Kiefer Sutherland wanted a definitive end for Jack Bauer on 24

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

If Kiefer Sutherland had his druthers, we wouldn't be having any discussions in the future about the potential for his Jack Bauer to surface on Fox's relaunch of the 24 series with 24: LEGACY, which stars STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON's Corey Hawkins. That's because Kiefer Sutherland really wanted Bauer to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country when it came to saving the day – he wanted Jack Bauer to die. 

In an new interview with Variety, former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon explains how that whole discussion went down.

Kiefer [Sutherland] actually wanted Jack Bauer to die, and we had many conversations about it… many of us, including his agent, tried to talk him out of it, but then there was an edict from very high up [within Fox] and Jack Bauer is still alive.

The network isn't stupid. They want to make sure they keep whatever doors open they can, in case the opportunity arises sometime down the line for Sutherland to reprise the role and for 24 to attract eyes as a result. You can't do that if your popular hero is worm food. But you have to respect Sutherland's idea to put Bauer six feet under. It would have been an emotional end for a guy who gave so much to keep the world safe 24/7 and probably a deserving send-off for all he had put himself through. It also might have told a better story than how Bauer's run on 24 ultimately was wrapped up (I'll leave you to discover that on your own, if you haven't already). 

But we know who makes the final call on these types of decisions and that is that. Oh, but what might have been…