Due to the rich history of the flagship series, conclusions exist about the fate of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Mike Franks’ original NIS team inNCIS.The franchise’s most recent spinoff explores the backstory of Agent in Charge Gibbs, bringing conversations about his former colleagues back into orbit withNCIS: Origins.The show revives critical figures from Gibbs' background, such as Mike Franks and Vera Strickland. TheNCIS: Originscast also brings connections from Gibbs' narrative out of the shadows, introducing new characters whose involvement bolsters the story ofwhat happened to Gibbs’ wife and daughter inNCIS.
NCIS: Originshas been a significant project for the franchise, making an established character’s story even more robust. The prequel explains how Gibbs navigated his family’s death in more detail, shifting the narrative and perceptions of Gibbs’ story. Still, some facts established in the flagshipNCISseries can never change, including what happens to keyNCIS: Originscharacterslike Gibbs’ mentor. While many details of theNCIS: Originsstoryand Gibbs’ original NIS team remain unknown, theNCISfranchise has filled in plenty of blanks with existing detail and foreshadowing within the narrative that explains where each member lands.
7Vera Strickland
Played By Roma Maffia & Diany Rodriguez
While she only appears once in the flagship series, Roma Maffia establishes a robust character as Vera Stickland.Her single appearance is enough to know precisely where Vera’s story is heading, but leaves room for her narrative to contain plenty of surprises inNCIS: Origins.The most important thing we know about the character from her flagship appearance is that Vera is still alive in 2013, since the franchise introduced Vera inNCISseason 11, episode 3, “Under The Radar.” Vera’s appearance means that Vera will live through the prequel series, whichNCISdoesn’t guarantee for all the prequel characters.
You can watch Vera Strickland’sNCISfranchise debut inNCISseason 11, episode 3, “Under The Radar,” on Paramount+.
Ziva David’s NCIS departureis fresh on everyone’s minds whenVera visits the Navy Yard in season 11, with Cote de Pablo’s character departing in the preceding episode. Due to Ziva’s absence and McGee losing his NCIS credentials at a concert with Abby, Gibbs puts Vera on the case. She investigates alongside Anthony DiNozzo as the team investigates an explosion at the apartment of Lieutenant Junior Grade Terence Keith, despite her pleading with Gibbs not to send her, noting that she only has two weeks left in her career and doesn’t want to put herself in harm’s way.
We can assume that Vera safely retired from NCIS and used her retirement to joyride and occasionally visit Gibbs, who she knows leaves the front door open.
When Vera appears, she has her eyes on her next chapter.Vera claims she only has a few weeks left before she rides off into the sunset on her"hog,“referring to her V-twin four-stroke Electra Glide classic Harley motorcycle. The agent hasn’t been to NCIS Headquarters for 20 years, but is there to meet with Leon Vance. The director explains to Timothy McGee that Vera is at headquarters for the last few weeks before her retirement as she processes out. The first indication she’s from Gibbs' past is Vera referring to the Agent in Charge as"probie.”
NCIS: Origins Episode 4 Makes A Franks' Missed Opportunity In The Original Series More Intriguing
NCIS never opted to show this relationship in the original series, which is a missed opportunity considering everything happening in NCIS: Origins.
Later, Gibbs remarks thatVera was Mike Franks' last partner. Vera tells DiNozzo she had a"very special relationship"with Gibbs' mentor.NCIS: Originsprocesses the complexities of Franks and Vera’s relationship in more detail, illustrating the push and pull of their dynamic in a male-dominated workplace. In an interview withTV Line,NCIS: Originsco-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal revealed that when the show’s creators examined Gibbs' timeline, Vera was positioned at Camp Pendleton, making her an obvious character choice to include in theNCIS: Originscast (viaCinemablend). In the interview, she remarked the following about Vera’s inclusion:
It is a deep pull, but we looked at the timeline and she would have been there [at Camp Pendleton]. She was described [on NCIS] as Franks’ first partner… Vera has some mysterious elements as well, so being able to flesh out a character that was so clearly defined in that one [NCIS] episode has been really fun, for sure.
While Vera and Tony’s investigation ends with Vera suffering a severe ankle sprain, Vera gets off early due to her line-of-duty injury. Thus, we can assume that Vera safely retired from NCIS and used her retirement to joyride and occasionally visit Gibbs, who she knows leaves the front door open. While Vera’s appearance only lasted a singleNCISouting, she is one of the flagship’s most robust one-off characters, and the appearance letsNCIS: Originsaudiences in on the fact that Vera will live to her retirement, but not without becoming Mike Franks' official partner at some point first.
6Benjamin “Randy” Randolf
Played By Caleb Martin Foote
While we don’t know what will happen to Randy,NCIS: Originsepisode 8provides a deeper look into Caleb Martin Foote’s character.Episode 8 offers more profound insights into Randy and his motivations, potentially indicating where his story is heading. During the outing, Randy confesses to a Catholic priest under his protection that he was initially assigned as the protective detail for Shannon and Kelly’s case but asked to be unassigned from the high-profile job due to personal circumstances. Randy explains that he had a sick baby at home and made his request due to stress and exhaustion.
While Randy blames his decision for Special Agent Kurt Mitchell’s unfortunate fate, Randy’s ability to know when to take a step back from his work saved his life.
While Randy blames his decision for Special Agent Kurt Mitchell’s unfortunate fate, Randy’s ability to know when to take a step back from his work saved his life.NCIS: Originsillustrates, primarily in episode 8, that Randy is a family-oriented agent, which breaks a franchise trend of special agents who lack families or the proper balance between work and home life.Gibbs’NCISstorynever mentions Randy, meaning he’s new to the franchise. Still, just because the special agent doesn’t exist later doesn’t mean Randy meets an unfortunate fate. In contrast, Randy’s actions show he’s capable of protecting himself.
5Lala Dominguez
Played By Mariel Molino
While Lala’s ending is still uncertain halfway throughNCIS: Originsseason 1, the provided context suggests a heavy fate. In theNCIS: Originspremiere, Gibbs describes the story he is telling — the premise ofNCIS: Origins,which CBS promoted as the agent’s first few years at NIS — as the story of"her,“referring to Agent Dominguez.Mark Harmon’s narration as Old Gibbs describes Lala’s story as one he doesn’t talk about, which suggests Lala’s story is another tale in a series of traumatic instances from Gibbs' past that he doesn’t much like to discuss, like Shannon and Kelly’s murder.
NCISnever mentions Lala Dominguez, which the prequel series partly justifies by suggesting Gibbs doesn’t like to talk about her story.
The focus on Lala within six months of Gibbs' tragedy, rather than Shannon and Kelly’s deaths, suggests that Agent Dominguez’s story is somehow even more tragic than Pedro Hernandez murdering his family. Thus, Lala might die, too, since it’s hard to imagine why Gibbs would place so much importance on his co-worker in 1991 while processing the death of his wife and daughter. In addition,theNCIS: Originsstory suggests Lala doesn’t trust Gibbsand believes he shouldn’t be out in the field, but repeatedly dismisses that instinct. The pattern of Molino’s character foreshadows impending danger.
4Cliff Wheeler
Played By Patrick Fischler
While we don’t know much about Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler, due to his lack of mentions inNCISand his minor presence inNCIS: Origins,he is a driven character, and we can make some assumptions about where he lands. On the surface, it’s hard to read whether that character positively or negatively impacts Mike Franks' team and whether he is a villain. However,Cliff seems aligned with Frank’s moral compass despite their differences, such as allowing Franks to hire Gibbs despite his failed psych evaluation, which suggests a few possibilities for his future.
Patrick Fischler
Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler
While Cliff Wheeler operates outside the law like Franks, other instances suggest he’s more by the book, like when he suggests Franks elect Dominguez for a promotion because she was due for it. It could be that Wheeler is a morally sound leader who will guide Gibbs and Franks' NIS team as the agency becomes NCIS. Then again, someone likeWheeler could be responsible for covering up the findings about Buggs, as revealed inNCIS: Originsepisode 10. Wheeler could either get the boot in his future or advance to Deputy Director of NCIS or some other advanced bureaucratic position.
3Mike Franks
Played By Muse Watson & Kyle Schmid
We know what happened to Mike Franks, Gibbs' original NIS team leader, due to his robust story in the flagshipNCISseries.Muse Watson established the Michael Franks character onNCIS,appearing more than most of the series' recurring guest characters. Mike Franks first appears inNCISseason 3, episode 23, “Hiatus Part I,” when Director Jennifer Shepard calls on the former team leader to jog Gibbs' memory back to the present in one of thebestNCISepisodes. Watson continues to appear as Franks through season 15, ultimately appearing as a hallucination when Gibbs needs advice from his mentor.
After his retirement, Franks flees to a beach in Mexico to pursue a simpler life, where Director Shepard eventually finds the former team leader.
Due to hisNCISbackstory, we know that Franks left NCIS in 1996 after disagreements regarding the Khobar Towers bombing, with Franks' warnings that Osama bin Laden was behind the attack ignored. After his retirement,Franks flees to a beach in Mexico to pursue a simpler life, where Director Shepard eventually finds the former team leader. Unfortunately, after a robust presence on the show, Franks dies inNCISseason 8, episode 1, “Spider and the Fly.” Therefore, we know Franks will make it through theNCIS: Originsprequel series, but he won’t be at the agency within five years.
2Mary Jo
Played By Tyla Abercrumbie
Since she’s a new character for the franchise, very little is known about the fate of the secretary for the NIS Camp Pendleton Field Officer, Mary Jo Hayes. Still, whileMary Jo is never mentioned in the flagshipNCISseries, that doesn’t necessarily mean she meets a tragic fate. There are no context clues that Mary Jo is heading toward her demise, as there are with Special Agent Lala Dominguez. While it’s true that Gibbs never mentions Mary Jo in theNCISstory, his lack of mentioning the secretary could easily be explained by the many years that have passed.
How Old Gibbs Is In NCIS & NCIS: Origins (& How Old Mark Harmon & Austin Stowell Are)
Austin Stowell stars as the younger version of Mark Harmon’s NCIS character – Leroy Jethro Gibbs – in the prequel TV series NCIS: Origins.
It’s apparent by mid-season that Mary Jo is a source of support for Gibbs, so she is likely one of the many influential members of his support circle who have come and gone over the years. While Mary Jo may meet a dark fate due to her association with the agency, like when the secretary was thrust into danger while looking after a little girl inNCIS: Originsepisode 4, it’s expected that Mary Jo will retire after an exhaustive yet satisfying career at NIS, settling down to enjoy her retirement. Still, no one at NCIS is ever truly safe.
1Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Played By Mark Harmon & Austin Stowell
Perhaps the most familiar and recognized conclusion of all Franks and Gibbs' original NIS team members is Leroy himself. What happens to the Agent in Charge is established inNCISseason 19, episode 4, “Great Wide Open,” which served as Gibbs' retirement andMark Harmon’sNCISexitafter nearly two decades with the series.After a case takes Gibbs and McGee to Alaska, the former decides to stay and retire in “The Last Frontier,“finding peace in Naktok Bay, Alaska, where he fishes with his senior field agent before McGee bids him farewell and takes off for Washington alone.
What happens to Gibbs is still being written.
While we didn’t hear from Gibbs for several years following his retirement,NCIS: Originspicks up where the flagship left off, checking in with Mark Harmon’s Gibbs character as he pens a previously unwritten story about his early years at NIS in the 1990s and his relationship with Special Agent Lala Dominguez. While Gibbs' future was previously a closed book, the franchise has reopened the future of Mark Harmon’s story by opening up Gibbs' past, using the character’s present-day perspective to explore a pivotal moment in his past. Therefore, what happens to Gibbs is still being written.
NCIS
TheNCISfranchise is an American media franchise that focuses on military-related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began withNCISin 2003, a spin-off fromJAG, and has since expanded to include multiple spin-offs set across different locations.
