Here's the Real Reason Chicago PD Fans Hate Voight All of a Sudden

Summary

• Chicago P.D. Season 11 will end as early as next week.
• Hank Voight is in danger, but some viewers want him dead.
• The reason is his personality and attitude, but that does not negate his importance to the plot.

In Dick Wolf's Chicago One franchise, Chicago P.D. stands out as the most intense. Over the course of eleven seasons, the officers and detectives of the 21st District Intelligence Unit have faced devastating incidents that have deeply affected them and their loved ones.

Due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the new seasons of the Chicago One shows have undergone some not so pleasant changes, and Chicago P.D. has taken a big hit in terms of budget cuts, cast shifts, as well as the reduction of the total number of episodes in Season 11, and that's why the final episode will be hitting our screens very soon. The events of the past week have pushed the risks to the limit and none other than the head of the Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit, Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), is now in mortal danger.

However, some people on social media do not care about the character's fate, they want him dead. Where does this hatred come from, and does Voight deserve it?

The Events of Season 11 Episode 12

While Season 11 was a bit underwhelming compared to its predecessors so far, the latest episode, titled Inventory, proved to be incredibly entertaining and just as suspenseful. Moreover, the fact that we got to see the main characters all together again made most fans happy, and heartbreaking moments like the death of Kiki (Birgundi Baker) showed once again that Chicago P.D. is darker than any other series in the franchise.

And then, near the end of the episode, we learned that Voight, who was sitting in a cop bar, clearly trying to flush out one of the officers (as we know, the serial killer is one of the cops), was drugged. And it paid off when Hailey (Tracy Spiridakos) went to his house to check on him, because she immediately realized that something was wrong and that he had clearly been kidnapped.

Why Does Everyone Suddenly Despise Voight?

In fact, some fans' hatred for the character has been building since the early seasons, it's just that now that there's a real possibility of Hank's death, social media users have become especially vocal about never wanting to see him on the show again. But why is there such a high level of animosity toward him?

First and foremost, of course, it's about the character himself. Voight's entire identity is based on his twisted character arcs (need I remind you of the moment in Season 3 when he made his son's killer dig his own grave?) After losing family, friends, and associates one by one over the course of eleven seasons, he finally shut down and became dark, angry, and often violent.

It's also worth noting that much of Chicago P.D.'s audience originally came from the lighter Chicago Fire, so for years it was unusual for them to see problematic and conflicted characters in contrast to their Firehouse 51 counterparts.

But it's important to remember that the deeply flawed character that Voight is is what makes Chicago P.D. such a mature show. It's also worth remembering that despite his complex character, Hank is always willing to sacrifice himself for those he cares about, even though he's a deeply lonely man.

The final episode of Chicago P.D.'s eleventh season will air on NBC on Wednesday, May 22 at 10 p.m. ET. The day after the premiere, the episode will be available for streaming on Peacock. In addition, Season 12, which was announced by NBC on March 21, 2024, is already in development.