Brett Dalton Joins 'Chicago Fire' but Will He Be a Permanent Fixture?

We've seen a lot of changes in Season 10 of Chicago Fire. The biggest one being the exit of Jesse Spencer, who played Matt Casey since 2012. Fortunately, the writers of the show keep giving fans reasons to return. One of those reasons is bringing in new characters, played by talented actors. Brett Dalton will be joining Station 51 this season, and we're excited to find out who he is, and what his character is about. So, who is Brett Dalton on Chicago Fire and in life?

Brett and Melissa Trn met a the Yale School of Drama when they were both students there. The two later married in December 2015, and as these things sometimes go, they now share a 9-year-old daughter named Sylvia.

Sadly, in November 2019, Brett filed for divorce with the separation date listed as August 2019. He was also seeking joint custody of their daughter. By all accounts — Instagram, that is — it would appear that Brett is still single and primarily focusing on his work and daughter. Speaking of work, we do have an update.

Brett will be joining Season 10 of Chicago Fire as interim Lieutenant Jason Pelham, but we're really hoping he's upgraded to permanent Lieutenant Jason Pelham. The departure of Jesse Spencer, their intrepid captain, has left a fire truck–sized hole in the show, which could easily be filled by Brett's character. Of course, he's not the only replacement option.

Let us not forget that Stella Kidd (played by Miranda Mae Rayo) has recently passed the lieutenant's exam. Unfortunately, Stella has been MIA for a few episodes of the show because she's been setting up a Girls on Fire chapter in Boston. Showrunner Derek Haas told TV Line the job of lieutenant will be "a hot topic of conversation through this next batch of episodes — whether they’re going to hold a spot for her while she’s off doing her good work for Girls on Fire."

He recently spent the first three seasons, and one cameo in Season 4, as both Grant Ward and Hive on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fans of the show were hoping he might return for its seventh and final season; after all, his character had a habit of dying and coming back to life.

Brett told Comic Book Movie in 2020 that he was equally as hopeful about his S.H.I.E.L.D. return. He laughingly said, "I was watching too, thinking, 'I dunno, maybe they filmed something in secret and will pull up some old footage of me from when I was there!' No, sadly, I was never asked and I'm trying not to be sad about it, though I am a little bit."

Beyond Chicago Fire and S.H.I.E.L.D., Brett has mostly stuck to voiceover work, playing Brick in Disney's Milo Murphy Law as well as taking part in a couple of Robot Chicken (Seth Green's company) shows. Since the holidays are quickly approaching, we would be foolish not to mention his time in a couple of Hallmark Channel movies.

One 2018 Hallmark movie, Once Upon a Christmas Miracle, has Brett starring alongside Aimee Teegarden. If the name Aimee Teegarden is tugging at your memory strings, you need only remember the phrase: Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. And you know what, you can't lose with Brett Dalton. We look forward to seeing him on Chicago Fire.

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