Why Erin Wanted To Get Rid Of Hotch

Before his ex-wife, Haley, was murdered and his son Jack abducted by unsub The Boston Reaper, Hotch was a driven career agent with a singular passion for his job. Many fans on Reddit believe this was the cause of Strauss's push to oust him — he was a rival and a threat to her position. Redditor u/roselighters pointed out, "Before hayley died all he wanted was to advance his career and eventually be head of the fbi" but when his focuses switched, she backed off the unit. u/Ok-Painting added, "It's all about politics tbh. She viewed Hotch as her biggest opponent," while u/fernandabrigoni posted in agreement. "In my opinion she saw how hard he worked and was afraid he would come after her job," they wrote. u/Brown_babe speculated that Hotch did indeed turn out to be a contender for Strauss's position, noting how "The moment she was out they went to him."

There is at least one alternative fan theory out there that explains why Erin wanted to get rid of Hotch. u/Comfortable_Bed3748 suggested that Strauss, having experienced the toll the work took on her relationship with her own children, wanted to protect Hotch. "I don't really know, but maybe because she knew how hard the work was on family life. Just a guess. She wanted him to be there for Jack as he grew up," they posited.

The fact that there is still discussion and debate over Strauss and her relationship with the BAU team is a testament to the impact her character had on fans.