The 300th episode of Chicago Fire marked the closing chapter of Joe Cruz’s time at Firehouse 51 as he made the difficult decision to step away from his job on Squad 3 to put his family first. It was not an easy decision for Cruz, but at the end of the day, he had to do what was best for his growing family, which meant moving to Minneapolis to be closer to Chloe’s family so that they could provide support as Cruz continued his rehab.
Although Cruz’s time at Firehouse 51 has come to an end for now, Chicago Fire showrunner Victor Teran is keeping the door open for Cruz to return down the line. In fact, he’s made it clear that he still feels there are more stories to tell about Cruz.
“We’re not done telling stories about Joe Cruz for sure. So I don’t know exactly when we’ll come back, but he’ll come back eventually,” Teran told Us.
It’s certainly good to know that Teran feels as though there are more stories to be told for Cruz and that he seems open to bringing Cruz back to the show. Of course, we have heard this before from showrunners teasing the door being left open for a character to return only for it to never go anywhere, and of course a big factor to this often tends to be the actor’s availability and interest in returning.
Thankfully, it seems that Minoso is more than open to returning to the One Chicago franchise should the writers invite him back to Chicago Fire.
“[Showrunner] Victor [Teran] has spoken about it, and I proudly would return in any capacity if I can be of service to the show. It’s my absolute pleasure. I think the door remains fully open, and I look forward to the potential of that happening as soon as possible and as many times as possible,” Minoso told Us when asked about his future with the show following his exit.
It definitely seems that both parties are open to having Cruz return down the line, and fans certainly would love to see this happen as well. While Cruz may no longer be a part of Squad 3, he’ll always be a part of the Firehouse 51 family, and we’d love to see him drop in later in the season. It would be nice to hear how his rehab is going and how the family is doing in Minneapolis, and it would also be fun to see him lend a hand to Severide on a case. Perhaps Cruz could be an ally when Severide faces off against the arsonist who evaded capture earlier this season, or simply help him with a task at the firehouse.
For now, it does not sound like there are any firm plans in place to bring Cruz back, which makes sense given the character only just left the show. However, we’ll happily take whatever the writers will give us, as we’re not ready to say goodbye to Cruz entirely and would love nothing more than to get to catch up with him from time to time!
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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