When the High Potential season 2 finale aired, we were left with one of the show's most captivating cliffhangers yet. Morgan met Captain Wagner in the park, but when she arrived, she found him with a bullet wound and near death. Shortly after the episode aired, the news of Steve Howey's departure from the main cast was announced, though we shouldn't take that as a spoiler of Wagner's fate.
Howey joined the cast of High Potential as a series regular in the second season as the police department's new captain and quickly began a tense will-they-won't-they relationship with Morgan. They seemed to take a turn in the season finale, but with confirmation of Howey's exit and decreased role in the show moving forward, any romance has seemingly been put on ice.
Going into High Potential season 3, there's a chance that Howey could make a guest star appearance apart from his initial one-year deal early in the season in order to wrap up Wagner's storyline. The show has new showrunners, who will be deciding Wagner's fate, and while the stars finally addressed Howey leaving the show, they didn't offer any teases about whether Wagner lives or dies.
While chatting with TV Line at the Disney Upfronts in May 2026, High Potential stars Javicia Leslie and Deniz Akdeniz were asked about Steve Howey's departure as a full-time cast member. More specifically, they were asked if their characters were going to miss Captain Wagner, and Leslie noted that Daphne would, since Wagner "challenged her to take a chance on herself."
The actress jokingly asked if she herself would miss the character and his actor before quickly changing course and stating that of course she's going to miss Howey. As she told TV Line, "I love Steve! I'm gonna miss Steve like insanely." She was careful not share any details about Wagner's storyline, though that could be because the stars genuinely don't know what happened next.
Like Leslie, Akdeniz also joked about Howey's exit and that his height wasn't a positive when it comes to his character Oz: "I think he's too tall. That's the problem. He's lovely, he's amazing, he's very talented, but too tall. I don't think Oz needs more tall people in the show. Just Oz, not me, I'm fine. Again, I love the guy." (For those wondering, Howey is 6 feet 4 inches tall!)
If any fans were shocked at Howey's departure from the series, there's clearly no bad blood between the actor and the rest of the cast, and even less so between Captain Wagner and his coworkers. High Potential season 3 will have the impossible task of tying up the loose ends for the character left behind by the season 2 finale, and that includes deciding on the character's fate.
Should Wagner die in Morgan's arms, that would be an incredibly dark turn that would be yet another driving force for Morgan in her quest for justice and the truth about Roman. A life lost, especially one she had grown so close to, wouldn't be something she would take lightly at all. She would feel guilt and repsonsibility, but would the show really choose should a heavy path forward for Morgan?
Wagner could also be significantly injured and forced to stepped down from his role as captain, leading to someone (possible even Soto) taking his place. He could step down indefinitely, leave the force altogether, or even have to go into hiding depending on how deep this Roman mystery goes. Either way, any solution offers a quick wrap-up to Wagner's role in the show.
Thankfully, we have plenty of time to wonder what happens next. High Potential season 3 doesn't premiere on ABC until sometime in early 2027. Start those rewatches now!
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