The Chicago Fire cast used to feature actor Chris Mansa, but his character, firefighter Mason Locke, vanished at the beginning of Season 11.
We first met Mason during Chicago Fire Season 9, Episode 12, where he pulled off a rescue at a fire that shocked the people from Firehouse 51.
It turned out that Mason had received firefighter training while in prison and that the skills he had learned in Colorado stuck with him.
When Matthew Casey left Chicago to move to Portland in Season 10, Christopher Herrmann presented Mason as a possible replacement. New lieutenant Stella Kidd wasn’t sure, but after giving him a try, she too became enamored with Mason.
By the end of Season 10, Mason had become an important part of Truck 81, and it appeared that he was going to become the permanent replacement for Casey that Kidd had been looking to find.
But when the Chicago Fire Season 11 premiere aired, Mason wasn’t there. Instead, we got a brief story about what had happened to the new firefighter.
Mason leaves Firehouse 51
While Kidd was talking to Chief Boden on the Chicago Fire season premiere, she mentioned that Mason had gone back to fighting wildfires in Colorado. She noted that he was happy doing it and that they were going to support his choice to leave Chicago.
It was an odd way for Chicago Fire fans to learn that Mason had left, as the show made a really big deal about him becoming the new man back in Season 10. In the two latest episodes, Mason hasn’t even been mentioned.
Chris Mansa played Mason Locke
Back in June, Mansa alluded to returning to the show on Instagram. He even listed the episodes he had already starred in so that fans could go back and watch what his character had been up to.
From that standpoint, it seemed like Mansa was slated to return, and that Truck 81 would finally have a static crew for the first time in a while. But then he didn’t appear, and now it seems like he might be done with the show.
Chris Mansa replaced with Jake Lockett?
Viewers turning in for Chicago Fire Season 11 have already seen Jake Lockett join the show as Sam Carver. And since Carver has a backstory that connects him to a main character (Kidd), it seems like he will be around for a while.
On the latest episode of the show, Chicago Fire killed off a main character, further pointing to the show not replacing any more of the main players for a while. This might indicate that Mason is gone for good and that Carver is going to be around for a while.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.