“We Will Get To See Leon Again”: Joe Miñoso Says Joe Cruz’s Brother Will Return in ‘Chicago Fire’

Family. There is almost nothing we can’t do for them. That is exactly the case for Joe Miñoso‘s Joe Cruz in the Dick Wolf firefighting procedural drama, Chicago Fire. It is Cruz’s love for family that has him in somewhat dire straits in recent episodes of the show. Way back in Season 1, Cruz made the decision to let Flaco (José Antonio García), a gang leader, die in a fire. This wasn’t a decision made out of spite, but one the firefighter deemed necessary to protect his younger brother. Now, Cruz is battling the consequences of his actions, and Miñoso confirms that we will be seeing more of his brother as Season 13 progresses.

The emergence of Flaco’s cousin, Junior (Richard Cabral), from prison began the trail of events that might lead to Cruz’s sins being made public knowledge. Protecting his brother, Leon Cruz, played by Jeff Lima, set the foundation for this storyline. Speaking with CBR, Miñoso confirmed that, given how interwoven the story is as it regards both brothers, audiences will get to see more of Lima’s Leon in Season 13 of Chicago Fire. Miñoso’s comments read:

“We will get to see Leon again, Jeff Lima again, and I think it’ll end up being a situation that’s more of a role reversal. Leon has leaned on Cruz so heavily for so long, and we might find a little bit of that going the opposite way this time.“

Cruz Understands That the Stakes are Sky-High

With Cruz’s first attempt at covering up the Flaco mess alongside Junior, blowing up at his first attempt. The lieutenant will most likely be worried about his chances of properly covering his tracks. Also, the consequences of not being able to do so are sky-high. Speaking in a previous interview, Miñoso confirms that his character understands exactly how high the stakes are, saying, “”Awful. No, I think as best he can. I feel like in a lot of ways, he can be proactive, but I think he’s just so concerned, especially now being a father and having a family; it’s such a different world perspective for him than it was in Season 1 when it was just about him and his brother. And so how to navigate not only protecting your family from something so dangerous, but also keeping them completely unaware of it is.”

Chicago Fire (which launched the franchise), is part of the One Chicago universe created by Dick Wolf, which also comprises of Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. Focused on public service agencies, the franchise is set to take on its first crossover event in nearly five years. The event will air Wednesday, January 29, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. with the official logline reading, “When a gas explosion rocks a high-rise, Chicago’s first responders come out in force to rescue hundreds of civilians. The calamity beneath the surface, however, sends our heroes on a race to save 40 people trapped deep underground, including two of their own.”