10 Worst Chicago Fire Villains
Chicago Fire focuses on the heroes in a fictional Chicago Firehouse who save civilians’ lives in high-pressure situations on a daily basis. However, apart from fighting fires, the Firehouse 51 members also have to face off against villains. Chicago Fire has no shortage of bad people who try to derail the firefighter’s lives or kill civilians.
Chicago Fire villains range from corrupt higher-ups to serial arsonists who want to see the whole city burn. Some of these villains are a nuisance for an entire season, while others only last a few episodes before they are thwarted.
10.Benny Severide
Benny Severide, played by Treat Williams, looks in a bathroom mirror on Chicago Fire
Benny Severide was one of the least evil villains in Chicago Fire, but his actions toward his son were hard to forgive. As a firefighter, Benny thought he knew what was best for his son, Kelly, but he also thought his son could never live up to his own legacy.
Benny was always scheming and trying to do what was in his best interests. This caused him to interfere in Kelly’s career and keep him from being promoted. Benny redeemed himself before his death but wasn’t an infallible character.
9.Hank Voight
Season 1
Hank Voight with a bruised face and a bandaid from Chicago Fire
Hank Voight is one of the most corrupt characters in Chicago PD, and that didn’t change when he appeared in Chicago Fire. In Season 1, Voight’s son was drunk driving when he crashed his car and paralyzed a civilian. Voight then got involved with Firehouse 51 and fought with Matt Casey to stop the latter from filing a police report. Since Casey continued to seek justice, Voight hired thugs to beat up Casey and his fiancée and planted drugs in their house.
Even though Voight has redeemed himself, it didn’t stop Chicago Fire fans from hating him. Voight was the polar opposite of Casey, who always played by the rules, making him a compelling villain during his time on the show.
8.Tara Little
Season 1
Gabby Dawson rescuing a patient from rubble with Tara Little behind her in Chicago Fire
Tara Little appeared in the first season of Chicago Fire and was one of the first corrupt paramedics to work in the firehouse. At first, it seemed Tara was an ill-equipped paramedic who was more worried about her love life than her job. However, this changed when she accused Kelly Severide of misconduct.
This was not the first time Little had accused a superior of harassment and assault, which led Severide to try to expose her. Eventually, Little came clean and showed her true intentions were to get ahead as a paramedic, even though she wasn’t ready to do the job.
7.Pat Pridgen
Season 3
Pat Pridgen wasn’t in Chicago Fire long, but while he was in Firehouse 51, he nearly ruined the firehouse’s good reputation. Pridgen was the temporary Firehouse Chief, but after letting his personal life get in the way of his job, the firefighters started to hate him. This was best seen when Pridgen almost cost Casey his job because the latter was dating his ex-wife.
Like other villains in Chicago Fire, Pridgen tried to pit the firehouse members against each other, but it didn’t work. Pridgen made several reckless decisions, which resulted in an innocent person’s death. He also made false statements, tried to blame Casey for his actions, and endangered civilians.
6.Kevin Hadley
Season 2
Kevin Hadley smirking at someone in Chicago PD
Kevin Hadley’s actions could have made for one of the best crossover ep
isodes in the Chicago One franchise, but his storyline stayed on Chicago Fire. Season 1 introduced Kevin as a committed firefighter, but after he felt that Severide and Boden had slighted him, Kevin began setting fires and vandalizing his former colleagues’ property. In Season 2, Firehouse 51 responded to several calls where an arsonist had vandalized their personal property and set it on fire, which led Severide to suspect Kevin of criminal behavior.
Eventually, Severide caught Kevin in the act and unearthed his crimes. The police arrested Kevin, but that didn’t undo the destruction he caused to get revenge on Firehouse 51 and the people he hurt.
5.Emma Jacobs
Season 10
Emma Jacobs looking off screen in Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire introduced paramedic Emma Jacobs in Season 10. Emma had big shoes to fill, as she replaced Sylvie while the latter was on furlough. Emma undermined Violet’s authority several times, only wanted to climb the ladder of the CFD, and rarely showed her patients the care they deserved.
Emma slowly evolved from an annoying character to an outright villain when she blackmailed Violet about her relationship with Chief Hawkins and, even after his death, tried to end Violet’s career. Emma was a danger to those around her and ruthless in her career pursuits.
4.Tommy Welch
Seasons 2 & 3
Tommy Welch smiling at someone on Chicago Fire
Tommy Welch wasn’t an effective leader, as he was more worried about being the first on the scene and getting the credit for being a hero than saving people. Welch engaged in a one-sided competition with Firehouse 51 as he tried to swoop in and steal their calls to make the tough decisions.
Welch proved to be an even more despicable villain when he discriminated against female firefighters in his firehouse. Eventually, Welch recklessness caused a vehicle accident, which injured several firefighters. This was the last straw for Firehouse 51, and Boden promptly fired Welch.
3.Grant Smith
Season 5
Grant looking at Stella in Chicago Fire outside Molly’s
Grant Smith was Stella Kidd’s abusive ex-husband. However, their separation didn’t stop Grant from pursuing Stella and stalking her. After Grant attacked Stella with a knife, Severide hit him, but Stella chose to not press charges.
Grant’s abuse caused Stella to live in fear until she was sure he could get help for his mental health struggles. Even though Grant was a personal villain rather than a threat to the entire city, his actions were irredeemable. To make matters worse, Grant was one of the biggest reasons that Stella and Severide, a fan-favorite couple, broke up.
2.Jerry Gorsch
Seasons 7 & 8
Jerry Gorsch outside looking to the side in Chicago Fire
Jerry Gorsch was an overarching antagonist in two seasons who furthered the storylines of several characters. Gorsch got his position as Assistant Deputy Commissioner by working desk jobs, and he had never fought a fire. This caused Gorsch to focus on the department’s budget, rather than the lives they saved.
Gorsch was a nuisance to Firehouse 51 as he fought Chief Boden on every decision the chief made. Gorsch was finally ousted after he was caught embezzling money and purposefully buying cheap firefighting equipment, which could have caused the deaths of many firefighters.
1.Trenton Lamont
Season 3
Trenton Lamont speaking to a woman with police behind him on Chicago Fire
Trenton Lamont didn’t look like a villain. Instead, he was a quiet and unassuming man, which is why he could get away with his crimes for so long. Lamont was a serial arsonist who took the lives of civilians and firefighters, making him an enemy of the entire Chicago Fire Department for decades. Lamont was the evilest villain, as killing people and starting fires wasn’t all he did.
Lamont was overly interested in Leslie Shay’s death, which irked fans. He also stole his victims’ identities and then contacted former Firehouse 51 employees to discuss his crimes. Lamont stalked Gabby Dawson and planned to kill her after he became obsessed with her, but her brother, Antonio, killed him before he could harm her.
