How does elliot stabler leave

And while he came close to dying several times, the detective was also known to use deadly force with suspects, white supremacists, and corrupt police officers, among others. And, surprise , it's actually this proclivity he had toward aggression that caused him to formally retire from the force. After a remarkably long time away from the show, Detective Stabler will be returning to the cast for a special episode.

For SVU 's April 1, episode, Stabler and Benson will finally reunite, though the situation may not unfold the way fans would like it to. It is so many unanswered questions. Nonetheless, seeing Elliot return to the cast after all these years will surely prove interesting. Back in the early days of Season 6, Dr. Huang flagged Elliot for being at risk for "excessive emotional investment" after he noticed that one of the murdered children he found at Church of Wisdom and Sight was wearing similar pajamas to his kids'.

Captain Cragen also called him out on crossing the line of professionalism several times over the course of his career. But back to that traumatic discovery of dead children at the Church of Wisdom and Sight in Season 6: Cragen forced him to take sick leave to avoid suspension after he refused to get any counseling.

Elliot also made a number of terrible decisions, including directly disobeying his captain's orders, but the last straw came in Season 12's finale during the emotional case of one Jenna Fox, who watched her mom get gunned down in the street. Captain Cragen Dann Florek informed Benson that if Stabler did indeed return, he had to undergo psychological evaluations and counseling. The episode ended with the revelation that Stabler opted to retire instead of returning to work, emotionally devastating Benson.

He had also been investigating international crimes, including terrorism and organized crime. After his wife Kathy was severely wounded in a car bombing, he partnered with Benson again to solve the case.

His reunion with Benson was tense, as they had not spoken since his departure. The series premiered Thursday, April 1 at 10 p. Watching the endless reruns of the series on the USA network, one might feel like Stabler never left, yet there have been over episodes produced without his character. So what exactly happened to Elliot Stabler? Why did this powerful and electrifying detective leave SVU? His sudden departure came without warning and left many fans with a lack of closure.