5 ways Chicago Fire should finally bring Boden back in season 13

Chicago Fire is not the same without Boden. That’s not to say that Chief Dom Pascal hasn’t been interesting, but he’s not been Wallace Boden.

There are currently no plans for Boden to return in Chicago Fire season 13. However, showrunner Andrew Newman has always stated that once part of the Firehouse 51 family, you’re always part of it. That allows characters to return, and we have seen that happen now and then. It’s not like Boden has moved cities, either. He’s in Chicago, just in a different building.

There are many ways that the show could bring Boden back for an episode or two. Here are five ways it could work for Chicago Fire season 13.

Dom Pascal’s secrets fully come out of the bag

Look, there is still a lot that we don’t know about Pascal. He hides a lot, even from his wife. Some of his secrets could end up coming back to haunt him like they already have. While he’s been great at handling situations alone before, there could be a secret or two that comes up that he can’t handle.

With Boden being the Deputy Fire Commissioner of Chicago, we could see him step in to help Pascal out if there is trouble. Maybe he has to discipline Pascal in some way, or he may have to come in to help Firehouse 51 deal with a situation that Pascal has caused. Either way, something about Pascal from the past could easily come up, and who better than to clean it up than Boden?

To officially hand Herrmann the title of Chief

We know that Boden wants Herrmann to be the Firehouse 51 Chief. That hasn’t been an easy road for Herrmann, though. He has to take the captain exam, and after that, he’ll need to take the chief exam. Mouch explained it all, but it looks like this is the path for the character.

Well, how about Boden turns up to officially hand Herrmann the chair? This could even connect with something from Pascal’s past, which forces Pascal out and puts Herrmann in the spot that he belongs. When the group chatted about whether Pascal would just step aside for Herrmann, Mouch made it clear that it was Boden’s wishes. We just need to see Boden there to get that wish.

In passing at HQ

There are times when Firehouse 51 members have had to go to HQ. This is where Boden is right now, and it makes seeing him so much easier. The building isn’t that big, so maybe someone could need to head to HQ, and it leads to seeing Boden in passing.

This could be great if Eamonn Walker’s schedule is a little packed right now. It means that he won’t be needed for a full week of filming as it would just be for a day or two for a couple of scenes. This also makes it clear that he pays attention to his Firehouse 51 family and thinks about them.

Turning up at Molly’s after a shift

Boden didn’t often go to Molly’s, but every now and then, he would be there to celebrate something. It’s a shame we didn’t see him there for Violet’s birthday, but it’s possible that schedules didn’t align. Well, there are other celebrations, such as when Herrmann passes the chief exam! Maybe we could see Boden there to celebrate this achievement, because out of everyone, Boden has to be there for Herrmann’s promotion.

Alternatively, we could just seen him surprise everyone by turning up at the bar. This would be a great cameo, and it shows that the Firehouse 51 family is always on his mind. We’d love to see Donna show up as well to show that everyone is still part of the family.

To fight for Firehouse 51

We always see Firehouse 51 in some sort of trouble. They have someone higher up trying to break them apart, or there is usually someone after a job or two. Well, are we really not expecting that in Chicago Fire season 13? The benefit of having a friend on the inside is that they can come and bat for a person.

When it was Violet’s job on the line, Chief Robinson stepped up and shared just how much she backed Violet’s decision to do the c-section. We’ve seen that the higher ups can help in some sort of way. Well, if something happens to Firehouse 51, we need to see Boden there to fight for the family. He knows all of them best, and now he is in a position to do something about it all.

Chicago Fire season 13 will return on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 9/8c on NBC. Catch up on the season so far on Peacock.