As Chicago Fire gears up for its 13th season, fans are eagerly awaiting the fallout from the season 12 finale, which dropped a major revelation about Kelly Severide (Jesse Spencer). In the finale, Kelly learns that he has a half-brother, Jack Damon (Michael Bradway), a revelation that completely shocks him. Jack’s connection to Kelly comes through their late, abusive father, Benny (Treat Williams), whose complicated legacy has haunted Kelly throughout the series.
Season 13 promises to explore how this newfound sibling dynamic affects Kelly, and showrunner Andrea Newman has teased that this season will be particularly “haunted” by the past, especially for Severide.
A Season Haunted by the Past
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Newman discussed how Kelly’s discovery about his half-brother will open up old wounds. She noted that season 13 will feel like a “haunted” season, with characters grappling with unresolved issues from their pasts. For Severide, this means confronting his complex feelings about Benny, the father he has long tried to distance himself from. Newman explained:
“It’s kind of like people’s past ghosts coming back. That’s very true for Severide, where he’s worked really hard to put his father in the rearview mirror and become his own firefighter.”
Jack’s arrival forces Kelly to revisit these painful memories and re-examine his relationship with Benny. While Kelly has worked hard to establish his own identity separate from his father’s toxic legacy, the sudden appearance of Jack makes that difficult. The tension between the two half-brothers is set to be a significant storyline in the early episodes of season 13, with Newman describing their dynamic as “complicated and juicy.”
Kelly Severide’s History of Family Drama
This isn’t the first time Kelly Severide has dealt with surprise revelations about family. Longtime viewers of Chicago Fire will remember that Kelly has another half-sibling, Katie Nolan (Brittany Curran). Katie, like Jack, is one of Benny’s children, and her relationship with Kelly also had a rocky start when she was introduced in season 2.
Initially, Katie was hesitant to get close to Kelly, as she carried emotional scars from her own difficult upbringing with Benny. However, over time, the two siblings managed to build a strong bond. Kelly supported Katie as she pursued her culinary dreams, attending her culinary school graduation and introducing her to his colleagues at Firehouse 51. Although Katie eventually moved to Colorado to escape the traumatic memories of being kidnapped by Vince Keeler (Jake Weary), she and Kelly remained on good terms.
Katie briefly resurfaced in season 7 following Benny’s death, when she reconnected with Kelly and met his wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo). Though Katie didn’t attend Kelly and Stella’s wedding or the funeral of Firehouse 51’s Otis (Yuriy Sardarov), her bond with Kelly remains one of the more stable sibling relationships in the series.
Family Drama Heats Up in Season 13
While Kelly’s relationship with Katie eventually turned positive, his dynamic with Jack is poised to be far more turbulent. Given Jack’s connection to Benny and the unresolved trauma Kelly carries from their father, the sibling relationship promises to be fraught with tension.
With season 13 described as being haunted by ghosts of the past, Severide’s journey will likely revolve around navigating his unresolved issues with Benny, compounded by his struggle to accept Jack as a brother. This storyline is set to add emotional depth to Kelly’s character, as he balances his personal demons with his responsibilities at Firehouse 51 and his evolving relationship with Stella, especially as the couple contemplates parenthood.
What to Expect Moving Forward
Chicago Fire returns on September 25, and fans can expect Kelly’s family drama to be a major focus of the early episodes. Whether or not Katie will make a return alongside Jack remains to be seen, but Kelly won’t be a stranger to the complexities of half-sibling relationships.
As season 13 unfolds, it will be interesting to see how Kelly copes with the ghosts of his past and how his relationship with Jack evolves. For viewers, the promise of “juicy” family drama and emotional reckonings is sure to keep them on the edge of their seats.
