Chicago Fire confirms major star’s return after shock exit

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Fans were shocked by the latest promo featuring Wallace Boden

Wallace Boden is back in action! Just one year after he departed from Chicago Fire, Eamonn Walker has reprised his role in an upcoming episode.

Brought in by Commissioner Grissom (Gary Cole), Boden will be tasked with carrying out a post-incident analysis after a burned-out house collapses on a firefighter. In a new promo released by NBC, the beloved character is seen meeting with Severide (Taylor Kinney), Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo), and Chief Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) in the eighteenth instalment of season 13.

“We’re so excited to have our beloved Chief Boden back, and the episode, titled ‘Post-Mortem,’ is a thrill ride unlike any we’ve done before,” raved Chicago Fire’s showrunner, Andrea Newman.

“Told with flashbacks and unique POVs, Chief Boden leads our team on a search to discover the how, who, and why of a fierce firefight that ended in disaster.”

Eamonn Wallace in costume as Chief Boden© Getty
Chief Boden is called in to conduct a post-incident analysis after a burning house collapses on a firefighter

A revelation that has sparked joy, fans are delighted to see Boden back at Firehouse 51. “Wallace Boden is back on the next episode of Chicago Fire…hell yes!” tweeted one. “HELLLO BODEN IS BACK NEXT WEEEK,” exclaimed another.

Wallace Boden’s ‘fraught’ return

In an interview with TV Insider, showrunner Andrea had also confirmed that Boden’s return will put his successor, Chief Pascal, in the hot seat.

“Boden hand-picked Pascal for this (theoretically temporary) job of Chief at 51, but when they meet in a future episode, it’s very fraught: Boden is heading an investigation into what went wrong during a tragic firefight that Pascal was in charge of.

Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal © NBC
Boden will butt heads with Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) in the episode

“So it’s contentious,” Andrea mused. “Wallace Boden grilling Pascal about his every decision, and how things went as wrong as they did. That episode will define the relationship in some pretty emotional and complex ways.”

Dermot Mulroney has also opened up about the episode, noting that he and Eamonn had filmed some pretty “intense” scenes. “Boden comes back at least for one episode, and it’s really a special visit that everyone there was thrilled that he returned. Meaning literally cast, crew, everyone,” he explained.

Chief Wallace Boden, played by Eamonn Walker, will be missed © NBC
Eamonn stepped down from his role as a series regular at the end of season 12

“But the episode is really interesting too, so stay tuned for that. And I got to work really head-to-head with him in some intense scenes. So, they didn’t pull any punches.”

Currently, it appears that Eamonn is enjoying a one-episode arc in season 13. Nonetheless, the door remains open for further appearances.

David Eigenberg with his arm around Eamonn Walker© Getty
The actor has never addressed his decision for leaving

Last spring, it was announced that the 62-year-old would exit Chicago Fire in the season 12 finale. While Eamonn has never explained the reasons behind his decision, Boden was thoughtfully written out, leaving scope for a recurring role.

Following his long-running tenure as Chief, the character left Firehouse 51 after he was appointed as the Chicago Fire Department’s Deputy Commissioner, with Severide, Stella and more of his former colleagues sharing their gratitude and wishing Boden all the best.

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