Howard Gordon, the showrunner of Fox’s “24”, revealed that Jack Bauer’s greatest enemy may have been himself.

“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,” Gordon said.

In 2014, Sutherland appeared in the mini-series “24: Live Another Day,” but last year the actor commented on his relationship with the franchise. “’24’ is definitely over now for me. It’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve been given as an actor. But, it’s moving on without me.”

Gordon also discussed the “24” spinoff, “24: Legacy,” slated for 2017, where “Straight Outta Compton” star Corey Hawkins will take over as Bauer’s CTU successor. Though Bauer is not a star of the new series, Gordon said, “There’s always a chance he could come back.”

Gordon, who also co-created and wrote “Homeland” spoke about Bauer’s influence in his latter work. “Jack Bauer has cast a very long and powerful shadow,” he said.

“Carrie Mathison [Claire Danes’ character in ‘Homeland’] was born out of Jack Bauer. So was Corey’s character. We are fishing in the same pond for stories. Jack Bauer is the atom.”