For 12 seasons, Chief Boden was the glue that held Firehouse 51 together.

From the very beginning, Boden was one of the most important and beloved characters on Chicago Fire.

He was a leader who always looked out for the best interest of his firefighters and paramedics,

and always had their backs when they found themselves in a tough situation. He was a fair leader who pushed his team to be the best they could be and mentored them so that they could learn from their mistakes and grow into the best versions of themselves.

Given how central of a role Boden played in the show, it felt impossible to imagine the show without him. Sadly, we’re now getting to see what the show looks like without Boden as he’s officially moved on from his Chief position at 51.

Here’s what happened to Chief Boden on Chicago Fire

At the end of season 12, Boden decided to enter the race for the Deputy Commissioner position knowing that he was the only person who had a chance at beating Chief Robinson for the job. Having encountered firsthand that Chief Robinson did not have the back of the men and women on the job, and wanted nothing more than to push out veteran members of the CFD, Boden did what he knew he needed to do by going after the position despite previously having never wanted to go after a leadership position of that kind.

Despite entering the Deputy Commissioner race at the very last minute, Boden’s years of service in the CFD and the leadership skills he’s displayed were enough to help push him past the finish line and land the position.  He managed to beat out Chief Robinson for the position and in accepting the job, this meant major changes for Boden.

“The kind of loyalty you inspire in your firefighters is something you should be very proud of, so I put aside my duties and made the trip here today. Lieutenant Kidd told me you walked her down the aisle, and you officiated at the wedding of two members of your house. It’s so symbolic, it’s almost silly, Wallace. You bring people together. At a time where all of us, including the CFD, need it most,” departing Deputy Commissioner of the CFD, Gloria Hill, put it best in telling Boden the news that he had been named as the new Deputy Commissioner.

After accepting the role of Deputy Commissioner of the CFD, Chief Boden had to leave his quarters at 51 behind to move to an office in the CFD Headquarters where he’ll work full-time

The move from Battalion Chief to Deputy Commissioner was a natural progression for Boden, who had long been a pillar of 51. It was also a storyline introduced as part of an exit storyline for Eamonn Walker who stepped back as series regular on the show after 12 seasons of playing Boden.

There’s hope Boden will return to Chicago Fire

While Boden is no longer a part of Chicago Fire’s core cast, the door has been left wide open for Eamonn Walker to return as Boden. In fact, when news first broke that he was leaving the series, it was noted that he was simply stepping back as a series regular and it was suggested he could appear in a recurring or guest status.

Interestingly, it’s not been confirmed whether Boden will appear in the show’s current thirteenth season nor has been confirmed how many episodes he might appear in. Still, the fact that the door was left open when he stepped away does seem promising as the show took a similar approach with Jesse Spencer’s exit.

Spencer would return for several guest appearances after leaving the show in season 10, so we’re hoping Walker will also pop up on the odd occasion for a guest spot on the show or perhaps even a recurring arc.

Oddlly, Eamonn Walker hasn’t addressed his Chicago Fire exit

While the show wrote Boden off with an organic storyline that saw his move into a higher-ranking role within the CFD, it still remains a bit of a mystery as to why exactly Walker stepped back from the show.

Following his exit, Walker has yet to release an official statement about his exit from the show which makes it hard to know whether his exit was a personal choice or whether it was a choice made strictly by the writers. The only formal statement released timed to his exit from the show came from executive producer Dick Wolf who told Deadline:

“Eamonn was the first actor cast on Chicago Fire, and we knew once he said yes, that we were off and running. His character Chief Wallace Boden was the undisputed leader of Firehouse 51 and, off-screen, Eamonn has filled the same role with our ensemble cast.”

We’ll have to wait to see if Walker ever formally addresses his departure from the show, as it’s hard to know for certain what led to his departure without having heard from Walker. It’s not uncommon for long-running shows to write off longtime members of the cast as part of cost cutting efforts, but its also common for actors to want to explore other ventures after an extended time on one show so there’s no telling what might have been the case with Walker’s exit.