No one saw it coming. When Chicago P.D. aired the episode titled “Endgame” in Season 10, viewers were left absolutely stunned. The final five minutes delivered a shocking moment that had fans questioning everything — not just the plot, but the future of the series itself. Officer Adam Ruzek, a fan favorite since Season 1, was shot in the chest at close range and left lying motionless in a pool of blood. The screen faded to black. No closing lines. No preview. No answers.
Social media exploded. Was this the end of Ruzek? Had Patrick John Flueger quietly exited the series? The ambiguity was so extreme that even major entertainment news outlets scrambled for answers. But as it turns out, that twist was entirely intentional — and the truth behind it is even more surprising than the scene itself.
Sources from inside Chicago P.D.’s production revealed that two separate endings were filmed. One in which Ruzek dies on the spot, and another where he survives but remains in critical condition. Showrunner Gwen Sigan later admitted in a behind-the-scenes segment that the writers couldn’t decide on Ruzek’s fate until just days before airing. “We wanted the audience to sit with that uncertainty,” she said. “To feel the same helplessness that the characters feel.”
In the version that aired, viewers saw Ruzek bleeding out after a surprise ambush during an undercover op gone wrong. The screen cut to black before paramedics even arrived. It was a bold storytelling move — one rarely done in network television — and it worked. Fan forums were flooded with theories. Was this Ruzek’s final mission? Would he come back in flashbacks only? Could this be the lead-up to a major cast shakeup?
What added fuel to the fire was Flueger’s radio silence. The actor made no social media posts following the episode and skipped the usual post-air interviews. That, combined with the network’s refusal to confirm his character’s status, made viewers believe he was really gone.
But in the following week’s episode, fans finally got their answer: Ruzek survived. Barely. He was rushed into emergency surgery and left in a coma. While the relief was immediate, the emotional damage lingered — not just for fans, but for the Intelligence Unit, especially Burgess. The writers used the aftermath to explore the trauma of near-death and its impact on relationships, loyalty, and the burden of living with violence.
Interestingly, NBC later revealed in an online Q&A that they had considered permanently writing Ruzek off the show — not because Flueger wanted to leave, but because they felt the story might benefit from a major loss. In the end, the network overruled it, citing Ruzek’s importance to the ensemble and overwhelming fan support.
Still, the fear felt real. And that was the point.
What makes “Endgame” so unforgettable isn’t just the twist, but the emotional manipulation behind it. The decision to leave Ruzek’s fate unclear until the very last moment was storytelling at its most daring — a reminder that in Chicago P.D., no one is ever truly safe. Even the most beloved characters can disappear in the blink of an eye.
So the next time the screen fades to black, and a character lies still… don’t assume anything. Because on this show, survival isn’t guaranteed — it’s earned.
