How Antonio, Connor, and Ava Might Depart One Chicago

One Chicago will soon be a Dawson-free zone.

After Gabby's (Monica Raymund) heartbreaking departure from Chicago Fire at the start of Season 7, her brother, Antonio (Jon Seda), is now following suit. Seda, who plays the seasoned detective, is reportedly slated to leave Chicago P.D. at the end of this season for creative reasons -- and he's not the only major One Chicago departure on the horizon. Chicago Med will also be down two series regulars when Connor (Colin Donnell) and Ava (Norma Kuhling) stage their exits in the coming episodes.

While the door is still open for all three to return for guest appearances -- should they survive this season, that is -- their departures as main characters leave voids that won't be easily filled. With these major exits looming and Chicago Fire, Med, and P.D. set to wrap their seasons this Wednesday, we've got a few theories on how Antonio, Connor, and Ava will leave the Windy City.

Ava Bekker

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Ava's departure isn't all that surprising. Since arriving at the end of Season 2, her journey on Med has been a tumultuous ride filled with heated spats, medical breakthroughs, and major heartbreak. But her story has always been tied to Connor, first as a professional foil and then as a romantic interest, and the show never knew what to do with her outside of that. It makes sense that after her break up with Connor, a result of him believing she slept with his dad to secure funding for his hybrid OR, Ava would seek out opportunities elsewhere to get away from all the drama. Because of her brilliant mind and relentless ambition, she'll have no trouble finding a job at another prestigious institution like the Mayo Clinic. Given the show's penchant for putting her through the worst imaginable scenarios, however, there's also a good chance she is revealed as the one who may have murdered Connor's dad for destroying her relationship with Connor. While she's made terrible decisions this season, the leap from arrogant surgeon to straight up killer is a huge one. Here's hoping that Ava is innocent of any wrongdoing and receives the redemption she so greatly deserves so she can move on to something better elsewhere.

Connor Rhodes

Connor has been with Chicago Med since the beginning of the show, so this loss stings quite a bit. A risk-taker who always kept Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) on her toes, the show will be hard-pressed to find another doctor as innovative, handsome, and charming as him. Connor flirted with the idea of leaving at the end of Season 4, when he received the opportunity of a lifetime from the Mayo Clinic, but he stayed put to get his cutting-edge hybrid OR off the ground. With his project now a success, it's plausible that new opportunities have opened up for him and he'll reconsider leaving Med for greener pastures elsewhere.

However, the recent death of his father Cornelius (D.W. Moffett) would be a more compelling reason for Connor to ditch the Windy City, especially since Cornelious might have been killed by an overdose from someone on staff. They didn't have the best relationship but Connor has been taking the loss hard and this latest piece of information might send him over the edge. All signs for the potential murderer point to Ava, who operated on Cornelius, but she has maintained her innocence of any mistakes or wrongdoing. If Ava did, in fact, have nothing to do with Cornelius's death, both Ava and Connor's exits could be tied to them rekindling their relationship in the wake of this tragic event and wanting to get a fresh start somewhere else. On the other hand, there's the possibility that Ava actually murdered his father and Connor decides to leave Chicago Med to put his past behind him, or the worst-case scenario that he dies in a tragic turn of events. One Chicago rarely kills its main characters, though, so it's hard to believe Med would permanently dispose of someone as beloved as Connor, especially when there is room to bring him back down the line.

Antonio Dawson

Pour one out for Antonio and his beautiful diamond earring. The suave detective is leaving Intelligence again, and this time his exit will stick. In contrast to Voight's (Jason Beghe) love of bending the rules, Antonio preferred to go by the book, and that unwavering honesty made him a trustworthy second-in-command. Earlier this season, he struggled with an addiction to painkillers that led to his daughter being kidnapped -- and to Antonio shoving her captor through a window to his death. Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) took the fall, claiming he killed the suspect in self-defense, and it looked like that issue was swept under the rug. However, the investigation into that death was recently reopened, putting everyone on edge. With their superiors breathing down their necks about the facts of the case, Antonio has been feeling the pressure to confess. If the truth comes out, Antonio could be sent to prison, which would explain his absence from the show.

Of course, Intelligence has gotten pretty skilled at covering its tracks, so Antonio's departure might be the result of bad news. Another potential outcome for his exit could be the crew fixing this mess and Antonio, wracked with guilt, decides to move to another unit which is not unprecedented. He previously left Intelligence in Season 4 to head up an investigative unit on Chicago Justice, promptly returning to P.D. when the spin-off was canceled after one season.

There's also the worst possible outcome, that Antonio dies, and I don't want to consider that since the unit is still reeling from the loss of Olinsky (Elias Koteas), which was almost too much to bear. It's doubtful the show would put the crew through that kind of grief again so soon, but then again, this is One Chicago, where anything can happen. Either way, Antonio's departure will be a rough one to get over.

Chicago Med's season finale airs Wednesday at 8/7c on NBC, followed by Chicago Fire at 9/8c and Chicago P.D. at 10/9c.