Chicago Fire fans were prepared for an intense finale, but the promo for the final episode of season 14 seems to suggest that not everyone will make it out of the finale alive.
“The season finale event will leave you breathless,” warned the season 14 finale promo, which wove together several shots from a building fire that implied something catastrophic is coming. We even hear Herrmann calling out, “Mayday! Mayday!” over the clips of the 51 firefighters racing into the fire, suggesting that there is a life-threatening emergency on the call.
While some might suggest that the promo is simply overhyping the finale to drum up anticipation for the episode, the sad reality is that Chicago Fire is long overdue for a major character death. We have a really bad feeling that the season 14 finale might be the final episode for one beloved character – or at least pave the way for their exit at the top of season 15 - and fans should not be surprised if the episode either ends with the death of a beloved character or leaves the lives of at least one character hanging in limbo through the hiatus.
Going back all the way to the very beginning, Chicago Fire has never been afraid of taking big swings even if it means killing off a main character. The first season of the show literally opened with a major death in the series premiere (the death of Andy Darden) and then capped off the season by killing off a main member of the cast in the season 1 finale with the murder of Hallie Thomas.
As the years have continued, Chicago Fire has never been afraid of killing off characters in manners that show just how dangerous the job of a first responder is. We’ve seen several first responders perish over the years, including Rebecca Jones (season 2), Leslie Shay (season 3), Danny Borrelli (season 4), Benny Severide (season 7), Otis (season 8), and Evan Hawkins (season 11).
Now, you might be thinking, “Wait, but season 14 has already featured a named character death,” and you would be correct. Season 14 did kill off Macy Vesia during the 2026 One Chicago crossover; however, it’s hard to deem Macy a main character when she only appeared in five episodes over the course of four years.
That’s not to discount her death, but it wasn’t exactly as impactful as the deaths of Hawkins or Otis. In fact, the show hasn’t delivered a major character death since Hawkins was killed in the line of duty back in season 11. And that’s precisely why it seems likely that a major death could be coming.
We have not seen Chicago Fire take a big swing and kill off a major character in nearly four years, and that feels like too long of a window for the writers not to throw a major curveball fans’ way by killing off a longtime character.
In fact, we’re particularly worried about Mouch, who fails to appear in the promo, which has been a common trend for the show in the past. Historically, when a character death is teased, the victim fails to appear in the promo for the episode. We’ve seen this many times, including the promos for the episodes in which Otis and Hawkins were killed off, which has us worried that perhaps Mouch was not featured in the finale promo because he’s the character whose life will come to an end or be on the line as the season draws to a close.
As much as we hate to say it, killing Mouch would create a lot of ripple effects that could be explored in season 15 and would remind fans that no one is safe.
Don't miss the Chicago Fire season 14 finale at 9/8c on NBC.
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