Rocky Carroll Explains Leon Vance’s Death During NCIS's 500th Episode

Fans who tuned into the 500th episode of NCIS were stunned to see the longtime director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Leon Vance, die. And many longtime viewers weren't exactly thrilled with his exit from the series. So why did showrunners kill him off, and which character was responsible for his demise?

In the show's landmark 500th entry, "All Good Things," we see the U.S. Department of Defense work to put an end to the group's efforts. In the episode, Vance locates and defuses a bomb located in an evidence locker. Upon doing so, he's murdered by a traitorous Army CID agent, Dolan Thompson.

As it turns out, Dolan's working with other double-crossing CID agents who are selling arms for cash. Once Vance uncovers his plot, Dolan fires three rounds into his chest, killing off the major character.

Viewers watching the episode in real time held out hope that Vance may have lived, as it's believed he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

However, he wasn't, and he ends up heading into the afterlife, guided by the image of a de-aged Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard. Thompson meets his end shortly after killing Vance, after Alden Parker and Timothy McGee spot him and light him up.

Rocky Carroll, who plays Vance in the series, spoke with TV Line about his exit from the series, and how the plan to send his character off transpired. According to Carroll, neither he nor the showrunners were planning to get rid of him until later in the shooting season.

Carroll said the show's executive producer, Steven D. Binder, entered his trailer with an idea for the 500th episode, two episodes before they were slated to film it. "We want to do something that really sends shockwaves through the TV community and the fan base, and your character is central to the storyline," Carroll quoted Binder as saying.

The actor went on to state that his first reaction was that it was "a great story." Furthermore, he added that no one at home would ever see this twist coming. As for his time on the series coming to an end, Carroll expressed nothing but gratitude and appreciation for being on NCIS for 18 consecutive seasons.

"The only thing that surprised me more than being told what the story was ... was how quickly I was able to kind of come to terms with it ... I've been playing this character for 18 seasons. 18 seasons is a lot. I feel like being a series regular on a hit show for 18 years is such an anomaly to being with ... I feel like my character really kind of came full circle."

Many folks who commented on Vance's death in this Reddit r/NCIS sub said that they were miffed to see Carroll exit the series. One user on the site shared the TV Line interview, stating that it made them feel better about his NCIS departure.

Others concurred, replying that they were happy the decision for him to leave wasn't one rooted in creative differences or any ill will. Someone else in the same discussion thread noted that Carroll has directed 29 episodes of the series and could return to do so again in the future. So even if his character isn't in the show, he may be lending his talents off-screen.