Benjamin Levy Aguilar joined Chicago P.D. in the tenth season as Officer Dante Torres, who has grown to be one of the most interesting characters on the show. Torres’ complicated past and secret relationship considerably raise the stakes in the series.
The officer is particularly in the spotlight in season 12 as he has been hiding the truth about his affair with Gloria Perez, drug lord Rafael Perez’s widow. Now that Gloria has returned to the show, becoming the drug lord herself, Torres is at the risk of being exposed.
In an interview before the mid-season finale, Levy Aguilar revealed that his character is in a pretty scary situation, where he could die or go to prison. So is Torres leaving Chicago P.D.? Season 12 episode 8 answered the question, revealing that the officer is safe for now.
Is Torres leaving Chicago P.D.?
Officer Dante Torres is not leaving Chicago P.D., as his life has been saved. In the days leading up to the mid-season 12 finale, which aired on November 20, 2024, Benjamin Levy Aguilar stated that Torres might die or face a prison sentence as Gloria is at loggerheads with the Intelligence Unit.
While being undercover on a mission, Torres gets into an affair with Gloria. Gloria, who is abused by her husband, drug lord Rafael Perez, is supposed to watch Torres during his recruitment into Rafael’s crew.
Instead, Torres convinces her to help the cops as an informant, which allows them to go after Perez’s fentanyl operation. As their partnership turns romantic, Torres hides the relationship from his department.
Gloria returns to the picture in Chicago P.D. season 12 episode 7, Contrition. While she promised Torres that she would start afresh and stay away from the crime world after the death of her husband, she has instead stepped into Rafael’s shoes as the new drug lord.
Kiana Cook then goes undercover to take down Gloria; however, during their conversation, the new drug lord senses that Kiana is somehow related to Torres, which makes her suspicious. This puts not only Kiana, but Torres’ life at risk as his secret is about to get exposed.
Levy Aguilar expressed his concerns about Torres’ future in an interview with TVLine following the release of Contrition. The actor said:
“It’s the worst-case scenario. He can go to prison. He can die. He can lose his badge. He can get other people [from] his team in prison. So the stakes are as high as they get, and it’s all because of him, all because of his own choices, but all because he was trying to save someone.”
“Definitely maybe some of the actions are reckless and maybe not thought-out, but sometimes, who has time to think things out when they happen in the spur of the moment, like when he saved Gloria from Perez, and he was getting tortured with a flamethrower on his neck last season.”
Chicago P.D. season 12 episode 8, Penance, makes things clearer. In the episode, Gloria dies protecting Torres, while the latter screams her name in shock. While some people from the department have gotten to know about the relationship, the team seems to have forgiven him.
Voight is frustrated and gives Torres a hard time, but instead of focusing on the mistakes, he tells Torres to stop feeling guilty and work to fix the mess. Ruzek is angry at first, but he eventually shows support when Torres breaks down after Gloria dies. Hence, Torres is not leaving Chicago P.D., at least for now.
Chicago P.D. will return on NBC after the mid-season break on January 8, 2025.