SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Summary While one other original character made their triumphant return to the show, co-showrunner Steven D. Binder opens up about Gibbs' absence in NCIS season 21's Ducky tribute episode. After playing the series regular role of Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard across the first 20 seasons of the crime procedural, David McCallum died at the age of 90, leaving his character's future briefly uncertain.
In a perfect world, what we first imagined was what the Marvel Cinematic Universe did when Tony Stark died…. Our original thought was, "Can we get everybody?" We gave a lot of thought to who Ducky is connected to most, which on one level would be Gibbs. But it was Jimmy who was there, so it was who Jimmy would connect with, and also bring some levity… and that was Michael Weatherly. It’s really a no-brainer. Of course, the door is always open.
Why Gibbs' Absence Was Actually Right For NCIS' Ducky Tribute Close Binder's comments largely echo that of Dietzen's, who made his third writing stint on the show with NCIS' Ducky tribute episode, having previously co-written episodes with fellow show veteran Scott Williams.
While some may argue that Gibbs should have still appeared in some capacity in the episode, the decision not to bring him back was ultimately the better choice for NCIS' Ducky tribute. The former star and executive producer's exit was one of the biggest changes to the show's cast thus far, with his season 19 farewell episode delivering an effectively emotional finale for the iconic character.