Hawkins may not be gone for good. Well, technically.

Let’s break this evidence down.

Is Hawkins dead on Chicago Fire?

The night that S11E3 aired, aka the episode where Hawkins dies, Jimmy Nicholas posted a series of photos with him and Greensmith on Instagram. The photos showed the pair laughing between takes, but it also showed them at a park, shooting what looks to be a date scene.

The thing is– we haven’t seen this date scene yet. When it was originally posted, it just seemed like a teaser to a seemingly innocuous scene, but now that we know Hawkins is dead, it raises some major questions about what the date could represent.

There’s a couple different directions we could go with this. The first is, unfortunately, the least likely. The scene could mean that Hawkins somehow managed to survive the collapsing building and was revived after episode 3 wrapped. The scene would then take place after the events that we have seen, chronologically. Given how much was built up regarding the death of a core Fire character, we don’t think the show would do this.

Watch One Chicago on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

The second theory is that the scene is a flashback, and that a bereaved Violet will think back to a date she had with Hawkins at a park. It would make sense, given that she will probably spend the rest of the season traumatized, and it would be a clever way to bring Hawkins back into the mix without stepping on the dramatic impact of his death.

The third, and least exciting, would be that the scene was meant to air prior to Hawkins’s death and was simply cut from the show for time. This doesn’t happen too often on Fire, so our money is on the second theory as the most likely.

What do you hope to see in the Chicago Fire season 11 premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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