Dead Original NCIS Character's Return Rewrites History

Published Nov 14, 2026, 1:30 PM EST Misty Layne started as an actor and sketch comedy writer before deciding to concentrate mainly on writing. Utilizing both her love of television and film and her behind-the-scenes knowledge, she began a website reviewing films in 2013, with a focus on horror and indie media. Eventually, she began writing about all things television and film for other sites as well. Misty shares a home with five cats, a ton of books, and a fairly impressive vinyl collection. NCIS: Origins is on a roll in season 3. Not only has the show brought Mark Harmon back to our screens, but it’s also reunited him with several characters from Gibbs’ past now. Older Gibbs and DiNozzo’s reunion might have been the most talked about, but Bishop's return has been a hit, too. Additionally, Older Gibbs has gotten much quieter, more touching reunions with characters who are no longer with us — Ducky and Director Vance. Ducky and Vance may have passed away, but that didn’t stop NCIS: Origins from giving Harmon’s Gibbs brief moments with them. While Gibbs' remembrance of Ducky was bolstered by DiNozzo mentioning the former medical examiner and a moment with one of Ducky’s train figurines, NCIS: Origins used a note and a voiceover from Vance to give Gibbs' relationship with his former boss some additional closure. Both instances demonstrated that old friends, alive or dead, can be brought back in some form. Now, NCIS: Origins is proving once again that Gibbs is always surrounded by his loved ones by bringing a character (or two) back from the dead this season to rewrite history. Though the older Mike Franks died 16 years ago in canon in the NCIS season 8 episode “Swan Song,” he’ll be reappearing, and with the bombshell reveal in NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 5, “Baila Esta Cumbia,” that Lala is still alive, the rest of season 3 is shaping up to be memorable. NCIS: Origins Is Bringing Back Muse Watson's Mike Franks CBS The recently released trailer for NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 6, “Shot Through The Heart”, revealed that Muse Watson will be appearing as the older Mike Franks. While Watson has returned to the franchise after the character’s death, mostly as a specter offering Gibbs advice, it seems this outing will be a bit different. As showrunner David J. North told TV Insider, all the reunions Gibbs is experiencing are driven by the story. In the case of Watson's return, he explained, "We just thought that was an opportunity at the end to — this whole thing has been about time — actually see our Franks, Kyle Schmid, turn into Muse." The promo for “Shot Through The Heart” shows Gibbs collapsing, while Bishop rushes to him and calls his name right before Older Gibbs and Younger Gibbs come face to face. It seems as if Franks (and Younger Gibbs and Lala) will appear in Gibbs' mind while he’s passed out from whatever has afflicted him. This wouldn't be the first time that has happened, as Gibbs and Franks had a similar reunion in NCIS's 200th episode, "Life Before His Eyes" (one of the most essential NCIS episodes to understanding Mike Franks), when Gibbs experienced a life-or-death situation. Even though Harmon’s Gibbs can be heard saying in the trailer, “This isn’t real,” it doesn’t stop him from questioning Franks about whether Lala has actually been dead this whole time or not. Franks simply replies, “We had a funeral.” Hopefully, he can shed a bit more light on the matter than that in Gibbs's dream world. Old Franks' Return Will Determine Lala's True NCIS Fate The return of the older Mike Franks is meant to help the Older Gibbs determine what Lala’s fate really was, as are the reunions between Gibbs and Joe Spano's Fornell and Roma Maffia's Vera. The official synopsis for NCIS: Origins season 3 claims that all three will be able to offer insight into what truly happened when Lala disappeared. Of course, Franks could offer the most insight. After all, if Lala faked her death, Mike Franks would have been the best person to help her. The two had a good relationship, with Lala working as Franks’ right-hand woman, so if she needed to disappear, going to Franks would have made sense. Franks would also have kept the secret for her, even from Gibbs. If he did help Lala disappear, then he likely has some idea of why she chose to do so and could even know where she might be, which could help Older Gibbs track her down before the bad guys do. Of course, this version of Mike Franks will be one entirely made up in Gibbs' head, so any information he gains would really be information he’s already figured out, whether consciously or subconsciously. But a conversation with any version of Franks can help him organize what he knows to determine what he needs to do next. Old Gibbs Learning About Lala's Fate Rewrites His NCIS History MovieStillsDB Harmon’s Gibbs had quite a romantic history on NCIS. After the death of his first wife, Shannon, and their daughter, Kelly, he was inconsolable for a while, as NCIS: Origins showed us. However, even after meeting Lala and developing feelings for her, he still dated and briefly married Diane (who appeared on the original NCIS, where she was also married to Fornell). While NCIS: Origins is currently developing younger Gibbs and Lala’s relationship after they shared a passionate kiss, they’re also moving slowly. However, in the flagship show’s canon, Gibbs met Rebecca, wife number three, not long after ending his marriage to Diane. Of course, that marriage didn’t last for very long either, and he later went on to marry Stephanie. That marriage lasted only 14 months. It was also revealed that he had been engaged to a woman named Ellen; he believed she had been killed in the 9/11 attacks, only to discover that she had actually been murdered the night before. Learning that Lala may have been alive all these years, though, rewrites that history — or at least gives Older Gibbs a plethora of what-ifs, because if he hadn’t believed Lala died on that plane, chances are good they would have ended up together. While that relationship might have fizzled like most of his other marriages, it seems more likely it would have mirrored his relationship with Kelly and lasted, which would have changed his life's trajectory. Without a background of multiple failed marriages and a string of relationships that never seemed to work out, Gibbs might have been very different than the character fans came to know and love. Now, knowing that Lala supposedly wasn’t on that plane makes everything he (and viewers) have ever known take on a whole new meaning. The possibility that existed for Gibbs’ life if Lala had been in it might be more haunting than all the old faces, dead or alive, that have haunted him on NCIS: Origins. Release Date October 14, 2024 Network CBS Directors Niels Arden Oplev, John Terlesky, Diana Valentine, Edward Ornelas, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Lionel Coleman, Loren Yaconelli, Pete Chatmon, Pamela Romanowsky, Ruben Garcia, Jessica Lowrey Cast Austin Stowell Leroy Jethro Gibbs Kyle Schmid Special Agent Mike Franks NCIS: Origins is set in 1991, preceding the events of the original series. The series introduces Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a new special agent at NCIS Camp Pendleton. Under the leadership of NCIS legend Mike Franks, Gibbs navigates his role within a tenacious, unconventional team.