Could we see Ducky in NCIS: Origins?

There is no doubt that the NCIS: Origins series opens doors for past characters from NCIS to return. No, they can’t be played by the same actors, but we can see them come back in some sort of way.

One of those that we would love to see is Donald “Ducky” Mallard. Sadly, David McCallum passed away in 2023, bringing a touching tribute episode to the character in NCIS season 21. The character had previously been played by Adam Campbell in flashback moments in the original series, which opens the door for the character to return in some sort of way in NCIS: Origins.

Gibbs and Ducky do know each other in NCIS: Origins

Gibbs and Ducky do go way back. We’ve seen how they met in the flagship series, and we know that happened before Shannon and Kelly were killed. However, Ducky has always pointed out that he didn’t know Gibbs was married or had a daughter, so the meeting happened and then there was a long stretch before they met again. Admittedly, there is some odd consistency with their relationship, so it would be good to see some of that explained.

That means we’re looking at into the 1990s, when Gibbs is an NIS agent. Sure enough, that’s when NCIS: Origins takes place.

“Everything Starts Somewhere” – Flashbacks reveal the murder case that first introduced young Gibbs (Sean Harmon) to NCIS and his introduction to young, new-to-America Ducky (Adam Campbell), on the 400th episode of NCIS, Tuesday, Nov. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Adam Campbell as young Donald Mallard, Sean Harmon as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Photo: CBS ©2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NCIS fans could finally get some answers

There are a lot of questions fans still have about Gibbs and Ducky. We have no idea how long they were colleagues, and Ducky isn’t the Medical Examiner at NIS just yet. So, there is a storyline there that the series could develop. How long after Gibbs joined NIS did Ducky end up working there? Did Gibbs have something to do with Ducky getting the job?

There is an inconsistency that I need clarifying, and NCIS: Origins could help. Ducky knew how much Gibbs liked Shannon in the 1980s. In fact, Ducky encouraged Gibbs to try again with Shannon, leading to the marriage and birth of Kelly. Yet, in the early days of NCIS, Ducky said he didn’t know Gibbs had a wife and daughter. That seems odd considering their meeting, so what happened? Why did Ducky forget all about Shannon? Can we find out?

NCIS: Origins returns on Monday, Jan. 27 at 10/9c on CBS. Catch up on the series with Paramount+.

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