After Chicago Fire Said Goodbye To Firehouse 51’s Boss, Another Hero's Exit Could Be Next

Spoilers are ahead for Episode 15 of Chicago Fire Season 14, called "Do Not Resuscitate" and available streaming with a Peacock subscription.

The status quo at Firehouse 51 felt a bit off in the latest episode of Chicago Fire in the 2026 TV schedule, with Pascal's office sitting empty, Severide MIA for the hour, and new assistant Lucy pitching in on pretty much everything. Pascal's empty office wasn't too surprising, after he was fired from the CFD in some nice continuity from the crossover event and news had already broken about a Stranger Things star replacing Dermot Mulroney. But after the events of "Do Not Resuscitate," I'm wondering if Pascal was just the first Firehouse 51 exit of the spring season. Will Brandon Larracuente be out next as Vasquez?

In "Do Not Resuscitate," Vasquez teamed up with Kidd to investigate the aftermath of a car crash, when the driver insisted he'd been alone in the vehicle but every sign pointing towards a passenger who'd fled the scene. After they ruled out the possibility that the passenger had been held for nefarious reasons, the Truck duo kept digging until they got to the truth: who they thought was the passenger had actually been the driver. Her friend swapped places with her so she could run from the scene and hold on to her place at West Point.

Vasquez was the one who spotted the injuries that revealed the purported driver had really been in the passenger seat when the airbags went off, showing off a knack for investigation that prompted Stella to tell him that it's okay if he wants to go to the police academy like he'd originally planned. He responded:

And that seemed like it could be the end of Vasquez dabbling in detective work, unless he wanted to channel his inner Severide and play fire cop from time to time. Then, however, the final scene of the episode featured Vasquez at a firing range, showing off some serious proficiency with a handgun... which he packed up to take with him, indicating that it's his own weapon and not one from the range. The episode ended on him looking at a poster that reads: "FOLLOW YOUR CALLING! Join the Chicago Police Department[.]"

Normally, I wouldn't necessarily take this as a clue that Vasquez is going to follow Pascal out the door of Firehouse 51, but we're just shy of a year to the date since the news broke that Chicago Fire was cutting Daniel Kyri as Ritter and Jake Lockett as Carver. If this is the time of year for cast departures to be decided, should we indeed take this twist for Vasquez as a sign that Brandon Larracuente will leave ahead of Season 15?

Well, it would put an end to any potential long-term awkwardness about Violet and Novak crushing on the same guy, but it'd be a shame to lose a character who has received so much screentime in Season 14. Plus, Fire technically hasn't been renewed yet for Season 15, and there are other changes at Firehouse 51 that may be much more imminent than any cast departures. Take a look at the promo for a glimpse at one of them:

Chicago Fire 14x16 Promo "Firehouse 66" (HD) - YouTube

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The mention of Severide taking the captain's exam in "Do Not Resuscitate" wasn't just a one-off explanation for Taylor Kinney missing an episode, but the longtime Squad lieutenant is apparently following through on Pascal's push and pursuing a promotion to captain. I've felt that a promotion is well-deserved for a while, not least because the last time a lieutenant was promoted to captain was back in Season 6 with Casey getting the bump.

Showrunner Andrea Newman previously explained why Severide hadn't pursued a promotion before; that reason evidently doesn't apply anymore in Season 14, but it's clear enough from the promo that it won't necessarily be as simple as Severide acing an exam. Whatever the future holds for Brandon Larracuente as Vasquez, it seems that we're likely to see Severide back in the spotlight before anything is confirmed.

One Chicago is taking an extra week off between episodes, so Chicago Fire won't return until Wednesday, April 1 in the usual 9 p.m. ET time slot on NBC. In the meantime, you can always revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock.