Will 'NCIS' season 18 get a new villain? Is Sahar really dead?

Many speculations have been floated around for the storyline that the NCIS season 18 will take.

Frank Cardea, NCIS showrunner, had already confirmed that NCIS season 18 will be seeing a more emotionally transparent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the character that Mark Harmon brings to life on the small screen.

And, apparently, one of the events leading to this was when Gibbs had to shoot dead Sahar, whose young son had become his buddy. However, Gibbs had no choice if he wanted Ziva David, played by Cote de Pablo, to remain alive. Ziva is like a daughter to Gibbs. And, Sahar is the waitress named Sarah whom Gibbs had gotten close with in the early part of season 17.

While the NCIS deals with a lot of bad people, the Sahar storyline was something that was somehow central for season 17.

Sahar was introduced in the season 17 premiere wherein we also learn that Ziva faked her death to protect her family from Sahar.

Thus, Sahar had stood out as a recognizable villain for NCIS plus the fact that she is after Ziva, a character fans have always wanted to return on the show since she departed it after season 11 in 2013.

Ziva made a surprise comeback at the end of season 16 to warn Gibbs that his life was in danger.

But, because we had to see Sahar die twice in season 17, as the first Sahar was a decoy, we wonder, if the second Sahar, who Gibbs shot dead, was really the real Sahar. Would a “real” Sahar be what is in store for us in season 18 or will we get introduced to a new villain.

If this would be the case, perhaps it can be someone who would be connected to the opioid crisis as it will fit right in with an evolving Gibbs storyline.