Chicago Fire teases season 12 feud between Severide and Cruz

Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) have always had each other's backs. The Chicago Fire veterans have been through some difficult times over the years, but they know what it takes to get through it all, and have forged a bond that will last for life. Or so we thought.

During a recent interview with TV Line, Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman revealed that things are going to get tense between the longtime co-workers. The source of the tension will stem from the fact that Severide was MIA for several weeks, and failed to communicate with anybody at the 51.

Cruz is frustrated with Severide heading into S12

Newman, who took over showrunner duties from Derek Haas, told the outlet that the cracks in their friendship will surface pretty quickly:

""[Stella] Kidd isn’t the only one who’s affected by Severide taking off for as long as he did. Cruz was affected, too. [Severide returning will] bring some new change and tension that will have to be worked out for Cruz and Severide to keep working together.""

Cruz was promoted to lieutenant in Severide's absence, despite making it clear that the position is incredibly stressful for him to maintain on a regular basis. He's done an excellent job holding things down, but Cruz's temperament, coupled with the fact that he's now a father to two sons, has led to some resentment building up towards the non-communicative Severide.

The firefighters will have to sort out their differences

It's also worth noting that Cruz played a major role in the marital rift that developed between Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide. It was Cruz who mentioned Severide's decision to travel after he completed his arson investigation training, not knowing that Kidd was unaware of his decision at the time.

Cruz has taken a bit of a backseat in recent seasons of Chicago Fire, with most of his storylines revolving around his family and his decision to adopt a child that was rescued from a building fire.

There hasn't been too much workplace drama in comparison to his peers, so it will be interesting to see how the older, more matured Cruz will navigate the situation with Severide. Our hope, and our expectation, is that the two men eventually hash things out and get back to being buddies.