Chicago Fire's Death Pattern Is Bad News For This Character's Fate

It wouldn't be a Chicago Fire finale if someone's fate weren't up in the air, and it's not looking good for one of Firehouse 51's integral members.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers from Chicago Fire, season 11, episode 22.

Death has loomed over Chicago Fire since Andy Darden died during the series premiere, and from that episode on, the show developed a pattern concerning character deaths, meaning that another Firehouse 51 member is in imminent danger going into season 12. The NBC series' finales often put the characters' lives at risk, and the season 11 finale was no different. But this time, it wasn't a fire that gravely injured someone.

The domestic terrorist group that Casey and Stella started investigating a few episodes resurfaced at the beginning of the hour when Stella found a strange bullet at the scene of a car crash. Casey returned to Chicago, and the new lead led the firefighters to a fire at a power plant, where a sniper was waiting. They subdued one of the suspects, but Mouch was injured by the gunfire. At first, it seemed like Mouch would survive since he was only hit by shrapnel. However, his condition changed when Herrmann visited him at the hospital. Mouch started bleeding profusely from his wound and started coding. Unfortunately, fans won't know his fate until the Chicago Fire season 12 premiere, which doesn't bode well for Mouch.

As mentioned, Darden was Chicago Fire's first casualty when he died in a fire during the series premiere. But he's not the only one whose death came in a premiere. Both Shay and Otis died in the first episodes of a season following major finale cliffhangers, so the show has an obvious M.O.

A pipe hit Shay in the head when an explosion occurred during a call, killing her instantly. Viewers first saw the explosion from outside the building in the season 2 finale, but it wasn't until the season 3 premiere that they learned about what happened inside. Skip ahead a few years — Firehouse 51 answered a call at a mattress factory in the season 7 finale. The fire was intense, and there was no way that everyone would make it out alive. The season 8 premiere picked up where the previous episode left off, and Otis's life hung in the balance. An explosion severely burned him, and there was nothing that the hospital could do for him. Otis died in a season premiere, just like Darden and Shay, which means that it's very likely that Mouch will die during Chicago Fire season 12, episode 1.

Related: 5 Chicago Fire Relationships That Ended In Heartbreak

Death has always been a big part of Chicago Fire, but that doesn't mean the show should kill off more of its original characters. Plus, after losing Casey in season 10 (and potentially Severide if he chooses not to come back to Chicago), the series needs as many of its veteran players as possible, including Mouch. Mouch has been there since the beginning, and it would be heartbreaking to lose him after spending 11 years watching him onscreen.

The firehouse wouldn't be the same without him, and that could be said for many characters, but Mouch is the heart of the show. Of course, no one will know Mouch's fate until season 12 premieres. It could very well be that he survives this new hurdle. However, given past Chicago Fire seasons, fans shouldn't be holding out hope for Mouch to recover.

Sarah Little is a Network TV Shift Writer for Screen Rant. She has worked with other media outlets such as TV Fanatic and Showbiz Cheat Sheet in the past, and has four years of experience in entertainment journalism under her belt. In a world where streaming is becoming the mainstream, Sarah is still a Network TV truther. Her favorites include The Rookie, Nancy Drew, and every CBS reality competition show. As for the film side of things, Sarah is an MCU enthusiast (and believes that Captain America: The First Avenger is Marvel's most underrated movie).Sarah earned her Bachelors degree in Film and Digital Media and a minor in English at Loyola University Chicago in 2018. She constantly worked behind the camera for her classes and for her job at Loyola's production studio during her four years at college. But writing has always been Sarah's passion. And once she graduated, she knew that whatever she ended up doing with her life, she wanted to be talking about television.