NCIS’ Shocking New Gibbs Twist Explained

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Be warned: the following contains spoilers for the latest episode of NCIS (season 23, episode 19). NCIS’s executive producer, Steven Binder, has explained the surprising turn involving Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in the show’s most recent episode.

Even though Harmon left NCIS in 2021 and hasn’t been back, his character, Gibbs, returned in a surprising way during the episode “Deal with the Devil.” The episode revealed that Gibbs was the sniper who killed Wayne Rogers, a former Army investigator who played a part in the death of Leon Vance (played by Rocky Carroll).

In a recent TV Insider interview, showrunner Binder shared why this plot twist is a highlight of the series. He explained that while NCIS: Origins depicts a younger version of Gibbs, it’s crucial that the original NCIS team doesn’t define the character’s past too narrowly – avoiding locking him into any particular role, job, or place. Binder then continued to elaborate.

I’ve intentionally steered clear of writing about what Gibbs is doing now because I’ve always seen him as an almost mythical figure. I prefer not to picture him in an ordinary setting like an apartment; I want to imagine him still living a larger-than-life existence, perhaps out in the wilderness. So, if we were to ever bring him back into the story, I’ve been careful to maintain that image and avoid anything that would make him seem too ordinary.

Binder explained that bringing Gibbs back to NCIS needed a strong justification. He felt the events at the end of “Deal with the Devil” – protecting his family – provided exactly that. The episode consistently showed Gibbs’ preference for delivering justice through extreme means, and this situation allowed him to do so again.

Even though Rogers wasn’t directly responsible for Vance’s death on the 500th episode of NCIS, he was the supervisor of the person who did – another dishonest Army investigator named Dolan Thompson. At the end of the episode, “Deal with the Devil,” it seemed Rogers would enter witness protection in exchange for cooperating with the government. He even told Alden Parker he planned to keep committing crimes, even with his new identity.

A sniper killed him. It was later revealed that Parker had traveled to Alaska to convince Gibbs to join him, and that he was also responsible for tampering with the car carrying Rogers. Given their long history working together on NCIS, it was understandable that Gibbs would try to help avenge Vance’s death.

Even though Mark Harmon hasn’t appeared on the original NCIS for five years, he’s still involved with the NCIS universe through NCIS: Origins. He’s an executive producer and narrates every episode, and he’s also reprised his role as Gibbs in two episodes: the series premiere and the recent episode “Funny How Time Slips Away,” which was part of a larger crossover event with the NCIS franchise.

Austin Stowell plays a young version of Gibbs in the new series NCIS: Origins. Fans will continue to see him and hear Mark Harmon’s voice each week when Season 3 of NCIS: Origins starts this fall, though the season will have fewer episodes. Meanwhile, the current NCIS season, season 23, has one episode remaining, and season 24 will also begin airing in the fall.

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2026-05-08 03:51