What’s Up With Damon?! The Chicago Fire Paternity Twist Absolutely *No One* Saw Coming

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Fans have been suspicious of Jack Damon ever since he joined Chicago Fire. With only a few episodes of Season 12 left, viewers may finally get some answers about the mysterious new firefighter. Here’s everything there is to know about Jack Damon, including the secret he is hiding.

What’s wrong with Jack Damon on Chicago Fire?

Jack Damon (played by Michael Bradway) joined Firehouse 51 in Season 12 Episode 10 as a replacement for Derrick Gibson (Rome Flynn). Damon is desperate to make a good impression on the squad and idolizes Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney). He also has extensive knowledge about 51 and its various members, which has rubbed fans the wrong way.

Suspicions about the newcomer’s motives were seemingly confirmed when Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri) overheard a mysterious phone call of Damon’s. “That isn’t the only reason why I’m here,” he said with a much darker tone than the one he uses around the 51 members. “No, no, nobody here knows. And I’ll keep it that way for as long as I want.”

It’s unclear who Damon was talking to, but fans have theories about why he’s really at Firehouse 51 and several think that he may be someone’s long-lost relative. This theory would explain his obsession with the squad and how he knows so much about them. Damon is on the younger side as well, so he could potentially be someone’s son. In a Reddit thread, several fans theorized that he is Severide’s son. The fan-favorite firefighter slept around a bit before marrying Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), so it’s possible that he fathered a child. It would also explain why the newbie looks up to Severide so much. As a few Reddit users pointed out, though, Severide might not be old enough to be his father.

However, they might still be related. “Maybe he’s another of Benny’s secret kids,” one fan suggested, referencing Severide’s late father Benny (played by the late Treat Williams). When Severide was young, Benny cheated on his mom and left her. He went to have relationships with several other woman and bore a daughter, Katie, with one of them. It’s possible that Benny bore a son he never knew about, who is now looking to get to know his older brother.

“I think Jack is a bit too old for him to possibly be Kelly’s son. I don’t think it could be one of Benny’s other kids since we’d probably have heard about him before. One thing is for sure, he’s definitely hiding something,” another fan wrote.

In an interview with NBC Insider, Hanako Greensmith, who stars as Paramedic in Chief Violet Mikami, hinted that Damon is someone to be weary of. “I think the family aspect of [Firehouse 51] — we are welcoming to newcomers — but we are also, I don’t want to say judgmental, but we are not necessarily overly welcoming,” she said, adding of Damon: “We have to have someone pass a series of tests until they can really be absorbed by the family. So there may be a couple of red flags that come with this suspicious newcomer, and I think you’ll have to stick with us for the rest of the season to see what they may be.”

Fans also think he could be working as a spy, as Season 12 already featured a similar storyline. After Sylvie Brett’s (Kara Killmer) departure, Jared Lennox (Wesam Keesh) was hired as her replacement. The new paramedic was a nuisance for Violet, as he challenged her authority every step of the way. It was later revealed that he was spying on 51 for Paramedic Field Chief Robinson (Laura Allen), who was trying to take Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) down.

While speaking to Parade, Showrunner Andrea Newman entertained the idea of Damon being someone’s son, telling the outlet: “Yeah, he’s young so I could see where that comes from. That’s a fun theory, I like that.” She also noted that fans likely won’t learn the truth about the new firefighter until the season finale. We’ll see some twists and turns with him where we find out some things he isn’t, and then we find out more things about who he is at the very end,” Newman said.

Chicago Fire airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST and streams on Peacock.