Owen Hunt
Major Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States. The character was created by series' producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by Scottish actor Kevin McKidd. He was introduced in Season 5 as a U.S. Army trauma surgeon who served in war-torn Iraq, and subsequently joins the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital to teach medicine as a surgical attending, head of trauma surgery, and eventual chief of surgery, sometimes utilizing unconventional methods. Originally contracted to appear for a multi-episode story arc, he was upgraded to a series regular at the conclusion of his first appearance.
Hunt served as a love interest for surgical fellow Cristina Yang and had an unstable personality when first introduced, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McKidd's on-screen chemistry with Oh received critical acclaim, with Matt Roush of TV Guide calling the "instant sparks" between McKidd and Oh "electrifying". Chris Monfette of IGN praised the addition of "fresh, new characters" like Owen Hunt.
Storylines
Before his regular appearances on the show, Owen Hunt was a United States Army surgeon, specializing in trauma surgery. He held the rank of Major. The character makes a dramatic first appearance when he performs a tracheotomy on a man with a pen, winning the admiration of resident Cristina Yang. He is offered a job by former chief of surgery Richard Webber, but declines, explaining that he has not completed his tour in Iraq. His appointment as the new head of trauma surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital was not well-received initially. By his first week he manages to irk both Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan, head of neurosurgery and plastic surgery, respectively, who view his treatment of some of the patients as crude, and also rebuffed by resident Izzie Stevens when he stabs a set of pigs and then orders the residents and interns to save their lives, in order to teach them medicine on "live tissue". Hunt eventually embarks on a relationship with Yang, but it comes to a sudden close when his PTSD gets the best of him, and he unconsciously strangles her. Soon after the breakup, he begins therapy with the hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Wyatt. Some time later, a soldier visits the hospital for treatment, and his presence influences Owen to contemplate returning to the US Army. When he shares this with Cristina, she disagrees with his decision, stating that she doesn't want him to die, and the two eventually rekindle their relationship. Owen brings in Teddy Altman, his best friend and colleague from when he was in the army, as the new head of cardiothoracic surgery. When it is revealed that Hunt and Altman may be potential lovers, Hunt and Yang's relationship is challenged, and eventually concluded by Yang.During a hospital shooting, Owen is shot and injured, attracting the sympathy of Cristina, who subsequently restores their relationship. Due to the emotional reverberations of the shooting crisis, Owen and Cristina decide to wed one another shortly after their reconciliation, not wanting to risk separation. There are some concerns from Cristina's friends that Owen is taking advantage of her PTSD to rush her into marriage, which she had previously decided against. When Cristina discovers she is pregnant, Owen is displeased with her desire to abort the baby, and the two separate from each other. One of the major, recurring points of conflict in their relationship are Owen's strong desires for children and a traditional wife, and Cristina's equally strong conviction that she never wants children. In the fallout of resident Meredith Grey tampering with Derek Shepherd's Alzheimer's trial, Owen is promoted to Chief of Surgery after Webber steps down. After substantial thought, Owen reluctantly decides to accompany Cristina to the abortion, uniting the two. Owen's friendship with Teddy ends when Owen lies to Teddy about her husband's sudden death, due to Owen wanting her to finish a surgery she was currently performing and Teddy blaming Owen for her husband's death. Feeling abandoned and disconcerted after an altercation with Cristina, Owen has a one-night stand with a patient's friend. Cristina consequently finds out, terminates their relationship, and their marriage is tested. After Cristina passed her medical boards, she reconciles with Owen, but reveals to him that she is leaving Seattle to go to Mayo Clinic. Teddy and Owen eventually became friends again. She had been offered a position at the United States Army Medical Command but chose to stay at Seattle Grace Mercy West out of loyalty. After Teddy's husband Henry dies she wallows in her grief and it affects her colleagues and residents, causing Owen to "fire" her so that she can have a fresh start elsewhere. He also fires April Kepner because the hospital cannot afford to keep her due to her not being Board certified. Months later, Hunt visits Kepner and rehires her as he realized he made a mistake. In later seasons, Owen and Kepner become close friends due to her choice to sign up with the military, a decision Owen helped prompt and encourage, and a decision which leads to the eventual end of Kepner's marriage to Jackson Avery.
In Season 9, Cristina and Owen's marriage is again very strained. Cristina is working at Mayo Clinic and Owen is in Seattle but she eventually returns and then Owen asks for a divorce. He later shows that he is still in love with her and only asked for a divorce so Cristina and the others involved in the plane crash could get the money. Cristina and Owen reconcile in episode 9 before Miranda Bailey's wedding.
In Season 10, Cristina decides to accept a job to run a state of the art clinic in Switzerland. Owen supports her decision as he realizes no good could come from him asking her to stay. He requests that Cristina not to leave him until she has to leave him for good, and they spend the two weeks leading to her permanent departure together. While saying her farewell to her colleagues of the last seven years, there is a possible act of terrorism in Seattle, which later turns out to be just a gas main explosion. Cristina has a quick but emotional goodbye hug with Derek, Bailey, and Webber; leaves her shares of the hospital to Alex; and dances it out with Meredith one last time to an old favorite song. Owen, however, is busy saving a patient in the operating room so they share a silent goodbye through the gallery's glass.
In Season 11, Owen develops a relationship with Amelia Shepherd. This is on-and-off throughout Seasons 11 and 12 until the end of Season 12 where he and Amelia get married, after Amelia proposes to him. Owen is attracted to Amelia's desire for a "real family" and children.
In Season 14, after going through a series of marital issues, Owen decides to pursue a divorce from Amelia, citing Amelia's reversal on wanting to have children and her increasingly erratic behavior. Owen listens to Amelia when she, in a fit of pique, tells him to go be with Teddy. As a result, he flies to Germany to be with Teddy, but after they spend the night together, Owen reveals he is there at his wife's suggestion. Teddy is insulted he made her a last choice, citing his inability to be alone, and Teddy breaks it off. Owen returns to Grey Sloan alone. It is later discovered that Amelia's behavior was caused by a brain tumor. In a reversal of blame, Amelia is angry that Owen placed sole blame on her for their marital issues, as well as committing adultery with Teddy, since he ignored all of her tumor symptoms as selfishness and poor character. Despite pursuing their divorce, they continue sleeping together. Owen decides to pursue his lifelong dream of fatherhood alone and begins fostering Leo, a baby who was given up by his teenage mother. When Amelia finds Leo's mother, Betty, homeless and addicted to drugs, Amelia takes Betty in, and, together, Owen and Amelia take care of Leo and Betty at Owen's home, reconciling and deciding to stay in their relationship and renew their marriage.
In Season 15, Owen and Amelia have a strong relationship, which is interrupted by the news that Teddy is pregnant with Owen's child. Teddy did not tell Owen at first, because she knew he would leave Amelia for the chance to be a father, and Teddy does not want to be with Owen after he made her his alternate choice. Owen is upset because he would not have reconciled with Amelia or fostered Leo if Teddy had told him earlier that he was expecting a biological child. This causes additional tension with Amelia, who knows Owen would have left her without trying to salvage their marriage. In light of Teddy's disinterest, Owen tells Amelia he chooses her.
However, Owen continues to exhibit possessive and obsessive behavior over Teddy and her pregnancy, causing Amelia to permanently split from their relationship. Owen then adopts Leo as his son and welcomes his newborn daughter, Allison, with Teddy, whom they named after Teddy's best friend Allison Brown, who died during the collapse of the second tower on September 11, 2001. Teddy has a change of mind and decides to try a relationship with Owen.
In Season 16, Owen is in a relationship with Teddy, whom he had previously given his position as Grey-Sloan's Head of Trauma to keep her in the country. Owen has a contentious relationship with the new Chief of Surgery, Koracick, whom Teddy had dated during her pregnancy. After Owen accidentally electrocutes his genitals, Koracick takes out a restraining order against Owen, requiring him to be 500 feet away. Teddy has been finding motherhood overwhelming and hating her maternity leave, so Owen decides to take paternity leave to allow her to return to work. His paternity leave turns into a resignation. Owen eventually accepts an offer from Karev to become Chief of Trauma at Pac-North after he finds stay-at-home parenting overwhelming and boring, though when Pac-North merges with Grey Sloan, Owen returns to Grey Sloan. At the end of the season, Owen discovers that Teddy is cheating on him with Koracick after Teddy accidentally sends Owen a voicemail of her and Koracick having sex.
In Season 17, Owen confronts Teddy about her affair and ends their engagement. He and Teddy butt heads at work, as Owen is unable to forgive Teddy, but he eventually offers her friendship after she falls in a catatonic state from overworking herself in the COVID-19 pandemic frontlines. Owen and Teddy start sleeping with each other again, and in the season finale, Owen proposes to Teddy, which she accepts.
In the beginning of Season 18, Owen and Teddy got married at the Emerald City Bar after their wedding at the Park was interrupted by a bicycle accident.